Impossible to not gain your weight back ?!

I kinda believe that we do have a "set weight" that our bodies are "happiest" at.. I've done the gain/lose thing twice (so far 3rd time is a charm - at/below goal for 3+ years now) -- each time my weight went back up to ~200 lbs and stayed there for years.. My 2nd time losing weight my weight plateaued at ~162 -- I lost weight that time through exercise only (no diet change). This time through changing my diet and incorporating exercise - my weight is ~142. It goes up a few pounds when I'm on vacation (don't eat normally or track what I eat) but within a few months of eating "normally" it's back to ~142.

Were you truly unhappy w/how you looked and felt at 145/150? Is being ~120 worth it?

It's not impossible, but it is difficult. Before you lost weight, you were used to eating a higher number of calories each day. If you eat that same amount at a lower weight, you will slowly gain it back. If you want to maintain at a lower weight, you need to figure out what the maintenance is at your new weight and don't eat more than that. I think too many people go crazy during weight loss and do "diets" that they will not be able to maintain. You need to have small portions but still eat what you like and make sure you are eating good nutrition (carbs, fats, proteins). The "bad" stuff (sugar, sodium) should be treated as a treat and kept to a small portion of your diet. I think 80% health and 20% indulgent is good. Don't deprive yourself (the mistake people often make while they're losing weight) but don't overeat or you'll gain it back (mistakes people often make when they reach their goal).

Back in HS, I never went over 143 pounds. I thought it was great because I ate like crap.

Then, when I got more sedentary, my weight went up to around 155. But fine, I didn't go above that for like five years.

Then my weight went up again, even more sedentary, to around 170 pounds. That was enough.



Somehow, I've managed to maintain since December around 125-128. I had NEVER been that weight, not even in HS when I was pretty active. My body seems okay here. I'm maintaining on around 2K/day PLUS I eat back any exercise calories. I actually did 5:2 to lose the weight and try to do 6:1 just so I can take the calories from my "fast day" and move them to my "feast day" where I eat whatever I want all day, no calorie counting at all. I do think people have ranges that their body seems to move into but I don't think there's any real set point.

Yes, set-point theory.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2253845

Here's my theory about that : I think we all have certain "default" settings when it comes to diet and exercise. By that I mean, the behaviors we naturally engage in when we do what we want to do. These are rooted in our biology and probably also learned over time from parents, friends, spouse, coworkers, etc.. For example: Some people naturally want to eat a lot, some less. Some LOOOOVE food and some find eating a chore. Some react to anxiety by starving, some by eating. Some people are more sensitive to hunger pangs, some people will ignore them or seem to not have them (I have a very thin coworker who swears he doesn't experience hunger and could fast for days and feel no differently than when full. So he has to remind himself to eat). Some people like "healthy foods", some don't. Some people really worry about what their body looks like, others less so. Some people are very active and get bored if not moving, some people are happiest on the couch. Some like and are good at sports, some not. And so on.....

When my mother doesn't pay attention to her food and exercise and just does what comes naturally, she will weigh between 115 and 120 (the bottom of the normal BMI for her). In her youth, she would gravitate more to 105 or 110 which was underweight. Back then, she regularly forced herself to eat to maintain a healthy weight.

When I don't pay attention to my food and exercise and do what comes naturally, I weigh about 250 pounds (morbidly obese BMI). I was able to settle in and maintain that exact weight (give or take a couple of pounds) for several years with no effort or attention. 15 years ago I settled around 230 but I think aging took some toll and pushed me higher (I'm 42 now)

I don't think that MY BODY wants to weight 250 or that my mom's body wants to weigh 117 (or 107 in her youth). I think that the sum total of all the habits we have, when practiced regularly, with our particular physiology, land me/her in that general zone.

In order to maintain what I have lost. (again), I realize that it is important for me override those "defaults" in a permanent way. And to even try to change/reset the defaults if I can. To actively pay attention to my food and activity and to force myself to act against the grain and to do that enough that going back to my old ways would feel like a change from normal. When I do that, I lose weight. I can keep the weight off, too... until I start acting naturally again (or "natural" reverts to type).

In the OP's case, I think it is purely a matter of personal choice whether you want to make the effort--and it is effort--to override the defaults every day. The cost is a lot of attention and self-control. The benefit is a skinnier body. Is is worth it? You have to choose. In my case, the benefit isn't just a skinny body but a body that doesn't have high cholesterol, blood pressure, plus a whole host of health risks that come with morbid obesity. I also feel more energetic and can engage in lots of cool hobbies that I wouldn't do at that other weight. I've always loved pretty clothing and dressing beautifully, but at a normal size I have so many more options in that way AND like the way I look in a wider range of clothes (today I own leggings and skinny jeans for the first time ever... I used to look like an elephant on stilts in those things). So there is more benefit for my cost. So here I am doing it. When I get into the normal BMI range and have a healthy body fat percent, I'll probably stop. Because I'm fighting myself enough just to be there, I don't think being in the lower normal BMI zone is worth it to me. I'm healthy, happy, active, and think my body looks okay.

Here's my theory about that : I think we all have certain "default" settings when it comes to diet and exercise. By that I mean, the behaviors we naturally engage in when we do what we want to do. These are rooted in our biology and probably also learned over time from parents, friends, spouse, coworkers, etc.. For example: Some people naturally want to eat a lot, some less. Some LOOOOVE food and some find eating a chore. Some react to anxiety by starving, some by eating. Some people are more sensitive to hunger pangs, some people will ignore them or seem to not have them (I have a very thin coworker who swears he doesn't experience hunger and could fast for days and feel no differently than when full. So he has to remind himself to eat). Some people like "healthy foods", some don't. Some people really worry about what their body looks like, others less so. Some people are very active and get bored if not moving, some people are happiest on the couch. Some like and are good at sports, some not. And so on.....

When my mother doesn't pay attention to her food and exercise and just does what comes naturally, she will weigh between 115 and 120 (the bottom of the normal BMI for her). In her youth, she would gravitate more to 105 or 110 which was underweight. Back then, she regularly forced herself to eat to maintain a healthy weight.

When I don't pay attention to my food and exercise and do what comes naturally, I weigh about 250 pounds (morbidly obese BMI). I was able to settle in and maintain that exact weight (give or take a couple of pounds) for several years with no effort or attention. 15 years ago I settled around 230 but I think aging took some toll and pushed me higher (I'm 42 now)

I don't think that MY BODY wants to weight 250 or that my mom's body wants to weigh 117 (or 107 in her youth). I think that the sum total of all the habits we have, when practiced regularly, with our particular physiology, land me/her in that general zone.

In order to maintain what I have lost. (again), I realize that it is important for me override those "defaults" in a permanent way. And to even try to change/reset the defaults if I can. To actively pay attention to my food and activity and to force myself to act against the grain and to do that enough that going back to my old ways would feel like a change from normal. When I do that, I lose weight. I can keep the weight off, too... until I start acting naturally again (or "natural" reverts to type).

In the OP's case, I think it is purely a matter of personal choice whether you want to make the effort--and it is effort--to override the defaults every day. The cost is a lot of attention and self-control. The benefit is a skinnier body. Is is worth it? You have to choose. In my case, the benefit isn't just a skinny body but a body that doesn't have high cholesterol, blood pressure, plus a whole host of health risks that come with morbid obesity. I also feel more energetic and can engage in lots of cool hobbies that I wouldn't do at that other weight. I've always loved pretty clothing and dressing beautifully, but at a normal size I have so many more options in that way AND like the way I look in a wider range of clothes (today I own leggings and skinny jeans for the first time ever... I used to look like an elephant on stilts in those things). So there is more benefit for my cost. So here I am doing it. When I get into the normal BMI range and have a healthy body fat percent, I'll probably stop. Because I'm fighting myself enough just to be there, I don't think being in the lower normal BMI zone is worth it to me. I'm healthy, happy, active, and think my body looks okay.

^This---you took the words out of my mouth, probably more eloquently though.
I used to agree with the set point theory; however, I think I have the tendency to eat carb heavy food(leading to that comfortable weight) because it was part of my upbringing, background and culture, and now I have to override that default to eat more veggies and protein, but it's a conscience effort everyday to do so.

I agree with Docbanana. I think it's all a matter of the weight our bodies result in dependent upon the habits and lifestyle we subject it to and our genetic makeup.

If I have a set weight I never hit it. My weight gain slowed down sometimes, but it never stopped. For all I know, if I hadn't gotten the get up and go to lose weight, I'd be bed-bound and seven hundred pounds right now.

If I had a reasonably healthy weight that I could easily maintain, I'd do it. Even if it meant not wearing a size four. But I don't. So I figure, even if I gain it all back and then some eventually, I still bought myself some extra years by losing down from 245 and by all the other times I lost weight instead of continuing to gain.

I don't know if I believe the 'set point' theory.
It really is all about calories in/ calories burned.


If we revert back to what we think is 'normal' eating, we're just reverting back to old habits.

Personally, I think it all comes down to being ever mindful of what we're eating and being sure we're getting enough exercise to maintain that balance.

hmmmm.... i think that it sounds more like YOU want to weigh what you were. and if you were happy there thats fine.

where you were is where you got doing what you wanted. right.

everyone wants what they want to be what they need.

sometimes it is, sometimes it aint.

Well I am NOT taking weight related ideology from someone who works for Kraft Foods. Click Author information just because it came from NIH doesn't mean its from NIH studies.
So where would this set weight be? Would it be the weight (as someone else mentioned ) that I was in HS ,College and after my babies? Which was between 112-118. Cause I frankly think that might be too thin at 44. Would it be at the weight I gained to? Or the plateau I have hit?
It baloney! After you lose your body has to have time to settle. It has to get used to being this new size . That's why you start seeing all new bumps and lumps. Keep lifting . Keep watching. We are our own worst enemies.

Your body wants to weigh what you put into it.

Exactly this. When you reduced your calorie intake, you lost weight. If you increase your intake to what it used to be, then you will weigh what you were when you ate like that.

I find this an interesting topic. I am bumping to read more later when I have more time.

Setpoint weight is ridiculous in the sense that your body KNOWS what weight it wants to be at.

The only reason you think you have a set point is because your eating routine means you consume enough calories to maintain that. And so when you go back to eating what you did before the weightloss, that's where you'll end up.

Question about this - if I eat about 1500 cal a day, I can maintain at 126-127. If I eat more than that, say 1700-2000, I pop up to 130 (what I've weighed most of my adult life) and stay there. Shouldn't I theoretically be able to maintain my weiht on the same amount of calories? I've been experimenting with this for about 3 months now, and this is definitely the pattern.

"pop-up to" would imply a fast gain of 3-4 lbs.

So you know the math for fat gain or loss, right. 3500 calories about per pound.
So you would need to eat in excess of true maintenance 10500-14000 over whatever period of time that takes for 3-4 pounds to be only fat weight.

So eating 200-500 more would take 21 - 70 days, depending on the averages there.

So was the "fast" weight gain in 21 to 70 days of increased eating level?

I'm betting you saw muscle glycogen stores finally top off which has attached water, you are merely living with depleted to some level all the time.

So how quick was the 3-4 lb gain?

Your body wants to weigh what you put into it.

THIS. so true !