How many times did you try?

WhiteRabbit1313

How many times did you try before it finally "clicked" and you were able to see results?

Personally, I've been trying since I was 13 years old to lose weight. My losses/gains resulted in me maintaining my weight for decades. I've lost count on how many times it took for it to actually be sustainable, and honestly, I'm still not sure I'm quite "there," yet, since I have more to lose after hitting my current weight loss goal.

Anyway, I figure it's easy to forget where we came from, so I'd like to know the truth of where you started and how many times it took you to lose weight/get fit and maintain it, for an extended period of time?

Keiras_Mom

I have no idea. A whole lot! I would always have good success for a few months, then get discouraged or feel too restricted and throw in the towel. As so many of us did/do, I'd gain back everything I lost plus more.

This time I found a plan that worked for me, where I didn't feel deprived, and it just sort of clicked. I am now 30 pounds below my original goal, and so happy. I've been maintaining for nearly a year, and I think I can do it for the rest of my life. It's an amazing feeling!

twixlepennie

Once and I'm now in maintenance. It was either lose the weight or become a T2, a disease that killed one relative of mine and is currently killing another. Saw where I was going and decided to say screw that and changed course. I had NO idea what I was doing-woke up on a Wednesday morning last October, the day after talking to my dr. about my glucose number, and spent the day googling. My weight loss plan was a hodgepodge of different plans but it worked and here I am today, in maintenance with a normal fasting glucose number

KerryITD

I'll let you know if I ever make it through any maintenance phases! My life has pretty much always been spent gaining or losing. :ohwell:

kcb0308

I've been trying most "fad" type diet plans since the age of 16, so about 10 years. I have never lost more than 20lbs on one of these and typically start wavering anywhere from 3-6 weeks in. The closest I came was about a year ago, I started P90x, was doing great and feeling awesome... Then my wife and I had our second child, and my workout routine and eating good came to a crashing halt.

This time around I feel great, and have lots of positive energy. I'm feeling good about it.

WhiteRabbit1313

Once and I'm now in maintenance. It was either lose the weight or become a T2, a disease that killed one relative of mine and is currently killing another. Saw where I was going and decided to say screw that and changed course. I had NO idea what I was doing-woke up on a Wednesday morning last October, the day after talking to my dr. about my glucose number, and spent the day googling. My weight loss plan was a hodgepodge of different plans but it worked and here I am today, in maintenance with a normal fasting glucose number

Taken from your profile page:

"95% of us will FAIL at long term weigh loss success. I WILL Succeed at this and I WILL be part of the 5% that beats the odds. Failure is NOT an option.

I've lost over 50lbs since October, 2012 and I'm now in maintenance"

You are the 5% that you quoted. Congratulations!

BlueBombers

Actually I did it on my first try....but it took me years of making excuses to get to this point.

WhiteRabbit1313

Ok, well. I think it's great that people did it on their first try. Obviously, you are the exception and not the rule. BUT, it's good to see that it CAN happen!

shancheer24

For the last 18 months i struggled on and off several times to really lose the weight from my 3rd pregnancy. Prior to this pregnancy the weight always just fell off and i didnt have to try very hard. I want to say i did 3 " diets and working out" times before it finally clicked in September of this year and the weight actually started to come off.

twixlepennie

Once and I'm now in maintenance. It was either lose the weight or become a T2, a disease that killed one relative of mine and is currently killing another. Saw where I was going and decided to say screw that and changed course. I had NO idea what I was doing-woke up on a Wednesday morning last October, the day after talking to my dr. about my glucose number, and spent the day googling. My weight loss plan was a hodgepodge of different plans but it worked and here I am today, in maintenance with a normal fasting glucose number

Taken from your profile page:

"95% of us will FAIL at long term weigh loss success. I WILL Succeed at this and I WILL be part of the 5% that beats the odds. Failure is NOT an option.

I've lost over 50lbs since October, 2012 and I'm now in maintenance"

You are the 5% that you quoted. Congratulations!

So far-I've got about 30 years of maintenance to go before I can call total success-after I hit 75 I'm letting myself go :laugh:

RosaliaBee

While I was plump at school, I never suffered from serious overweight until quite recently, late thirties basically after some health issues and a series of deaths and I got overwhelmed. I still don't even know 'how' I got so fat, well I do when I think about it of course. Sounds crazy but obviously I was overeating without even being really conscious of what I was doing. It doesn't help that my man has had a really hard physical job for the past several years where he burns a LOT of calories every day and as a consequence he has a big appetite to match, while I have a mainly sedentary lifestyle, and yet I would still serve us the same size meals without thinking about it!
I know, Doh!!!

How many times did I try? To be honest this is the first time I've genuinely 'tried' all other attempts lasted no more than a couple of days, I just wasn't motivated to be bothered enough to try. It feels different this time. And the tracker is super useful for helping me control those portion sizes and ensuring I stay accountable - to me. I really want this to work this time and I believe it will.

ETA: I should probably add that I've been on two former diets. Once at age eighteen, to lose my 'puppy fat'. I got fit and healthy within a couple of months and didn't look back - until some years later and I gained a couple of stone after an injury, I lost that weight fairly quickly too. I'd like to think I can do it again this time, though I am aware that at my current age and fitness it won't be as fast or easy as it was when I was younger and had a lot less weight to lose.

KatrinaGrey

Having been relatively thin until about 4 years ago, i've struggled constantly over the past 4 years. Having medical issues surface recently has really made it click for me this time. I'm still struggling but I know what I need to do.

Llamapants86

This is my second try. Or third depending on if my pregnancy hiatus counts as a restart, which now that I think about it, I probably should...so third time is the charm!

WhiteRabbit1313

ETA: I should probably add that I've been on two former diets.

So, this is your 3rd try. I know what you mean, though. I didn't actually try on some of my attempts, either.

cingle87

This is my second go, the first time I managed to get down to 13 6" but ended up having my appendix out so that stopped my for a few months, If it was for that I might have been at my goal, however my goals have changed since I started my first time, Im aiming for a heavier weight but lifting more to change my composition, I already look better now at 14 6" all because of lifting.

cwolfman13

Once....I dropped 40 Lbs and doing everything in my power to maintain that for the past 7 months or so. So far so good...actually I've put on a few Lbs in the past 7 months, but my BF has decreased. Not so worried about my weight as I am my BF and composition.

JewelsinBigD

17years old - 199 (I am 5' 10" so I still looked thin)
20- 325
27- 270
30- 380
32-219
42-345 (pregnant)
43-326
45- 263 on my way down to 219 again...FOR. THE. LAST. TIME

Siansonea

Every time I'm made a sustained effort to lose weight, I've done so. I've also maintained my results for several years after each effort. I even lost a ton of weight by accident one time, just because I was busy and depressed. Best diet ever. :smokin:

And each time I regained weight, I never gained back all of it. My all-time high adult weight was in 1993, when I was a soda-drinkin' desk jockey. Now I'm a diet soda-drinkin' desk jockey, and it's made a huge difference in my weight over the years. I had another high water mark in early 2002, but it was about 10 pounds less than my 1993 weight. And this last summer, my weight had crept up high again, but it was still 10 pounds less than my 2002 spike. Now I'm back at my goal weight, the same weight I had been all through high school. :drinker:

I think I have the hang of this now, I don't think I'll be spiking up again, not very much anyway. :bigsmile:

stealthq

Once if the requirement is that you intend to lose weight.

Twice if it counts that I changed my diet solely for athletic performance (weight loss was a side effect).

Three times if it counts that I increased my activity levels tremendously, but my diet didn't really change and I wasn't trying to lose.

FWIW, I think it's easier to succeed for those of us who had generally decent eating habits for most of our lives. I gained weight in the last couple of years because more restaurants + not consciously limiting my portions ever + desk job = fat gain. It wasn't too hard to reverse that process, just hard to get to the point I decided I needed to do it.

micherie1969

Care to share what worked for you?

micherie1969

I have no idea. A whole lot! I would always have good success for a few months, then get discouraged or feel too restricted and throw in the towel. As so many of us did/do, I'd gain back everything I lost plus more.

This time I found a plan that worked for me, where I didn't feel deprived, and it just sort of clicked. I am now 30 pounds below my original goal, and so happy. I've been maintaining for nearly a year, and I think I can do it for the rest of my life. It's an amazing feeling!

Care to share what worked for you?

WalkingAlong

Every day is a try. I get better at it the older I get. I prefer not to think of it as a 30+ year battle but as 'how much heavier would I be if I didn't battle it at all?' I've been up to 50 lbs. overweight but tend to keep it in the 0-20 over range, so I count that as pretty successful. I don't think I'll be high school sized again, or even college, or at least I don't care to give up what it would take to achieve that. I'm happy if I can keep myself down to a women's size 12, though I'd prefer the 8s in my closet.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I gave a couple half-hearted tries for a couple weeks, different 'diets'. Then just continued making excuses for a few years. This is my first real "my heart is in this" try.

Siansonea

Care to share what worked for you?

In the 90s, I restricted carbs, which of course also restricted calories as a side benefit.

In the early 2000s, I just barely ate anything, which of course created a calorie deficit as a side benefit.

This fall, I just went for a calorie deficit. Bang. Weight came off. :drinker:

RosaliaBee

Once if the requirement is that you intend to lose weight.

Twice if it counts that I changed my diet solely for athletic performance (weight loss was a side effect).

Three times if it counts that I increased my activity levels tremendously, but my diet didn't really change and I wasn't trying to lose.

FWIW, I think it's easier to succeed for those of us who had generally decent eating habits for most of our lives. I gained weight in the last couple of years because more restaurants + not consciously limiting my portions ever + desk job = fat gain. It wasn't too hard to reverse that process, just hard to get to the point I decided I needed to do it.

I think it must be really tough if you've struggled with eating issues and a heavy weight all your life, on multiple levels. I've tried and successfully lost weight twice before, once in my late teens (about 10lb) and once in my late twenties after an injury (about 28lb). Both times it felt pretty easy, though neither time have I been faced with this volume of weight. If I'd grown up as obese as I currently am, I think it would have had a really challenging impact on my self-image and beliefs about my identity. Even now I still think of myself as someone who needs to "lose weight to get back to normal" rather than an "obese person trying to get slim". That may simply be because of the way I perceive things, but I think it's probably a helpful way to perceive things.

Keiras_Mom

I have no idea. A whole lot! I would always have good success for a few months, then get discouraged or feel too restricted and throw in the towel. As so many of us did/do, I'd gain back everything I lost plus more.

This time I found a plan that worked for me, where I didn't feel deprived, and it just sort of clicked. I am now 30 pounds below my original goal, and so happy. I've been maintaining for nearly a year, and I think I can do it for the rest of my life. It's an amazing feeling!

Care to share what worked for you?

Intermittent fasting is what finally worked for me. I do JUDDD (Dr. Johnson's Up Day Down Day diet), so I really only "diet" every other day.

BrainyBurro

only once (this current effort).

never tried to lose weight before November 2011.

i wasn't fat until starting a 10-12 year stretch in my mid-30's. of course i wanted to lose the weight i was gaining at various times during that stretch, but i was one of those "i'll start on monday" people and i never really knew what i needed to do to lose weight, so i thought i was going to have to eat salads and other unappetizing stuff to do so... hence the "i'll start on monday" mindset.

GreekAmericanChrissy

Multiple times lost/gained/lost/gained...but now, I'm doing it for good!

michael1976_ca

this is my third time. the first time i lose 57 pound taking classes doing cardio and weight training. then i fell hard on emotion gained 37 pounds back. i switch gyms i went alot took some classes and gave up. stayed in maintence mode for over a year. i just started again 5 month ago after moveing away from the city my work outs are at home. i'm having some good results. i just have to get up push play every day. weights comming off not as fast as i would like it to

WhiteRabbit1313

Care to share what worked for you?

A not so condensed history for you:

Well, I've never been really, really big; I've always had the big thighs and butt that I've been fighting against since I hit puberty. I've always been able to drop 5 or 10 lbs. pretty easily, but I've never been slender. Ever. Not even as a child.

The largest I've been was 180 (I'm 5'2") due to intentionally overeating, because I told I didn't eat enough in my early 20's, when I was living on alcohol, etc. (I overcompensated re-learning how to eat well.) However, I was able to lose down to 145 lbs. over a few months really easily once I saw a picture of myself, just by cutting back on my portion sizes, visually/intuitively.

After that, I had trouble moving down from that, and my doctor prescribed Meridia (Sibutrimine) to me, which is now banned in the U.S. I lost down to 125 lbs. and gained about 10 lbs. back after I was off of it for a few months (naturally, because quick fixes don't work, right?).

Then, my husband and I decided to have a baby. I gained 37 lbs. during my pregnancy. I was 172 lbs. when I delivered my little girl and 163 lbs. for the next year and a half, because I was nursing, not trying to diet, and was totally ravenous.

So, to your question, this last time, I decided to lose weight was in Aprilish of 2012. I read "French Women Don't Get Fat" (which isn't true! I've seen fat French women. haha!), but that book really helped me to understand how to make tiny changes that produced results. It focuses on quality over quantity, small portions, and NO GUILT. It doesn't matter what your size is, you should not feel guilty to fuel your body! I lost 15 lbs. in a few months just by cutting down on portions and eating better quality foods. Then, some friends and I decided to do a Biggest Loser Challenge, in which I became over-competitive, resorted to strict Atkins Induction for a couple of months. I lost 10 lbs. in the first two months and plateaued for months, in which, I struggled with why my low carb diet wasn't working for that time period. Then, I realized that it wasn't the carbs; it was *ding, ding, ding* THE CALORIES that I needed to control. (Really dumb, I know, but PLENTY of us fall into that trap. Others, do extremely well with LC, but not me.) So, I starting using MFP a couple of months ago, counted calories faithfully, and have lost 8 lbs. more.

I'm 130ish lbs. now, which is what I weighed in high school. Now, I'm stalling again, and I've always wanted to be 110 lbs. like the charts say I "should" be. This is why I've never been happy with my weight and always struggled with it. I'm to the point, that I know exercise (above and beyond walking, which I do on weekdays for 1-3 miles, in addition to normal activity) is in order. If I'm ever going to trim up my hips and thighs, I either need lipo- or serious exercise. I'm considering a Beach Body plan (like P90X) or weight lifting.

So, yeah. I hope you can get something from that. It might be that I'm struggling with genetics and don't want to admit that. I'm not giving up, yet, though.

marisbowen

COUNTLESS. I never did fad diets, just exercise and eat healthier. I grew up chubby until the summer before High School. I started running every night. That summer I stuck it out went from jean size 24 to 8. Of course I was a young girl at the time. Than school started and I went back to my old habits and bumped up to 12. Stayed there until I turned 21 and I started gaining and gaining until I was at my heavist at 316! I didn't actually start trying until about 4 years ago. Since than, I would get tired of exercising...I just wanted to go home and read books! But than I would start exercising again, than get tired or bored and go back to just reading.

My biggist thing is food. I still crave the junky fatty foods. I never just give in, I wait a few days/weeks or even a month! Until I finally cave and eat Taco Bell or whatever unhealthy food group I happen to want. Than its the fight of trying not to cave again or say I'll try to eat healthy tomorrow or Monday. Its a constant trying process with food. And no, just keeping it in my calorie count for the day doesn't work. It's not just one little cheeseburger, I want the mcnuggets and shake too. LOL So that doesn't work. When I blow my helathy eating, I blow my calorie count out the water.

In the 4 years, I'm done 67lbs! I've learned to never look at WHERE or WHAT I screwed up. I focus on how I kept trying. Trying is proving to myself that I can keep going no matter what and still lose.