Researchers claiming it's impossible to keep weight off

peleroja

I read this this morning and laughed. Seriously? They don't think it has anything to do with the fact that people stop sticking to a diet and exercise plan after they've been at goal for a while? Come on. What say you, MFPers?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/obesity-research-confirms-long-term-weight-loss-almost-impossible-1.2663585

There's a disturbing truth that is emerging from the science of obesity. After years of study, it's becoming apparent that it's nearly impossible to permanently lose weight.

As incredible as it sounds, that's what the evidence is showing. For psychologist Traci Mann, who has spent 20 years running an eating lab at the University of Minnesota, the evidence is clear. "It couldn't be easier to see," she says. "Long-term weight loss happens to only the smallest minority of people."

We all think we know someone in that rare group. They become the legends — the friend of a friend, the brother-in-law, the neighbour — the ones who really did it.

But if we check back after five or 10 years, there's a good chance they will have put the weight back on. Only about five per cent of people who try to lose weight ultimately succeed, according to the research. Those people are the outliers, but we cling to their stories as proof that losing weight is possible.

"Those kinds of stories really keep the myth alive," says University of Alberta professor Tim Caulfield, who researches and writes about health misconceptions. "You have this confirmation bias going on where people point to these very specific examples as if it's proof. But in fact those are really exceptions."

Our biology taunts us, by making short-term weight loss fairly easy. But the weight creeps back, usually after about a year, and it keeps coming back until the original weight is regained or worse.

This has been tested in randomized controlled trials where people have been separated into groups and given intense exercise and nutrition counselling.

Even in those highly controlled experimental settings, the results show only minor sustained weight loss.

When Traci Mann analyzed all of the randomized control trials on long-term weight loss, she discovered that after two years the average amount lost was only one kilogram, or about two pounds, from the original weight.

So if most scientists know that we can't eat ourselves thin, that the lost weight will ultimately bounce back, why don't they say so?

Tim Caulfield says his fellow obesity academics tend to tiptoe around the truth. "You go to these meetings and you talk to researchers, you get a sense there is almost a political correctness around it, that we don't want this message to get out there," he said.

"You'll be in a room with very knowledgeable individuals, and everyone in the room will know what the data says and still the message doesn't seem to get out."

In part, that's because it's such a harsh message. "You have to be careful about the stigmatizing nature of that kind of image," Caulfield says. "That's one of the reasons why this myth of weight loss lives on."

"You'll be in a room with very knowledgeable individuals, and everyone in the room will know what the data says and still the message doesn't seem to get out."

In part, that's because it's such a harsh message. "You have to be careful about the stigmatizing nature of that kind of image," Caulfield says. "That's one of the reasons why this myth of weight loss lives on."

Health experts are also afraid people will abandon all efforts to exercise and eat a nutritious diet — behaviour that is important for health and longevity — even if it doesn't result in much weight loss.

Traci Mann says the emphasis should be on measuring health, not weight. "You should still eat right, you should still exercise, doing healthy stuff is still healthy," she said. "It just doesn't make you thin."

But eating right to improve health alone isn't a strong motivator. The research shows that most people are willing to exercise and limit caloric intake if it means they will look better. But if they find out their weight probably won't change much, they tend to lose motivation.

That raises another troubling question. If diets don't result in weight loss, what does? At this point the grim answer seems to be that there is no known cure for obesity, except perhaps surgically shrinking the stomach.

Research suggests bariatric surgery can induce weight loss in the extremely obese, improving health and quality of life at the same time. But most people will still be obese after the surgery. Plus, there are risky side effects, and many will end up gaining some of that weight back.

If you listen closely you will notice that obesity specialists are quietly adjusting the message through a subtle change in language.

These days they're talking about weight maintenance or "weight management" rather than "weight loss."

It's a shift in emphasis that reflects the emerging reality. Just last week the headlines announced the world is fatter than it has ever been, with 2.1 billion people now overweight or obese, based on an analysis published in the online issue of the British medical journal The Lancet.

Researchers are divided about why weight gain seems to be irreversible, probably a combination of biological and social forces. "The fundamental reason," Caulfield says, "is that we are very efficient biological machines. We evolved not to lose weight. We evolved to keep on as much weight as we possibly can."

Lost in all of the noise about dieting and obesity is the difficult concept of prevention, of not putting weight on in the first place.

The Lancet study warned that more than one in five kids in developed countries are now overweight or obese. Statistics Canada says close to a third of Canadian kids under 17 are overweight or obese. And in a world flooded with food, with enormous economic interest in keeping people eating that food, what is required to turn this ship around is daunting.

"An appropriate rebalancing of the primal needs of humans with food availability is essential," University of Oxford epidemiologist Klim McPherson wrote in a Lancet commentary following last week's study. But to do that, he suggested, "would entail curtailing many aspects of production and marketing for food industries."

Perhaps, though, the emerging scientific reality should also be made clear, so we can navigate this obesogenic world armed with the stark truth — that we are held hostage to our biology, which is adapted to gain weight, an old evolutionary advantage that has become a dangerous metabolic liability.

BigT555

exactly as you said, the issue is that people think once they lose the weight they can go back to their old habits. they are giving everyone else who loses weight a bad rep!

_Zardoz_

So a study that states the blindingly obvious if I go back to how I was eating 15 months ago I'll put the weight back on .... Duh

farfromthetree

This gives me more motivation to weigh daily and never stop logging! Thanks!

Branstin

If people remain accountable for their weight the way they are about going to work, paying bills, taking care of their vehicles, not missing salon appointments, etc. then they sure as hell can keep the weight off.

MatthewsModernLife

What kind of amateur researchers came to this conclusion? You'd think they could take a more nuanced look at exactly why people put the weight back on... hell, hanging out in the MFP community and others like it would produce more understanding than that one-dimensional trite they're passing off as research.

Debbjones

exactly as you said, the issue is that people think once they lose the weight they can go back to their old habits. they are giving everyone else who loses weight a bad rep!

Completely agree... I lost almost all my weight over two years ago and have been on maintenance for two years; bad habits will come back, if we welcome them. Bad eating habits, drug/alcohol addiction... all can be conquered and managed with a change in mind-set, will power and determination. Articles like these inspire me to continue on... I like being that statistic that defies "researchers claims"!

KellySue67

How ridiculous! It's not about a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. If you change your mindset about how and what you eat and keep active it is not impossible! It's been almost 2 years of weight loss for me- I weigh almost 100lbs less than when I started.

Just goes to show that researches don't do a real thorough job- they get an answer they expect and stop and don't continue on to see what those that are truly successful are doing. BAH!

WalkingAlong

So 95% regain. Then we re-diet and re-lose. Should we be that alarmed that we don't nail it on the first try? It's no more impossible to keep weight off than it is to quit smoking for good. Most people don't do that on their first try, either, but it doesn't mean they should quit trying. As long as each regain is less weight than the last, you're moving in the right direction. It takes practice.

bcattoes

I read this this morning and laughed. Seriously? They don't think it has anything to do with the fact that people stop sticking to a diet and exercise plan after they've been at goal for a while? Come on. What say you, MFPers?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/obesity-research-confirms-long-term-weight-loss-almost-impossible-1.2663585

I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.

I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.

ETA: the article didn't say it was impossible. It said "nearly impossible", which seems pretty accurate for something with a 95% failure rate.

Veil5577

So-called experts. :huh: I'll stay on MFP the rest of my life if that is what it takes to keep the weight off.

If you listen to "experts" too much you will slowly go insane because ALL OF THEM say different things!

EvanKeel

LOL

"An appropriate rebalancing of the primal needs of humans with food availability is essential," University of Oxford epidemiologist Klim McPherson wrote in a Lancet commentary following last week's study. But to do that, he suggested, "would entail curtailing many aspects of production and marketing for food industries."

Hysterical. They're stating that an economy of abundance (here, anyway) and technological convenience has produced people who are eating more than they need. So their solution is apparently to ration out the food, or something similar? In any event, they want to make the food less available. Alternatively, we could just eat less.

Paco4gsc

I found this one blurb the most interesting part of the whole article:

Last fall, the Dubai government launched a 30-day weight loss challenge called "Your Weight in Gold" to encourage dieters and combat growing obesity in the Gulf Arab emirate. It should probably save its money if the current science is right. (Reuters)

conversegirl68

I agree with you. I lost 89 lbs on WW. I was at my goal weight for two weeks. Then I started to eat. The program didn't focus on keeping the weight off so I never learned how to maintain weight. So I am back on the loosing path, using this tool and my fitbit. And this time...stay on target!

DellaWiedel

LOL

"An appropriate rebalancing of the primal needs of humans with food availability is essential," University of Oxford epidemiologist Klim McPherson wrote in a Lancet commentary following last week's study. But to do that, he suggested, "would entail curtailing many aspects of production and marketing for food industries."

Hysterical. They're stating that an economy of abundance (here, anyway) and technological convenience has produced people who are eating more than they need. So their solution is apparently to ration out the food, or something similar? In any event, they want to make the food less available. Alternatively, we could just eat less.

But to eat less would require self-discipline and sacrifice! Certainly it would be easier if some big government agency just doled out my daily allotment. Then I could be skinny and not even have to work for it! Except that this article says it's impossible to keep weight off so I guess I'd just gain it back anyway. Well darn.

LiftAllThePizzas

"One in twenty" is not even in the same ballpark as "impossible."

Unknown

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Nedra19455

This has been tested in randomized controlled trials where people have been separated into groups and given intense exercise and nutrition counselling.

Even in those highly controlled experimental settings, the results show only minor sustained weight loss.

I don't get it. First of all, I'd like to know a lot more about these "randomized controlled trials" and second, why would they expect a lab setting to be the place to study this? "Intense exercise and nutrition conseling" is part of any weight loss diet plan -- why wouldn't they just use real-world statistics? I just don't see why they are surprised that these "randomized controlled trials" didn't produce more sustainable weight loss than weight loss in the "real world" -- people are people, if they're going to relapse they're going to relapse. I don't know why it would matter that they were part of a controlled study.

I'd like a lot more methodology information.

The overall statistic is intriguing, but it doesn't make much sense if they are logging. Weight maintenance shouldn't be all that different of a process from weight loss.

Lourdesong

So 95% regain. Then we re-diet and re-lose. Should we be that alarmed that we don't nail it on the first try? It's no more impossible to keep weight off than it is to quit smoking for good. Most people don't do that on their first try, either, but it doesn't mean they should quit trying. As long as each regain is less weight than the last, you're moving in the right direction. It takes practice.

Exactly. And imagine if because of the failure rate among smokers researchers then dreamed up some 'just-so' story about the biology of smokers. "We adapted to smoke 'til our last dying breath! Face those facts, folks." Ugh.

jlahorn

I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.

I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.

Indeed. I guess it's not very motivational to say this, but most people who think they're going to keep the weight off for 10 years through self-discipline and force of will are deluding themselves. I made it seven years once

eroc71

LOL

"An appropriate rebalancing of the primal needs of humans with food availability is essential," University of Oxford epidemiologist Klim McPherson wrote in a Lancet commentary following last week's study. But to do that, he suggested, "would entail curtailing many aspects of production and marketing for food industries."

Hysterical. They're stating that an economy of abundance (here, anyway) and technological convenience has produced people who are eating more than they need. So their solution is apparently to ration out the food, or something similar? In any event, they want to make the food less available. Alternatively, we could just eat less.

But to eat less would require self-discipline and sacrifice! Certainly it would be easier if some big government agency just doled out my daily allotment. Then I could be skinny and not even have to work for it! Except that this article says it's impossible to keep weight off so I guess I'd just gain it back anyway. Well darn.

THIS^

Like if you were living in a camp or something... Maybe with some barbed wire for inspiration. I mean those people seemed to keep the weight off, as long as they were in the camp. Maybe we should all be in camps...

bcattoes

How ridiculous! It's not about a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. If you change your mindset about how and what you eat and keep active it is not impossible! It's been almost 2 years of weight loss for me- I weigh almost 100lbs less than when I started.

Just goes to show that researches don't do a real thorough job- they get an answer they expect and stop and don't continue on to see what those that are truly successful are doing. BAH!

If your ticker is correct, the article had nothing to do with you. It said it was easy to lose weight. The article is about what happens after you lose the weight. About keeping it off long term. You have no idea if you will do that or not.

And relying too heavily on a phrase like "lifestyle change" can be dangerous, because it's a pretty good bet that you will go through other lifestyle changes in your life. Many things change our lifestyle - the birth of a child, a child leaving the nest, marriage, divorce, disease, aging parents, death of a loved one, etc.

I've been through many of these lifestyle changes and will soon face others. I like the word "diet" because my goal is not to keep the same lifestyle, it's to keep the same diet through the lifestyle changes.

rocky503

big government already does control your daily alottment by subsidies which have spurred the processed food industry.

stealthq

So-called experts. :huh: I'll stay on MFP the rest of my life if that is what it takes to keep the weight off.

If you listen to "experts" too much you will slowly go insane because ALL OF THEM say different things!

No kidding.

Personally, I think that is the biggest problem. People need to get educated about how to take weight off without 5 million fad diets fighting for their attention. They need to know what to reasonably expect. A 2+ lbs loss every week isn't it. And whatever you do, pick something you can keep doing for the rest of your life. And doctors (general practitioners, mostly) need to educate themselves and quit giving their patients bull**** information. If I had a nickle for every time I hear "but my doctor said" followed by some garbage like "no carb" or "no white food" or "low fat" or "800 cal diet", I'd be well off by now.

Oh, and to the earlier poster - it's just SOME researchers. Others of us are very thorough and critical of our and others' work. You have to realize that a lot of clinical researchers are coming from a clinical background and pick up just enough education in research to get by. Those that go the extra mile or start on the research side and pick up the clinical education are better off in that regard. Plus, most clinicians (non-research) aren't great at reading and interpreting research data. This article is likely a bunch of clinicians and/or a journalist's misinterpretation of the actual results. Happens all the time.

EvanKeel

Ultimately, it doesn't matter I guess. As long as members of a species live long enough to reproduce, it'll survive.

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stealthq

I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.

I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.

Indeed. I guess it's not very motivational to say this, but most people who think they're going to keep the weight off for 10 years through self-discipline and force of will are deluding themselves. I made it seven years once

How many people do you know that realize that you can't diet the weight off, go back to eating like normal and expect to keep it off? Honestly, I don't know very many that do. That's why all these VLCD and other pre-planned diets are popular - because supposedly you can go on Slim Fast or Medifast or Nutrisystem (for example) - lose the weight, then get off the plan and somehow you're going to magically eat to stay at that weight. Of course nearly all of those people fail to keep it off. And since they are a large portion of the dieting population, they're going to heavily influence the statistics.

What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?

KellySue67

What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?

This!!!

peleroja

I should probably mention I had to take the "nearly" out of my thread title because of the character limit, not because I misread the article.

That said, I've never been actually overweight so maybe I just don't get it, but I really don't understand how maintaining the habits developed while losing weight (eating as many or fewer calories as you burn...) could possibly result in regaining weight for people, you know? It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.

Lourdesong

It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.

It sure doesn't. And I would bet that if those researchers asked the successful people who regained 10 years later why or how they regained the weight back, not a single one would circle "cuz magic" on their answer sheet.

bcattoes

I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.

I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.

Indeed. I guess it's not very motivational to say this, but most people who think they're going to keep the weight off for 10 years through self-discipline and force of will are deluding themselves. I made it seven years once

How many people do you know that realize that you can't diet the weight off, go back to eating like normal and expect to keep it off? Honestly, I don't know very many that do. That's why all these VLCD and other pre-planned diets are popular - because supposedly you can go on Slim Fast or Medifast or Nutrisystem (for example) - lose the weight, then get off the plan and somehow you're going to magically eat to stay at that weight. Of course nearly all of those people fail to keep it off. And since they are a large portion of the dieting population, they're going to heavily influence the statistics.

What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?

What is your source for VLCD being a large portion of the dieting population?

One has to wonder if the anger articles like this cause isn't partly due to how true it rings. If one is truly convinced that they are in the 5%, then why argue or be upset about the article? I think we all know that the risk of regain is out there.