100+lbs and kept it off success stories?

Splutters

I'm mainly posting this for some inspiration as I've just read some articles about when you lose weight the brain sends signals that increases your appetite and slow down your metabolism in the usual tabloid "doom and gloom" way pretty much spells out that it's nigh on impossible to lose weight and keep it off, with their figure of 90% of people piling it back on.

I'm currently at 46lbs lost and I'm hoping at the end to lose around 70lbs more. I've hit the point where I'm enjoying working out so much and standing on the scales, even after a few pounds gained, I'm happy and know I can get rid of the gained pounds and some. My biggest fear is keeping it off.

So do you have a success story? Did you get the appetite cravings and metabolic slow down that I've been reading about? If you did, how did you overcome it, willpower or something else?

burtonvdp

This sounds like every diet I have ever tried. I lose the weight, hit a plateau or "goal weight" and then pile the pounds back on. This is just my theory and not scientific but here it goes. All of the "diets" I have ever tried were specifically to lose weight and usually were not a sustainable life style. Once the goal was met or I hit a road block I would stop the diet for whatever reason.... By doing so I would fall back into bad habits. Little things at first like not asking to have that special sauce or mayo removed from a burger or adding extra cheese to something. Those little things snowballed into a "Well Im gaining my weight back I might as well eat what I want" attitudes.

What I'm doing differently now? Is eating foods that I will always eat even if that means some fast food here and there. But I eat less and keep it within my calories. My theory on this is if I stay within a my calorie limit that keeps my body fed but doesn't add anything extra why would my body start "storing" food again?

But the main part of my new lifestyle is just staying active. Like yourself I'm going to gym and enjoying it. I finally feel that this is something I will continue to do from now on. Lets face it there are millions of people who are not over weight for 2 simple reasons. They dont over eat and they stay active, whether because of a job or good active hobbies. I dont mean six pack abs and super model skinny but a good healthy weight and strength level. If we stay realist on what "healthy" really is, I think we all will be a lot better off. I'm not to my goal weight but like yourself it doesn't bother me because I'm seeing strength gains and I'm feeling good!

Long story long... Just keep doing. Dont bother with articles in magazines that are designed to sell stuff.

ShannonMpls

I don't know if I'm a success story - more like a success story in progress. But this may be what you're looking for.

June 2011 - joined MFP and started losing
September 2012 - hit goal weight

Since then, I've been maintaining within a 5 pound range of that goal weight. I've been above it a few times, and below it a few times too, but for the most part, this is where I stay.

"Did you get the appetite cravings and metabolic slow down that I've been reading about?"

Cravings? No. If I want something, I eat it - usually a weighed and measured single portion of that something. Cravings come with deprivation in my experience.
Metabolic slowdown? I sure don't think so. I eat *a lot* of food. My predicted maintenance calories are 2600-2700, and though I don't log my calories every day, I'm sure I'm right around there on a weekly basis, possibly above that, yet I maintain.

The whole "losing is easy, but maintaining is near impossible" thing is scary. I recall reading Tara Pope's NYT article, in which she appears to only seek scientific backing for the excuses she makes for her own inaction regarding losing weight, and wondering if there wasn't something to it. But look at who she is profiling in that article: people who lost weight on Medifast, eating 700 calories a day, who now have to vacation with a scale to maintain their losses.

I was not a dieter. Instead, my weight loss plan was to simply live my life like a healthy-weight, fit person. It was hard at first, but then it became second nature. I pre-planned (and packed) my meals every weekday. I ate plenty of food. I worked treats in every day. I took days "off" for celebrations or events or special occasions or just because I wanted to. I exercised - I learned to absolutely love it. I worked more activity into my daily life, tracking steps with a fitbit. Why drive if I can bike or walk? I got enough sleep and drank enough water and if I had a bad day and ate more than I needed, I didn't give up...I did what my healthy friends do. I went back to normal the next day.

Like magic, by living like a healthy weight person, I became one.

When it came time to switch from losing to maintaining, not much changed...I just started eating a bit more. I still exercise, I still pre-plan my day, I still enjoy holidays and celebrations and eat what I choose. The next day, I get back to the gym and normal eating.

Is it hard? Honestly, no. And I have been tested - I changed jobs from a lower stress to higher stress environment. I had to change gyms, which may not seem like a big deal but my gym was my second home. I've had health issues and vacations and stress and I've had bad weeks.

But here I am. Still maintaining for now. We'll see what the future brings.

My advice to you: As you lose weight, don't do anything you're not willing to do forever. Instead, make new habits you'll keep with you always. Lose weight so that when the time comes to maintain, the only thing you change is adding a few more hundred calories a day on average. Don't cut out food groups, don't starve yourself on 700 calories a day, don't deprive yourself of a daily treat. Don't be a killjoy who lectures others about calories on Christmas; enjoy your life and the food lovingly prepared for you....but then go back to your regular habits the next day. Make exercise and activity a priority; it changes your relationship with your body, I promise.

Willpower is worthless; it's a finite pool. But habits? That's your key.

pikanchi

@ShannonMpls speaks the truth, tbh. Anything I'd have to say on the matter would just be repeating her, so I'm just commenting, really, to +1.

Fatandfifty3

@ShannonMpls also. So +2 :-)