Story on NPR about weight loss

sweetdianachka

http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/10/31/141794801/losing-weight-a-battle-against-fat-and-biology

I heard this story this morning and it just really made me kind of bummed because basically it says once you're fat you can never go back to just eating "normally" and expect to keep the weight off. Of course i want a different lifestyle, to be active, and eat healthy for the rest of my life, not just until i get to my goal weight. But still, I guess for some reason I thought it would get easier when I get to goal, but now I'm thinking that it may actually only get harder. Any thoughts??

nomorewishing

I can't listen to it atm, but I really don't think that it's true. I know several people who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off. Don't let it get to you, just prove them wrong! :flowerforyou:

snookumss

I personally think now that I am much more aware of the food and calories I am consuming... it will be much easier to keep it off! I ate HORRIBLY before! I drank sodas all day, bought junk food all the time, drank crazy calorie filled coffee drinks nearly every single day, sat around and avoided cardio! I loved playing sports, but those were few and far in between (when I did, I was out of breath the entire time!!!). Now that I have learned SO MUCH about how much I can eat and the impact of each sweet treat on the rest of my calorie intake, I know for a fact it will be easy to keep it off. I did "fall off the wagon" for about three months there, but didn't gain any of that weight back because I learned a lot while I had been dieting. Its really just a "lifestyle" change as is said all the time. For me, it was breaking those old habits and creating the new ones... a habit is a habit in the end.

UpEarly

But there's this:

But you can fight back against a lowered metabolism. You can "kick" your metabolism back up by exercising every day. One recent study found people were able to burn up an extra 450 calories a day with one hour of moderate exercise.

I don't have a problem exercising every day - not at all! I love to work out. I also cut my calories very minimally. The whole time I've been on MFP, I've been averaging about 2000 calories a day in hopes that my body will never think it's starving and go into a defensive mode with my hormones.

I REFUSE to believe I can succeed at this *permanently*!

sweetdianachka

"The combination of lowered metabolism and stimulated appetite equals a "double whammy," says Ryan. And that means the person who's lost weight can't consume as much food as the person who hasn't lost weight.

For example, if you weigh 230 pounds and lose 30 pounds, you cannot eat as much as an individual who has always weighed 200 pounds. You basically have a "caloric handicap," says Ryan. And depending on how much weight people lose, they may face a 300-, 400- or even 500-calorie a day handicap, meaning you have to consume that many fewer calories a day in order to maintain your weight loss."


If you can't listen to it, this part to me was the most depressing

TheLoraxis

I don't know. Seemed to confirm my experience.... It often feels like I have to work harder than most others who are naturally athletic and slim. Just a fact of life, and I've had to come to terms with it. Not sure that helps you feel better.....

sing4me4you

You know I was sort of bummed when I heard that as well, however, it does explain how every time in the last 20 or so years that I have lost significant weight, I have regained it all back. I think knowing that this is metabolic and not psychological helps. It also helps me to understand that this effort must be truely a lifestyle change, that I can never not track what I eat and must continue to exercise - something that has been a part of my life for years anyway. I gives me more motivation to stick to it and permanently become one of the "formerly obese".

Donners185

Nooooooooooooo!!! It is a bit disheartening but we just have to keep at it, whether we still have weight to lose or we are just maintaining.

nph1960

I heard about that study, as well. It did feel discouraging.

On the other hand, I have maintained my goal weight for 6 months, by following the same behaviors I used to take the weight off: diet, exercise, log my food (most of the time), and use a network of dieting friends for support.

So I think the bottom line is that we will never be "done" working on our weight goals. It will be something we have to continously put energy into, but it is not that hard, really. Becomes kind of like a sick hobby...

fmphaynes

I heard the same item yesterday morning, and had the same reaction ... is all this going to be never ending? It kinda took the wind out of my sails. (That, and weighing in after a weekend of Halloween parties...)

I don't think the study looked enough into weigh lifting and its more long-term effects on your metabolism, though. At least, that's what I'm holding on to.

kittycarson

The mind is a powerful thing!!! Accept those things that are beneficialt to you and reject those that aren't !!!! It you accept it, then you have lost half the battle. My family has history of diabetes...It would be easy for me to accept that I could get it too. I do what I can physically to keep myself healthy but I also reject the idea altogether that I will get it!

kappyd

I have a hard time believing anything the experts tell me. They can't decide from one year to the next if an egg is good or bad.

u2fergus

Ultimately, we need to do whatever we need to do to be healthy. Whether it's easy or whether it's hard, I'm going to keep working at it as long as I need to, and I just assume that this is for the rest of my life. Going back to the way I was is not an option. I'm becoming a new person, and if that means always eating less and always exercising... well, good! It's fun to be a person who doesn't feel stuffed all the time and who CAN exercise! I just have to be determined to stay positive about it, no matter what other factors are out there that might make it harder for me than for someone else.

ElizabethRoad

The article doesn't say what data it is based on. How did they come to the conclusion that once you lose weight, you need a deficit to maintain it? Did they study people who lost 100 pounds? People who lost 10? How long after the weight loss is this calorie deficit required? Pretty much useless without further details.