How do people who lose a ton of weight put it all back on?

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  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Only weak people gain the weight back. It takes hard work to lose weight, and equally as hard to maintain.
    I bet THIS comment will be popular. :laugh:
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
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    Been there and done that. I once lost 80 lbs and gained almost all of it back before I started this journey.

    I think the biggest thing is looking at it as a diet. Once I finished my diet I returned to the old eating habits that put the weight on in the first place.

    This time is different for me in a number of ways (1) I'm actually losing while eating more than on any diet I've ever been on. (2) I have no forbidden foods. I have continued to eat 'bad' foods while I've been losing. I just do so in smaller portions and much less frequently. (3) I have incorporated a significant amount of exercise that I enjoy into my program.

    I know I will need to be vigilant the rest of my life. When I reach my goal and figure out my maintenance level I plan to continue weighing once per week. I'm giving myself a 5lb max increase. Two weeks that are more than 5 lbs above my goal weight (or 5 lbs under) means I need to go back to logging faithfully and counting. It is a lot easier to deal with the problem early than weight for a bunch of weight to come back.
  • DorisInTheDena
    DorisInTheDena Posts: 150 Member
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    Weak? SMH! Oh, man. You are young and have lots to learn, guy!
  • zilannoj
    zilannoj Posts: 138 Member
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    Only weak people gain the weight back. It takes hard work to lose weight, and equally as hard to maintain.

    And only weak people judge others harshly. Guess I'm feeling a little weak today.
  • 777Gemma888
    777Gemma888 Posts: 9,578 Member
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    i used to work with a person who over some time lost 100 lbs. i ran into her today and i was floored that she gained it all back - and then some!

    i didnt know how to react...i was stunned when i saw her. i tried not to make a big deal but my expression was like "wtf did you do???"

    it got me thinking about how hard she was dieting and little she was eating. but she was exercising and all that. i remember that she had kept the weight off for like 6 months at least because that is when i left that firm.

    how can you work so hard to lose so much weight and then just lose control of yourself again?

    im not judging...im in disbelief

    Losing control of oneself, after having to deal with the conflict of life's circumstances is one. Some people realise after losing ALL their fat weight that they were actually happier when they were bigger. Remember watching a Doctor Drew episode on HLN where he had guests who were declaring that.

    Losing fat weight is a choice. The main reason behind us all needing to apply ourselves daily. When people believe that losing the fat weight will open new doors, and that fails to pan out > they lose the will to stick-to-it. Too many variables were involved prior to the weight gain, just as the same or new variables are at play with your friend too now.

    ETA: typo
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    I realized, some time ago, that I'll have to log my food for the rest of my life.

    Same here. Just like realizing I have to test my glucose for the rest of my life, it's accepting it and realizing that these are tools to help me and not beat myself up because other people don't do it.

    Good point. Not to be harsh but for me what I realize about this is basically...I can be different from my friends by not fitting into booths and airplane seats, or I can be different by logging all my food and being careful about everything I put into my mouth.

    Similar logic I use to deal with any loose skin/flab issues...I could either be 300 lb with no loose skin and not fit into many cute clothes, 250 lb with a bit of loose skin but not look too great in cute clothes, or 170 lb with a bit more loose skin and look cute in most clothes. It's a pretty easy choice haha
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
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    Only weak people gain the weight back. It takes hard work to lose weight, and equally as hard to maintain.

    I'm guessing you've never been pregnant then :tongue:
  • enoliaa
    enoliaa Posts: 28 Member
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    I agree with people who said that the transformation has to first happen inside of you, learn to enjoy each day in moderation, not fall into emotional eating, learn to eat better for the long term not as a quick fix, really be self-motivated every day to eat better regardless of life issues, vacation, etc. because even those events are temporary, we should get back on track asap or it is like we are giving up on ourselves? The most critical person that we need support and love from is ourselves!! And it is not weakness, it is that people don't even realize that they are hurting themselves, but one thing is sure, we ALL do the best we can and we can ALL make it!
  • joelartygreenwood
    joelartygreenwood Posts: 11 Member
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    Going from active to sedentary is usually the reason my weight bounces around.

    Age 23: When I was single after Waterloo, I walked 40 min to work for a job that was only 6 hours. I went to the gym 4x per week then walked home again. Dropped from 203 to 183 lbs (lower than high school).

    Age 24: Got a 'real' job. Moved cities. Walked only 10 min to work and worked out often. Still climbed to 203 lbs despite the gym and careful eating.

    Age 30: Moved to the suburbs. Walked to train station for daily commute (20 min). Wife started to cook yummy meals. Still maintained weight - but muscle mass declined.
    Age 31: Started to bike to work to save time. Climbed to 213 lbs.
    Age 36: Started a driving habit to train station. Climbed to 232 lbs. Had to invest in new wardrobe because stretchy pants only work so far...

    Now I'm watching the food intake and walking again to the train station. I bring g a t-shirt, shorts, and running shoes to jog, walking or do interval sprints on the way home. I realized that the gym membership doesn't work because I have to leave the house in the evening (yeah, not happening) so I have to force myself to exercise. There's no "oh I'll go for a long walk tonight after dinner" and then fail to follow through.

    Try to minimize the changes to your lifestyle to only the 'big wins' - exercise more and eat reasonably based on your size. I have to leave 10 min earlier to walk to the train, and I arrive 5 min later when I get home. The family is unaffected by these changes.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
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    In a nut shell...many people talk a good talk about "lifestyle change" but generally fail to even conceptualize what that actually means, let alone follow through with such a change.

    People have this notion that eating healthfully and exercising regularly is for weight loss...in reality, it's all far more important to maintaining a healthy weight. Regular exercise and general activity as well as a healthful diet have to become the new normal...and that is a rarity considering only about 5% of people who make efforts to lose weight actually maintain that for more than a brief period.

    ^^^^ What he said.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    They eat too much or there weight loss was so aggressive that when they went back to eating there normal way they gained weight. Things happen in life. You have no idea what can cause someone to want to just ruin all the progress they made.

    Weight loss journey not weight loss destination.
  • jerber160
    jerber160 Posts: 2,606 Member
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    for me, I hit a 'plateau' and still wanted to try for 5 more pounds. first off, I was not up on my thyroid issue...but following suggestions here, I upped my calories to gain a few lb back and then hit it hard again. I probably got a little lax and a few pounds creeped back in. then I got really busy and stressed and barely watched and the next thing I knew, the pounds SLAMMED back on. I don't understand how this happened...because I was logging and could NOT have been eating that poorly but my body seemed to hold EVERYTHING I ate. I've been to the endocrinologist and am still waiting for answers.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
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    I've gained and lost the same 40-50lbs countless time. It always comes down to my eating habits. I love to eat, I hate to move. As soon as I lose the weight and get to goal and think I look FANTASTIC I slowly let my guard down and start increasing my qty. a little bit here and there. As the scale creeps up I think no problem, it's just 5lbs, it's just 10lbs...I can lose that...I'll start back up on Monday...next Monday. Then the scale has the nerve to show me a number I can't bare to see so I stop getting on the scale. And I have to say, I gain weight SO much faster than I lose it. I can gain 5lbs in two weeks but it will take me 5-6 weeks to lose that weight.

    I really really hope I succeed at keeping it off this time. I'm trying to stay connected to the forum and logging my food. I recently put on 4lbs on a camping trip and I was happy to see this morning when I weighed in that I had finally lost the weight.

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