Any people lost weight and have kept it off for 3 years or more?
latonyamcneill98
Posts: 2 Member
Please comment on how you did this? How did you control your appetite? How did you prevent yourself from becoming calorie obsessed?
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I went from 178 to 124 and stayed there until last year (injury), currently working my way down very slowly.
I was motivated by the fitness side, so started there. I started with Jillian Michaels DVDs, then added C25K, as well as circuit training (with dumbbells up to 20 lbs) and plyometric bodyweight workouts (bodyrock, then led by zuzana light, who has her own channel now - zuzka light on youtube). I started proper weight training kind of late, once I was in maintenance. I worked out with intensity most days, for 30-60 minutes.
(I should say that all that high impact activity was ultimately not good for my joints, despite good shoes and attention to form. Poor biomechanics, hypermobility, many years of sedentary living, and doing all that jumping as an overweight person added up to an ankle injury, which I think contributed to other injuries further up the chain and which I am dealing with still today. So I wouldn't recommend going that route, especially if you have any reason to suspect you might have bad biomechanics. Instead, I'd suggest staying away from high impact activity and focusing on weight training and low-impact cardio.)
Food: I used the TDEE method and went with a very conservative deficit, which I found very sustainable and easy to adhere to. I ranged from 1800 to 2200 (I'm 5'7, well 5.65).
Focusing on food quality helped me meet my calorie goals without getting hungry. I stuck with meat, veggies, dairy, nuts, legumes (beans less often), whole wheat/grainy bread and pasta, didn't get into fruits too often. Mostly cooked my food - meats and salads, and small portions of starchy carbs. I mostly used measuring cups - used scales for a while, but they broke down on me, and the measuring cups were fine for me. I also sometimes had frozen stuff from a "lighter" brand I liked (PC Blue Menu, if you're in Canada) for when I was lazy. I occasionally had fast food, but didn't make a habit of it (because it got me off track). I didn't keep trigger foods in the house, made myself go out to get single servings out of the house. I'd say I was pretty consistently eating 80/20 for healthy vs. treat foods.
The year of weight loss, I probably did get a bit obsessed It was all new, so there was just a lot to learn, about which foods and meals worked for me, and how to connect the food I saw and felt with portions and measurements. All that was useful and stuck with me. In maintenance, I was able to relax, because by then I knew what worked and didn't, and I had my menu of meals, which kept me pretty satisfied. I stopped counting calories around the third year into it, and it was fine.
To lose the last few pounds of regain that came up this year, I am having to learn new ways of keeping calories down, because I can no longer rely on those calorie burns, so my target is lower. 1700 feels very different from 2200 I'm still tweaking my diet to do that, but for me, focusing on food quality is still a winning strategy for satiety. Also, I'm reducing carbs, by a bit.0 -
I was 270lbs in Sept 2011 when I finally decided to lose weight. I started by putting a decent scale in my bathroom, and weighing myself twice daily, first thing in the morning and right before bed. I also logged everything I ate so that I would begin to form an idea of which meals where a problem. Then I started cutting portion sizes gradually until the numbers on the scale started to go down. I did not use any specific method or commercial system, I just watched the scale and my portions. It took 16 months to get down to 210lbs, which my Dr. felt was a healthy weight for me (but since my diagnosis in May of this year I've dropped again to 192lbs). I kept the weight off by continuing to weight myself daily and make immediate adjustments if I have a bad day and pack on a bit.
To control appetite and cravings, I did not cut anything out of my diet ( I wasn't diabetic at the time ), simply reduced my portions. With the exception of soda. That had to go. I kept a bottle of water with me all the time, and drank constantly. And the adjustments I made to portion sizes were small and gradual. Your body will adjust to small changes fairly quickly if you're consistent with them.
The other thing I had to learn was to redefine success. The graph of my body weight is not a smooth line. It looks more like a stock market chart in a bear market. Also, a typical bathroom scale isn't sensitive enough to register the few ounces you'll lose in a good day. So any day the scale doesn't go UP is a win. If it's the same as yesterday, or a tiny bit below, be thrilled. If it goes up a little bit, don't beat yourself up about it, just figure out what you ate that day that might be the problem. And once you hit your target, don't stop weighing yourself daily. Studies have show that daily weigh-ins make you far more likely to keep the weight off, since you'll see your gains happening more quickly and be able to correct before they become a problem.
Finally, make your goals realistic. Rapid weight loss is not healthy or sustainable. My 60lb loss took 16 months, or 68 weeks. That's less than a 1lb loss per week. That's a little slower than my Dr. recommended, but that meant the changes I had to make were small, and more sustainable.
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I have. I'm in my 50's. This was my first time trying to lose weight - I had just moved out of the top of my healthy BMI and dropped 40 pounds. I'm now around 21.
It was easy. I logged everything. I figured out what the major source of calories was I didn't care about (bread, milk, cheese). I dropped down on those. That gave me a deficit. Once I lost the weight, I loosened up a little and added more exercise.
I always ate food I loved. I don't eat food I don't like. I don't eat out of habit. I ate whatever I want, but small portions of things that are calorie dense. I log like I brush my teeth or wash my hair - it's something I do without thinking too much about.
Although I continue to log, it is quite rare that I have to stop myself from eating because I'm at the top of my calories. More often, my log tells me to eat more because I'm too low. Or it tells me maybe I should walk a little more tomorrow to make up for that second piece of pizza I ate today because it tasted so good.
Information is power.0 -
Check out the National Weight Control Registry. Bunches of people who have kept the weight off share their tips: http://www.nwcr.ws/0
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Me!!! I lost 40 lbs (WW) 6 years ago, and I'm still maintaining
I may gain 3-5 lbs if I relax too much, but then I go back to basics and Voilá!
Back to goal0 -
Yup, information is power. Without knowing what I've put in my mouth, how many calories expended while exercising, and how many calories I need to eat in order to lose and still "live," I honestly don't know how anyone can figure out how to lose weight.
I've been maintaining for a few years now, went from 220 to 145 about 4 years ago. It hasn't really been a hassle, because I developed a different lifestyle and habits. I'll never go back, so I'm really not worried.
What has helped me is:
1. Weighing in at least once a week, and having a 3 or so pound range that I know I'm OK with. If I seen myself trending up above that (and staying there for a couple weeks), I pay more attention to my food intake and exercise, but my regular "diet" (not DIET per se, but how I normally eat) and daily activity has helped me stay on an even keel barring lots of travel/vacation/social events.
2. Having a few "rules." One: eat as much lean protein and veggies as I want. Everything else I can have, but in moderation. Wine, brownies, cookies, whatever...have at it, but just not alot. Two: when traveling (one of my challenging times when basically everything goes to hell), avoid the "high fat AND high carb" mix. If I'm going out for dinner, or whatever, either pick a low-fat, or a low-carb, meal. On vacation, I sort of do whatever works for me. I no longer have the urge to eat in excess anyway, so I'm not worried. Get back on track when I'm home and back in the routine--and those couple pounds that may have crept up on me go away.
3. Shake up the exercise, mostly so I don't get bored, but also so my body doesn't get bored. While losing, I mostly walked/hiked, then later starting jogging and other minimal cardio stuff. When I lost most of my weight, I picked up mountain biking and go on decent rides 3x per week. Last winter, I picked up weight lifting (which has changed my life completely, I love it), and this summer, pickleball. Next year? Who knows!
4. Really, though, it's all a matter of developing new habits, so I don't have to obsess. Rather, I enjoy and am free of the obsession.0 -
I'm coming up on completing Year #1 on maintenance. Here is what is helping me stay on-track and not regaining the almost 75 pounds I've lost:
1. Weekly weighing
2. Using MFP journal for maintenance calorie intake
3. Fitbit to measure activity and keeping it balanced with MFP
4. Allow myself ever so often a "no guilt" day. The longer I'm on maintenance, the less I want these.
5. What I have is a goal weight +/- 5 pounds for variance. Life happens and being 1 pound over my goal shouldn't cause emotional stress.
6. Reminding myself that if this is worth having, it is worth working hard for.
Honestly, my negative side tries to tell me that I'll be in the % of people that gain it back. My focused side says "PROVE THEM ALL WRONG....YOU ARE DOING THIS!!!"
Hope this helps. Look forward to sharing my 3 year mark when it happens.0 -
I've been keeping the weight off for 3 years by exercising 6 times a week and eating at my TDEE.0
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FitBit to maintain an average of at least 10K steps per day
Weigh and log everything I eat in MyFitnessPal
Try to keep wasted calories to a minimum
Indulge in ice cream, fast food or restaurant meals rarely....and as a special treat
Weigh myself daily0 -
I have... four years now. I give myself a day off on occasion, like on the weekends, but for the most part I formed good habits while losing that I continue to apply in maintenance. I still use a food scale, log what I eat here, exercise daily, check my weight frequently. The only real difference is I eat more calories now. There are people around me who might call me calorie obsessed, but I certainly don't see it that way. Being mindful does not have to equate obsession.0
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elizabethteichmann wrote: »FitBit to maintain an average of at least 10K steps per day
Weigh and log everything I eat in MyFitnessPal
Try to keep wasted calories to a minimum
Indulge in ice cream, fast food or restaurant meals rarely....and as a special treat
Weigh myself daily
I think we're twins.
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Me. 50 pounds for 8 years.
I yoyo around with about 15 pounds.
I try to focus on little bits of acivity..doing chores, walking the dog, walking to the market.
I no longer drink alchohol. I limit cheese, bread and butter most days.0 -
Losing was fairly easy once I realized what my problems were--sweets and eating till I was going to pop! I started losing back in Aug 2011 and I guess I kind of hit my goal around that May (2012). I may have gotten a little too obsessed and probably didn't read up enough about body composition/was stubborn and thought I was doing everything right but I wasn't.
I didn't do completely horrible during my maintenance time, but I'm still learning about myself even several years later. I have NEVER gone back to my original weight and I haven't gained an ungodly amount back by any means. If anything my original goal should have been where I stopped but I didn't because I was a little naive and thought 10 more pounds lost would fix the things I disliked. I'm now sustaining at my original goal.
I got into the habit of eating very low in calories and was able to maintain it for a long time, even being a very active person with the fitness end, because well, I enjoy exercise. Anyway, long story short (sort of), I started having huge sweet cravings probably about a year after hitting goal and I guess technically was yo-yoing and was just in a nasty cycle of eating well, eating well, go out to eat and splurge several days in a row and eat WAY more than I should then go back to eating well... I'd also do all my aerobic/cardio exercises I enjoyed and burned a LOT of calories thinking that would save me. It didn't.
I eventually kind of went between tracking my food and not but then not doing completely horrible (without tracking) but still having more days than I should of eating less calories than my body was SCREAMING at me for. It wasn't until fairly recently that I bumped my calories up and then learned a little more about calculating my TDEE. I've recently really bumped my calories up and am trying to get into strength training because well, frankly, I don't have the body (mostly midsection) I thought I'd have after losing. Now that I've seen myself at goal weight and 10 lbs less than goal I know for a fact my only choice to fix what I originally thought plain weight loss would fix is weight lifting.
This time around I am going to eat more, eat smart, not be obsessed with the scale and get strong!
BUT to reply in short to your post; My good habits I did acquire and the education I learned throughout the first half of my journey stuck and followed me to where I am now. I no longer eat mindlessly, I shop for groceries and plan meals way better than I used to, I don't buy a bunch of fake healthy foods (Special K, other various marketing ploys for snacks/cereals). I still think about my choices when dining out because I know I'll feel bad later if I stuff myself with fatty foods.
Sorry for the novel... I'm just hitting the second part of my "journey" now and realizing my original thought process of sticking to low cal ultimately was hurting more than helping.0 -
I lost 95 lbs and have kept it off for 4 years. I initially lost it by diet and light exercise but I found the trick to be coffee, green tea and vitamins daily. I don't exercise much anymore and I sit at a desk all day. I keep my metabolism going so the foods I eat don't sit in my body. I do bi weekly clenses of lemon juice, cayenne pepper and water. Sometimes I binge and gain a few pounds but I quickly loose it by detox and greens for a few days. Its all about balance. I take supplements such as acidophilus, flax seed oil, fish oil, b12, hair/nail vitamins, acai and spurlina. They also help suppress my appetite. When I was 240 lbs I didn't take any vitamins. I found instant results once my metabolism sped up and I've been able to maintain it with a lifestyle change in diet.0
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Me, kept it off for a bit more than 20 years
Became injured and gained weight and now almost back were i was before and start maintaining again.
the way i kept it off? Control, not over eating and i was very active. Ate the same amount of calories as i burned.0 -
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Depending on fluctuations, I've only dropped 15-18 lbs but I've maintained my current weight for probably over 4 yrs. @ 1st I logged and realized my portions were excessive and found where my calorie bombs were. I made adjustments to avoid these things. I now eat a stress free diet with very little processed and junk foods. I'll indulge when appropriate. I don't track and haven't for quite some time now. I hardly take any spot checks for logging anymore either.0
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I think rybo made a great observation. Calorie bombs. Some people may eat too much all the time. But I (and sounds like him and also the person who dropped butter and cheese most days) just have a few things that add just enough calories for a slow weight climb. Get rid of those and you're good.0
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It's been about 2.5 years. I went from 200 pounds to 153. When I got that slim I decided I wanted to start lifting weights and build some muscle so I've slowly gained up to about 175 pounds while keeping my body fat % under 15.
Once you've established healthy eating habits you don't really get cravings for garbage foods and you don't need to keep such a careful watch over your calories. I don't think I've tracked my calories for longer than a week at any point in the last year.0 -
I've lost about 50 lbs 10 years ago and lost it again after having 2 kids. The important things for me are staying active and continually challenging your body most days, weighing every day, eating more protein and fiber to feel full, and having treats sometimes just not ALL the time. Once these became habits and part of my life, it's really not hard to keep the weight off.0
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I don't log and I've maintained for over two years now...basically, I live a healthful lifestyle. I'm not calorie obsessed in the least (I was when I was logging) but rather, I adhere to eating pretty healthfully 90% of the time...I'm real big on nutrition. I also exercise regularly, 4-5 days per week. I monitor my weight and continue to weigh-in regularly...if I notice an upward trend (not just some fluctuation gain) then I take a look at what I'm doing and make adjustments as necessary.
For me, maintaining a healthy weight is a bi-product of living a healthy lifestyle...it's all about good livin'. Some people crave cookies and cake...I tend to crave things like nectarines and cucumber salad...0 -
It's been about 2.5 years. I went from 200 pounds to 153. When I got that slim I decided I wanted to start lifting weights and build some muscle so I've slowly gained up to about 175 pounds while keeping my body fat % under 15.
Once you've established healthy eating habits you don't really get cravings for garbage foods and you don't need to keep such a careful watch over your calories. I don't think I've tracked my calories for longer than a week at any point in the last year.
Awesome! I want to do this.
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I have, several times. I'm sure I will this time too. But, I'll probably need to lose again in a few years. At this stage of life I've stopped even kidding myself that I'll keep it off forever. I gain a few, I lose a few. It was always thus.
But, it's kept me healthy for over half a century.0 -
I went from 109kg to around 72kg and have been maintaining for about four years now. I'm now around 69, planning to go down to around 65kg. It's all about finding what works for you—you can have the most perfect diet and fitness plan but if you hate living like that, it's not gonna work long-term. I love food and still eat everything I ate when I was obese, just in smaller amounts and with a different balance (pasta sauces, for example, now contain more veggies and less cheese most of the time). I also discovered forms of exercise I enjoy, which makes it easy to stick to that, too. Also, like others have said, knowledge is power.0
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When I got that slim I decided I wanted to start lifting weights and build some muscle so I've slowly gained up to about 175 pounds while keeping my body fat % under 15.
Once you've established healthy eating habits you don't really get cravings for garbage foods and you don't need to keep such a careful watch over your calories. I don't think I've tracked my calories for longer than a week at any point in the last year.
^Yup! I did the same thing. I'm about 15 lbs heavier but still 2-3 dress sizes smaller.
Make lifestyle changes. Don't go for a quick fix for the instant satisfaction. It will backfire every time. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow... but it will someday. I realized I have this ONE body and if I'm going to reach my goal of living to be a healthy and active 111 years old, I've got to treat it well!
Exercise is still a very big part of my routine, watching calories and being mindful of my macros but not obsessing about hitting them exactly every day. I eat a lot of veggies and protein and I eat whatever I want, in moderation.
That means, if I want a donut I work it into my calorie allowance. Done. And I drink AT LEAST a gallon of water every day.
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I'm at 2.5 years that I've kept off 60 lbs. I'd like to lose 10 more if I can. I've gained 5 lbs from my lowest set weight, but that's a combo of increasing my muscle mass and at times not eating right. I'm 43 and was overweight almost all my life. My heaviest was 265 lbs when I was 30 years old.
Here's what worked for me:
-Weighing myself at least every other day.
-Using MFP to log everything I eat.
-Having high protein snacks (beef jerky, Think Thin bars)
-Having a pre-planned breakfast and lunch. Lunch is always a bagged salad kit from the grocery store.
-Every weekday I walk as much as I can. Usually at least 6 miles a day.
-Converting my work desk to a standing desk.
-Donating all my clothes that were too big for me (this made a psychological change that my new size is now normal).
-Changing my eating habits permanently. Except for very rare occasions I don't eat chips or cookies or crackers. Basically if it's "shelf stable" I don't eat it. I also make sure I eat at least 4 servings of fruit and vegetables a day.
-When I eat at a restaurant I choose things from the menu in this order: Salad --> Fish --> Chicken --> Meat --> Pasta. Even if you don't know the calorie count, you're fairly safe ordering a salad or fish to stay on track.0 -
Nearly 60lbs for nearly 20 years (if you don't count the 9+9=18 months pregnant)
Here are various strategies I've used:
-cutting out the unnecessary "food" (ex. soda, ranch dressing, excessive butter, etc.), weighing myself fairly regularly, increasing water intake, cutting artificial sweeteners completely, increasing the amount of "real" food consumed (meat, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds), weighing/logging food, taking responsibility for my behavior (food-related and exercise-related), exercising more, and LIFTING (by far the best strategy yet)0 -
TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »Me, kept it off for a bit more than 20 years
Became injured and gained weight and now almost back were i was before and start maintaining again.
the way i kept it off? Control, not over eating and i was very active. Ate the same amount of calories as i burned.
Sorry to hear that you were injured. Congrats on getting back to maintenance, though.0 -
I've lost 60lbs and kept it off. The steps I take are the same ones I took to lose weight:
1. Count calories. I still track my calories, though with more leeway.
2. Continue being active. I exercise most days.
3. New goals. I'm always looking to improve my fitness. Helps me from feeling "bored" by exercise.
3. Obsession: there's no need to be obsessed. When making meal choices, I think more about whether I've had enough vegetables, protein, etc, in my day. I stay mindful of portions. I also pay attention to hunger and fullness cues.
4. Doctor check-ups are always a good motivator. I went from various issues (high cholesterol, etc) to being in very good health. It's a reminder of why I started the journey in the first place.
5. Weight loss was always about a lifestyle change. To maintain, I resist going back to the old habits that caused my gain.0
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