Why do people gain all their weight back?

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  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
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    lack of discipline. That's it.
    And there I thought it shouldn't be about discipline, but habit. If you need discipline, you haven't changed your lifestyle. If you need to keep telling yourself that "no, you can't have that", no wonder people keep gaining weight back, the frustration alone would get tiresome.
    I am at the "wow I don't need that" stage, except for chocolate....
    I don't know. I think even people who have changed their lifestyle still need discipline. Sometimes you have to give yourself that kick in the butt to get going, even when it is a habit. There are people who have been fit all their lives who often comment that they still need to push themselves to go for their morning runs, weight train, say no to that second piece of cake....
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    I've gained back some, but not all, of my weight. It's partially because of a medication I was on that started the gain, partially because my goal might not have been optimal for my body, and partially - mostly - because being that lean isn't a priority.

    I mean, I look at my photos from a year ago, and I'm only about 10 pounds heavier now, but I think, "Damn, I looked TINY!" But even though I didn't feel deprived, I did feel like I was being obsessive. I'd rather be a little bigger and not have to log every calorie than be a size smaller and track and measure everything. It's not as though I'm any less healthy. I can still run about the same (maybe a little slower), and lift as much. I think I looked great a little smaller, but it didn't make my life any better.

    I'm currently at the weight my body has been comfortable at for most of the last ~15 years, but since I exercise regularly and have more lean mass, I'm smaller at that weight than I was previously.
  • twooliver
    twooliver Posts: 450 Member
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    I can only speak for myself...check out my blog post...
  • callie006
    callie006 Posts: 151 Member
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    This past winter, I managed to severely sprain my right ankle tripping over a dumbbell, and my activity level dropped. Instead of logging my calories, I got depressed and ate a lot for comfort and out of boredom with no exercise, so I packed on 12 pounds that I don't need.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
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    lack of discipline. That's it.

    This is sort of an oversimplification. In theory, it might just be a matter of discipline. And for many people it really is that simple (myself included). But life throws some curveballs and priorities shift. Deaths in the family, illnesses, injuries, financial hardships can all make someone give up on themselves and dismissing it all as just a lack of discipline seems a little harsh.
  • Claire_x90
    Claire_x90 Posts: 94
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    People just do it in an extreme way... also your body kind of tries to restore equilibrium and after about 3 months or so of 'healthy lifestyle' it really battles you.
    Since starting on here in 2011 I've become a massive yoyo dieter.

    June 2011 : 58kg
    December 2011: 43kg
    June 2012: 64kg
    December 2012: 50kg
    June 2013: 55kg

    It's not that I have given up each time either, every single day I start with the best intentions
  • Shateyn
    Shateyn Posts: 71
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    Why is it here that many people have gained all their weight back?

    This is my first attempt, my goal is getting in slight, I've already worked so hard, why will I want to ruin what i've worked so hard for?

    Do some people think dieting is a temporary commitment? It's a lifetime commitment, just keep on doing what you have already done to keep off the weight, you already worked so hard to lose, and you should be fine.

    Because they go on restrictive diets and cut their favorite foods out of their diet. Eventually their willpower fails and they fall directly into old eating patterns. They're "dieting" so they stop eating normally with friends and family.

    In other words: they never learned to enjoy all the foods they actually like (and their friends and family eat and therefore have around often) responsibly within the confines of a proper caloric intake.

    This.

    It was never truly a lifestyle so it was not sustainable. (been there)
  • LosingMyMarbles
    LosingMyMarbles Posts: 168 Member
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    For me personally - I don't think I had a solid foundation. I've gotten lazy about logging food and haven't been exercising. I haven't had will power when hubby says "I'm going to Baskin Robbins, want something?" at 9 pm.
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,358 Member
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    I believe it's because they lose the weight and feel they are safe to go back how they use to live and just kinda give up.

    I was asked last night by my MIL "Why are you still counting your calories, working out, and eating clean?" I told her "I will always count my calories because counting my calories keeps me aware, I gain weight fast and I do not wish to go backwards. I workout because it keeps my metabolism running, I eat clean because I've learned that proper nutrition is to fuel your body and food is meant to fuel not pleasure, I allow myself 1 cheat meal a week so I'm not deprived, I eat more now then I ever did and I feel great, I rather feel great and full of energy then sluggish and blah." She gave me a very snotty look and told me I was going to end up sick looking because I'm so obsessive with this.

    It's not obsessive, I've seen plenty of people in my 2 year's here, leave and in a year's time, come back because they gained their weight back. That's not going to be me.
  • het100
    het100 Posts: 20 Member
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    You can read my intro post for the details for me. But in short, I got cocky and thought I could wing it. That almost worked for a year and then it went really poorly after that. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1107326-hacker-s-diet-fan

    Osric

    I really appreciate reading about your experience and seeing the charts because it hit home with me. I've had been heavy my whole life (I am a 49 year old male) and have been up and down on diets 20 pounds at a time. For some reason, this time, for the first time, I finally succeeded at taking all the weight off. I wish I could "bottle" what it was that has led to success this time but it's difficult to figure out what was different that helped me to keep going. However, since I hit my goal in June, I have the fear that I will gain the weight back. My struggle now is not with continuing to watch what I eat and exercise, it is with allowing myself to eat more without feeling like "I've fallen off the wagon". I'm having trouble managing the transition to maintenance which has been harder than I thought and has resulted in me losing beyond my goal. I am looking to stabilize and maintain my weight where it is. It is all a learning experience. Your post has illustrated that my fear of gaining the weight back is a legitimate one, success can be fleeting, and that I should never let over indulgence spill over to the next meal. Thanks and the best of luck to you.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    I've gained back some, but not all, of my weight. It's partially because of a medication I was on that started the gain, partially because my goal might not have been optimal for my body, and partially - mostly - because being that lean isn't a priority.

    I mean, I look at my photos from a year ago, and I'm only about 10 pounds heavier now, but I think, "Damn, I looked TINY!" But even though I didn't feel deprived, I did feel like I was being obsessive. I'd rather be a little bigger and not have to log every calorie than be a size smaller and track and measure everything. It's not as though I'm any less healthy. I can still run about the same (maybe a little slower), and lift as much. I think I looked great a little smaller, but it didn't make my life any better.

    I'm currently at the weight my body has been comfortable at for most of the last ~15 years, but since I exercise regularly and have more lean mass, I'm smaller at that weight than I was previously.

    Lorina, some sincere questions about why you gained 10 lbs back since a year ago. Did you eat above your 2300 maintenance level, or did you cut back on activity? Is that 10 lb gain due to added muscle and you are the same waist measurement now as you were last year at 10 lbs lighter, or has your waist/hip measurements gone up?

    I still have 25 more lbs to go til maintenance, but I am learning all I can from others who are there now.
  • TMLPatrick
    TMLPatrick Posts: 558 Member
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    For me, this is like my 3rd serious attempt in the last 5 years, and both times I failed it was because of a loss of motivation from stringing a few bad days together leading to a backslide into overeating and overindulging in alcohol and a lack of a support system of friends. Most of my friends, it seems, would rather me go out drinking and partying with them than they would want me to take care of myself.
  • MamaKatel
    MamaKatel Posts: 180
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    Pregnancy!
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
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    The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. On some level, I've always known that, and so whenever I've crept back up the scale, I haven't gone all the way back to my previous high water mark. My heaviest adult weight was in 1993, then another spike 10 pounds below that in 2001, and then a more recent spike 10-15 pounds below that this year. You just lose focus, and lose discipline, but the important thing is to turn the situation around before it gets out of hand, and eventually you'll settle into a much less dramatic pendulum swing. I'm aiming for a swing of only 5 pounds, and now that I'm actually tracking what I eat, I think I'll make it. :drinker:
  • GradatimFerociter
    GradatimFerociter Posts: 296 Member
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    Pizza and beer do not stop being awesome.
  • 1_Slick_Chick
    1_Slick_Chick Posts: 199 Member
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    For me, not dealing with the emotional crap that keeps pushing me to be comforted by FOOD!

    Not this time! I'm finding Euphoria :drinker:
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    Because eating whatever you want whenever you want is easy. Tracking, planning, and logging takes effort. I went 1550 over my maintenance number yesterday just by going out for breakfast and dinner with family. I'm not at all concerned because I don't eat like that 90% of the time, but it can be easy to fall back into bad habits if one is not careful.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
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    Just one of many reasons people regain..

    I didn't gain all of mine back, but almost 25lbs of 40 lost. It was due to illness and taking meds that made me feel like I was starving 24/7 and I wasn't capable of walking 15 feet without being in agonizing pain.
    I feel like a failure and I'm embarrassed to run into people who saw me 'fit' and then see that I'm fat again. It's very depressing and I don't want to tell the long, boring story to people of why I gained it back.
    I am back on track now since I'm off the meds and am physically capable of exercising. Yay!
    So, I guess, just don't assume that all people just give up, get lazy or binge until they are fat again. This was a valuable lesson to me, as I thought all people who re-gained were just being lazy, or something.
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
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    Simple really. You eat less to lose for months and months. Then your at your goal weight and you just start eating " normally " again. Thinking that you'll be fine.

    Most of us are or were uneducated. We followed diets, food plans, done a severe amount of exercise when losing. So when we stop all that, we think we can handle it from then on.

    Before MFP I had no idea how much I was taking in, and how much I was burning off. I was following ready made plans that didnt inform me of what to do once they had ended. Now I have the tool right here that will help me long after I'm finished losing. Its perfect.
  • honeysprinkles
    honeysprinkles Posts: 1,757 Member
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    I think people fail long term when they give up everything that they like eating while losing weight so they don't learn how to eat them moderately, then they get to their goal and go back to eating how they actually like to and gain weight again.

    at least, I know that's what would happen to me. that's why I don't cut out anything, it might have increased the amount of time it's taken me to lose weight, but it's better than losing it quickly and then gaining it all back.

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