Discouraged by weight loss study

Options
2456

Replies

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    Annie_01 wrote: »
    oocdc2 wrote: »
    Strange-there's a ton of people on these forums that seem to do it...

    These forums are also filled with people that have lost a significant amount of weight...and they are back to lose that same weight again.

    During my time here...many people have started...they disappear. Look how many threads are started with the following words in the title...I'm Back...HELP...I need motivation...tell me what to do...I am discouraged...etc...etc.

    Yes...there are successful people here. I am not sure they are the majority of people that join MFP however. Most of those successful people IMO will tell you that their weight management phase is on going. It is a balancing act between CICO. They no longer eat at a deficit...IMO...at this stage that was the easy part. Keeping it all in balance takes just as much if not more work than losing it did.

    Is there a ton of successful people on MFP...I think that estimation is a little high...but yes...thankfully for the rest of us trying to become successful there are some.

    TRUTH.

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited July 2015
    Options
    bsctov wrote: »
    I just read the scientific study (reported by most major news outlets) that says it's next to impossible for people who are overweight to maintain their weight loss long term, this has really dashed my hopes of looking good again..

    it's all in your hands. i've maintained for over two years no problem...because I changed the way I was living. people talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change, but rarely truly implement such a change and as soon as they're done "dieting" they just revert back to their old habits to include eating like *kitten*, eating too much, and not exercising.

    you're in control...

    this is why it's very important to adopt a diet (noun) that you can work with into perpetuity, not something you're just going to do to lose weight...it's also important to adopt a fitness regimen that you can carry on with into perpetuity..."binge" exercising for hours on end to lose weight is not the way to go...regular moderate exercise is...and finding exercise you enjoy is immensely important.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
    Options
    redkitten25 wrote: »
    This one? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3164042/Majority-people-pile-pounds-never-lose-them.html

    OK, as a medical provider (PA), and one who used to work specifically in preventative medicine and wellness, it's a terrible article as those numbers (only one in 210 obese men and one in 124 obese women achieving successful weight loss) only counted people as successful in the first place if they achieved a BMI under 25 and maintained it there permanently.

    First thing to note is that while BMI is a useful and very accurate tool for measuring the health risks of populations, it is not necessarily applicable to individuals, you need to figure out what is an appropriate weight for you based on your individual body composition and it may be either lower or higher than the recommended limits.

    Also health risk rates are not a straight line, at 25.1 you don't magically become super prone to weight related morbidity and mortality, the increased risks tend to be negligible (again as measured across populations) until you reach 30, where they start to increase much more rapidly, the reason this is the cut off for obesity as opposed to simple overweight. So reducing your BMI from say a 34 to a 29, and maintaining that weight loss is very successful dieting from a healthcare point of view, but would not have been counted at all under this headline.

    You would also be considered "unsuccessful", if you had a 50 pound weight loss that got you down to say, a 24.9 (meeting their definition for success) but gained back 5 of it and went to maintaining, say, a 25.5 (their definition for "putting it back on", while sane folks (and your PCP) would likely consider this a major success.

    Yes, folks who lose weight often regain it, lifestyle changes can be difficult to maintain, particularly for those of us who are emotional eaters. So what? Do we tell smokers to keep smoking because they will probably have to quit multiple times before it sticks permanently? If you fall down, get up and try again,

    I lost 50 pounds, maintained that weight within a 4 pound range for 5 years (though my BMI fluctuated between just under 25 and 25 and a bit then, so it probably doesn't count, sigh) and then regained about 80% of it since 2010, half of that in the last year. I'm still better off than I was (and in much better health regardless of the weight because the exercise habits stuck even when the eating ones didn't) and now I'm on my way back in the right direction because I know I feel better when I eat right and am carrying less weight around. So on the whole I have benefited even if I didn't meet their ridiculous standard.

    Weight losses of only 10% of body weight are frequently adequate to make a significant difference in underlying health issues (particularly Type II DM), so don't give up based on a questionable study conflated with really bad reporting.

    Great post; thank you. It is ALWAYS valuable to at least try!!

  • DataSeven
    DataSeven Posts: 245 Member
    Options
    Those studies just annoy me... I'm sick of people telling me I'll never make it. It's my life and my choices and I'll make it if I want to. I don't know what those studies are trying to prove anyway? Do they want to make people so hopeless that they'll just continue to over-consume food that they don't need?
  • SolotoCEO
    SolotoCEO Posts: 293 Member
    Options
    To me - impossible is just another excuse. Long-term weight loss requires long-term healthy habits.
  • jade01992
    jade01992 Posts: 3 Member
    edited July 2015
    Options
    If your intention is to lose weight and stay at a healthy one, there's nothing to say you can't be that one person in 124 that loses the weight and keeps it off!
  • MakingMyDreamsComeTrue2015
    MakingMyDreamsComeTrue2015 Posts: 163 Member
    Options
    if you believe you can do it then do it! ignore the study!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Options
    bsctov wrote: »
    I just read the scientific study (reported by most major news outlets) that says it's next to impossible for people who are overweight to maintain their weight loss long term, this has really dashed my hopes of looking good again..

    What? Why? You read a research study and give up ...has nobody ever told you you can't before, feck that ...do it anyway and prove them wrong

    Although I will guarantee the study (please link it) is flawed and the tabloid coverage is ridiculous extrapolation
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    The reason why they fail: they used a diet program to lose weight. They didn't ADAPT to a HABITUAL change of reduced calorie intake over a LIFETIME. Math still applies. CICO is still the reason for weight gain/loss/maintenance and most people who go on a crash or fad diet AREN'T willing to quit their desired eating lifestyle before the program. Same thing happens at bootcamps for the US services year in and out.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    This is the reason anyone fails ^^^

    Maintenance is something you work at too, until it becomes natural
  • Macstraw
    Macstraw Posts: 896 Member
    Options
    bsctov wrote: »
    I just read the scientific study (reported by most major news outlets) that says it's next to impossible for people who are overweight to maintain their weight loss long term, this has really dashed my hopes of looking good again..

    If you search "Impossible Weight Loss", of course you're gonna find articles that support that view. How about searching "Successful Weight Loss" & reading those articles? Unless you're looking for reasons to not undertake the journey there's no reason to buy into that. If you really DO believe that it's impossible, how about taking on the challenge of proving it wrong? I know I've maintained the weight I've lost because I've made permanent changes to my activity level & eating....

    That said - weight loss has not been my priority, health & fitness has. That doesn't mean I'm not proud of the weight I've lost, because I am - but my overall health has gotten SO much better & that's what I got into this for. I could stand to lose another 30 or so lbs., if it happens that's great & if it doesn't that's fine too. I feel so much better than I have since I was a teenager, my cardio health is fantastic & all the #'s they check with bloodwork are right where they're supposed to be. At 51 years old, that's a relief & a good sign that I can live a long healthy life (as long as I stay out of the way of buses & trucks)....

    If you're serious about what you want, stop with the defeatist mentality of searching out how hard it will be & start looking for the successes so that you can add your story to that list.......
  • Cave_Goose
    Cave_Goose Posts: 156 Member
    Options
    Be a statistic, or be your own person. Studies don't determine my success or failure--I do.
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    Options
    Hey, I've un-fatted myself and then maintained for 30 years (and I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed). It's just grade-school math and a little self-control; nothing to it.

    Articles like are irrelevant to _your_ life, so just focus on what you need to do and get it done. People on here will help you with the particulars.
  • griffinca2
    griffinca2 Posts: 672 Member
    Options
    I saw a statement in a fitness mag that said that "it is a process, not a project." It should be a lifestyle not a "diet" with a start and end date. The changes you make need to last a life time--not till you've lost the lbs you want to lose then go back to your old eating habits. That does not mean you give up things you like; just have them every once in a while (and control the portion size). Also, if you mess up, get back on the wagon instead of thinking "I blew my diet so may as well quit;" that is where most people miss the boat. So what if you ate more chocolate pie (ice cream, or whatever) then you should have; just dust yourself off and keep going. B)
  • MommyL2015
    MommyL2015 Posts: 1,411 Member
    Options
    It doesn't matter what any study says. It doesn't matter how many people fail. It doesn't matter how many people on MFP succeed or how many come back here over and over again.

    What matters is what you want and how motivated you are to get there. There's no magic pill, no special fad diet, no "eat this to boost your metabolism" and no one to tell you that you can't be who you want to be.
  • Fizbi
    Fizbi Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    Thanks to main stream media, the hopes of many have been destroyed. Main stream media takes delight in spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt. That is how they make money. You won't hear them reporting on the many success stories here on MFP. I believe hope remains for those folks who WANT to make a positive difference in their health and lifestyle.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Options
    Here's two more statistics for you:

    100% of people who eat under their TDEE lose weight.

    100% of people who eat at their TDEE maintain their weight.

    I find these far more useful and relevant.
  • carliekitty
    carliekitty Posts: 303 Member
    Options
    It has taken me four years to finally get into maintenance. I kept exercising even during diet breaks. I always take off Christmas season
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Options
    You would do much better by reading studies of the people who have been successful. Here is a good source (The National Weight Control Registry): http://www.nwcr.ws/ Emulate the habits of those who have been successful and you will also be successful. Some of those habits:
    • 78% eat breakfast every day.
    • 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
    • 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
    • 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

    Obviously, everyone is different but if it has worked for a large number of people, why not try it?
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
    Options
    LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »
    100% of people who eat under their TDEE lose weight.
    100% of people who eat at their TDEE maintain their weight.
    earlnabby wrote: »
    • 78% eat breakfast every day.
    • 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
    • 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
    • 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

    YES, boom, there you go. Fantastic.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Options
    Lost a lot of weight years and years ago.
    Maintained it for a bit more than 20 years and gained after becoming injured...so sedentary and keep eating the same as when i was very active.

    Now almost lost everything again and i dont have a hard time at all. Also when i shift to maintenance i dont have to change anything but eating a bit more, because i just lose weight by eating less now as what i did before. So no pills/fad diets/low carb/keto etc etc. I just eat less and lost 101 pounds in 8.5 months.

    So it is possible for sure, but you have to want it and put work for it. And indeed studies also show what @earlnabby says.
  • Diana_GettingFit
    Diana_GettingFit Posts: 458 Member
    Options
    Diets fail. Because people "go on" diets and then "come off" them when the weight is gone. They go back to the eating habits that caused them to gain weight in the first place and then wonder why they can't stay slim.

    It's a lifestyle change. When you grasp that concept you will win.

Categories