Why do you think that only 5% of people keep weight off long

merzback

I am 42 years old and have had issues with yo yo- ing in the past. I was wondering if any of you would like to get into a conversation about this topic because I believe it's interesting. I have a few theories of my own.
Here's what I think:
1. People starve themselves and screw up their metabolism. I have 2 friends who want to go on some kind of spicy tea diet. Fad diets are just that- FADS, and are unable to provide for long term healthy weight loss and if you think your metabolism is a mess now, wait until you starve your body, don't eat breakfast (which is what sumo wrestler's do, they don't eat breakfast so they can slow down their metabolism)! See how SLUGGISH that metabolism is when you hit 40 if you starve your body for 20 years!
2. That also includes people who take pills- While I'd love a magic pill, if there were one- don't you think that Oprah, who is a billionaire , would have it by now and it wouldn't just be an advertisement on the same rag mag that talks about Sheen's goddesses? LOL Also, will you be able to afford your pre packaged food your whole life? Whatever you can do your whole life is what you should be doing NOW!
3. Food is an addiction and has to be treated as such. Yet, unlike booze or drugs, you can't totally abstain from food so you have to find a healthy balance. Most of us need therapy way more than we need another "diet."
4. Serving sizes are way too big - even if you split your plate in half at a restaurant, chances are it's still 2x too big and we have portion distortion. We also have SO many choices- but in some ways that's a good thing!
5. People get all or nothing thinking. What I call the DIET MENTALITY, where they call themselves bad, or cheaters if they eat junk instead of just moving on, then they downward spiral.
6. People want weight loss too quickly. Don't use The Biggest Loser as how much you're supposed to lose in a week. 1-2 lbs is NORMAL and HEALTHY. Anything over that- even when I know what it is, is usually water or lean muscle mass.
7. Women are AFRAID to use weights yet don't realize that muscle BURNS fat. You will NOT bulk up. Check out Chalene Johnson and Chalean Extreme if you don't believe me
8. I do believe there may be a fat gene- which I do believe! I was watching Discovery Health and there was a show about how people that have severe obesity actually have a different brain chemistry.
9. We burn out, get bored, don't change or get way too complacent and go back to old eating habits. Thinking you may not have to log in your food, or it is okay if you just skip your workouts may also become a downward spiral.
10. People can be negative about this experience and will be negative as though God is punishing them- "It's UNFAIR that I have to eat healthy." NO IT IS NOT. Feel fortunate that you're learning NOW to eat right and to work out.
You 're lucky that you woke up this morning, that if you have an ability to work out , that your body can move, that you can breathe, that you are learning how to eat healthy because the reality is, even if you are thin and have a fast metabolism, you still should be eating healthy because eventually that junk may catch up to you. My father was thin most of his life but had heart disease by his 60's birthday because he ate whatever he wanted for many years.
11. People lose weight for certain occasions- weddings and reunions. Ok-then what happens AFTER the event??? What will your motivation and inspiration be THEN?


I do not trust fully that much of the diet industry is out to help you really MAINTAIN your goals. This is a lucrative industry- could you imagine how many people would be out of work if everyone lost weight and kept it off? What would happen to all those people who would be out of work? Much of the industry doesn't try to sell health, they try to sell what they want women to perceive and even men, as happiness. I am a HUGE fan of Beachbody personally not only because of their work outs, but also because they promote HEALTH and the CEO's mission is to STOP OBESITY , and not just temporarily.

I do not believe, that people are inherently lazy which I do believe is a horrible stereotype for the overweight. When I was over 300lbs, I was going to grad school, working full time and a co owner of a karaoke business so that's far from lazy. I work out more than my thin cousins do and I can say that's not fair but I would never say that because I believe the reason why I've had this challenge was one of the reasons I was put here- was to provide support and good information to everyone out there who will listen to me Thanks for listening to me! Your happiness comes from inside- don't wait because all we really ever have is the here and now. Read good books, surround yourself with good, positive and loving people and be your own best friend and the rest will all fall into place!

morganadk2_deleted

I think maybe they went on a "Diet" and not a life style change...

kbanzhaf

I think maybe they went on a "Diet" and not a life style change...

EXACTLY.......why I've said, "It's not a DIEt, it's a LIFEstyle change."

Kaye

hpsnickers1

Every one of these is great info and true. Except number 8 (fat gene). Their brain chemistry could've been changed by the obesity (or the kinds of foods they were eating).

"Look. You're not a special case. Even if you had the fat gene (common among Pima Indians but rare otherwise), you'd only be burning 50-60 calories a day less than anybody else. Even if you've been diagnosed with a metabolic difficulty such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, you can still be successful with proper medical support. Most probably, other approaches failed you either because they were missing important pieces, focused on the wrong things, or produced results so slowly that you just gave up. What you need most is good information. You're in the right place."

http://www.hussmanfitness.org/html/TPAdaptation.html

Yes, our bodies are an adaptation the the lifestyle we live. You want to change your body. Change your lifestyle.

pilotgirl2007

I think maybe they went on a "Diet" and not a life style change...

I agree, I think that you have to take it slow and make a lifestyle change that way you NEVER have to diet again.

elliecolorado

For me I know every time I lost weight before it is because it wasn't a lifestyle change! I lost some weight and then went back to my old habits eventually and gained some or all of the weight I had lost back.

merzback

Thanks for responding- I went back and edited some info. About the fat gene- I am not saying that's why I am fat. I am saying we may need to know more info about it too.
I do not feel that I have failed in the past. I think that there's SO much info out there that it can be confusing and it changes a lot. low fat, low carb, low this- all those buzz words - now sugar breakfast cereals are trying to sell mom's by putting how much whole grain they have on their boxes. Plus our bodies were made to store fat but now that we have a sedentary lifestyle, we have to go to gym's and work out to actually get the exercise our bodies got thousands of years ago from just doing manual labor, or getting up and changing your own tv channel
I don't want people to think they have failed- honestly, why does the diet industry never take responsibility for giving so much bad information. Even weight watchers- I put out what their rules were in 1972, but if you read it, it's very disturbing , funny but insane. The rule book has changed so many times that your head could spin!

nmoreland

You hit on just about everything that I was thinking!

merzback

You hit on just about everything that I was thinking!

Hey girl- great minds think alike- and I can't wait til I get get back to my TURBO and CLX!

rice161

Like yourself, I was over 300 lbs and lost over 140 of it about 6-7 years ago through exercise and Weight Watchers. While I can see what you mean on your other points, my reason(s) for gaining it back were a little different. I did it because I felt obgligated because my coworkers were doing WW at Work and I weighed more than them. I mentally told myself I couldn't meet someone at that weight so I had to try. Once I got into the gym with them, my competitive instincts kicked in and I kept losing! However, some personal issues (with a man, big surprise!) led me to give up and not feel it was worth all the effort.

So bottomline, I didn't do it for ME! I did it to meet someone and because of peer pressure. It took me 1.5 years to lose all that and 4-5 years to put almost all of it back on!

THIS time, it's about me being healthy. I came to the conclusion on my own that I was ready. There are things I want to do that I'm not comfortable with at this time so to accomplish my goals and do what I want, I need to start taking better care of myself! Good luck to all on their journey!

Lakerlady5747

I think a big part of the reason why people put the weight back on is because they go on diets that aren't sustainable for a long period of time (which is the same thing that you need to make a lifestyle change, not go on a diet).

mae3785

I think there are a lot of reasons, and one of them is probably that old habits die hard. Just like we were "trained" to eat certain foods and gain weight we later have to be re-trained and accustomed to eating healthier foods. Many times people only eat healthy until they reach their goal weight and once they begin incorporating other foods it might spiral out of control.

Also, accountability. Many people who gain ALL their weight back simply don't hold themselves accountable when they gain the first 5-10 pounds back. I lost about 35 pounds nearly five years ago, and I'll tend to gain about 5-10 back almost every year. As much as it pains me to do this I also realize that losing 5-10 pounds is better than having to lose 35 or maybe even more in the future.