Who has lost and gained

freerange

How many here has gone on a “diet” before, lost weight only to gain all or part or more back again? What type of diet were you on at the time, WW, Atkins, South Beach, counting calories etc.?

mkateweis

South Beach. I lost 30 pounds really quickly. I stopped following the diet, gained the 30 plus 10 more.

vsyates

I am a 'professional' "dieter". I've been on Weight Watchers (reaching my goal), Atkins (worked but lost weight very slowly), calorie counting, etc. I always gained back every ounce plus a few more. For some reason, this time using MFP is working very well. I can't wait to use the Maintenance feature. I will keep it off this time!!!

ckriegs

That's the story of my life and I've tried them all only to put on more weight than I'd lost when I start to stress out because of life or work. It's sad.

MSDRIZZ

I lost all my weight on L.A Weight loss and it took a year to gain it back. Then I lost it all on Weight Watchers and gained it all back. Weight Watchers is a good program although I don't think they emphasize nutrition enough. L.A. Weight loss is not bad. I don't think they train there staff well enough (there was allot of unhealthy advice being thrown around, but they make sure you get from the different food groups. This has to the last time I do this. I don't think its very healthy to yo yo which is what I have been doing.

12by311

How many here has gone on a “diet” before, lost weight only to gain all or part or more back again? What type of diet were you on at the time, WW, Atkins, South Beach, counting calories etc.?

I lost weight using WW in college. I gained maybe 5 lbs back. But when I went back to watching my portions and exercising, I lost those 5 lbs again (I didn't count points anymore). I've really kept that weight off for about 8 years. I just want to lose more now...or maybe just change my body composition. I struggle with what my goal really is now...

lutzsher

In my "past" life I tried every crazy diet gimic out there . . . and before I found MFP I was at my heaviest at almost 80 pounds overweight. Nothing worked and I would always slip back into my old habits and gain back more than I lost . . . I continued this pattern for the majority of my adult life.

I have completely changed my lifestyle now, we eat only "clean" and healthy food that I prepare myself, use LOTS of fresh herbs and spices instead of fat and sodium, and have a completely different attitude and outlook toward food.

For our 10th wedding anniversary last fall we stayed at home and ate our grilled chicken breasts with steamed broccoli for dinner as usual . . . but it was by candelight that night. We have come to realize that occassions and celebrations are about the day, or the event, NOT about the food. Social gatherings always revolved around food but that seems to no longer hold any appeal for us . . . how things have changed from just a few short years ago!

I am close to losing 60 pounds, so only about 20 pounds away from my anticipated goal. It has taken me about 1 1/2 years to get here but I have never been on a diet for any of it . . . instead I choose to nurish my body, not my insecurities and past baggage with empty and unhealthy items that I should not consume.

Im so much happier now that I can say with certainty that I don't miss anything at all. My life is so much richer now.

MinnieInMaine

I think I've been a member of WW 4 or 5 times but only this last time worked because I really wanted it!

I've also done Atkins and that worked for about a year...basically as soon as it came out of fashion, the products that made following it so easy also dropped of the shelves and I wasn't willing to put it more work than I had been. Plus I forgot how yummy fruits and yogurt and cereal was!

And now, for the first time in my life, I'm simply counting calories thanks to this webiste, and it's working!

sclosson

I have lost 40 - 60 pounds 3 times in my adult life. Now I need to lose about 80. As long as I stay away from fast food and eating out, I can do fairly well. Now that I'm a bit older, I need to focus more on exercise and fitness .

Bakkasan

4 years ago I Was over 370, went to 240, went back to partying, went back up to 340. Now back to 295ish. boo.

Hybrid atkins and south beach all the way for me.

GLJezebel

I counted WW points on my own about 8 years ago and did really well, losing about 40 lbs or so. As soon as I stopped counting points and got into a relationship where I was comfortable, I gained it all back plus about 20 lbs more. This is the first time in my life (I'm 44) where I am logging my calories daily and exercising daily. It's only been 2 weeks but I can already tell a difference in how I feel and I SLEEP so much better.

MissKim

In the past 8 yrs I have lost and gained 25-50 lbs on and off, always managing to gain it back plus some! with every diet known to man! Weight Watchers, Atkins, Southbeach, counting calories, slim fast, special k, and even took a buttload of diet pills. alli (that didn't last long, phentermine (lost 50 lbs on it).

This is what I've learned. You have to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. There is no going back to your "normal" way of eating. Your normal way of eating needs to be a healthy lifestyle, regardless of the name of your "diet". So you have to find something that you can live with for the rest of your life. It doesn't mean you can never have another piece of cake, or never have another piece of candy, but it does mean that the majority of the food you put in your mouth needs to be good for you. Treats are for special occasions. not for everyday, or even for every week in my opinion.

megz4987

I lost 110lb 5 years ago and gained some back after meeting my fiance and he re-introduced me to fast food and soda, then I got pregnant and gained the rest, plus 25-30lb, back. Healthily working my way back down!

Tankplanker

I'd gained 3 stone then lost it, then gained 5 more and lost that, last ten years have seen me put on 7 stone that I am currently in the process of losing. Calorie counting and copious amounts of exercise each time, weight comes back slowly if I stop exercising and counting calories.

DianaPowerUp

Oh, I've done that so many times I couldn't even tell you! I started "dieting" and exercising as a teenager (when I 1st got chunky). I never really did any specific "diet" - just what "they" told me - eat whole grains, low fat, blah blah blah.

The yo-yoing didn't stop until I found MFP. Then I had a way I could actually track what I was eating. I had tried in the past to write everything down, but that gets tedious looking up cal. information. This is MUCH easier. I lost 10 lbs pretty easily.

Then I started reading posts, and heard a lot about Marksdailyapple.com. I checked it out, and it was like a light bulb went off! I've followed a pretty low carb, fairly no grain diet for about 2 mos now, and the last 5 lbs that I could never shake, just melted away.

I now realize, through being here, and doing a lot of reading, that this is a lifestyle change for me, not a diet. This is for my longterm health, and not just to be skinny-fat. I am still fine tuning this, but thanks to all the help here, I think I've finally got it!

wonnder1

In highschool (80s) I lost a LOT (over 100 pounds) of weight on WW. This was in the 80s, before points. When it was much like this, with calories and real life food.

I gained it back because of mental issues-that much weight loss is hard to take when you're young. The change in peoples attitudes towards me really backfired.

I tried WW again when it was points and it didn't work. To me, it just doesn't translate, doesn't feel real. Calories I know and understand.

This seems to be working. I go for 2 a week, and I get (usually) 2 a week.

hpsnickers1

Oh, I've done that so many times I couldn't even tell you! I started "dieting" and exercising as a teenager (when I 1st got chunky). I never really did any specific "diet" - just what "they" told me - eat whole grains, low fat, blah blah blah.

The yo-yoing didn't stop until I found MFP. Then I had a way I could actually track what I was eating. I had tried in the past to write everything down, but that gets tedious looking up cal. information. This is MUCH easier. I lost 10 lbs pretty easily.

Then I started reading posts, and heard a lot about Marksdailyapple.com. I checked it out, and it was like a light bulb went off! I've followed a pretty low carb, fairly no grain diet for about 2 mos now, and the last 5 lbs that I could never shake, just melted away.

I now realize, through being here, and doing a lot of reading, that this is a lifestyle change for me, not a diet. This is for my longterm health, and not just to be skinny-fat. I am still fine tuning this, but thanks to all the help here, I think I've finally got it!

I was never a dieter but was always chunky. In my 20's my weight dropped. I managed to keep it weight down by drinking coffee all day and not eating until dinner time (and the munching continued after dinnertime). In less than a year after I turned 38 I packed on almost 20lbs. I managed to "starve myself" down to around 130 and then ended up sick (Fibromyalgia). Using MFP I got down to 120. But the constant eating and counting and worrying was wearing me down. 7 months of research led me to MDA.

Sometimes I wish I had come across MDA back in November when I found MFP. I had the same thing happen. All the questions I still had in my head from the last 6 months of research cleared up. For me it was like a light bulb too. And in 2 weeks 3lbs melted off. My daily weight fluctuations are completely gone. I had a Digornio Pizza this past Saturday. I think the cardboard box would've had more flavor than that pizza crust. And this is something I can do for the rest of my life.

reeree33

Yes - for me I keep going up to 10st 6lbs and back down to 10st - what I would really love is to get to 9st 7lbs (got to 9st 11lbs) once recently but now currently 10st 4lbs - really annoying but it does take committment.

If I am truthful, today will be my first day sticking to the calorie allocation and really getting into the exercise this week.

Yesterday cardio workout, today, Legs, Bums and Tums class, tomorrow Box and Kettlebell class, rest Thursday and Friday - Primal Circuits.

Good luck everyone!

pearlof69

I went from a UK size 14 to a UK size 4 through eating healthy and walking over 11 miles per day which I maintained for over 5 years . I moved house, gave up walking, gave up on me and hey presto a UK size 12.

lady_daraine

I've tried calorie counting (20 pounds when I was 19-20 and again for only 5 pounds in 5 months); Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle (just 2 pounds over 6 months -dropped it), Atkins (25 pounds), and now primal/paleo (another 10 on top of Atkins, quit for stress reasons and emotional issues, trying again now). I lost weight each time (some with more work than others). I'm currently following the primal/paleo plan with carb/calorie cycling.

What I've learned through all this is that all plans work, just differently for different people. You have to find the one that works best for you - and then stick to it for the rest of your life. If you count calories to lose, and then quit doing it while trying to maintain, you'll gain it back. If you cut carbs to lose, and then start over eating them again, you'll gain it back. There is no such thing as a diet you can follow to lose weight, just to stop and go back to the original diet to maintain. If it made you fat the first time, why wouldn't it the second, third or fourth time? The hard part is not ever going back to eating badly, no matter what diet you choose!

heniko

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