Why did/didn't you regain weight?

Jesstruhan

i've been nudging back up because I stopped paying attention, and got lax with choosing healthier foods. Eating more calories (even under my maintenance ones) made me feel "free" like I can eat anything. Not so. I just need to pay closer attention.

kimad

I lost the same 40 lbs 2-3 times, becuase I would lose the weight using some program (like weight watchers), then I would go back to my old habits.

This time I tried to make lifestyle changes that i could stick too (I don't deprive myself) and I also took up exercising.
Not only have I lost the most weight I ever have, but I have been at it the longest.

Trust me I struggle BIG TIME, you would think after 87lbs and 1.5 years I would have it in the bag but I don't. I haven't really lost in awhile, I flop around with the same 5lbs, but I hope the fact I am still on here, and that I can say HEY I SUCK AT THIS RIGHT NOW, that I am being accountable enought to keep on it.

CJ_Holmes

I've never been overweight, but I have on occasion gained 10 pounds in a year because of work conditions: Boring and stressful job, long hours, convenient vending machines, free food, too tired or depressed to work out. When the situation ended, I usually could lose the weight fairly easily, but as I've aged, my metabolism has slowed down and it's gotten increasingly harder.

That's why it's important for a middle-aged person to manage his or her weight. If you gain too much, there may come a point when you can't easily get it off.

really your goal is to lose 2.5 pounds? And you once gained 10lbs in a year.. OMG. Not. Get off this site, seriously!

Hey, what's your problem? Who says someone has to have large amounts of weight to lose to be a part of this community? Tracking and support are helpful to everyone who is seeking optimum health, and people who are maintaining a healthy weight are valuable sources of advice. And as the poster said, as they get older, maintaining is harder. Good for them for wanting to be aware and for being part of MFP.

kenazfehu

The biggest reason is because I went "on a diet", lost the weight, then returned to "normal" eating habits. My problem hasn't been junk food as much as it has been huge portions. My husband has a physically demanding job that burns a lot of calories, so he eats a lot, and I was eating like him.

I also eat a lot when I'm stressed, and there is no end to stress, ever. About two months ago, I realized that I wasn't out of control, I was stuffing myself to the point of misery every day on purpose because it prevented me from facing other truths in my life - like the fact that my son was on drugs and using us rather than us "helping" him.

I've cried a lot since then, but now that I know I have the control (most of the time), I don't go into the kitchen to eat my feelings to the point of stuffed self-loathing, unable to think or act. Also, this time I am not "on a diet". I am finding the happy balance between good eating/exercise habits and a good, healthy weight/personal fitness.

ladybug91254

I joined MFP Feb. 2010 and I lost 115 lbs. I have gained about 40 of that back. I am still trying to figure out what happened. I haven't been great at logging lately ... because I go so discouraged. But that wasn't what started the weight gain. I was logging, exercising staying within calories and still not losing AND at some point started gaining. So I played around with my calories, up, down etc. I played with my exercise. I THINK it may have been because I started with menopause...but not sure. I managed to somewhat maintain around the 180 mark for awhile. Then in the spring (this year) I started being REALLY tired like I had a bug...no energy, quit working out, had a couple of infections in the summer and have just not felt good since. SOOOOO my exercise has been almost non existent, my eating has gone to pot and I am now at 212. I am trying to do some different things and if nothing else will go to the doctor for a complete check up after the 1st of the year (I have a HUGE deductible so don't want to start that this late). Bottom line, I just don't know what my problem is. I AM open to any suggestions.

Cyclink

In the simplest of terms:
I gained weight when I was not paying attention to what I was eating, usually at the same time that I was not training much.
I lost weight when i was paying attention to what I was eating, usually at the same time that I was training regularly.

I've never used a fad diet or a weight loss supplement and I've never given up Cherry Coke.

aleatha5

When I graduated from high school I weighed the most I have ever weighed in my life (excepting pregnancy) because I didn't realize anything about counting calories/exercising. I was a real studious student and did a bunch of thinking clubs (student government, honors society, etc) and was really not active. In my first year of college, I committed to learning how to lose weight healthily. I lost 45 pounds and got down to a healthy BMI, weighed about 138. I did regain about 5-10 pounds over the next decade from being not super careful. But, did pretty well maintaining that weight the whole way through my 20s.

I am back now (I still weigh less than when I graduated from High School) but having had 2 kids in 2 years in my 30s has certainly taken its toll. I know that I wasn't as careful as I could be when pregnant, but I was so sick at the start that by the time I could eat (week 20) I made poor eating choices which resulted in some weight that went to me and not baby. I am finding it slower losing this time around maybe because I am older or because I have less time/energy to devote to exercise with really young children.

BubblySharon

I quit smoking and turned 40 around the same time... metabolism took a huge hit and I kept eating like I always did... never added extra food, but still gained 100 lbs over 2 yrs. Scary. So now I am changing things... eating more healthy, and watching how much I eat. Counting calories and walking more.

rebasporty

I quit journaling my caloric intake, slowed down on my exercise and spent way too much time on my computer...I now journal, exercise 4-5 times a week and limit the time on I spend on my computer....my body is now getting smaller again!! Yeah!!! :happy:

Jain

I've yo-yoed up & down the scales just about all my adult life. Usually I manage to keep the weight off for a few months/years then the bad old habits start again and I stop weighting myself. Or someone will comment on my weightloss & I think 'okay 'they've' noticed, I can give up now.:ohwell:
I've finally admited to myself that I can't do this on my own & I need help so am about to start with a therapist to try & break the cycle.

sarahrbraun

It's something that I've been thinking about over the last week even though I've never regained any weight, probably because I haven't even finished losing it yet. I read a lot of posts about people who have lost weight, put it back on, and are now losing it again. But none of them ever explained why.

So naturally I did a little research and found so many conflicting answers. Some sources saying that 80-90% of people who lose weight will put all of it back on and then some more. So my question to you is, did you put on weight after you finished losing? If so, was it because you just gave in to your old lifestyle or because of your metabolism?

I was 135lbs when I got pregnant 18 years ago. I gained 50+ pounds with the pregnancy, then it took 4 years to take it off. Part of my issue was that I was stuck at home with no equipment or motivation. I got a job and the weight melted off. I was 5 lbs above goal and couldn't drop them...turns out I was pregnant with #2.

I gained like 30-35lbs with that pregnancy--I waitressed until just a few days before I delivered. I dropped back down to about 150lbs and stayed there for about 4 years. I went on weight watchers, and joined a women's only circuit gym...and gained 30lbs. Turns out I was pre-diabetic. The doctor put me on a low carb diet (50g net) to see if I could control it without medications. I lost 17-20lbs in about 6-8 weeks...and discovered that I was pregnant with #3.

I gained 45-50lbs with that pregnancy. I dropped to about 175lbs and stayed there for almost 2 years. Around that time my oldest son was diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum and was having a lot of issues at school, my youngest broke his leg at 19 months old and was in a body cast for 5 weeks, and my daughter found her attitude. I slowly packed on 50lbs by self medicating with food...and chocolate. I spent so much time taking care of everyone else, I wasn't taking care of ME.

10 months ago I joined the Y, started walking/jogging on the treadmill 3-4x a week. It took me forever to lose weight, but I am sticking to it. I'm finding muscles I never knew I had. I may never get back down to 135lbs again, but I am determined to LOOK like I did, no matter how long it takes.

amykingsley1

Lost about 50, back up 10 over the summer. Why? The short answer: Beer. The slightly longer answer: Beer, and the complete lack of impulse control associated with too much of it. Too many mini vaca's over the summer.

cer0012

I ate a lot of bad food and didn't exercise.

jenericstewart

When I was a teenager, I lost 60 lbs over a period of five years. Once I lost that weight and still felt fat at size 16, the only way I could keep it off was to keep my calories below 1000. I exercised at least three times a week.

My metabolism was super slow after years of chronic dieting. I didn't gain the weight because i went back to my old eating habits. i gained it back because it got really old keeping under 1000 daily calories.

I now realize my metabolism was so messed up. Plus, I have PCOS, which doesn't help.

This time around, I'm dieting differently since I can't lose weight like an average person, let alone keep it off. I'm hoping that by calorie cycling, IF, and/or Spiking things will be different.

Everyone's different. This is my experience.

natalie412

I lost 20 pounds about 2 years ago - diet alone (maybe a little walking), then got back to old eating habits and gained back about 5-7 before I joined MFP and lost 37 (over 50 from my highest weight a couple years back). The first time I never got into exercise. Now I run about 20 miles a week, plus other workouts. I've been maintaining since May (and have actually lost another 7 pounds since I started maintenance). This time it really was a complete lifestyle change. I eat normal food - I certainly have treats, etc, but generally eat healthier and smaller portions, and burn a ton of calories, so I can eat more!

The other reason I gained some back, was that I stopped weighing myself. This time I am determined to keep weighing in (for me that is generally every day), and if I consistently get above a certain weight for more than a couple weeks, I will start cutting back. That way I will have less than 5 to lose!

paulaviki

I lost about 20lbs before I got married, then I stopped weighing myself and ate what I wanted because I wasn't losing weight for a particular reason anymore. This time I've completely changed the way I eat and the choices I make. Plus I'm not going to stop my weekly weigh in once I'm at goal. I need to keep an eye on my weight!

DawnieB1977

I was really overweight as a teenager and I don't really know why as I always ate healthily and walked a lot, plus did swimming, badminton etc after school. My dad is very overweight, so was his mum, so I guess genetics plays a part. Anyway, when I started university I barely ate, and did lots of walking/cycling so I lost loads of weight over my 4 year degree, and then when i started working, and joined a gym I lost even more. At my thinnest I had a BMI of 22, when I was around 24 years old.

Then I did my teacher training degree (in the UK) and I started to put on weight then, possibly from the stress and the massive workload. I never got as heavy as i'd originally been though, and then when i got engaged I lost around 45lbs for my wedding, but then got pregnant a month later, so I put on weight then, despite exercise and healthy eating. I lost it all after I had my son, and then when he was 13 months I got pregnant again, and put on loads more. My daughter is now 17 months old and I am nearly as thin as I was when I was 24 (I'm 35 now). This time I plan on keeping it off!

The minute I stop exercising several times a week I put weight on. I have a slow metabolism, and it seems my body looks for any excuse to pile on weight, so I have to be so careful.

I think I've gone about healthy eating the wrong way in the past too by having too low calories, which has kind of messed with my metabolism. Now I have 2 small kids to feed I am much more aware of healthy, balanced meals, rather than lettuce leaves!

DrMAvDPhD

I've never been overweight, but I have on occasion gained 10 pounds in a year because of work conditions: Boring and stressful job, long hours, convenient vending machines, free food, too tired or depressed to work out. When the situation ended, I usually could lose the weight fairly easily, but as I've aged, my metabolism has slowed down and it's gotten increasingly harder.

That's why it's important for a middle-aged person to manage his or her weight. If you gain too much, there may come a point when you can't easily get it off.

really your goal is to lose 2.5 pounds? And you once gained 10lbs in a year.. OMG. Not. Get off this site, seriously!

Attitudes like this is why most people gain back weight. Thinking 10lb or even 2.5lb gains are no big deal leads to 20lb in 2 years, and in 5 years you've gained 50lbs.

bcattoes

Over the years I have lost and regained several times. So far, this time I have kept it off for a little over 18 months. But I know I might still yet regain, because I've kept it off longer than this before. For me, the reason I regain is always the same. I get lazy and stop exercising regularly.

I eat the same whether I'm gaining, losing or maintaining. For me, it's all about exercise because I can't be happy eating less.

bcattoes

I've never been overweight, but I have on occasion gained 10 pounds in a year because of work conditions: Boring and stressful job, long hours, convenient vending machines, free food, too tired or depressed to work out. When the situation ended, I usually could lose the weight fairly easily, but as I've aged, my metabolism has slowed down and it's gotten increasingly harder.

That's why it's important for a middle-aged person to manage his or her weight. If you gain too much, there may come a point when you can't easily get it off.

really your goal is to lose 2.5 pounds? And you once gained 10lbs in a year.. OMG. Not. Get off this site, seriously!

Attitudes like this is why most people gain back weight. Thinking 10lb or even 2.5lb gains are no big deal leads to 20lb in 2 years, and in 5 years you've gained 50lbs.

Agree 100% I find it hard to believe that anyone on this site to lose a significant amount of weight doesn't wish they'd started losing when they had only 10 lbs to lose.

hypocritelecter

I gained weight (145-208) because my mental health started to deteriorate and I didn't have the coping skills to deal. My progress (180-145) was lost. BUT!
I've gone from 208-169 and have been slowly dropping/maintaining because I'm learning to take better care of myself. I'm not reaching for food when I'm upset. I'm not going to the convenience store because I'm bored. I'm not eating just because my friends are eating. I cut out pop, and reach for vitamin water instead. I went from a large plate for dinner to a small, and not going back for seconds. It took me a LONG time to reteach my body to accept these things, but I'm pleased so far with how I've come. I think the people that rebound their weight got to their low weight by unsustainable methods, or weren't dealing with the real issue(s) at hand that caused them to gain weight in the first place. You know?

FitBeto

I started off on MFP on 1300 calories. I lost consistently for about 8 months, a total of 50lbs. Then I plateaued for months and over the course of the next year, couldn't lose but actually gained back about 20.lbs

I wasn't eating enough. This is why I stress to newbies on the the 1200 calorie diet that just because it seems like it is working, it isn't. I am now eating 2600 calories a day trying to repair my metabolism.

I'm a colts fan now

felice03

In the past when I have lost, I did not do it the right way...starving myself, pills, you name it I probably did it. It always came back because I didn't change my bad habits. This time around I did the work myself...logging, exercise, determination. It took longer but it has stayed off.

Natihilator

When I was 18, I lost about 40 lbs. very quickly (210-170lbs.) due to an eating disorder. When I "recovered" and went back to eating how I did pre-ED, I regained that weight plus another 30-40 over the next 7 years (up to 250+)

I lost 30 lbs between January and July this year, and then completely fell off my diet and exercise up until October due to depression. And I mean, going from working out to 4-5 days a week to completely couch potato sedentary, probably not eating HUGE amounts of food but not logging and binging every other night. According to the scale, I only gained about 2 lbs. (but those 2 lbs fluctuate, so really I've been maintaining) during that time. At first I thought my scale was broken, but my clothes have been fitting more or less the same as when I first hit 30lbs lost, so I figure it must be right . I am very relieved to not have gained back the weight, but I'm not really sure why that is. My guess is that because I lost the weight slowly, I didn't damage my metabolism like I had during previous weight loss attempts, and because I probably lost some muscle mass as I gained fat tissue from being so sedentary, and that evened out on the scale.

The negative part is that I've sort of tried to "ease back" into my previous healthy routine, but the scale is not showing any progress. I think I need to go back to carefully weighing my food, monitoring my calories and working out every day for the scale to start moving down again

MidsummerNightsDream

I lost a lot of weight in 2004-05, and have maintained the loss all this time until last year when, due to a medical condition, had to give up my swimming routine 3x/week and gained weight. I do still walk 3 miles 3x/week, but can no longer swim. I think losing this activity and not replacing it with another lead to my gaining 20 lbs, which I am now actively working to lose.

I have had no trouble with maintaining my food intake and in fact have embraced this lifestyle change forever, but stopping an important part of my exercise routine didn't work out so well for me.

JohnMessmer

I have not regained, and I will not regain. It is a mindset I choose to follow and I shall do whatever is necessary to ensure its accuracy.



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Serenitytoo

I lost almost 100lbs a few years ago and plateaued with 50lbs left to lose. I got discouraged and kind of gave up. I put on about 40lbs. I am back on track now. Not sure why I got so discouraged but I do know that happens easily to me.

This is me almost exactly. I lost over 100lbs in 2009, plateaued with 50 more to go. Got discouraged, went through an insanely stressfull situation at work which lasted over 2.5 years (only just came to a close a month or so ago). I was pleased I had only gained back 40lbs as of last year this time, but then threw out my back and was out of commission for over a month, then met my wonderful bf and started eating out more and working out less because of how much time we spend together and I am now up another 20lbs Grr!. At the root of it all my issues is the fact that I am an emotional eater, and I stress eat. Not a great combination when I had to go through what I did. I am trying to get back on track now, but it is a slow process for me. I am needing to re-learn portions, and proper eating. My bf and I are both trying to eat healthier, cooking more at home and I need to get my workout routine back on track. I had many contributing factors but what it comes down to is I went back to old habits and bad choices.

kellibenage

lost and gained much weight over the years and honestly I keep doing it over and over because I LOVE FOOD! I love to eat. I eat when I'm happy, I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I entertain, I eat when I'm alone. I can eat lunch now, and my mouth wants to eat again in an hour.....not that I'm hungry, I just will smell something, or see something that seems like it would be delicious and I eat!

So yes, I know..... it's lack of self control, or whatever you want to call it. I do feel frustrated that I simply cannot eat things that others can eat. No, I didn't say that I can, but have to eat smaller portions. I mean I CAN'T because they trigger me to eat more and more and more.

So, truth be told I will probably always be the gal trying to figure it out because my love for food just overrides my mind and I just keep hoping that today will be the day that my mind changes. If not, I will try again tomorrow.

fun_b

Here are the diets that I have tried in time order:

Low Carb - Lost over 40 pounds but when I quit the diet I had between 4-6 pounds which I kept gaining/losing.

Weight Watchers - Managed to lose the 4-6 pounds plus another 14 pounds. Lowest adult weight ever and I blew it over xmas 2010 when I overcelebrated and put on 4-6 pounds within a few weeks.

Low Carb Again - Wanted to lose weight for my birthday but realised I couldn't keep it up so I went between 4-6 pounds loss and then gain.

Weight Watchers Again - Tried to go back to the plan but then Propoints was introduced and I hated the plan and was not able to stick it out more than two weeks.

Myfitnesspal - Last year I tried it out but I was not patient enough. I lost a few pounds but because I did not see big changes on the scale, I slowly gave up.

Special K - Worked initially, lost three pounds until I ended up back at starting point (where I was after first low carb atttempt ended).
Slowly started to gain an aditional 8 pounds (oh the horror)

Low Carb Again - To be fair, I lost the 8 pounds I gained and a few extra. I realised it wasn't something I could keep up long term.

My Fitness Pal - Started immediately after low carb diet! So far going well and I have almost got down to the weight I was when I did weightwatchers the first time. The difference I have found this time is that I am more patient about losing the weight. I am not expecting quick results or trying to lose weight for a special occasion.

I feel quite exhausted writing this.

RepsnSets

What a great thread!

I lost 20 kilos two years ago by mainly weight lifting and then I injured myself a couple of times in sports and lifting so couldnt do what I enjoyed and loved doing so just stopped altogether. I then met a new group of friends who liked the party lifestyle so I drunk a lot of rum and cokes, shots and cocktails and ate like a wilderbeast while hungover.

Im finding it really hard this time around to drop the weight like I did two years ago, I also have another injury FML! but steady as they go I guess.