95% of people who lose weight put it back on. Why?

70davis

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sleepytexan

because they set their goal at 1200 calories and don't eat back exercise calories (it "defeats the purpose", you know). They also get really pissed off when people who actually know what they're doing try to explain to them why it's a bad idea. They usually say something like, "do you have any peer-reviewed studies that prove xyz???" or "everybody's different, and it's working for me", or "last time I lost weight, I ate only 4 raisins and unlimited lettuce with half a lemon squeezed on it a day for 2 years and lost 100 lbs".

WeekndOVOXO

There is no one reason, but here is what I know contributes...

Lower income means finding food that will be good as long as it stays in your pantry, cant spend money on healthy food, cant afford to.

totally not true but a common excuse

Eating healthier is more expensive if you don't plan ahead your meals, and if you don't look out for special offers that supermarkets are offering among other things. I think that's one of my biggest problems is having the necessary food at home to healthy living.

05saleengirl

Hmmm...not sure how much of the study I believe. I agree some do put it back on but 95%..yikes. I guess it boils down to determinination. I lost about 100 lbs, had a baby (gained 45 lbs and was sick the whole time and continued to eat healthy and walk through out it too!!), then after having baby I found out I had hypothyroid..SUCKS!, and then lost all of my baby weight and then some. I weigh less now than before I had baby. So, like I said, I guess it comes down to determiniation.

zaph0d

because they set their goal at 1200 calories and don't eat back exercise calories (it "defeats the purpose", you know). They also get really pissed off when people who actually know what they're doing try to explain to them why it's a bad idea. They usually say something like, "do you have any peer-reviewed studies that prove xyz???" or "everybody's different, and it's working for me", or "last time I lost weight, I ate only 4 raisins and unlimited lettuce with half a lemon squeezed on it a day for 2 years and lost 100 lbs".

nancyaaa

I lost 105 lb 13 years ago in 6 months. I started with 1200 cal per day with the WW plan. However it stopped working so I dropped it to 600-800 cal per day. It was totally crazy but at the time all I did was cardio and nothing else worked. Of course I gained it all back because there is no way you can keep doing that (and I suffered terribly from malnutrition).
Now I mostly stick to paleo type foods and eat about 1700 cal per day (and do cardio and weights)... lost 88 lb so far and its a total breeze compared to starving yourself!

lovecriminal

The key take away is, 95% people made changes to diet and 5% people made LIFESTYLE change - Correct me if I am wrong please.

3liza

I think my over eating was caused by depression from being overweight (ironic lol). I think once some ppl loose the weight, they are able to respect their body more. I hope I get there soon

Gidzmo

I think for some people it is the emotional connection they have to food.

But in a lot of cases I think it's because they've almost been a little too strict? So they make it a diet rather than a lifestyle change. To me a diet is following at least some kind of set meal plan for a certain amount of time, whether that's a within a certain date or until they reach a certain weight I'm not sure. To me a lifestyle change means eating well but it also means fitting in some of the bad stuff. Saying that you'll never eat a bit of chocolate again I'm guessing to most people would be something rather frightening! And unless you really detest it or have an allergy to it, I doubt it's going to happen.

So when they finish, or get as far as they can with their little diet, the weight just comes back on. I guess...

You and Jynus might both be right.

There is the emotional connection--have you ever noticed that some foods are called 'comfort foods'? Chocolate, mac-and-cheese, pot roast...all of these are 'comfort foods'.

There is also the lifestyle change. Some don't understand that, in order to keep the weight you've lost off, there has to be a lifestyle change. You can't go back to the old ways; the weight will come back.

malicent

I read your post in this topic, how you were agreeing about some others' comments about 'comfort foods' and whatnot. There is a strong link between smell and memory, and for some parts taste as well. This is due to the fact that unlike other senses (sight, hearing, touch), smell is processed by the olfactory cortex which is linked directly to the hippocampus, the brain's memory center. The other senses must first go through the thalamus before they are relayed to the hippocampus. A lot of our 'comfort foods' bring about sentimental feelings of a time or place in the past which we are very fond of. "These cookies taste just like grandma used to make 'em!" "Oh, the smell brings back memories of home.."

So, a lot of these foods are from people's childhoods and upbringing, their ethnic backgrounds.. their heritage. And a lot of these foods may not be the healthiest but it's what they know. What they are familiar with is what comforts them and makes them happy, so for them to break these habits or changing/altering recipes altogether would be very very hard. I'm Asian, and we eat a LOT of rice and noodles. My mother has diabetes, and I was diagnosed with it too when I was only 17. I've tried to get her to use less salt, less sugar, some of which she's done with success. But she LOVES coca-cola, I guess because she used to drink a lot of it back when she was a kid. Also, I've cooked brown rice at home and tried it, and gotten used to it. I don't mind it much, and it's a lot better for our blood glucose. But my mom absolutely refuses, and I think it has to do with her age and the familiarity.

You have people eating a certain ethnic cuisine which may be the same from their native country to here in the USA, but what's different is the amount. In the Philippines, they eat a lot of rice and meat. The high calorie meals are account for the portions, because for many, they may not eat that often or lead physically tough lives. You bring that same cuisine to the States, where you sit on a computer at work all day, watch TV, drive everywhere.. and you eat the same way you did back in Asia, what do you expect? -bloats up- lol. Any poison can also be a cure, the difference lies in the dosage.

Devil's in the details

Dave198lbs

There is no one reason, but here is what I know contributes...

Lower income means finding food that will be good as long as it stays in your pantry, cant spend money on healthy food, cant afford to.

totally not true but a common excuse

Eating healthier is more expensive if you don't plan ahead your meals, and if you don't look out for special offers that supermarkets are offering among other things. I think that's one of my biggest problems is having the necessary food at home to healthy living.

I agree it takes more work and more planning but it doesnt take more money. It can actually be less expensive when you cut out convenience foods

Tank_Girl

Its the mindset of dieters... Eat this magic diet to get thin and it will solve all your problems

Vs

Eat healthy, exercise in order to get fit and healthy with the nice side effect of looking good




A lot of "dieters" are looking for a quick fix... I know so many people like this its not even funny

Beethoven1827

For me, it's all about lifestyle and priorities. I gained weight when I moved house and had to get the bus to work instead of walking (6 miles before an 8am start was never going to happen!). Then I got out of the habit of exercising, but didn't change what I ate. Sometime later started going to the gym, lost some of the weight and toned up a bit. Then I got pregnant, with complications which meant I was told to stop going to the gym and couldn't do any vigorous exercise. So I was completely out of the habit of exercising again.

In recent years, I increased the amount of walking I do, and lost some weight - then moved house again to a place where there's nowhere useful within walking distance. It's all within 200yds or at least 2 miles away. At last, though, I have decided that getting healthy is a priority. So I'm having to learn to make healthy choices from the food that's available where I work, learning to track my calories honestly, learning to create (and protect) times that I can exercise.

This isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle change. I don't want to go back to being Fat Mummy. I aspire to being a Yummy Mummy - but there's a way to go yet - and it's not all about my weight! :laugh: I want my girls to learn that eating healthily is good, not boring; that exercise is fun and good (although they both know that already!); that although how a person looks is not the important thing, self-respect and taking care of your own body are important.

ihad

Bump

mfpcopine

There is no one reason, but here is what I know contributes...

Lower income means finding food that will be good as long as it stays in your pantry, cant spend money on healthy food, cant afford to.

totally not true but a common excuse

It IS harder to eat healthier with less money.

mfpcopine

There is no one reason, but here is what I know contributes...

Lower income means finding food that will be good as long as it stays in your pantry, cant spend money on healthy food, cant afford to.

totally not true but a common excuse

Eating healthier is more expensive if you don't plan ahead your meals, and if you don't look out for special offers that supermarkets are offering among other things. I think that's one of my biggest problems is having the necessary food at home to healthy living.

I agree. It's more work, more time, more stress.

mfpcopine

My husband asked me why I didn't do an intense few months and lose the weight, like they do on biggest loser. I'm not at that place in my life. I want to really change my habits, so being a healthy weight is effortless, like driving a car.

How long did it take you to learn how to drive? I think gradual weight loss is probably best for most people, but I imagine some people can lose weight healthily in a few months assuming they're not extremely obese. But they have to continue to apply what they've learned.

MarkC1963

I've lost 89 lbs so far. I made it a lifestyle change and not a diet. Simply, I count the calories I eat and measure the calories I burn using a BodyBugg device. I tried lots of different exercises and picked some that I don't mind doing and also rediscovered a sport (tennis) that I love and make it a priority to fit hours of it into my weekly schedule. As far as the emotional eating, I have used the thinking techniques of the noted pyschologist Dr. Albert Ellis and strive to eliminate his 10 top irrational beliefs from my life. I also read the ancient philosopher Epicetus who Dr. Ellis derived much of his therapeutic thought from.
It's really helped me derive great satisfaction from life and enjoy life much more than ever before.

MsMartyMac

As someone who has lost and gained back and also knowing other who did the same. I think a lot of people think the work is over once they have lost the weight. The truth is that maintaining your weight is actually more difficult than losing it. So many people let their guard down once they have lost and go back to old habits. Has to be something you work at for the rest of your life and even more diligently once you are trying to maintain. At least that's what I have learned.

I couldn't agree more. After losing 80 pounds in a year and a half it only took three years for about 25 of those pounds to find their way home. I didn't really focus on the "losing weight" anymore and that is what happens. I have learned that whatever I do to get where I want to be (145) I am going to have to continue to do once I get there....forever. So my rule of thumb is make sure you enjoy what you are doing because you will be doing it from now on. Don't make an exercise schedule that you can"t maintain for the long haul or else you will find yourself back in the same spot. Make it doable and it will work.

DonniesGirl69

Because people "go on a diet" rather than implementing a true, life long change in the way they eat and their activity level.