A question about what is most important.

RhonndaJ

I know that losing weight and sustainability are both important factors, but I find myself always thinking to the weight loss more than the sustainability. I believe, as a society, we are taught to believe that faster is better

I'm finding myself wondering if slow and sustainable, even for someone with as much to lose as myself, shouldn't trump fast loss.

Now I know that the answers will be different for different people, dependent up ability, need and circumstance, but I'd love to here what others think.

So which is the most important of the two to you, fast loss, or sustainability? Or does it change somewhere along the line?

DigitalDiana

To me sustainability is key as I have been around this weight loss several times. If I would have kept it off I wouldn't be having to restrict my calories now. If I would have learned portion control and would have kept exercising regularly I would be in much better shape now. This is it for me, once I lose this weight I am working on sustainability as we are not able to want whatever we want whenever we want at the goal weight or we will be in a cycle again.

tennisdude2004

I know that losing weight and sustainability are both important factors, but I find myself always thinking to the weight loss more than the sustainability. I believe, as a society, we are taught to believe that faster is better

I'm finding myself wondering if slow and sustainable, even for someone with as much to lose as myself, shouldn't trump fast loss.

Now I know that the answers will be different for different people, dependent up ability, need and circumstance, but I'd love to here what others think.

So which is the most important of the two to you, fast loss, or sustainability? Or does it change somewhere along the line?

What's important is where you lose it from.

sargessexyone

To me sustainability is key as I have been around this weight loss several times. If I would have kept it off I wouldn't be having to restrict my calories now. If I would have learned portion control and would have kept exercising regularly I would be in much better shape now. This is it for me, once I lose this weight I am working on sustainability as we are not able to want whatever we want whenever we want at the goal weight or we will be in a cycle again.

This 100%

Spacegirlley

Sustainability!

I lost 30kg (66lbs) last time I tried to lose weight. I did it by doing daily exercises and eating foods that for me, where just not sustainable. I loved the weight loss, but as soon as circumstances in my life changed, I put that weight back on plus another 16kg (35lbs).

This time, I'm taking the sustainable approach, going slowly and only doing the things that I know I can stick to. Finding awesome tasty food that I can be creative with, but is still low in calories is a big thing for me. Gyms are a big no go zone for me as well this time, I can never stick them out. Even when I was a young fit rock climbing and abseiling instructor, I couldn't stick to gyms. Natural workouts for me and yummy food, are my keys to sustainability.

Inshape13

Sustainability for me too. I learned a lot through this weight loss and have found that maintenance is SO much harder than actually losing the weight. In the beginning I went with 1200 a day and tons of cardio...I lost 60lbs in 4 months, but I had so much loose skin when I hit goal that it took me close to a year to fix it when I began weight lifting to gain back the muscle I lost by being impatient back then. If I would have known then what I know now, I would have lost more slowly and I would have incorporated weights because it is worth it to take longer to lose, than to fix it afterwards.

ClaraCuppicake

I'm with sustainability as well Fat seems to have this rule of come-off-fast, go-back-on-fast. The moment you stop doing what you're doing to lose fast, it will come back on again and that's no good It doesn't matter how long it takes, if what you are doing will last you a lifetime You're doing amazingly - take a day at a time High five!

Greytfish

We eat, especially inthe Western world where we are effectively taught to overconsume, based on habit. change your habits regarding food, health, and fitness one or two at a time and gradually adding changes might lead to slower weight loss, but the changes are more likley to be permanent.

tennisdude2004

I'm with sustainability as well Fat seems to have this rule of come-off-fast, go-back-on-fast. The moment you stop doing what you're doing to lose fast, it will come back on again and that's no good It doesn't matter how long it takes, if what you are doing will last you a lifetime You're doing amazingly - take a day at a time High five!

Fat comes off slow - lean body mass comes off fast ( well weight wise any way).

What ever diet you do make it high protein and lose the body fat.

toutmonpossible

For me, fast and streamlined weight loss is more important. I've never been overweight, but my weight creeps up, each year a little higher as I get older, and the best way for me to get it down is to go on a strict diet, or do intense Intermittent Fasting for a short period of time, say, two weeks. Usually, the boost is enough to get me back into a decent maintenance/slow weight loss groove. I'm concerned that my post-holiday weight has been quite high (for me) but it's the result of the winter weather keeping me inside, a stressful situation, and just not feeling that well.

I read an article on myths of exercise that was compiled from studies. One such myth was that slow weight loss was the best way for everyone to lose weight.

tennisdude2004

For me, fast and streamlined weight loss is more important. I've never been overweight, but my weight creeps up, each year a little higher as I get older, and the best way for me to get it down is to go on a strict diet, or do intense Intermittent Fasting for a short period of time, say, two weeks. Usually, the boost is enough to get me back into a decent maintenance/slow weight loss groove. I'm concerned that my post-holiday weight has been quite high (for me) but it's the result of the winter weather keeping me inside, a stressful situation, and just not feeling that well.

I read an article on myths of exercise that was compiled from studies. One such myth was that slow weight loss was the best way for everyone to lose weight.

Sorry maybe I phrased my post incorrectly. The message was losing body fat weight takes longer than losing lean mass (muscle connective tissue, bone, organs) weight.

Just whatever diet you do research it for yourself and make sure you're only losing body fat.

shazbox1

Fast is nice now, slow is nice later. All the hard work and self control you need to lose consistently over a long period will make it way easier to maintain it after you've lost it, because you will have built the habits and motivation.

jennifer_a00

Slow is working for me. I've had to learn about portion control and adding nutritious foods into my diet. Hopefully, because it's a learning process, it will be sustainable in the long run. I've been on MFP for almost two years, very slowly losing the entire time. Losing fast doesn't concern me.

Rygh

As somebody who has lost over 50lbs twice before, I can tell you that the name of the game is sustainability. Absolutely, 100%. I get that everybody is different, and every BODY is different. But the reason the diet industry is a multi-BILLION dollar industry is because "diets" don't work: people lose quick weight, then stop working out for 3 hours a day on 1200 calories, gain all the weight back and more, blame themselves, and start it all over again. And somewhere in that mix, you can usually find diet pills, expensive DVD's purchased from late night infomercials, magical machines that promise to make your abs hard as a rock while you eat ice cream and watch Law & Order reruns... you get the point. Diet products are financially successful only because most people fail with them. And I consider any attempt at quick weight loss to be a diet.

I say this knowing that there are some circumstances in which fast weight loss is absolutely essential, even life-saving. But for most of us, it's heartbreaking because if the faster you lose it, the faster you will gain it back. (Search the web for the random pictures of former contestants on The Biggest Loser if you want more proof.)

Sorry this is so long-winded. But here's some advice: buy (or get access to, maybe at a doctor's office) a scale that measures your percentage of body fat and muscle, not just your overall weight. Keep an eye on ALL those numbers, to make sure you're not losing muscle in an attempt to lose overall weight. Take it slow and see what works for you. I'm going on Monday to have my percentages checked after 2 weeks of a new way of eating...we'll see!

DerryJohn

sustainabilty is key. you can't lose weight if you can't stick with a program. Find sustainability and the weight lose will come