People who lost weight and then gained it back

CBW3

""IMO if you have a lot to lose and have lost it and regained it there are probably issues other than calorie control that are motivating you. I lost about 40 kilos five years ago and gained about 12 back, mostly due to depression. The reasons for gaining weight are much more complicated than just putting the food in your mouth... if you can deal with the issues then you probably won't gain any back.""

ITA with this statement! In 2003, I lost 65 pounds and then gained back 70+ when I was pregnant. I didn't deal with the reasons behind my eating. I always say I am not an emotional binger, I am an emotional anorexic, until I realized that "emotional" includes nore than just being upset about something.

Two pregnancies later and I finally lost it all again, but have recently gained 20 pounds. The only reason why is becuase I just grew tired of thinking about it so much. I am working on that, and working on really accepting the reasons why I need to do this for my health. The fact that I think so hard about it just proves that I haven't made it a lifestyle yet :-)

wahmx3

The first step in not gaining the weight back is to NOT be on a diet, diets are restrictive and meant for short term and they fail, almost every time. I haven't lost and gained it back but I also have no intention of doing this. I am NOT on a diet, I have no forbidden foods, I do eat chocolate, desserts etc.... I just watch my portion sizes and know if I eat them, I have to allow for it in calorie goal for the day, exercise more, and drink extra water. I am losing weight slowly but I am keeping it off and being healthier.

ready2tryagain42

I lost nearly 40 pounds last year and gained about half of it back when I stopped exercising as much and started stress eating during grad school. I knew I was doing it but kept on. Back at it again..and hoping I can get back on track faster this time. It seems to be working so far. Good luck to you!

opus649

I lost weight (30 lbs) when I counted calories.

I gained weight (30 lbs) when I stopped counting calories.

I lost weight again (30 lbs) when I started counting calories again.

I gained weight again (15 lbs) when I stopped counting calories again.

I am losing weight again (12 lbs) now that I am counting calories... again...

Lesson learned: I need to count calories. YMMV.

cmurray234

I agree with whoever said that the re-gain is often caused by choosing a method of losing weight that is unsustainable. I lost about 60 pounds on the South Beach Diet, but it was just miserable for me. Not everyone derives enjoyment from eating. My son doesn't. My brother didn't. But I do...and eating in a way that robbed me of the pleasures of it is not something I'll be able to stick with forever.

I had never tried counting calories before. Probably because it seemed too...easy? I always thought there was some magic formula I was missing out on, when really I was just eating too much. It wasn't carbs making me fat, it was too many calories from too many carbs.

My strategy, and the only one that hasn't felt awful is this:

1. Try to get 6 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. I don't always get this done, but I do try. The practice encourages healthier choices because, frankly, who wants to eat steamed broccoli with a dinner of pizza?

2. Unless it's a vegetable designed specifically for nutrition purposes, I only eat things I enjoy. I won't eat a hot dog just because I'm hungry...because I don't like hot dogs that much. But I also make wise choices. I like fried chicken, but not enough for the number of calories that come with it. I am constantly weighing my options. I LOVE pizza, so when it's treat time, pizza is often the way I go.

3. Focus on calorie density. I am learning that there are certain foods (like bagels) that pack a large calorie punch, but do very little to keep me satiated until my next meal. I avoid these foods even though I like them. Instead, I'll pick oatmeal or eggs which stick with me much longer.

4. I build in treats and junk every once in a while. I had a hamburger and french fries the other day. I was still within my calorie range...and wow did those fries taste good! I don't do this more than once a week though.

These won't work for everyone. Some people are perfectly content eating only lean protein, vegetables and whole grains. I am not one of them.

ninerbuff

IMO, and from client confessions, the reason people gain back weight is because whatever system they were doing to lose weight, isn't going to be a lifestyle that they can live with. If certain foods that they enjoyed were restricted or they had to abstain from them, then the chances of indulging in them once they meet their goal is pretty high. Diets are temporary in the majority of cases.
This is why I don't encourage any kind of dieting for clients. I encourage calorie control and making sure that they ensure that they meet their daily macros and micros. These clients don't have issues with weight regain.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Sounds like a good plan. When you finally reach goal and increase your cals to maintain, will you gain some back or will you stay at that weight more or less? (assuming you stay in your cal goal for maintain)

Personally for myself, my weight will fluctuate about 10lbs based on the time of the year. I do bulk up and get down (although this year I'm going for competition weight after a 20 year hiatus) every 6 months.
For my clients, they just don't lose anymore and may or may not gain. IMO at this point, weight for them is usually out of the picture because now they focus more on how they look, how clothes fit and what kind of condition they are in.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

cmurray234

I lost weight (30 lbs) when I counted calories.

I gained weight (30 lbs) when I stopped counting calories.

I lost weight again (30 lbs) when I started counting calories again.

I gained weight again (15 lbs) when I stopped counting calories again.

I am losing weight again (12 lbs) now that I am counting calories... again...

Lesson learned: I need to count calories. YMMV.

That's what we like to call "self-correcting behavior".

dotido

I totally understand @glengiles

lrdavenport23

I've always been a yo-yo dieter. I'm at goal weight now and have lost 20 lbs this time around in about 4 months without actually dieting or totally restricting all foods. I have cheat days and I have learned portion control and I exercise 4 to 5 days a week. This lifestyle change has been much easier as opposed to dieting.

LolasEpicJourney

When I was 15/16I lost 60 lbs but not the right way. When I started eating more I binged a lot, plus I was put on medication that has a huge side effect of weight gain.
I gained 155 lbs

So far I'm 115 lbs down from my highest weight, 85 thanks to mfp. I'm doing it the olds fashioned way-eating right and exercising a lot. I'm never going to see those ugly numbers on the scale again! Can't wait to kiss 200s goodbye.

ymatar88

Hey, before i say anything i should mention that i am only 17 but i have a good amount of experience in weightloss. anyways, as a kid i was always fat but my worst point was when i was 15; i was 5'4 and weighed 230 lbs. Long story short, i barely ate and ran 5 miles a day which ended up in me weighing 170 lbs in 3 months. Unfortunately, i moved to a new country and stopped all that running so i went back up to 250 lbs in a matter of 5 months. It was awful but it did open my eyes that i should lose weight smart next time. So i started lifting weights along with my usual running, and i am proud to say that i now weigh 180 lbs and am at a height of 6 feet.

Moral of the story: Regardless of whether you are a male or female, you HAVE to incorporate strength training in your weight loss journey. It's simple, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. My fault the first time through was that i ate very little and only did cardio. This messed up my metabolism and a good amount of the weight i initially lost was muscle. The Second time through, i made sure that i lifted heavy and that my strength was going up as i lost the weight. So my advice to you is that you follow a strength training program. Screw that low weight high reps crap and lift heavy weights. Make sure that your strength is not decreasing, but instead staying the same or better yet, increasing. If you gain more and more strength while losing weight, this indicates that the weight your'e losing is mainly fat and not muscle. Goodluck

hsnider29

I was too restrictive in my diet and would end up blowing a whole week because I felt guilty about one day. Now I eat about 1600 calories a day and usually once a week I am up around 2,000 calories. I don't feel guilty about my food choices anymore and have significantly reduced my portion size.

Like others have said, it really needs to be a lifestyle change. Find an exercise that you enjoy and stick with it.

lumosart

When I was about 17 I lost 120 pounds using Atkins. I was so young that except for some thin skin on my breasts and stretch marks I was really lucky. I maintained that weight for about 6 years, after which I met my current partner. I was in a really great relationship and the pounds started piling on, mostly due to my now full social schedule and all the eating and drinking that comes along with a new set of friends. I am 26 now and have gained 40 pounds over the last 3.5 years. I officially hate myself. I keep attempting to lose weight and then fail. Having never had a long term partner before I am unsure how to work out when she has no interest. I start getting the "why aren't you home yet" texts and start feeling guilty for spending so much time on myself and no time with her. I keep trying to go back on Atkins because my body really thrives on it, but I can't seem to stop cheating, which as everyone knows causes weight gain instead of the much wanted weight loss. I dislike my body so much now, and can feel myself falling deeper and deeper. I need help

BlackStarlight

I lost about 42lbs 18 months ago up until I got ill. It's a long stroy but basically I lost the use of my legs and had to learn to walk again. Meds and confort eating compounded the issue and it all went back on with probably a bit more. I still can't walk unaided but I'm slowly clawing my way back to healthy and hopefully one day I will be able to walk unaided again. So here we go again. The start of being healthy with a completely new set of factors but I can do it and so can all of you.

I wish you all the best.
Good Luck
:flowerforyou: xx

Patovader

This was me, I did this a good few years back on my own (never knew MFP existed), lots of hard work and determination and lost around 40 pounds in a relatively short period of time. I felt great for a few months, but I never learned anything, when the 'diet' ended I reverted back to my old ways and piled all the weight back on plus another half stone for good measure.

I started again in January 2011 after being the heaviest I had ever been and managed to lose around a stone by the summer on my own. In September 2011 I found the MFP app and have logged and tracked every day since. I reached my goal weight in April 2012 and have been successfully maintaining (plus or minus 2 - 3 pounds) since by continuing to log and track my food and exercise. This site really does work if you are honest with yourself and are patient enough. Far too many people come on this site (you wait until January 2014 for the New Years resolutions) and expect to undo years of abuse and neglect within a few weeks or months but that is not going to happen and if by some miracle you do take it off very quickly it is far more likely that you will gain it back just as quickly because you won't have learned enough to change your lifestyle.

Good luck everybody

lumosart

Honestly it all had to do with a new job and a long term relationship. I lost 110 pounds when I was 17 and had no ill effects skin wise from the weight loss. Kept it off until I turned 25, which is when I moved in with my significant other and got a 9-5 job. I have now gained 60 of it back in two years and it all had to do I suppose with me coming across situations I never had before, and I was quite happy and just stopped worrying about eating right and stopped exercising because my significant other wasn't really an exerciser.