Who has been successful KEEPING the weight off and how?

neesie61

Hi, I'm new to MFP, but not to diets. I've done them all. But I always gain it back. So this time I'm using MFP as a tool for awareness. Since my weight is tied to emotional eating, the first question I ask when the food is heading for the mouth is...am I really hungry? If yes, then I ask...is this really something that my BODY really wants? Is it satisfying nutritionally and taste-wise. Keeping a diary like this keeps me aware and honest with myself. I have to do this as a gift to myself. I turn 50 in March and I really don't want to be carrying an extra 25 pounds on my birthday.

Anybody out there who has had success KEEPING the weight off (within 10% of a goal weight), I'd love to hear from you. Even if you're back to get back down to goal.

FitnessTim

I have not had trouble maintaining my weight but my wife does. Same problem, she loses weight and does real good for a while and then, boom! back to gaining it all back.

We talked about this and came up with a plan. MFP is essential to the plan. We have agreed to continue to monitor our diet and exercise even when she starts to fall back into old habits. Our theory is that it is knowledge and awareness that is the issue.

If you consistently track your diet, weight and exercise, when you start to slack off and gain weight that knowledge will trigger you to get back to the program.

I think we all recognize that life can throw you sometimes. Accept that you are going to have days where you aren't sticking to your goals. The key is to recognize those days and to have a plan for getting back on track.

I'm curious to read how other people have beat the cycle.

Amarillo_NDN

This will sound silly, but if you think and act like a thin person; it can help you become one. The biggest road block to any one is how they think about food and exercise. Everyone has an excuse for why they do what they do, or eat what they eat and more important, why they cannot lose fat and work out.

Bottom line is as always, Calories in verses calories burned. Just don't eat more than you burn.

ChancyW

Hey Neesie,
I haven reached my end, end goal weight but I have been continually losing weight for 4 years now :-)

My advice would be to make it a mind set not a diet! You are trying to change your life and your health not just be on a diet and lose weight.

Tracking calories is one of the most important thing you can do to keep on top of how much you are eating. There was also a study done on people who lost weight and those who regularly weighed themselves gained back much less weight than those who didn't weigh themselves regularly :-)

I have completely changed how much and what I eat over the years. I used to drink soda, now I only drink water or unsweetened teas. It's little things over a period of time that make a big difference. Also, try to find some like-minded friends. I forget the exact quote but it goes something like this, you are the average of you 5 closest friends. Do you want to be like your 5 closest friends? If not, it may be time to meet some new people, people who will help you change your life :-)

-Chancy

hamiltonba

I made life choices not diet decisions. I constantly asked myself, "Is this something I can do for the rest of my life"? If not then I needed to re-think my choices and see what positive changes I had to make so that this would be a life long healthy journey. I now use smaller plates when I eat dinner. I put vegetables on the plate first and then the other foods. I pay attention to portion control and keep track of calories. On holidays, I do eat what I want. After all who's over-weight because they over-eat maybe 4 times a year? I also hold my exercise time in high regard. If someone asks me to do something with them, I don't tell them I can't because I'm exercising. I tell them I already have something planned. Many people will tell you (once they find out your exercising), oh come on, you can exercise tomorrow or you're already trim, you don't need to exercise. I exercise to keep my heart, lungs, and physical and mental state healthy. Being trim is just a great benefit. Good luck!

goron59

Hi there.

I'm doing reasonably well, counting the calories in, keeping an eye on fat/salt content, and If I go wildly over, try to pull back over the next days.

You ask specifically about KEEPING the weight off.

Well, I'm still losing, but the trick, at least for me, is to get into the habit of being healthy. You can't reach your goal and go back to the old unhealthy ways.

I've set reasonable and achievable goals, so getting there is not that hard and the lifestyle change is not that big. Once I've reached my weight goal, I'll just switch over to weight maintenance mode and keep everything else the same.

Good luck!

Panda86

Most people who "diet", only do it for the results, get the results they want, and then think they can go back to old habits. It doesn't work that way. You pretty much have to do what you did to lose weight, but you are allowed more calories. So it definitely needs to be a lifestyle change. Generally speaking, slender people aren't couch potatoes (yes, there are exceptions, but if you are on here, then you aren't one of those exceptions, right?). They are active people that don't gorge on junk and fast food- pretty simple. So basically, you will still need to make wise choices in food (of course you can have the occasional treat- but that's the key- its OCCASIONAL), and you will still need to stay fairly active. Now of course, all of this will depend on your specific body type, metabolism, activity level outside of workouts, etc. But with me, I maintain my weight by continuing to make healthy choices, such as steering clear of fast food, and I go for walks or bike rides. For me, workouts that drench me in sweat aren't necessary for maintaining like they were for losing. Hope that helps a little. Above all, you have to make this change something you can stick with, and then stick with it! Best of luck to you!

llyndon

I've been on MFP since March and I've lost fairly quite a bit of weight a little at time. I don' t diet, it just doesn't work for me. I do monitor my portions but with a couple of exceptions ( still missing fried chicken) I eat the same foods I've eaten all my life. It wasn't WHAT I are that caused the problem most of the time, it was how MUCH I ate and how little I did to burn it off. What I do now is track everything I eat and any excercise I may get in that day. It's made an enormous difference. I have slipped a bit now and then, mostly when I slack off on entering my meals for the day but I get back on the wagon before I've gained more than a pound or 2. And I throw caution to the winds when I travel since I rarely do it and when I do, i like to hit the good restaurants. Oddly enough though, I find myself making healthier choices even then and I can walk away from the table and skip dessert entirely. It's a journey but I think you'll find this site makes it easier.

superwmn

I am also a recovering food addict/emotional eater. Your method has been my method. I'm entering maintenance soon, but I'm totally confident that if I keep doing what I'm doing (eating what I love ONLY when I'm hungry, stopping when I'm full, moving my body for the joy of it as opposed to working out), I can't fail! I would NEVER willingly give up this new lifestyle since I can have everything I want and am no longer burdened by the size of my body.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!

Charmagne

Azdak

There are some similar characteristics among those who have achieved long-time (keeping it off at least one year) success. Among them are maintaining a vigorous exercise and regular/frequently weighing themselves. They also tend to not follow radically different "diets", use supplements, etc. I also think it is extremely important that you look at yourself honestly and determine the psychological factors and behavioral cues that drive your self-destructive habits. And, esp in family situations, you have to be willing to assert (in a nice way) that your needs and priorities are as important as everyone else's.

As others have stated, it is a lifestyle change, not a diet. And, while we should encourage everyone and celebrate ongoing successes, no one can claim they have been truly "successful" after only 6 months or so.

My actual "weight loss" period lasted from March 2009 to August 2009. I lost between 55-60 pounds and have kept if off since then. I didn't quite make it to my goal, but I suffered an injury that hampered my exercise (and still does to some extent), then I got a new job that ramped up the hours. So, I decided to settle for now 15 or so lbs from my goal and focus on maintaining my lifestyle changes, given all the challenges of the new job and increased life stress.

In my mind, since it was a lifestyle change and not a short-term "diet", I can decide any time I want to change my focus and go after those last few pounds.

When I was losing weight, while I prepared foods in healthy ways (something I had always done until my second marriage), I didn't radically change my recipes. I improved the nutrient density of a number of food items, but relied primarily on portion control.

Now I have a good intuitive understanding of portion sizes and what I like to call: calorie "chunks". I know what a 500 calorie dinner looks like. I don't freak out if I overindulge because I know how to pull it back in again. And I work out regularly--as consistently as before.

I can't say enough about treating it as a lifestyle journey. If you take the long-term approach, then it's easier to not beat yourself up if you make a mistake or have a setback. If you are making choices and following a lifestyle you enjoy, then you are less likely to feel like you are "depriving" yourself and less likely to see this as a short-term project that will be "over" soon.

Both research and personal experience of 25+ years as a fitness and health professional make it clear that those who follow unusual "diets", or rely on "external tactics" such as supplements, drugs, "cleanses" , HCG, etc, have a poor long-term success rate, in many cases so poor that it's not unfair to say the long-term chances of success are zero. So it is sometimes hard for me to be supportive and congratulate someone who comes on the site and says they have some new "diet" or supplement and lost X number of pounds the first month. I know that the chance of them still maintaining that weight loss after two years is less than 5%.

njjswim

sounds crazy but put a pad lock on your refrigerator after 7 PM and your pantry, Then don't bring anymore junk in the house or ice cream just goot stuff like fruits and veggies and healthy protein selections. The best way I loose is keeping that food out of sight. When I am out with people around I am fine with food but don't get me alone with it when I am tired at night, kids are running around making a mess, and life just runs you down thatr is when you are vulnerable. Instead reach for tea, a hot bath, music and a massage and well you lose weight, not to mention I exercise at 530 AM before work and eat good during the day but my downfall is night time which is most folks reason for weight gain...

njjswim

Also take Juice Plus because you get 17 fruits and veggies in every recommended dose and it is only organic fruits and veggies and nothing else no added sugars or supplements only the real deal mother nature organic fruits and veggies

hamiltonba

Why not eat regular fruit instead of a juice that brags about having fruit in it? I don't drink any "fruit". Just my opinion.....

neesie61

Thanks for all your useful tips and support. Yes, this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. :happy:

FitnessTim

Why not eat regular fruit instead of a juice that brags about having fruit in it? I don't drink any "fruit". Just my opinion.....

Well said. I try to not drink my calories in any form if I'm trying to lose weight. Water and diet soda (don't go there), that's it.

Juice...bah!

njjswim

You don't drink it. They are a capsule form that has been dehydrated and sure I try to eat fresh whenever I can but do you do that everyday? What is wrong with getting 17 fruits and veggies a day on top of whatever you can get fresh each day? YOu don't like fruits and veggies?