Researchers claiming it's impossible to keep weight off
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How ridiculous! It's not about a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. If you change your mindset about how and what you eat and keep active it is not impossible! It's been almost 2 years of weight loss for me- I weigh almost 100lbs less than when I started.
Just goes to show that researches don't do a real thorough job- they get an answer they expect and stop and don't continue on to see what those that are truly successful are doing. BAH!
If your ticker is correct, the article had nothing to do with you. It said it was easy to lose weight. The article is about what happens after you lose the weight. About keeping it off long term. You have no idea if you will do that or not.
And relying too heavily on a phrase like "lifestyle change" can be dangerous, because it's a pretty good bet that you will go through other lifestyle changes in your life. Many things change our lifestyle - the birth of a child, a child leaving the nest, marriage, divorce, disease, aging parents, death of a loved one, etc.
I've been through many of these lifestyle changes and will soon face others. I like the word "diet" because my goal is not to keep the same lifestyle, it's to keep the same diet through the lifestyle changes.0 -
big government already does control your daily alottment by subsidies which have spurred the processed food industry.0
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So-called experts. :huh: I'll stay on MFP the rest of my life if that is what it takes to keep the weight off.
If you listen to "experts" too much you will slowly go insane because ALL OF THEM say different things!
No kidding.
Personally, I think that is the biggest problem. People need to get educated about how to take weight off without 5 million fad diets fighting for their attention. They need to know what to reasonably expect. A 2+ lbs loss every week isn't it. And whatever you do, pick something you can keep doing for the rest of your life. And doctors (general practitioners, mostly) need to educate themselves and quit giving their patients bull**** information. If I had a nickle for every time I hear "but my doctor said" followed by some garbage like "no carb" or "no white food" or "low fat" or "800 cal diet", I'd be well off by now.
Oh, and to the earlier poster - it's just SOME researchers. Others of us are very thorough and critical of our and others' work. You have to realize that a lot of clinical researchers are coming from a clinical background and pick up just enough education in research to get by. Those that go the extra mile or start on the research side and pick up the clinical education are better off in that regard. Plus, most clinicians (non-research) aren't great at reading and interpreting research data. This article is likely a bunch of clinicians and/or a journalist's misinterpretation of the actual results. Happens all the time.0 -
Ultimately, it doesn't matter I guess. As long as members of a species live long enough to reproduce, it'll survive.0
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I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.
I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.
Indeed. I guess it's not very motivational to say this, but most people who think they're going to keep the weight off for 10 years through self-discipline and force of will are deluding themselves. I made it seven years once
How many people do you know that realize that you can't diet the weight off, go back to eating like normal and expect to keep it off? Honestly, I don't know very many that do. That's why all these VLCD and other pre-planned diets are popular - because supposedly you can go on Slim Fast or Medifast or Nutrisystem (for example) - lose the weight, then get off the plan and somehow you're going to magically eat to stay at that weight. Of course nearly all of those people fail to keep it off. And since they are a large portion of the dieting population, they're going to heavily influence the statistics.
What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?0 -
What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?
This!!!0 -
I should probably mention I had to take the "nearly" out of my thread title because of the character limit, not because I misread the article.
That said, I've never been actually overweight so maybe I just don't get it, but I really don't understand how maintaining the habits developed while losing weight (eating as many or fewer calories as you burn...) could possibly result in regaining weight for people, you know? It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.0 -
It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.
It sure doesn't. And I would bet that if those researchers asked the successful people who regained 10 years later why or how they regained the weight back, not a single one would circle "cuz magic" on their answer sheet.0 -
I think it's a darn good article. I didn't see where it said it had nothing to do with people sticking to a plan. My take was that is EXACTLY what it was saying. And statistics are statistics. We can all think we are going to be that success story. We are going to be the one to keep it off forever. But, the reality is that only 5% of us will.
I've seen so many posts bragging about keeping the weight off for a whole year or even two. I've done that too. Several times.
Indeed. I guess it's not very motivational to say this, but most people who think they're going to keep the weight off for 10 years through self-discipline and force of will are deluding themselves. I made it seven years once
How many people do you know that realize that you can't diet the weight off, go back to eating like normal and expect to keep it off? Honestly, I don't know very many that do. That's why all these VLCD and other pre-planned diets are popular - because supposedly you can go on Slim Fast or Medifast or Nutrisystem (for example) - lose the weight, then get off the plan and somehow you're going to magically eat to stay at that weight. Of course nearly all of those people fail to keep it off. And since they are a large portion of the dieting population, they're going to heavily influence the statistics.
What I want to see are statistics for people who know damn well that isn't going to work. What are the stats for people who go into it planning to follow a sustainable diet long term? I'm guessing that more than 5% of those people are successful, but I've never seen or heard of a study on that demographic so who knows?
What is your source for VLCD being a large portion of the dieting population?
One has to wonder if the anger articles like this cause isn't partly due to how true it rings. If one is truly convinced that they are in the 5%, then why argue or be upset about the article? I think we all know that the risk of regain is out there.0 -
I've lost and gained back 20-40 lbs like 6-7 times in the past 12 years. This time, I am prepared to make it an actual lifestyle change, mostly because I am really into lifting and have big long term plans and goals related to fitness. There are a lot of people who are on MFP right now, totally committed and working it who will eventually go back to their old ways and gain it all back. It's a statistical fact. Just keep it in mind when you go into maintenance y'all. Old bad habits die hard and it's easier to be mindless and lazy than it is to be diligent.0
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I should probably mention I had to take the "nearly" out of my thread title because of the character limit, not because I misread the article.
That said, I've never been actually overweight so maybe I just don't get it, but I really don't understand how maintaining the habits developed while losing weight (eating as many or fewer calories as you burn...) could possibly result in regaining weight for people, you know? It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.
In my opinion, most people don't lose weight by counting calories, they do it on some other form of diet that is also not fun. When you get to your goal weight, you can loosen your restricted eating but figuring out how much is hard. We're hardwired as a species to want to hoard calories for possible future famines. So all of environment and biology is pretty much working against you.
We're born able to intuitively eat the right amounts and then most of us lose that skill. We want it back so we keep trying it. And eating freely feels good and natural so we often do it past the point of knowing it's not working. But dieting is hard, including counting calories, so we hesitate to go back to it once we stop. I don't know, just my thoughts.0 -
A lot of people are trying to poo on this article because they don't like what it's saying. Unfortunately there is very solid research to support exactly what it's saying. The mass majority of people who attempt to lose weight will indeed fail. Of those who succeed, the vast majority of them will eventually regain the weight. It's not meant to be motivating or demotivating. It's simply reporting factual data. I feel like those numbers are correct too. We all know plenty of people who lost a dramatic amount of weight and regained all of it (or more in some cases). Outside of the internet how many people do you know that lost dramatic weight and kept it off 5+ years, 10 years, 15? You probably don't no that many.
Now think about people you know from the internet. The number is a lot bigger because many of the success stories like to congregate around diet and fitness related websites/forums. Between MFP and the bodybuilding.com forums losing fat section, I know countless people who have lost and kept off massive amounts of weight. What researchers need to do is study these statistical anomalies. What separates this group from the much larger group of people who lost weight but gained it back? While the following is all pure anecdotal, observational evidence, I have noticed the following traits exist in the a great deal of the people I know, myself included, who have lost and kept off large quantities of weight:
1. They did not do a "fad" diet or did so only for a portion of their weight loss.
2. They ultimately ended up doing some kind of calorie counting or calorie and macro nutrient tracking
3. They continued to count calories even after weight was lost. Many never stopped and don't have any plans to at any point.
4. They still regularly monitor their weight as well as other markers of body composition (measurements, progress pictures, etc.)
5. They do some kind of resistance training.
6. Possibly most importantly, once achieving goal weight, they did not attempt to simply maintain weight. They continued to want to improve body composition by doing rotating periods of muscle gain and fat loss (also known as bulk/cut cycles).
I feel like number 6 is really the key here. It is why they continue to do numbers 1-5. When people no longer have a goal and simply want to focus on maintaining the can become relaxed. The work is done, now it's just smooth sailing. This is unfortunately not true at all. The only thing "easier" about maintenance vs. fat loss is that calories can be slightly higher. Not even a ton higher, we're talking around 500 calories a day higher. Not really a ton of wiggle room. If instead of just maintaining you decide to focus on body re-composition, you have no room to be relaxed. A muscle gaining phase involves more precise control then a fat loss phase does. It's much harder work. It's slower, results are less dramatic. You can lose 100 lbs in a year if you try hard. You can only hope to gain a fraction of that over a lifetime of attempting muscle gain. It probably takes most people 5-10 years worth of bulk/cut cycling to reach their muscular genetic potential. Spending that long tracking calories, working out, weighing in, seems like adequate time to have fully integrated those habits into your life. 10 years in you probably have little worry of falling off the wagon. Also since you spent a decade improving body composition you have much more wiggle room then someone who simply lost fat. I would really love someone do research the group of individuals who manage to keep weight off long term. I feel like that is where the money needs to be spent. Not on stating the obvious like this article. We all know that most people fail at long term weight loss. That isn't helpful information. Let's look at why the minority manages to keep it off!0 -
I should probably mention I had to take the "nearly" out of my thread title because of the character limit, not because I misread the article.
That said, I've never been actually overweight so maybe I just don't get it, but I really don't understand how maintaining the habits developed while losing weight (eating as many or fewer calories as you burn...) could possibly result in regaining weight for people, you know? It doesn't just magically reappear, haha.
Where did the article suggest those the regained maintained their habits developed while losing weight? It says:
"Researchers are divided about why weight gain seems to be irreversible, probably a combination of biological and social forces."
This seems to me to suggest that people slowly go back to old habits. Eating out a little more often, having that extra treat a little more often, shortening or skipping the workouts a little more often, etc.0 -
^^^^ THIS ^^^^ and the one above it (both very good posts)
one of the biggest problems that I have seen is that most of the diet companies (read WW, South Beach, Jenny, et al) state that the goal is to lose the weight... so people go on the diet and lose the weight and then they are left hanging because NONE of the diet companies has any incentive to help these people KEEP the weight off - they make a TON of money from the yo-yo dieters so why would they want people to keep the weight off???
losing the weight is only HALF the goal - the other half, the one that none of the fad diets or diet companies teach is keeping the weight off and that takes as much if not more discipline as losing the weight in the first place and the 95% that this article refers to are the people who have only set the goal to lose the weight and not to keep it off!0 -
I'm bookmarking this for later.
This is a topic that mystifies me. It seems not to matter how much or how long people had to work to lose weight, not to matter how fast or how slow, nor how many times they've done it in the past, the same thing happens most of the time. I don't get it, but I'm not about to declare that it can't happen to me.
Forgive me if this has already been mentioned, but I recall a recent thread where this argument was used by suger fearmongers to prove that counting calories doesn't work, but cutting out sugar does somehow. That didn't go over well, but it was entertaining.0 -
Hmm, while interesting I'm not sure it has been well explained.
Of course there are plenty of times that people who have lost weight put it back on. The article attributes it to going back to over eating. In reality, there can be many reasons (e.g. a woman gaining weight during pregnancy which can be harder to control, metabolism slowing with age, etc.).
over all I'd say it's definitely not impossible. Perhaps on the improbable side but not solely because of the reasons they give. It takes the right combination of understandings, commitment, ability to break habits and make new ones while TRULY wanting to be healthy forever.0 -
Two potential* responses to reading this article.
1. Get outraged, insist that of course you are among the 5% and you will maintain your goal weight forever, thereby making exactly the mistake described in the article.
2. Have some hubris, read the posts from all the people that have already posted in this thread about how they kept the weight off for 2 or 5 or 9 years before gaining it back, or how they have done that several times in their life, bookmark the article, read it regularly to remind yourself that keeping weight off can be harder than losing it, recognize that none of us really knows what our life is going to look like in 10 or 40 years, and re-double your commitment to living the life you want.
I am choosing option # 2.
I think it's a great article. It is based on very sound science. (No one scientific study is perfect - they all have limitations.) It accurately describes how difficult it is for most people to maintain weight over the long term. It points out that we have a serious national problem with obesity that defies easy answers.
*Not the only two.0 -
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truth.A lot of people are trying to poo on this article because they don't like what it's saying. Unfortunately there is very solid research to support exactly what it's saying. The mass majority of people who attempt to lose weight will indeed fail. Of those who succeed, the vast majority of them will eventually regain the weight. It's not meant to be motivating or demotivating. It's simply reporting factual data. I feel like those numbers are correct too. We all know plenty of people who lost a dramatic amount of weight and regained all of it (or more in some cases). Outside of the internet how many people do you know that lost dramatic weight and kept it off 5+ years, 10 years, 15? You probably don't no that many.
Now think about people you know from the internet. The number is a lot bigger because many of the success stories like to congregate around diet and fitness related websites/forums. Between MFP and the bodybuilding.com forums losing fat section, I know countless people who have lost and kept off massive amounts of weight. What researchers need to do is study these statistical anomalies. What separates this group from the much larger group of people who lost weight but gained it back? While the following is all pure anecdotal, observational evidence, I have noticed the following traits exist in the a great deal of the people I know, myself included, who have lost and kept off large quantities of weight:
1. They did not do a "fad" diet or did so only for a portion of their weight loss.
2. They ultimately ended up doing some kind of calorie counting or calorie and macro nutrient tracking
3. They continued to count calories even after weight was lost. Many never stopped and don't have any plans to at any point.
4. They still regularly monitor their weight as well as other markers of body composition (measurements, progress pictures, etc.)
5. They do some kind of resistance training.
6. Possibly most importantly, once achieving goal weight, they did not attempt to simply maintain weight. They continued to want to improve body composition by doing rotating periods of muscle gain and fat loss (also known as bulk/cut cycles).
I feel like number 6 is really the key here. It is why they continue to do numbers 1-5. When people no longer have a goal and simply want to focus on maintaining the can become relaxed. The work is done, now it's just smooth sailing. This is unfortunately not true at all. The only thing "easier" about maintenance vs. fat loss is that calories can be slightly higher. Not even a ton higher, we're talking around 500 calories a day higher. Not really a ton of wiggle room. If instead of just maintaining you decide to focus on body re-composition, you have no room to be relaxed. A muscle gaining phase involves more precise control then a fat loss phase does. It's much harder work. It's slower, results are less dramatic. You can lose 100 lbs in a year if you try hard. You can only hope to gain a fraction of that over a lifetime of attempting muscle gain. It probably takes most people 5-10 years worth of bulk/cut cycling to reach their muscular genetic potential. Spending that long tracking calories, working out, weighing in, seems like adequate time to have fully integrated those habits into your life. 10 years in you probably have little worry of falling off the wagon. Also since you spent a decade improving body composition you have much more wiggle room then someone who simply lost fat. I would really love someone do research the group of individuals who manage to keep weight off long term. I feel like that is where the money needs to be spent. Not on stating the obvious like this article. We all know that most people fail at long term weight loss. That isn't helpful information. Let's look at why the minority manages to keep it off!
also i've never heard a more convincing approach to bulk/cut cycles, i was contemplating doing an official "bulk" after i lose more fat but i think you just persuaded me0
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