How to Avoid Regaining the weight

starsnyc21

Statistics say that 85% of people will gain back all the weight they loss plus more. I will have to say I am one of those people. I have lost 30lbs of weight 2x and regained with additional pounds. I am interesting in finding out what is the secret to losing weight and keeping it off. Does anyone have any suggestions for avoiding weight gain?

CMmrsfloyd

For me, I plan to continue using MFP and logging my food/exercise for awhile after I get to my goal. You can re-set your goal on this site to 'maintenance' and it will help you learn how to manage your intake/output to maintain your weight without having that gain. The key is that this is a lifestyle change, not a diet. You are not just trying to drop weight, you are learning to manage it. You don't have to be all on your own after you lose the weight, you can still use the tools provided here to help you stay where you want to be and have support in the process. :-)

korygilliam

Completely agree w/ CM...you can't go back to your 'old ways' after you are done. That's why it is so important to lose your weight slowly and in a healthy/realistic manner.

jakejacobsen

It can not be a diet, it must be a life style change you can never go back to your old life style if you do you will surely return to your old self.

taso42

It can not be a diet, it must be a life style change you can never go back to your old life style if you do you will surely return to your old self.

This

sweebum

For me? I have to keep logging not estimating and weight once a week. Anymore than a 2-5lb fluctuation, it's time to pay attention. I regained years ago simply by not paying attention and ignoring the scale even as sizes went up.

cindy859

I too have lost and regained weight numerous times, this time however, I have decided to take breaks between weight loss and make sure I can maintain the loss--sure it's taking me a little longer to reach my goal but this time I am sure that I am going to keep the weight off. This method may not work for everyone but I am very comfortable with it and so far so good.

Jess5825

It can not be a diet, it must be a life style change you can never go back to your old life style if you do you will surely return to your old self.

Agreed! I did diets like Jenny Craig, as soon as I went off I went back to my old ways and gained most of it back. I went on WW prior to going back over 300, I didn't wanna go back there. So this time it's a life change and not a diet.

grassette

I love the tools here. Balancing exercise with calorie intake is not something you can find everywhere. This is a life-long exercise as far as I am concerned. Don't want to gain it all back the way I did last time. And it does not take much. Just an extra 100 calories per day can do it.

CaptainAmerica1970

I agree with et.al....you can't go back to your 'old ways'. Lose the weight slowly and in a healthy/realistic manner. it must be a life style change you can never go back to your old life style if you do you will surely return to your old self and even become worse like the research shows. Even scripture says a man who cleanse his house and leaves it unattended becomes seven times worse. This is why you need to change your mind set too. IE. VICES what caused you to start eating ALL those comfort foods in the first place? Trauma? Drama? To FEEL what? SOMETHING? Thats why you have to walk in forgiveness daily, let stuff go, not get angry and upset about life, people, situations. Monitor what and why you are putting food into your mouth.

kit_katty

I agree that it's a lifestyle change. Not sure if I'm going to keep logging, but I'd definitely keep an eye on the scale and start looking at my habits if I start to creep back up again.

teagin2002

I am in the process of maintaining my weight loss now, I have gained 4 lbs over the past 3 months only.
I still don't eat cakes, and candies, sweets, try to stick to coconut oil and pure olive oil for my fats. I watch my carb intake very closely and try to pay attention to what food does to me. If it makes me bloat, irritable, or want to over eat I try to stay a way from it or substitute it with something else. I feel that reaching my goal although difficult is half the battle, keeping it off is the most important part.
I also feel that if my body stays at this weight for at least 6 months, it will become used to it and I may be able to relax the rules a bit. I will find out when I get there.
Exercise, is a big part of maintaining and making my body beautiful. I don't like being sore, so I do lighter exercises and build up my muscle slowly then up it some more.
I wear beautiful clothes that make me feel great, so that I want to stay this size and am willing to fight to stay this size.
I took pics of my self and hung them on the fridge for me to see and help remind me of my accomplishment so I don't go back.
I hope this helps.

katkins3

I have read on MFP that maintenance is harder than losing weight and believe it to be true.
When you are losing weight there is the excitement of meeting goals and getting noticed.
When you reach goal there is more attention, the feeling of accomplishment and often a new wardrobe.
BUT, the months go by, the compliments slow and fade. Everyone is used to how you look. You can only use so many new clothes. Then What???
New types of goals may help, like improving running time and distance. New activities help, maybe yoga or dancing. This is a problem I have been thinking about quite a bit. I'm working on non-weight goals and hobbies to head off the boredom that leads back to eating. I'm no where near my goal, so I have lots of time to plan.
I'm glad this is My Fitness Pal and not My Weight Loss Pal. There is so much more to fitness than a number on a scale.

teagin2002

I don't think I can ever stop watching what I eat, it is just too much of a risk. I worked so hard to get here and I love where I am.

shydaisi

This is why I do not eliminate anything from my diet -- I just eat anything in moderation. I feel that when food is eliminated, it must be eliminated for life, or else the weight will reappear once the eliminated food is indulged in. I also plan on continuing to incorporate exercise into my weekly routine. With exercise, even if I do over-indulge, I can counteract the extra calories with the burn.

I agree with others that this must be a lifestyle change, not a "diet" or temporary reorganization of habits.

LeonaB17

For me - the main thing is Never Ever Ever Ever No Matter What Never Give Up and quit! For years I would lose 30 gain back 50, lose 40 gain back 60 - lose 20 gain back 30 - and so on and so forth. What has made the difference is I told myself no matter what this time I would never quit. I was at 327 lbs, worked hard for 6 months, dropped 40 pounds. Then - I went on a long vacation and gained back 20 pounds!!! The old me would have thrown in the towel but I got back on the horse and 6 months later I had lost those 20 I gained back plus another 20 -for 60 total. The weight loss slowed down - but I eventually got to 100 lost - which was great - but then I hit a road bump again and gained back 30. That's when I joined mfp - and I've lost those 30 plus some and have been doing very well. Nobody said this had to be perfect - and I have learned from my mistakes over the years and the biggest thing I learned was to never give up. Even if I do gain a little back here or there (or a lot -although I hope that doesn't happen again) - I will never ever quit.

bcattoes

Continue to exercise and watch your calories.

H_Factor

it is totally a mindset. things interfere with your focus on the healthy lifestyle journey and one of those things is complacency. From my own past failures with losing weight and gaining it back, I've taken time this year to reflect on the reasons for my past failures. It was upon reflection that I understood how and when the complacency creep and other mental stumbling blocks wreaked havoc with my journey. My past failures have led to reflection. My reflections have led to written lists. I believe my written lists will help me stay focused this time around. Here's a link to my will power pill blog for your consideration.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/H_Factor/view/recipe-for-a-will-power-pill-for-help-with-the-mental-part-of-the-journey-155978

starsnyc21

I am in the process of maintaining my weight loss now, I have gained 4 lbs over the past 3 months only.
I still don't eat cakes, and candies, sweets, try to stick to coconut oil and pure olive oil for my fats. I watch my carb intake very closely and try to pay attention to what food does to me. If it makes me bloat, irritable, or want to over eat I try to stay a way from it or substitute it with something else. I feel that reaching my goal although difficult is half the battle, keeping it off is the most important part.
I also feel that if my body stays at this weight for at least 6 months, it will become used to it and I may be able to relax the rules a bit. I will find out when I get there.
Exercise, is a big part of maintaining and making my body beautiful. I don't like being sore, so I do lighter exercises and build up my muscle slowly then up it some more.
I wear beautiful clothes that make me feel great, so that I want to stay this size and am willing to fight to stay this size.
I took pics of my self and hung them on the fridge for me to see and help remind me of my accomplishment so I don't go back.
I hope this helps.

Great suggestions here. Thanks!

hummingbird71

I think once I reach the "maintain train" it will be a little harder but I don't see it as a huge problem. I do enjoy getting all the compliments from my family members, but for someone that has ALWAYS been on the heavy side of the scale all my life, will enjoy myself once I reach my goal! My extended family knows how hard I have worked so far to get to where I am now because they have seen me all my life as the "heavy one". So once I reach my goal and STAY AT THAT WEIGHT for a long period of time they will see how dedicated I am to not being the "heavy one" ever again! Plus I will get rid of my "bigger" clothes as I go so I don't use that as a crutch (well IF I gain the weight back I will have some clothes to wear). Nope not me not going to do that! As I shrink out of them they are going to the consignment shop here in town! Then once I get some $$ for them I will get me some "new-used" clothes from there in the correct size I need. Darned and determined to make it work and keep it working for me!

grannygethealthy1111

Diets do NOT work; lifestyle change does. I have kept off my weight for going on 21 months now. Calories in versus calories out. It is that simple.