who has kept weight off for 2 years

I have kept the weight off for 2.25 years now. I'm currently trying to lose another 10. One of the reasons I decided to lose a little more is that I have lost and kept it off this long before. More than once, in fact. And I can feel that old lethargy trying to rear its ugly head. So, a new goal is in order. And a couple of fitness challenges as well.

I battle the lazy b**** inside all the friggin' time. She is very persistent.

The evidence that exists shows that almost everyone fails at long term weight loss (yes Virginia, even the National Weight Control Registry. In fact, especially the NWCR!) I will never cease to be amazed at people who insist that it’s just that almost everyone does it wrong. That’s like saying that, since some people survive jumping out of planes when their parachutes don’t open, almost everyone who dies in such a circumstance is just falling wrong.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the truth is the almost everyone can lose weight short term on almost any program, and almost everyone gains their weight back long-term even if they are able to maintain their diet behaviors, with many people gaining back more than they lost.

I hope everyone here can recognize this for the defeatist claptrap that it is. At best this is grasping for flimsy validation for the fat acceptance movement.
A majority of people gain back a good amount of weight because they abandon the "diets" that got them there in the first place. The body does not magically start producing fat out of nothing.
Here's an analogy I like better. Claiming that weight loss is an empty pursuit because a majority of people fall back into their old habits is like saying condoms don't work for preventing pregnancy because you lack the willpower to actually wear them

I initiated my lifestyle changes in May 2011 . Someone already said it: I'm not on a diet, I'm living life a new way. I've been on many diets in the past, since I was 16. This is it! I won't be part of THAT statistic again.

I used to weigh 60% more than I do now. It took me 18 months to lose it and I've kept it off for two years. I've lost this weight at least twice before and started regaining it within six months. I believe I can beat the stats this time.

Here's how I did it: I skipped the diet and started on maintenance from Day One. It wasn't too hard to lose weight when I was eating and working out to maintain a body weight that was 90 pounds less than where I was. Changing how I was eating and working out was the hard part.

Yes, it's a "lifestyle change" but I think that means two things:

1) It is incredibly hard to change your lifestyle. Changing your lifestyle affects every single thing you do every day for years. It can affect your relationship with your family, your kids, your spouse, your parents, your friends, your co-workers, with everybody you know. It affects day-to-day living, holidays, vacations, your job, your recreational choices and how you get through the all the ups and downs of life. It takes a lot of time, effort and emotional energy. It doesn't even mean your life will be totally better - some parts may get worse. And, on top of that, you have to change your mind-set. You have to develop a new self-image of who you are, how you behave and how you react to the ups and downs of life. Finally, changing your lifestyle takes a lot longer than losing weight. You'll have lost all the weight long before you'll have sorted out all of the lifestyle change.

2) There's about zero research or advice or help on how to change your lifestyle. The two things I tell people are: don't do anything you don't think you can do for the rest of your life and get a support group. Because if you don't think you can keep it up, you won't. That means slow, incremental changes. That means patience, persistence and perseverance. That means people who will help you through it all.

Finally, maintenance isn't all one way of doing something. It isn't "how many calories should I eat?" Maybe at the beginning, but after a while it's "How am I going to maintain while .... (I'm unemployed, I'm having a baby, I'm getting a divorce, I'm getting married, I'm moving, I'm changing jobs, I'm injured, I'm going through menopause, I'm getting older, there will always be something new to fill in the blank.)

Jeanne

,,, In my experience this is where a lot of people go wrong - they abandon all the tools they used to lose the weight learned as soon as they get to where they want to be.

^^ This! ^^
It's a lifestyle change, not a "diet." Why would anyone assume a different outcome by doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome?

I must say, the studies with the 95% claim were very badly made and cant be considered reliable. If you actually change your lifestyle, and dont just go on a fad diet, you are very likely to keep the weight off. I have kept mine of for around 5 years now, and I have multiple people in my family that have kept substential amounts off for 10 to 20 years. So yeah, dont lose motivation due to a weak study like that

haven't read anything past the first post. i've been maintaining 2 years, loss of 50 lbs took a year. yeah the hormones are there etc, the studies aren't encouraging, but many of those were done when food monitoring happened with pen and paper. it's so easy with mfp & other apps etc. there is better knowledge about how to manage it. don't be discouraged, it's possible to keep it off.

i know nothing..but just want to guess that people who lose weight on a fad diet or quickly are the ones who reagain and pack on ten pounds more.

Is there anyone here who maintained for two years after losing on a fad diet?

I've been around the same weight for 15 months!

It took me 1 yr and 9 mo to reach my 150 lb goal which made it 80 lbs I lost and I've sat another goal and I've reached it at 140 weighing 137! I've lost 93 lbs and kept it off. I started this journey bk in 2004 by loosing 20 of the 93 lbs however I got much serious the last 3-4 yrs! I do NOT want to gain the weight bk it was unhealthy for me weighing 230 at 5.4" I had high blood pressure now it's 120/69. I'm so thankful for the weight loss. I've learned alot on/in this journey. PATIENCE! I didn't gain all that weight over night so I had to remember that with it comming off. To answer the "Q" I'm keeping the weight OFF! I enjoy being skinny wearing size 8&9 some 10 size and Medium shirts! It feels so good to see small clothes and know there my clothes! I'm so blessed and I enjoy my life so I'm trying to keep as healthy as I can be to live as long as I can!

I have, hovered in a 10 pound range for about 2 years now....i like lower point of the range though lol...maintaining is maintenance!!!

100 pounds off for 21 months now.

I step on the scale nearly every morning. Any upward trends are dealt with before they get out of hand.

I have been experimenting with loosening up a bit on eating and not tracking, but it does cause a uptrend.
I'm also finding that perhaps one "diet day" a week helps keep my weight under control. Every Monday I have been eating about 1000 calories below maintenance to make up for weekend indulgences.

I still trim a few calories where I can, chicken instead of beef most days, no mayo, etc.

It's working, but I honestly don't want have to worry about it the rest of my life.

I've recently returned to myfitnesspal, after joining in 2011. I managed to have maintained my weight between 49-50kg (sometimes dipping below even) but recently tipped to about 51 and am back on MFP to lose the weight but also get back into that healthier lifestyle and manage stress.
I don't have any friends on here again, so please add me!

this is very encouraging I am new to the weight-loss arena, and wonder too about keeping it off for the long haul. Nice to see it can be done!