I will not regain the weight that I lost, because...

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jxspxr
jxspxr Posts: 150
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok, I read that 90% of the people who lost a significant amount of weight regain it all back in a few years, or gain even more. The reasons for this is basically that the body does not want you to lose weight - when you lose, your body will keep encouraging you to gain it back. Your appetite will be bigger and you'll burn less then other people of the same weight who've always been on that weight.

So, it's not easy, but apparently 10% did it. Now, since we all think that we are the exception (I do think so :P), complete this sentence for me:

"I will not regain the weight that I lost, like most people do, because..."

My answer: because I don't view weight loss as a temporary project, but as a lifelong thing. This means that I will keep educating myself about healthy living, monitoring my weigh/health regularly and I'm always prepared to take action to protect my health - I'll do this early.
In practice this means that when I weight 80 kg, every month I'll check on my weight and during the following days I'll get it back to 80 if the difference is more than 3 kg. Sometimes this means that I have to gain weight, sometimes lose.
Every year I'll get a full checkup on my health at the doctor I'll use what I learn from that to adjust my goals and activities.

I am curious what you have to say. Try to be honest and realistic. And I encourage everyone to judge the people who've answered before you: are they in the 90% or in the 10%? Do you think the method the person proposes is realistic? Effective? Sustainable? Does it take into account different scenarios? Of course only judge if you have constructive criticism. I trust that you can do this in a positive way - please just ignore those who don't.

Why do I ask you to judge each other? Not to start fights, but because it's really unhealthy to yoyo with your weight - so it's nice to get this on the table while you are losing weight and plan in advance how you'll deal with it. Discussion with constructive criticism can greatly improve your plan. Of course you're welcome to judge me.
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Replies

  • jxspxr
    jxspxr Posts: 150
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    I am curious what you have to say, I think this may lead to an interesting discussion...
  • thepiratemd
    thepiratemd Posts: 65
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    No offense, but my opinion of "your body wants to gain it back" is an excuse.

    A better way of putting it would be, "people who are overweight have a history and a tendency to over eat and/out under-exercise. It is highly likely that if you were once in a lifestyle that made you fat, you will enter that lifestyle again, especially after you complete a diet program."
  • fionarama
    fionarama Posts: 788 Member
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    simple - I will not regain the weight that I lost because I will weight myself every week and if I see the scales go up I will immediately address the issues causing this. In other words constantly monitor it.
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Actually I think there is some science behind it. There is a weight our bodies become comfortable with and/or if we were overweight for a long time there is a weight our body wants to get back to. It's more of a fight than someone who was always thin. (This may not be 100% accurate I just remember seeing a doc on it)

    I won't regain it because that isn't me anymore. I don't own those clothes. I don't live that way anymore. That's not how I eat. Totally different person. It's now my profession! I'm a group fitness instructor now, and I am aware of what I do and put into my body.

    I also have a fear of people seeing me after some time and thinking, "Oh she put on WEIGHT" LOL. It's a healthy fear. :laugh:
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    Sorry, but this is such crap. I lost 90 lbs and have maintained it very easily for a year and a half now. I'm not hungry, I eat well, and I make sure what I eat are quality, nutrient dense foods.

    Yes, most bodies may have a set weight they want to stay at. However, I guarantee that 99% of people's bodies "set point" is not above a normal BMI.

    The problem is the addictive nature of low quality, high calorie, low nutrient foods that are so abundant in our culture. Avoid those foods, replace them with healthy ones, practice portion control, and you won't have to worry about gaining it back.
  • RockaholicMama
    RockaholicMama Posts: 786 Member
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    I plan on living out my life with proper fitness and eating. Period. I know how I screwed up my body, won't happen again.
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    I plan on living out my life with proper fitness and eating. Period. I know how I screwed up my body, won't happen again.

    Same here - I gained the weight I did because I was completely uneducated about proper nutrition. Now that I know where I messed up, I am never going back!!!
  • jxspxr
    jxspxr Posts: 150
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    Thanks for reply. I agree this *could* be used as an excuse, but I don't agree that I use it as an excuse, for 2 reasons. The first reason comes from science ( read http://www.nbcnews.com/id/36716808/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/t/when-you-lose-weight-gain-it-all-back/#.UerZmGT884Q). The article in the link says that the body may perceive weight loss as a threat to survival, thus working against you. So, am not just talking about lifestyle/habits here, I am talking about your body having a lower metabolism and more hormones that stimulate you to eat - not just for some months or weeks, but scientists are discovering that this effect is for the long term.

    The second reason is that I don't need an excuse. I've never really lost weight, and now that I am trying, I have successfully lost weight the last 6 months. I just know that in reality most people gain it back, both from science as well as from the people around me, so I just presume that I have to prepare myself for this; that I shouldn't think I am somehow better than this, but that I have to make an extra effort to make sure that I .

    So, it's no excuse, it's learning from other people's experience and actually putting in more effort to prepare myself for this phase and accept that I'll have to stay on guard for life. How do you plan to do this?
  • jxspxr
    jxspxr Posts: 150
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    Wow a lot of posts - my reply was directed at thepiratemd
  • BozGirl
    BozGirl Posts: 333 Member
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    This statistic scares me and as I am close to my goal weight, I often think about how I will maintain my new weight, once I get there. I hope that I've been on this journey long enough (20 months) that is has become habit. I hope that my husband continues on this journey with me, because he is so supportive of our new lifestyle. I hope that I continue logging my food everyday and being active.

    This is an interesting topic, and I'm interested in reading the responses.
  • Boogage
    Boogage Posts: 739 Member
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    I won't gain the weight back because I love buying smaller clothes than I've ever worn before and I think I'll always see my body as a work in progress so they'll always be something I want to work on and that could be diet or fitness wise
  • jxspxr
    jxspxr Posts: 150
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    Sorry, but this is such crap. I lost 90 lbs and have maintained it very easily for a year and a half now. I'm not hungry, I eat well, and I make sure what I eat are quality, nutrient dense foods.

    Yes, most bodies may have a set weight they want to stay at. However, I guarantee that 99% of people's bodies "set point" is not above a normal BMI.

    The problem is the addictive nature of low quality, high calorie, low nutrient foods that are so abundant in our culture. Avoid those foods, replace them with healthy ones, practice portion control, and you won't have to worry about gaining it back.

    I am glad that it works that way for you, but that your case is different does not proof that this is crap. I base my hypothesis that most people gain their weight back on science - check it if you want. So, I don't agree with your comment that 99% of the people have a "set point" at a normal BMI. I think this can change, and in general this means that this point easily goes up, but it's hard to get it down.

    But, again, good that it works that way for you! There are always exceptions and I guess it must be great to be in the exception group! ;) Since this is the first time I try to lose weight, I have no experience yet with maintaining weight at the lower level. I hope I am an exception too! But I prepare myself for the situation that it'll require some constant effort.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Ok, I read that 90% of the people who lost a significant amount of weight regain it all back in a few years, or gain even more. The reasons for this is basically that the body does not want you to lose weight - when you lose, your body will keep encouraging you to gain it back. Your appetite will be bigger and you'll burn less then other people of the same weight who've always been on that weight.

    So, it's not easy, but apparently 10% did it. Now, since we all think that we are the exception (I do think so :P), complete this sentence for me:

    "I will not regain the weight that I lost, like most people do, because..."

    My answer: because I don't view weight loss as a temporary project, but as a lifelong thing. This means that I will keep educating myself about healthy living, monitoring my weigh/health regularly and I'm always prepared to take action to protect my health - I'll do this early.
    In practice this means that when I weight 80 kg, every month I'll check on my weight and during the following days I'll get it back to 80 if the difference is more than 3 kg. Sometimes this means that I have to gain weight, sometimes lose.
    Every year I'll get a full checkup on my health at the doctor I'll use what I learn from that to adjust my goals and activities.

    I am curious what you have to say. Try to be honest and realistic. And I encourage everyone to judge the people who've answered before you: are they in the 90% or in the 10%? Do you think the method the person proposes is realistic? Effective? Sustainable? Does it take into account different scenarios? Of course only judge if you have constructive criticism. I trust that you can do this in a positive way - please just ignore those who don't.

    Why do I ask you to judge each other? Not to start fights, but because it's really unhealthy to yoyo with your weight - so it's nice to get this on the table while you are losing weight and plan in advance how you'll deal with it. Discussion with constructive criticism can greatly improve your plan. Of course you're welcome to judge me.

    That's a load of crap. People gain it back because they "diet" (action verb) rather than taking a look at their "diet" (noun) and learning or re-learning how to eat and what to eat...what a portion of something looks like, etc. When people diet, they tend to deprive themselves of everything...so they never learn moderation...you should never completely eliminate anything when you're "dieting" unless you intend to never eat that particular thing ever again.

    Also, when people stop their dieting they also tend to stop exercising...this is largely because people fail to set independent fitness goals for themselves...their exercise is completely focused on calories burned because that is their only obsession...they fail to see the bigger picture. They fail to see that proper diet and fitness have to be an integral part of their life FOREVER.

    I will not gain weight back because I view my diet as a noun...I'm maintaining currently (and don't log) and I eat the same kinds of foods that I was eating at deficit...I just throw in an extra handful of nuts or whatever here and there to get my calories up to maintain. Also, I don't "workout"...I "train" and I'm addicted to fitness...I could give a rats *kitten* about "burn"...I just want to run further and faster...lift heavier...swim faster and harder...cycle hills better, etc. Someday I want to look back on my first sprint triathlon and say, "LOL"...I'm an Ironman"...I want to leave everyone in my wake to stare at my *kitten* in wonder.
  • jxspxr
    jxspxr Posts: 150
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    @cwolfman13 - the same answer for you: I am glad that your personal experience is different, but you are the minority. So, I don't agree that my hypothesis is crap, go read the science. You do have some excellent points and I think that with your method you can effectively keep your weight off - I think the key thing is to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise, or training as you call it. My compliments!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    @cwolfman13 - the same answer for you: I am glad that your personal experience is different, but you are the minority. So, I don't agree that my hypothesis is crap, go read the science. You do have some excellent points and I think that with your method you can effectively keep your weight off - I think the key thing is to have a healthy relationship with food and exercise, or training as you call it. My compliments!

    LOL dude...that's not science. If that were "science" then that would mean that I would not be able to eat what I currently eat (2700 - 3000 calories per day at 5'10" and 180 Lbs to maintain). You posted a "news" article, not a scientific paper. Just because it has the word "study" in it doesn't mean it's actually science and stuff.

    Again...people gain the weight back because they go back to their old habits and old ways of doing things. About the only thing I would possibly agree with is that some people go on VLCD and jack their metabolisms...and in those cases, yeah...they've done metabolic damage so they can't eat as much as someone of equivalent stats. But actually, even that can be fixed...I've seen anorexics fix metabolic damage.
  • scruffykaz
    scruffykaz Posts: 317 Member
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    I love the clothes I can wear now. I love that I have choice and that I can shop in 'normal' shops
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    This "science" ranks right up there with "stoking the fires" of your metabolism by eating 6 meals per day....Don't eat after 6 PM or whatever arbitrary time someone said in some study somewhere...breakfast is the most important meal of the day, etc....
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    The way my body lost and maintained weight does not make me special snowflake, or the exception. I reduced my calorie intake to a deficit while still getting adequate nutrition. There are HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS of success stories on MFP with people who have had the same result doing the same thing. Again, I am not special.

    Learning maintenance is crucial in order to maintain the loss. It requires thought and effort. If you do not do this, you are pretty much guaranteed to gain the weight back. If you do learn the proper way to maintain, and then make it a habit, you will be successful for years to come.
  • EyeOTS
    EyeOTS Posts: 362 Member
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    I got as bad as I did through lots of denial. Honesty and accountability is what's going to stop that from happening again.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    The way my body lost and maintained weight does not make me special snowflake, or the exception. I reduced my calorie intake to a deficit while still getting adequate nutrition. There are HUNDREDS, IF NOT THOUSANDS of success stories on MFP with people who have had the same result doing the same thing. Again, I am not special.

    Learning maintenance is crucial in order to maintain the loss. It requires thought and effort. If you do not do this, you are pretty much guaranteed to gain the weight back. If you do learn the proper way to maintain, and then make it a habit, you will be successful for years to come.

    QFT, thank you for your common sense...

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