who has kept weight off for 2 years

To all those who have kept the weight off, congratulations for your determination and hard work. Well done.

hi, ive gone from 11 and a half stone to 10 stone in around 2 months but im finding it really difficult to shift the last couple of pounds till i reach my goal weight can anybody give advice?

ive just found it really hard to count my calories and having to remind myself on portion sizes, im also finding it difficult to stop hunger pangs , and losing the last of the weight is terrible and have found it more difficult in the last week, well done though getting down to the size you are now though!!:)

how did you lose it?

Lost most of mine the last quarter of 2010 into 2011. Have continued to lose weight. Not in the same amounts but it has been in slow amounts. Last summer about 11 pounds, this summer another 7 pounds. I have been maintaining or losing since then. In the past, I lost weight and gained back more. The difference this time is that it is not a diet. It has been a lifestyle change with food and exercise. It is also for the sake of my own health even though I was not suffering from any ailments such as diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

I have also passed the two year mark. I think another reason why some people gain the weight back is because they lost it quickly. I have observed this to be true among people that I know that have had success with their weight loss. The people I know that have lost weight and kept it off are people who lost their weight as one or two pounds a week over a longer period of time rather then trying to reduce the weight as quickly as possible. Just look at some of the people from the biggest loser. Many have gained back their weight. Taking the time to loss the weight also allows a person to establish new habits that become cemented into your lifestyle.

I would love to hear about the people that lost weight and kept it off. What was the reason for their success.

Amen to that!

It is not a difficult process. Reduce calories, increase activity. People lose weight starving to death. They don't exercise. They have no food. Our problem is the lack of the 3D's. Desire, Discipline and Dedication.
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Congrats to all those who have kept it off. I have only been in maintenance, a few months but I dont plan on going back

Working on 3 years Maintaining in October. As everyone else has said, Tracking Food, Staying Active, and Understanding what a True Portion of Food looks like.

It's an interesting topic
My experience is that to keep weight off required a change in lifestyle and attitude towards food and exercise

Food should taste good, but also be good for you
if it's not, then it is an occasional treat and in moderation only
it is also counterbalanced by a corresponding increase in exercise intensity or time
If i eat a pizza while drinking beer, it means an extra workout that week
If not, i know it will be reflected on the scales and no use complaining about it or wishing it wasn't so

And I made breakfast the most important meal of the day - too many people skip breakfast
i have a big bowl of 5 grain porridge with rice milk and all other sorts of super foods that boost immunity and aid health
(I have hep c so I pay particular attention to my health)
I eat my breakfast around 7am and it lasts me until around 1-2pm when i have a large lunch

to keep weight off i need to get some form of exercise after work every day, and on 2 -3 nights i will only have a small dinner
Sardines on toast or a smoothie of berries and protein powder maybe with a banana
I may go to bed a bit hungry sometimes, but means that I look forward to a big low GI breakfast the next morning
The old saying - breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper

To lose weight and keep it off, for me anyway, requires consistency, determination, will power, and bloody hard work

i also got to know my body and accept that sometimes it needs a break
When you've been flogging yourself in workouts and every muscle aches and you grunt when you get out of the chair
it's time for active recovery - a slow to brisk walk or a slow paced cycle or similar

I still try and remember that will power is good, but deprivation isn't
Donuts are great, but are 'dead food' - all calories for a short lived psychological benefit
Nuts and seeds are great and are good for you
i don't feel deprived saying no to a donut - I'll have some nuts and seeds instead

i don't want to sound puritanical - this is just my experience and what works for me
i have hep c from previous drug use and still struggle with life sometimes
I believe that food is just another type of addiction and can be dealt with in the same way
When i'm focused on my health and my weight, it diverts me from less healthy pursuits

I consider myself to have kept most of my weight off too. Lost 40 pounds 10 years ago, and kept them off for 5 years, had a bit of a relapse (of about 15 pounds) that I had gained in few short months and lost just as fast, and now, another 5 years later, I've gained about 8 pounds in few months that I'm shedding again. All this with no exercise, until now.

I do feel that I've got this under control, each relapse was smaller, shorter and "easier to fix". The eating habits I got from my first (healthy eating) diet never went away. I can eat fast food and drink sodas, but I never quite enjoy them anymore - that, I think, is what makes this manageable.

What I wish I had done from the start though was to exercise... I would've spent the last decade looking soooo much better with a bit of muscle definition on!