Why is maintaining weight loss so hard?

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CloverCreeper
CloverCreeper Posts: 178 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm still losing weight, but i'm curious why so many people have a harder time
maintaining their weight than losing it.

You'd think with the higher calorie limit that it would be easier.

Let me know what you think.
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Replies

  • sarah3333
    sarah3333 Posts: 222 Member
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    I think it's harder because your weight fluctuates so much. There is no excitement of seeing the scale going down every week. It just seems like such a battle with the scale. Plus I haven't upped calories, I just stopped losing.
  • Nerdy_Rose
    Nerdy_Rose Posts: 1,277 Member
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    Complacency.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    I've never been in the position of maintaining before, and am only just starting out, but I imagine it's going to be difficult because I no longer have the encouragement of seeing the numbers go down on the scale, fitting into different sized clothes and hearing people's compliments. That goal that I've strived for has disappeared now, of course maintaining the loss is a goal, but it's harder to measure progress. I've always been overweight, so it's always been something I've aimed for. I do have other goals, but it's strange not to be wanting to lose weight.

    The extra calories are nice, but it doesn't really amount to that much more food, and you easily get used to it a certain intake. I'm still counting calories and having to plan and think about what I eat. It's probably very easy to get complacent and take your eye off the ball, letting the weight creep back on again.
  • Katla49
    Katla49 Posts: 10,385 Member
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    Maintaining weight is hard because it requires a permanent lifestyle change. You can't get rid of the fat and go back to old habits without regaining the weight.
  • LJCannon
    LJCannon Posts: 3,636 Member
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    Peer Pressure? Family & Friends not understanding that you have to continue Eating Mindfully. You can never just eat mindlessly.

    And Complacency and Over Confidence is a big problem.
  • MyM0wM0w
    MyM0wM0w Posts: 2,008 Member
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    Maintaining weight is hard because it requires a permanent lifestyle change. You can't get rid of the fat and go back to old habits without regaining the weight.

    Exactly this. People go into weight loss with the idea that it's a 'diet' and will end when the weight is gone. Then they go back to eating the way they did before. They don't learn to deal with the issues that caused them to get fat in the first place.

    It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Because the vast majority shot their bodies in the metabolism and lost muscle mass and whacked up their systems.

    Maintenance level must be less because they have less muscle. The metabolism is not shot for long, but as soon as the initial weight gain happens they drop cal's again.

    That first big 5 lbs weight loss, mostly water, usually comes right back on again, mostly water.
  • AntWrig
    AntWrig Posts: 2,273 Member
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    Complacency.

    This is a good one. I believe that people jsut try to lose weight too quickly. Weight loss is about habits. The more you work at something(the longer it takes to lose weight) the stronger your habits will be. If you lose weight quickly, you haven't developed the habits to keep the weight off. This is why ti's important to take your time, develop the habits of diet and exercise. Once you have this down, you're set.
    I couldn't have said it any better. You didn't even speak about the physical aspects of loosing weight to fast, especially metabolic function.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    I'm in maintenance. It IS DEFINITELY easier than a deficit. But that doesn't mean it is easy. I signed up for a life long commitment. And that's exactly what it takes.
  • alliebeck2
    alliebeck2 Posts: 34
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    There is a confluence of factors that make maintaining weight loss very difficult for many people. First of all, when you lose weight, your metabolism slows a little; this is called adaptive thermogenesis - it is permanent, it is inevitable, and it is generally proportionate to the total amount of weight lost. This means that in order to maintain weight loss, a person must eat fewer calories than they are used to eating for the rest of their life; even less than a person who naturally maintains that same weight (i.e. a person who didn't have to lose weight to get down to that particular weight). Further, leptin levels drop when a person diets, and they never fully rebound back to their original levels when a person starts eating at maintenance level, meaning the person always feels a low-level persistent hunger, even when eating at maintenance calories.

    The most effective strategy to protect against weight regain is actually consistent vigorous exercise. This has the tendency to attenuate appetite and drives the body toward defending the new, lower weight as its set point. While it is possible to lose weight with diet alone, exercise becomes absolutely critical in weight maintenance.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    Losing weight is exciting. The number drops on the scale. Your clothes get bigger. You see changes. Other people see changes. It's easier to stay motivated.

    Maintenance is exactly the same work as losing, just with a little more calories. You still need to watch your intake and stay active. But you don't really get the same sense of reward from it.

    When you lose, you might get someone who'll say, "Have you lost weight? You look great! Congratulations!"

    No one ever says, "You look the same as last time I saw you. Good job!" :laugh:
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
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    There are probably metabolic changes associated with weight loss that make it difficult for a lot of people to maintain. I have certainly read studies to that effect in the past though I don't have the data on hand to back that up.

    One thing I have noticed on MFP (and in general) is that a lot of people want to lose weight for a specific event or by a specific date and are willing to do whatever it takes to meet their deadline. They aren't thinking "how can I lose x number of pounds for the rest of my life", but rather, "how can I lose x number of pounds by next month." I think this kind of thinking sets people up for failure when they get to the maintenance part. It's easy (for some people) to starve themselves down to a certain weight, but unless they are willing to keep doing what they did to get there, they're going to gain that weight back. This is even more true when people fight to get down to a weight that their body clearly is not meant to be at.

    I have lost and gained a lot of weight in the past, but this is the first time the loss has felt sustainable. Partially that's because I am always thinking long term. The habits I have now never leave me feeling deprived and so it seems quite likely that I could continue them for years to come.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    Because most people lose weight wrong, with no long-term plan in place to set themselves up for successful maintenance.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    Because most people lose weight wrong, with no long-term plan in place to set themselves up for successful maintenance.
    THIS. Many "dieted" to get to goal weight, but when it's no longer time to diet and they get to eat some foods they may have abstained from while losing weight, chances are a few pounds or more will be gained.
    People that maintain their weight live the lifestyle of balance.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Because you can be +/-several hundred calories every day and still lose weight, you just won't lose it as quickly (or slowly). But when you try to dial in exactly how many calories you need to maintain, if you consistently miss the target either way, you won't maintain but you're gain/lose.

    And this is assuming that you lost the weight "right". If you didn't do it "right", then it gets even more complicated.

    (Disclaimer: This is entirely my theory and based on absolutely no actual science...but it *sounds* right to me.)
  • gekcsk
    gekcsk Posts: 52 Member
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    I agree. You have to stick to the life style change or it will come right back on...Been there done that. :frown: I lost 113 pounds and have put 20 of it back on. I could kick myself for falling back into some bad habits. Thank heavens I didn't let them continue on. I am working hard to get back to my goal, and I will get there. I have learned from this and will not fall back into those bad habits again. I HOPE! :drinker:
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Pre mfp I never ever thought about how to keep the weight I'd lost off. I would lose weight, then stop weighing myself, etc, until I felt podgy again (or saw a photo of a fat me), weigh myself, lose the weight again, repeat ad nauseum...

    Then, on mfp I finally twigged that you could TRY to keep the weight off. I have regained from my target weight, but only 3kg of the 15kg I lost, and I'm fine with that.

    If I tried losing again I would know enough to lose slower and I would choose a higher goal weight, as I got stressed and skinny when I dropped below mine.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,306 Member
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    Last year I lost all my weight and can't express my regret at gaining it back. Why? The diet I did before was so restrictive and regimented that I lost my mind and soooo enjoyed eating regular food again. I will say.. I stayed thin for a long while even eating fried food and other goodies...but then..it started coming back on.

    So I'd say a restrictive diet of any kind is only a temporary fix..you have to allow yourself foods you enjoy.

    Another major aspect of why i regained: I also did not weigh myself daily or weekly to catch myself as the gain was happening.

    This time...I'm tracking calories...and realizing I can exercise more on days when I want to eat more...and when I get to goal..I'll weigh myself as I maintain. I honestly believe if you weigh all the time during maintenance..you'll never gain more than 5 or 10 back.
  • tommygirl15
    tommygirl15 Posts: 1,012 Member
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    Losing weight is exciting. The number drops on the scale. Your clothes get bigger. You see changes. Other people see changes. It's easier to stay motivated.

    Maintenance is exactly the same work as losing, just with a little more calories. You still need to watch your intake and stay active. But you don't really get the same sense of reward from it.

    When you lose, you might get someone who'll say, "Have you lost weight? You look great! Congratulations!"

    No one ever says, "You look the same as last time I saw you. Good job!" :laugh:

    ^^ This would pretty much be my answer. It was the 'reward' factor that really got me going.
    However, I've decided that I can still set goals for myself even in maintenance, whether it's to train for a marathon or simply just drink more water.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    Maintenance is where the lifestyle change versus diet really kicks in. Once the weight is gone, or preferably along the way, you have to learn how to eat like that lighter person. It's one of the reasons that for myself I've found that focussing on losing for 10 to 15 pounds then maintaining that for a couple months or more, then going for another loss has made maintenance pretty easy.

    Edited to add, I think it is also crucial to continue to be mindful of your weight by either use of a scale or specific pair of jeans. If you're up a couple pounds, you need to be aware of it and drop it before it becomes 10 or more.

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