Is it impossible?

punkrockgoth

So this link was in my Twitter feed today...

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

Some background: I lost 50 lbs and then within 6 months, gained 60. This hit me really, really hard. I was super ashamed. I had been documenting my progress here and on Tumblr and then when I went back to school, all of my hard work was undone.

So I hid. I hid in absolute shame, trying to find a way to lose it again, but reading increasing evidence of how weight loss isn't long term.

And then, I decided to try again anyways.

I've lost 11 lbs again. I'm still heavier than my original starting weight. I keep on trying to convince myself that I can do this.

And then this article came out. Blah.

Tillyecl1

Nope, it's totally possible. I originally lost over 35kgs (~75lb) nearly 5 years ago. Maintained that loss until Feb this year when I decided I wanted to lose a bit more to see if it improved my running (which it has :-)). The key for me was to remain mindful of my weight and what I was eating. Even after I reached my original goal I still weighed myself every week to make sure I was staying close to goal, if my weight ever started creeping up by a few kgs (which it did a couple of times), I went back to keeping my food diary so I could get back on track (I am newish to MFP, I used a pen and a little notebook to lose the original weight).

farfromthetree

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1311545-researchers-claiming-it-s-impossible-to-keep-weight-off

There was another topic posted today on the same article. Some interesting responses!

serindipte

I'm still working on my first real loss but my mom lost 80 lbs 10 years ago and has kept it off... she's now 61 yrs old. Pretty much debunks the "impossible" thing.

Veil5577

Nothing is impossible. Someone posted another thread about this article today.

Like I said in response to that one; I'll stay on MFP for the rest of my life, logging every day to help watch what I'm eating, to reach my goal and stay there.

Paying attention to an article like that is only going to make a lot of people say, well, why bother, I'll give up.

NO!

tmtres

I lost 150 pounds and have mostly kept it off for three years. I've had a few pounds creep back on and am working to get them off and back to my low end of the comfort zone I established for myself.

One thing I have learned is that you must remain focused on what you are doing for the rest of your life. It is a true lifestyle change, not just a "do this now, go back to old habits" idea that is the key to success.

I do know that I haven't been as religious on recording on MFP as I once was and will be working on that. Journaling was what kept me honest with myself and I feel that is what I need to do to regain my focus again.

Yes, it is possible for a lifetime loss of weight, if you stay focused.

dakotababy

..."it is impossible to permanently lose weight."

Okay - no. Yeah, If i lost my 100lbs, and went back to how I was eating - OF COURSE. This is life-long, and if I fall of the wagon, I expect to gain the weight back.

It should say "If you stop tracking and exercising on a regular basis, it is impossible to permanently lose weight."

punkrockgoth

Thanks for linking me to the other thread. I've read and reread that article several times because there are 2 reactions to it.

1. People pointing out the weight they've lost.
2. People saying that of course they'll gain it back if they go back to old habits.

I can't find anywhere in that article where it says that going back to old habits is the reason why 95% of obese people who lose weight gain it all back within 10 years.

Definitely some interesting research and I will have to do more to follow up on it.

liekewheeless

Haven't lost any large amounts of weight yet. But the little losses I've had in the past were exactly as described by others on here. I would work hard, diet, exercise like crazy and lose 15lb. Then I would be happy with my success, take a couple of days to reward myself (with food) and slip right back into my old habbits of not exercising and eating to much of the wrong things. And then gain 30lb.

I'm hoping my approach is different enough this time to not fall into that trap.

I think most people who are overweight or obese and lose weight will have to mind their calories and exercise for the rest of their lives. We're just not like the skinny neighbor who instinctively knows what to do.

And if you don't make that effort, it will all come back. I hope to count myself with the people who can do that, but since I'm not there yet, I won't know until 5 years or so from now.

rowlandsw

If a doctor says something your best bet is to ignore it, they can't even figure out if an egg is good for you after 30 years of research. Plus they'll just change their findings to support the agenda of their financial backers.

yungibear

I think the focus, when it comes to weight loss, is commonly misplaced. What got us where we are, today, are eating habits we developed over the course of our lifetime. It's really difficult to change the way we think. If it were so easy to change habits and control the mind, we wouldn't have so many people coming in and out of MFP asking about "1200 calories" or that they aren't losing.

I also believe that losing and regaining isn't a waste of time. It gives an opportunity to reevaluate what lead to regaining, whether it was a mindset thing or an environmental thing (stress, change of location, family emergencies, etc...), and handle them before they become a big problem.

Weight gain and eating issues aren't usually the only problem, more often, there is something bigger underlying them that will make it difficult to keep the pounds off.