Why do people gain all their weight back so often?

Mav3rick54

For the most part, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle change", but fail to actually implement such a change. They hit their goal weight and for them, they've crossed some finish line and they're done...what they don't realize is that they've actually just reached the starting line; hitting that goal weight is just the beginning but that's a concept that people seem to have a really hard time grasping.

This is so me. I have been down this road before and then I relaxed. I used all the right WORDS, i.e. "I am not dieting, I am making a lifestyle change"......the problem was I did not back up my words with action after I hit my goals. I have been using this site now for 105 days. I am not quite to goal weight yet, i.e "the starting line", but I am starting to look ahead to what do I need to do different this time to avoid the pitfalls and mistakes I made in the past. I am looking forward to making it last this time and putting the action behind my words.

Thank you for a great question OP and the answers that have followed from everyone. This was something I needed to read and think about.

ninerbuff

I commonly hear that the vast majority of people who lose weight end up gaining it all back again. Why is that? No matter how gently you lose, there is some amount of sacrifice involved, often over a very long period of time. Why throw all that away?

It seems logical that I can't go back to the eating habits that got me fat in the first place. Also, that my new smaller self will need fewer calories to maintain than my old larger self. I assume those things are self evident to other dieters, so it must be something else. Is it harder to maintain than it is to lose weight?

I'm not at my goal weight yet, but I want to do this right and not fall into the trap that so many seem to stumble into. I don't consider myself smarter than the average person, so I'm concerned I'll make the same mistakes the average dieter makes.

I hoped that those of you successfully maintaining have some insight into the problem and know the pitfalls that you need to avoid.

It's usually from complacency. Losing weight and keeping it off has to CONSISTENTLY be done. It's okay to have a bad day, but too many of them in a row adds up to weight gain and many people go into the thought of "well what's the damn point of working so hard for months, when it comes back in a week or two?" then let go.
Trust when I say it doesn't get easier with age either. I either have to workout harder or eat less. Every year now. But I'll be damned if everything I've done so far gets erased because of complacency.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I know a lot of people who are either "on" a diet or "off". When they are "off" they eat whatever they want, often ending up in a calorie surplus. Sadly my sister is one of these people.

NiikouruDesu

I think people are deprived of nutrients a lot of the time and after restricting calories for a long time, if not eating a balanced diet, the body eventually demands those nutrients, and it is experienced as hunger. If you dont eat the right foods, the hunger doesnt go away no matter how many calories you eat and .... weight gain happens.

Not to mention not being educated about nutrition, and a sedentary lifestyle, plus poor habits.

UpEarly

I think it's because people 'go on diets'. Once they hit their goal weight, they slowly (or immediately) return to their old ways and habits.

You can't make a temporary change and expect permanent results.

lavaughan69

I've been a serial dieter for 30 years and I've always gained back the weight. The number one reason that has happened was because the type of diets I've done over the years involved restricting my eating in a very unnatural way, a way that I couldn't possibly maintain moving forward. Example, Atkins diet. I've done that diet several times over the years and it always worked but when you start adding carbs back into your diet you ultimately gain weight. Slim fast, herbal magic, Susan summers, etc etc. Ultimately you stop following the plan and you gain back the weight.

So here's what I've done differently. I'm not following a plan, I haven't eliminated anything from my diet, I eat what I want in moderation. I gain weight SO easily and I know I will need to measure, weigh and log my food for life. Also, I'll have to continue to weigh myself every week.

TomTomato

Excellent posts! For me, about a year ago, I started a 12-week "Biggest Loser" competition at the base gym where I work. The competition was a motivation for me. Then, about two months after that, I had my 30-year class reunion to attend. After those events, I thought maybe I could enjoy some of the foods I avoided for awhile. Well, those temporary treats turned into bad habits and eventually, all the weight was back. While there are great concepts out there: "eat to live, not live to eat" and "lifestyle change", none of it does any good until we can get our minds to think that way. So I am back into it now, but I don't know if this stubborn noggin of mine will accept this as a lifestyle change.

dshalbert

What a great question and great posts! I love the comment about the finish line and reaching your "goal" weight.. It is rather counterintuitive to keep running after the finish line or kicking past the goal, isn't it? Maybe we just need to switch up our thinking and have our goal be to maintain a healthy lifestyle for the rest of our lives. Weight loss is just one of the benefits of that new life.

bcattoes

I've lost and gained many times. In fact, losing and gaining has pretty much been my lifestyle. I am, in fact, right now trying to lose 10 lbs I gained back after joining MFP. :grumble:

I think for me, part of it is that losing weight is fun. Sacrifice aside, it's fun to see the scale go down, to fit into smaller clothes, to have people compliment you on the weight loss. During maintenance, everything just stays the same and people rarely say "Great job on not gaining weight."

I think this time I might shoot for a 20 lbs loss just so I can gain 10 back and still be at my original goal. :laugh:

Kaylaef

I've been a serial dieter for 30 years and I've always gained back the weight. The number one reason that has happened was because the type of diets I've done over the years involved restricting my eating in a very unnatural way, a way that I couldn't possibly maintain moving forward. Example, Atkins diet. I've done that diet several times over the years and it always worked but when you start adding carbs back into your diet you ultimately gain weight. Slim fast, herbal magic, Susan summers, etc etc. Ultimately you stop following the plan and you gain back the weight.

So here's what I've done differently. I'm not following a plan, I haven't eliminated anything from my diet, I eat what I want in moderation. I gain weight SO easily and I know I will need to measure, weigh and log my food for life. Also, I'll have to continue to weigh myself every week.

Absolutely. I also found when I started not eating as a great, I avoided the scale like it was the plague. this time, I need to make myself accountable, whilst not being obsessive.

Carnivor0us

Because the vast majority of people simply starve themselves to get down to their goal weight, and no human can maintain a starvation diet in the presence of so much food. It's inevitable.

1princesswarrior

I can only speak for myself but I lost gained and lost many times. The first time I lost by tracking calories and exercise MFP, then I quit tracking after being diagnosed with a mental illness and feeling sorry for myself, at the same time my mom had a deadly liver disease and I had a nervous breakdown so food became my best friend and gained back the 30 I had lost plus 30 more. Then things calmed down and I became really active again and lost 30 on my own with just exercise until I had an accident and broke my neck, then I gained 36 lbs back to get to my highest weight ever. I also suffered a traumatic brain injury during my riding accident and now have chronic migraine syndrome and after a lot of research learned about the benefits of exercise and eating a balanced nutrition plan (I don't diet, and I don't eat any specific foods, just avoid trigger foods). So I got back on MFP and started tracking again and started exercising in addition to riding and getting a job at the barn where I board my horse. I tried to 1200 calorie thing until my hair fell out so now I eat real food and different amounts depending on my burns since I work a manual labor job, lift weights and run 3 seasons out of the year. Restriction doesn't work for me, avoiding migraine trigger does, being active is a lifestyle I absolutely love since I was always athletic and it helps me mentally.

I know switching to maintenance will be a challenge as far as knowing how much to eat but I will cross that bridge when I get to it. But I also know I can never stop tracking calories or exercise, this is my life now. Even when I have setbacks tracking my food is a must, that is my key to success.

kaseysospacey

It depends on the person. For example,at one point I had lost 70lbs
then I had two more babies,my hypothyroid got really bad and I was exhausted and not paying attention really to calories and stuff. I had no issue maintaining the loss pre babies. Now my youngest is two and I don't have to worry about eating enough to bf or eat fast before the baby.wakes up anymore. So life in general is easier. Other people might now know how to eat to maintain or they go back to old habits or maybe something happens in their life and they get depressed and overeat

bofus

This is so true.....and i speak from experience. This time i plan on doing just this. If we focus on what he said we can keep it off.

lauren_gibbons

I hit my goal weight last year in March, and maintained easily for the first few months. I was still hitting the gym just as much though being a little less careful with my eating. For some reason in November I had a bad week which involved too much drinking and eating, I gained a few lbs which wasnt the end of the world though I let myself go then as it was December and I was away a lot for the festivities. Once January came I realised that I had gained 14lbs over those 5/6 weeks. Old habits can come back so quickly if you allow yourself to fall back into them. I should have been more careful during the week. But glad that it wasnt only 14lbs gain after losing 100lbs I will get back to where I was very soon

WickedPineapple

The same reason broke people who win the lottery sometimes blow through all their money and end up broke again. Being broke wasn't their real problem. The reason they were broke was. Same with weight usually. Being overweight is a symptom. Not the actual problem.

^ This. For me, I gained 30 lbs in 6-12 months due to severe depression. I didn't even notice I gained the weight until I couldn't button my pants. I stepped on a scale and lo and behold, I was the heaviest I had ever been. This actually happened following being the fittest I had ever been (I spent the prior summer hiking in the Rockies 8-10 hrs/day six days a week). When you're that depressed, eating properly and exercise aren't even on your radar.

Holly_Roman_Empire

It has nothing to do with "restrictions" in my opinion and rather has to do with a lack of focus on the long-term. People hit their goal and then rest on their laurels. They stop doing what they did to lose weight and instead fall back into their old habits. If you previously gained weight with those old habits, odds are you will gain weight again when you revert to your old ways. It's really as simple as that. It doesn't matter whether you ate pop tarts while losing weight or whether you ate whole foods while losing weight; it comes down to what you do at maintenance.

I agree with this, except that restrictions do play a part in some cases. They think if they give up sugar or something, they will lose weight, and then once they get there, they start eating sugar again. What people fail to realize is that there is no before and after. It's a before and during. Figure out how to eat for the rest of your life, and you can keep the weight off.

Agreed but I think we see the problem here differently. If you cut out most sugar while losing weight and then reintroduce it into your diet, that in and of itself doesn't mean you will gain weight again. If you continue tracking calories while reintroducing sugar into your diet, I see no reason you should expect any weight gain. You're simply readjusting your macros. On the other hand, if you start eating lots of sugar again AND you stop paying attention to the amount of energy you're consuming each day, then yes that's a recipe for undoing all the progress you've made. But sugar or a lack thereof while losing isn't the problem - complacency is.

I completely agree, but I was commenting more along the lines of those that don't count calories (and using cutting sugar as an example). Of course they lose weight when cutting out carbs or whatever, because they are indirectly cutting the number of calories they are eating. But yes, the bottom line is that when they reach their goal weight, they view it as a finish line and think they have freedom to eat whatever they want and however much they want.

HikerRR50

It's not just about losing weight; it's about losing the lifestyle and mindset that got you there. - Dr. Steve Maraboli <--- this pretty much sums it up. If all you did was lose weight then why would you expect it to not come back.

QuietBloom

I think it's because they see themselves as 'done' once they have lost the weight. But that is the furthest from the truth. Maintaining is the hardest part of losing weight, and requires the most effort IMO.

Will210

I think much of it has to do with personality and behavior (for many). There have been stories on people who have the bypass surgery who become alchoholics or become addicted to drugs/medication. They never fixed (or changed) the wiring that got them fat in the first place. Look at that kid who Chris Powel trained. I think he was on TLC the 500 pound virgin or something. Powell helped him lose all of the weight. He looked amazing, had a new girlfriend, was certified to become a PT, was on several shows. Last december, I see a youtube video of him back at the original weight! It is freaken scary *kitten*.

That is why I am trying meditation and even might a form of affirmations. What is worst than being overweight? Losing weight and gaining it back. Super sucks.