Depressing Statistic

mish3131

I plan on keeping a pair of pants and a shirt from my highest weight. Even now after donating clothing to goodwill last week game me a reality check of how far I have come. I have a long way to go, but it really left an impression on me.

I also plan on staying on MFP since this site has helped me more then anything else I have ever tried.

questionablemethods

I'm planning on losing slooowly by making changes that I can actually maintain.

Believe me, I was someone who once thought I had made a "lifestyle change" and, while I haven't gained back all of the weight I once lost, I have regained some. Turns out that hitting the gym for 2 hours a day wasn't something that I could maintain as a lifestyle for long! Making a lifestyle change is totally the way to go, just make sure that the changes you are making can change as your lifestyle does (new jobs, new kids, new significant other, etc.)

kbarker65

Been there, done that, and don't plan to do it again. Twenty-three years ago I lost over 100 pounds by dieting - the Pritikin Diet that time. Over the years, the weight would come back on 20 or 30 pounds at a time. I'd try to take it back off by dieting - 1200 Calorie Diabetic Diet, Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, etc. - and I'd sometimes succeed, but I NEVER learned to eat better.

Twenty-three years later and almost as heavy, I stumbled onto this site. This site makes it so simple to account for everything I eat. I can manage what I eat, and make healthy choices based on accurate information. This time, weight loss, and maintaining a healthy weight, has become a lifestyle change for me, and lifestyle changes, unlike diets can last for the rest of my life.

I feel like this time, when I lose that 100 pounds, I won't ever let it come back. This site has taught me that weight loss really isn't a destination - a healthy lifestyle is a journey that I enjoy being on.

SugarDiva

Since this is a lifestyle change and not a diet that I will go off of I am not afraid of being part of the 80%.

I agree with this, too!

Motion carried!

nolan_84

It's only a depressing statistic if you are part of it... which we all have the CHOICE not to become! I will never gain this weight back. They say never say never... I'm saying NEVER!!! It's all about lifestyle and CHOICES! Accountability is key! We've all made an excuse as to why we gained weight or why it was okay for those 5 lbs... no more of that from this guy... There is no excuse for being unhealthy, only accountability.

sdwelk11

Since this is a lifestyle change and not a diet that I will go off of I am not afraid of being part of the 80%.

I second this.

I third this!

SHBoss1673

Yes, I hope people don't mind me adding my 2 cents into this but I tend to agree. The reasons why 80% (and the number is actually higher than that; believe it or not) of people who lose weight gain it back is because most people never really figure out how to be healthy.

the body is a complex machine, eating healthy isn't about a diet that deprives you of some kind of food, or limits you to an unreasonable amount of food, or augmenting your eating with some kind of pill, or chemical, or restrictive band around your stomach. While I understand why people would resort to such things, I firmly believe that they don't solve the underlying issue.

think of being overweight like having a deep and infected wound. You can treat the infection with antibiotics, but if you don't treat the wound itself, you will never be healed. think of the extra fat on your body as the infection, it's what happens if you let your open wound (I.E. bad eating habits, and/or mental attachment to eating) fester.

So how do you avoid being a statistic? Learn about your body, learn about how to eat right, learn what kind of activities you can fall in love with, and do them, figure out what triggers your desire for eating bad food or eating too much food. Are you an emotional eater? Are you a bored eater? Do you truly know what a portion is? Do you know what RDA recommendations are (or what ever nutrition guidelines you feel comfortable following are).

These are the questions that (if you can answer them) solve the underlying issues, some kind of diet, or pill, or other crutch isn't the answer, it's just going to further alienate your body from your mind and make it that much harder in the long run.