Almost everyone quits losing weight

glickman1
glickman1 Posts: 87 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
Why do you think others quit?
What makes you different?
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Replies

  • Aviva92
    Aviva92 Posts: 2,333 Member
    edited December 2014
    I didn't think I would and assumed I would fail like the other times, but for this time it was super easy to do it. It didn't really take a lot of willpower, was just easy. Not sure why. i have kept it off for a year and a half. I don't really feel like my habits changed that much. Not sure what I was doing before that made me so much heavier in the first place. I don't log anymore and still kept it off. Hopefully it stays this easy, but who knows.

    So, no idea how to compare myself to others here.
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    I'm so scared I will lose motivation and quit or quit because I hate compliments from strangers.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Actually, for most people losing weight isn't the issue...maintaining the weight loss is. By and large, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change...but really, it's just words...most people never implement such a change.

    I lost about 40 Lbs and I've maintained that loss for over 1.5 years and counting. I am very committed to nutrition and to my fitness. I'm a former athlete and once I got back into things I realized how much I missed it and how much I missed being fit and healthy. Also for me it was not so much about losing Lbs as it was reversing a bunch of bad blood work.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited December 2014
    I'm motivated, committed, determined and can dredge up patience if I need some.

    Other people, I don't know. I think they either have medical/chemical issues or just don't really want to do the work of losing.

    I don't think I'm much different, just in a different part of my life. Maybe they'll lose later. :)
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    People quit because they expect too much too fast, and do too much too fast.

    I didn't cut much out; I made some substitutions and started going for smaller portions. I've worked my way up to finally being able to exercise five days a week (aiming for six), doing weights and cardio. I also went into this expecting to take a year and a half to lose close to 90 pounds. The goal now is 100-115 pounds, and I'm only halfway there after eleven and a half months. It's going to take a lot longer than I expected, and I'm fine with that. It's a journey, not a race.
  • DeWoSa
    DeWoSa Posts: 496 Member
    One day at a time.
  • holyfenix
    holyfenix Posts: 99 Member
    Well yes of course everyone quits losing weight. No one wants to be underweight.

    To get to what you are actually asking.

    Its really not that hard if you look at it from a certain point of view. Granted I didn't have all that much weight to lose but I was unhappy with the way I looked in a mirror so made a couple small changes. I eat less and workout more. Maybe takes 4 hrs a week from things I was doing before. The only time I have to stay strong is at the grocery store. As long as I don't buy bad food I won't eat it at home.

    Food is tasty, and the food that is the worst for you is the tastiest. I have never had a health food that is as good as bacon, especially a hamburger with bacon on it. There is no boiled or baked chicken that is as good as fried chicken. Carbs are delicious. I think people get to a point in their weightloss where they think they look okay so will indulge once or twice. That once or twice turns into 3-4 times and then they are back where they started.

    I've never technically been overweight, only unhappy with the way i looked for a short amount of time. It is actually pretty easy for me to do this. Also I have become addicted to the gym which helps.
  • Roxiegirl2008
    Roxiegirl2008 Posts: 756 Member
    I think this time I will stay with it because I was 100% ready to make the change. I really think that is key. I made logging my food and exercise a habit that now I cannot change sort of like brushing my teeth.
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  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Q. Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
    A. Though it has been tough, I don't attribute my strength. I had a lot of determination. And I accepted all the help I could find.

    Q. Why do you think others quit?
    A. Hey, I have a long history of stopping. Because it's freaking hard! There can be long spells where there is no apparent progress! It's a big commitment, like bringing a baby/puppy/home-based-business in to the house.

    Q. What makes you different?
    A. I am a regular Jane Doe, not different at all. I've been meaning to put Covey's third habit in to practice for over ten years, and now I finally have. I mark the difference it is making in my life, celebrate it and talk about it. I would say at this stage I am running ahead so I won't fall behind. Literally. Running.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    1. Well, sticking with weight loss so far hasn't been to big of an issue. I've had a few bumps in the road, taken a few breaks, and slipped up a few times. I started working on my weight in early 2012, found MFP at the end of 2012, and started using MFP in 2013. I think I'm going to have more problems with maintaining the loss than getting there.
    2. Don't know. Expecting it to come off overnight. Going to extremes. Not having a good support system. There are a lot of things it could be.
    3. *shrug* Dunno.
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Some people quit because they think they have to do some super strict very low calorie diet in order to lose and when it gets too hard they quit.

    Some quit because they get frustrated with things that they don't understand, but refuse to learn about it.

    Some people quit because they just aren't ready yet.

    So far I have stuck with it while hitting road blocks (that I take full responsibility for) but I'm still here and still logging. When I initially made this account I only lasted a few weeks, mainly due to the second reason I stated above.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Actually, for most people losing weight isn't the issue...maintaining the weight loss is. By and large, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change...but really, it's just words...most people never implement such a change.

    I lost about 40 Lbs and I've maintained that loss for over 1.5 years and counting. I am very committed to nutrition and to my fitness. I'm a former athlete and once I got back into things I realized how much I missed it and how much I missed being fit and healthy. Also for me it was not so much about losing Lbs as it was reversing a bunch of bad blood work.
    Pretty much this. Folks pay lip service to lifestyle changes.
    But the key is actually changing and improving your lifestyle/healthstyle.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Actually, for most people losing weight isn't the issue...maintaining the weight loss is. By and large, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change...but really, it's just words...most people never implement such a change.

    I lost about 40 Lbs and I've maintained that loss for over 1.5 years and counting. I am very committed to nutrition and to my fitness. I'm a former athlete and once I got back into things I realized how much I missed it and how much I missed being fit and healthy. Also for me it was not so much about losing Lbs as it was reversing a bunch of bad blood work.
    So in agreement with this!

    I wonder if having it be about health instead of just looking better makes a big difference. I started off with a scary diagnosis and everything since has been Health First, and How I Look second.

    I wonder how many who lost and kept it off were focused on Health First.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Well, doesn't everyone stop when they reach goal weight?
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Everybody quits otherwise they would be underweight.

    I dipped below 100lb last week so today I am eating toast with PB and a protein drink ( as I type) instead of my preferred fat free Greek yogurt fruit and veg.

    Seriously, I lost my 30 lb and have been in maintenance for about 4 years. I just have to do slight calorie adjustments now and again.

    Everyone's journey is theirs and theirs alone and to some it is not that important so quitting is OK.

    Cheers, h.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Actually, for most people losing weight isn't the issue...maintaining the weight loss is. By and large, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change...but really, it's just words...most people never implement such a change.

    I lost about 40 Lbs and I've maintained that loss for over 1.5 years and counting. I am very committed to nutrition and to my fitness. I'm a former athlete and once I got back into things I realized how much I missed it and how much I missed being fit and healthy. Also for me it was not so much about losing Lbs as it was reversing a bunch of bad blood work.
    So in agreement with this!

    I wonder if having it be about health instead of just looking better makes a big difference. I started off with a scary diagnosis and everything since has been Health First, and How I Look second.

    I wonder how many who lost and kept it off were focused on Health First.

    Good question. I fall into that category, as "don't turn into your parents". My dad was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 42. Four years ago a routine surgery nearly killed him, and I'm certain it was due to his weight. To me, enough was enough and I told myself I didn't want go through the same things in my 40s and 50s.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    malibu927, my daughter is going through that right now, except (gratefully) I am a positive example. She is in her mid-thirties and all of a sudden it is hard for her to shed pounds.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Actually, for most people losing weight isn't the issue...maintaining the weight loss is. By and large, people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change...but really, it's just words...most people never implement such a change.

    I lost about 40 Lbs and I've maintained that loss for over 1.5 years and counting. I am very committed to nutrition and to my fitness. I'm a former athlete and once I got back into things I realized how much I missed it and how much I missed being fit and healthy. Also for me it was not so much about losing Lbs as it was reversing a bunch of bad blood work.
    So in agreement with this!

    I wonder if having it be about health instead of just looking better makes a big difference. I started off with a scary diagnosis and everything since has been Health First, and How I Look second.

    I wonder how many who lost and kept it off were focused on Health First.

    Speaking for myself, vanity is a piss poor motivator. There's certainly an element of vanity for me, but there's no way I would be where I am now if it was just about looking a certain way. It is far more important to me that I am healthy and doing everything I can humanly do to make sure I stick around for awhile for my boys and my wife

    I think by and large that for most people who've had long term success, there's a huge element of health involved and wanting to be healthy and fit...even the people I know who are pretty vain are also very health conscious.

  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    edited December 2014
    I've lost weight before, but have gained it back. I've never exercised before now, though. I honestly don't know if this time will be the time that sticks, but I do know that this time is the first time I've been motivated by health alone and not vanity. I have high hopes because I have, over the years, made other changes to my life for health reasons, and they have been long-lasting. Anything that makes me feel better is usually something I can incorporate into my life. I think this time I am doing everything for the right reasons and have my head in the right place. I'm just starting out on this road, so we'll see. Again... my hopes are high.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    glickman1 wrote: »
    Why do you think you'll stay strong and stick with it?
    Why do you think others quit?
    What makes you different?


    I'm not different. I've failed to lose and keep weight off in the past many times. I got frustrated and gave up many times. Am I going to get frustrated and give up again? I don't know.
    I feel like I've learned a lot about what works for me over the years. I've been making really good progress. I feel like it is ridiculously easy this time for some reason. It has never been this easy before. I haven't made drastic diet changes or deprived myself of things I like or started working out for hours a day. I feel really positive and determined.

    I think people often quit or fail because they are trying to do something complicated and hard to maintain long term. They think they need to do some special trick or secret to lose weight. They think they can't eat food they like. They are all about deprivation and cheating. They are trying really, really hard and don't know that it can be simple. They don't see progress or they do great but slip up a few weeks and can't get back to the super restrictive lifestyle. They get frustrated. They beat theselves up. They'll eventually try again.
  • dangie2002
    dangie2002 Posts: 71 Member
    You are right, in the past, I'd get only so far and quit. I'd get frustrated, tired of depriving myself of what I wanted. What makes it different this time? I've come to realize I'm an emotional eater and binger. I'm learning to love me which means I need to show myself I love myself by making choices that will help me and not hurt me. So far, I'm in uncharted territory, most weight loss ever, longest consistent commitment to exercise ever, learning that all foods are permissible but not necessarily beneficial. If I want chocolate, I have a piece, not the whole bag. Everything in moderation. I've also discovered a joy with exercising, especially weight training. I've come to realize that this is my life, not a temporary fix. If I stop, I will be right back where I was before I started this journey 2 years ago.
  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    I think I'll stick with it, not out of strength, but out of a different mindset. I look on my broken appetite like my rotten eyesight. I wear glasses for the eyesight, and I'm just going to have to accept that I need to track calories for my weight to do what I want.

    No strength involved, just decision.
  • tuckerrj
    tuckerrj Posts: 1,453 Member
    Three factors for me:
    1) I have to log my food intake for the rest of my life.
    2) I have to weigh myself at least twice a week, to prevent things getting out hand.
    3) I have redefined what it means to feel "full". Full does NOT mean I'm miserable.
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  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I like this question. I think I'm going to stick to it this time because I got GOOD AND SCARED, and I finally think I figured out some of the physiological stuff that was getting in my way -that in my case have made the psychological stuff so much more manageable.

    I think people quit because it is hard to stay fully committed to something that can create a sense of separation from others and cultural practices, is hard work and effort, your body resists, especially as time goes on and the other life priorities take over for various reasons and you stop getting the reinforcement of steady declines on the scale.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I think I'll stick with it, not out of strength, but out of a different mindset. I look on my broken appetite like my rotten eyesight. I wear glasses for the eyesight, and I'm just going to have to accept that I need to track calories for my weight to do what I want.

    No strength involved, just decision.

    I like this a lot
  • silentKayak
    silentKayak Posts: 658 Member
    I have stuck with it for my entire life. The difference is that now I know what things do and don't make a difference to my weight.

    Does make a difference for weight loss: track what I eat, track my exercise, set my goal correctly, aim for my net calorie goal every day, start each day fresh.

    Doesn't make a difference for weight loss: "eating clean", lifting weights, exhausting myself with cardio, feeling guilty, feeling deprived, depression, self-hatred, giving up chocolate, giving up meat, giving up any kind of "bad foods", wasting time on activities I hate, drinking gross weight loss shakes, reading/following any kind of diet book that someone makes money from.

    Before I was walking and walking and walking and walking and wondering why I never reached my destination.

    Then I got a map.

    Others quit because they're doing things they can't do their whole life. I like my current diet plan and level of exercise, which I'm hoping is enough to maintain at a weight I'll be happy with.
  • in 2014 i lost 50+ lbs after having my baby and this time last year i was full of motivation to get healthy and lose all the access fat i was carrying even before pregnancy. Anyway, once i got back into a normal weight range for myself and it a 2 month plateau and it seemed that no matter what i did i would budge and started maintaining. then another to months went by and i got so discouraged i quit. now i'm into my first week trying to get back into it and i moth i quit for i gained 6 lbs
  • lemonsurprise
    lemonsurprise Posts: 255 Member
    I just learned what I was doing, not some fad diet that takes masses of self control, money and determination. Just to eat what I want in moderation. Learned about BMR and TDEE and since then it's just been a breeze. I have no thoughts about giving up, and there is now no reason at all that I could go back to eating the sheer amount of calories that I was and ignore the fact I'll get fat again from it! It's just not even possible. A year from now I'll be at my goal, 1 million percent!
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