Has anyone broken the Lose / Regain Cycle?

zombiemusicgirl · July 2015

So I don't start a whole lot of posts in the message boards, mostly because I am terrible at phrasing things and I've occasionally gotten pummeled - my own fault though. I'm a really bad proofreader.

So, I do have a question that I didn't find during a search. Has anyone broken the lose and regain cycle? I know I just have to "shut up and do it," but I am having trouble with the fear of having it happen again. I am a repeat offender. Every year it seems I have about 3-4 months in a row when I do well, and then bam - I can't stay focused and I start regaining. I know it's not supposed to be easy. But I am occasionally find myself discouraged and fearful. I will keep trying though.

I don't expect a magic wand, just some suggestions from people who have actually conquered this particular problem. Some kind advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Liftng4Lis · July 2015

Stop dieting and make a lifestyle change.

BasicGreatGuy · July 2015

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

Stop dieting and make a lifestyle change.

+1

tulips_and_tea · July 2015

I think a lot of people go through this. My only suggestion would be to turn this cycle into a positive instead of a negative, meaning, subconsciously you may have set yourself up for failure because you've repeated the pattern a couple of times. Instead of looking at it as a failure, try to learn from it. Keep close track of what worked for you and what didn't. Eliminate the drastic changes that don't work.

Also, mindset: just because you aren't perfectly consistent in your mind doesn't mean you can't do this. Just work on being a little more consistent every day. Don't let little things derail you for long periods of time. Personally, I don't like the term "falling off the wagon" because I believe sometimes you may be steering the wagon, sometimes you're a passenger, and sometimes you may be hanging on for dear life, but as long as you're alive you will always be ON the wagon.

lovelyaib96 · July 2015

I have before....I was 160 my senior year and lost ten pounds...I felt better there, but during freshman year I gained it back because I wasn't exercising that much and kept going to restaurants with my friends and eating junk food. I have about five pounds. But don't worry about it too much, try to control what you eat and stay busy with ever day activities and exercise.

ccollins12070 · July 2015

I have the exact same problem. Once I stop hitting the gym, it's sooo hard to re-motivate myself, even with the help of friends/family and then I gain the weight back.

jaga13 · July 2015

zombiemusicgirl wrote: »

So I don't start a whole lot of posts in the message boards, mostly because I am terrible at phrasing things and I've occasionally gotten pummeled - my own fault though. I'm a really bad proofreader.

So, I do have a question that I didn't find during a search. Has anyone broken the lose and regain cycle? I know I just have to "shut up and do it," but I am having trouble with the fear of having it happen again. I am a repeat offender. Every year it seems I have about 3-4 months in a row when I do well, and then bam - I can't stay focused and I start regaining. I know it's not supposed to be easy. But I am occasionally find myself discouraged and fearful. I will keep trying though.

I don't expect a magic wand, just some suggestions from people who have actually conquered this particular problem. Some kind advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

For what it's worth, I think this is a great post and your question and concern are totally valid!

In the past I never got enough momentum to really lose anything. For years. That changed two years ago, and while I mostly didn't regain, I did plateau for a long time (because I wasn't focused). A few months ago I got back in the grove, committed to following MFP's recommended calories (and bought a food scale!), and have steadily lost weight at an appropriate pace ever since. Like clockwork the scale shows a .5 lb loss every week.

However, this past weigh-in showed a 1 lb increase and I'm not gonna lie, it scared me a tiny bit. I KNOW I couldn't have possibly gained a pound while eating at a deficit (it's likely just water retention after eating some high-sodium meals that I don't normally eat).

But it did make me wonder: has the weight loss been a phase? Will I slide backwards? Until this past weigh-in I really question it. I believed that this was a permanent change. I believed that I would be switching to maintenance sometime in the next few months. What if I was wrong? What if my motivation just goes away?

I don't have an answer except I'm focusing even more this week on my deficit. I'll never be perfect, but I do care about progress and I am faithful that I WILL stay focused and will continue to lose until maintenance, and I WILL continue to focus while in maintenance mode. I don't want to get too caught up in what-ifs. I know that the way I'm eating now is totally sustainable. And I look forward to adding a couple hundred calories back into my life when I hit maintenance!

Sued0nim · July 2015

I believe I have

For the first time in my life I am in maintenance and have been since February

I think the difference is I made definite changes to the amount I move in general, I have become religious in my workouts but most importantly for me I have a wide and unrestricted for anything, but calorie monitoring, diet..so it don't ever crave something I can't work out how to fit into my life

Works for me

JeralynSh · July 2015

What worked for me is not just watching my calories and logging everything religiously, but also running. A lot. Because I like to eat. A LOT!

I lost the weight I needed to lose and have been in maintenance mode for about a year now. It really is a lifestyle change. I continue to run every day, even if it's just a short 3 miles, and I still log into MFP every day. It keeps me accountable to myself. And it's work, but it is work well worth doing. I don't deny myself anything anymore, but if I overindulge a bit now and then, I make up for it by being more active the next day. It's just part of the routine now.

Sure, I'll fluctuate a little now and then, but I'm a woman; it's what happens.

MonaLisaLianne · July 2015

jaga13 wrote: »

zombiemusicgirl wrote: »

So I don't start a whole lot of posts in the message boards, mostly because I am terrible at phrasing things and I've occasionally gotten pummeled - my own fault though. I'm a really bad proofreader.

So, I do have a question that I didn't find during a search. Has anyone broken the lose and regain cycle? I know I just have to "shut up and do it," but I am having trouble with the fear of having it happen again. I am a repeat offender. Every year it seems I have about 3-4 months in a row when I do well, and then bam - I can't stay focused and I start regaining. I know it's not supposed to be easy. But I am occasionally find myself discouraged and fearful. I will keep trying though.

I don't expect a magic wand, just some suggestions from people who have actually conquered this particular problem. Some kind advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!

For what it's worth, I think this is a great post and your question and concern are totally valid!

In the past I never got enough momentum to really lose anything. For years. That changed two years ago, and while I mostly didn't regain, I did plateau for a long time (because I wasn't focused). A few months ago I got back in the grove, committed to following MFP's recommended calories (and bought a food scale!), and have steadily lost weight at an appropriate pace ever since. Like clockwork the scale shows a .5 lb loss every week.

However, this past weigh-in showed a 1 lb increase and I'm not gonna lie, it scared me a tiny bit. I KNOW I couldn't have possibly gained a pound while eating at a deficit (it's likely just water retention after eating some high-sodium meals that I don't normally eat).

But it did make me wonder: has the weight loss been a phase? Will I slide backwards? Until this past weigh-in I really question it. I believed that this was a permanent change. I believed that I would be switching to maintenance sometime in the next few months. What if I was wrong? What if my motivation just goes away?

I don't have an answer except I'm focusing even more this week on my deficit. I'll never be perfect, but I do care about progress and I am faithful that I WILL stay focused and will continue to lose until maintenance, and I WILL continue to focus while in maintenance mode. I don't want to get too caught up in what-ifs. I know that the way I'm eating now is totally sustainable. And I look forward to adding a couple hundred calories back into my life when I hit maintenance!

I thought my changes were permanent, and that my losses would continue until I hit my goal and then I would just stay there. Instead, I got within 3 lbs. of goal and it began to be really hard to lose any more weight. I stepped up my exercise, but that just made me more hungry! Fall & winter kept me at a plateau about 5-6 lbs. above my low weight and I thought that summer would bring me back to eating at a steady deficit & exercising more. Instead I've had an extreme lack of motivation, injuries that have kept me from lifting, and am now a solid 7 lbs. above my low weight (10 lbs. above goal). Still - I now know that I *can* do this, and I don't intend to grow out of my new wardrobe! My take on this is that for me, psychologically, I am either losing or gaining. I'm either in deprivation mode or indulgence mode. I need to get out of that mindset and simply do the right thing every day. Or at least every other day

SezxyStef · July 2015

Yes it is called maintenance and there is an entire board on MFP filled with people doing it.

I did/do it after losing almost 60lbs...maintenance is just like losing for me. I log my food here using a food scale ensuring I stay in goal (albeit a bit larger goal), I exercise just like when I was losing and that's maintenance.....nothing secret or special to it. The key I think is not eliminating foods while losing because it's harder to fit them back in after you have lost weight.

I made changes that were permanent not temporary. I prefer to not be an expert at losing...

ccollins12070 wrote: »

I have the exact same problem. Once I stop hitting the gym, it's sooo hard to re-motivate myself, even with the help of friends/family and then I gain the weight back.

Why do you stop going to the gym? is the gym a temporary thing for weight loss????

ARC1603 · July 2015

I think so many of us have been stuck in the same cycle. It's true what causes it, making unrealistic changes that are unsustainable in the long run. I can lose weight pretty easily, I know what to do, it's just I generally choose not to do it because my methods of losing weight have involved depriving myself far too much!

Since having my second baby I feel like I've had the light bulb moment and worked out how to get off this roller coaster. I've decided instead of punishing myself to get to a certain size dictated to me by others, I'm aiming for a size I'm happy with. It is slightly higher than my healthy bmi, but it's got to be healthier than where I am now or constantly yo-yoing! I worked out the amount of calories I need to maintain this weight and I eat that amount of calories. My theory is that it's some kind of deficit, so I'm bound to lose weight and if I want to maintain that weight I should be eating this amount forever. The weight loss is slow and steady, but this is another reason why I've always been up and down, I want it all super quick, so have to make drastic changes to achieve it. Now there's no deadline, I'm going to be living this way forever. So I'm not prepared to make changes I can't stick to forever any more.

cwolfman13 · July 2015

I lost my weight...I've maintained that for over two years now...i've never dieted or anything before.

I came to recognize early on that my health and fitness and having the body I want are pretty much predicated on me living a healthful lifestyle...eating right and regular exercise. You can't just diet and exercise to lose weight and then go back to "normal"...there has to be a new normal. In the absence of a new normal, people will just put the weight back on period.

this is why it is important to develop sustainable eating and fitness habits along the way...crash dieting and over the top exercise isn't sustainable and isn't really going to teach you anything.

if people actually emphasized overall health and fitness rather than some arbitrary number on the scale, things would be a lot different I think. people seem to be obsessed with simply weighing XXX Lbs...I'm more obsessed with being as healthy and fit as possible.

StaciMarie1974 · July 2015

I did.

Had 10 years or so of on-again, off-again weight loss efforts. I think what finally worked for me was changing my thinking. Everyone says its 80% food and 20% activity, but if you're a lazy bum (meaning me, not you!) and spend most of your waking hours sitting then it changes things. I realized my options were a) eat at a reduced calorie range forever or b) move more. And being more active has other health benefits as well.

So now I'm 9+ months into maintenance. I still pay attention to my daily totals, track my food, etc. And I get 10k+ steps per day almost without fail. I have 'tools' in place to hold myself accountable. Such as 5k-10k-half-marathon events on the calendar. And apps like Myfitnesspal, Pact, Fitbit and such.

edwardetr · July 2015

I've followed what I will call nutrition/fitness/gym addicts on instagram and get recipe ideas from what they post. I think there is a recipe section somewhere around here, too. There are healthy ways to keep yourself satisfied and the more of them you find, the more likely you are to succeed. You can't be unsatisfied and expect to succeed. Like Lifting4Lis said, it has to be a lifestyle change. That means it is something you can happily do for the rest of your life.

Has anyone broken the Lose / Regain Cycle?

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