"If you're fat and lose weight, you're probably gonna get fat again"

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  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    I think it happens when people do unsustainable things to lose weight and/or don't have a good understanding of how to behave on a permanent basis for maintenance. They go for some crazy program rather than saying "for the rest of my life I will have to behave in this new way of tracking food and working out regularly." When it comes to studies, they tend to find that the people who do keep the weight off are the people who continue working out and don't get slack about it. If you keep your muscle mass up and burn calories through activity regularly you stand a much better chance of keeping the weight off than if you return to being sedentary and allow your body to lose muscle thus burning fewer calories and gaining weight back.
  • DuckReconMajor
    DuckReconMajor Posts: 434 Member
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    One thing I wonder is how often are these people weighing themselves after they lose the weight? Since I got my own place and have a scale in the bathroom it's become a ritual. My weight gain the beginning of this year did not stop me from weighing myself, at worst i'd be like "damn, 220 again?" and huff and maybe eat a bit less in the following days.

    I still don't understand how the weight "creeps back up" on someone. When I hit my goal the only way I will gain (which I'm not going to let happen) is if I see my weight go up every day and actively say "i am done giving a *kitten* and am gonna let myself get heavier" and watch the process. I have never seen the point in hiding from the scale when one is available.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    DuckReconMajor wrote: »
    One thing I wonder is how often are these people weighing themselves after they lose the weight? Since I got my own place and have a scale in the bathroom it's become a ritual. My weight gain the beginning of this year did not stop me from weighing myself, at worst i'd be like "damn, 220 again?" and huff and maybe eat a bit less in the following days.

    I still don't understand how the weight "creeps back up" on someone. When I hit my goal the only way I will gain (which I'm not going to let happen) is if I see my weight go up every day and actively say "i am done giving a *kitten* and am gonna let myself get heavier" and watch the process. I have never seen the point in hiding from the scale when one is available.

    True. It's habit everyone should maintain. I remember reading somewhere that those who weigh themselves during maintenance keep off 30% more weight than those who don't.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,565 Member
    edited July 2015
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    If addiction, I can believe it. Regardless of addiction, I don't believe the success rate is very high for long term adherence.

    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
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  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
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    gothchiq wrote: »
    I think it happens when people do unsustainable things to lose weight and/or don't have a good understanding of how to behave on a permanent basis for maintenance.
    They say that people who lose on crash diets have the same success rate for maintaining as those who don't. How you lose the weight is no indication of success when it comes to keeping it off.

    It's all very depressing when I think about it, lol.

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    I think it happens when people do unsustainable things to lose weight and/or don't have a good understanding of how to behave on a permanent basis for maintenance.
    They say that people who lose on crash diets have the same success rate for maintaining as those who don't. How you lose the weight is no indication of success when it comes to keeping it off.

    It's all very depressing when I think about it, lol.

    So you are already thinking of become a statistic?
  • s2mikey
    s2mikey Posts: 146 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    An excuse not to commit

    Don't care what happens to those who don't commit properly ...I've got this

    Agreed. Haters gonna hate. Ironically I lost 100 lbs and have stayed about where I need to be for over a year now. id NEVER go back. IMO its easier to stay here than to get here ;)

  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    In maintenance a person's focus on diet tends to taper off since seeing the same number on the scale (that is if they keep the amazing habit of weighing periodically) is not the same as anticipating different numbers each time.

    Whoa. I never thought about that. I AM very driven by seeing the number go down. I never thought about how seeing the same weight over and over again in maintenance could affect motivation. Good to think about before I get there!
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Peole regain the weight because they go back to their old habits once they lose it. Don't do that, and you won't regain the weight.
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    edited July 2015
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    In maintenance a person's focus on diet tends to taper off since seeing the same number on the scale (that is if they keep the amazing habit of weighing periodically) is not the same as anticipating different numbers each time.

    Whoa. I never thought about that. I AM very driven by seeing the number go down. I never thought about how seeing the same weight over and over again in maintenance could affect motivation. Good to think about before I get there!
    I'm driven by seeing the numbers do what I want them to do. When I was losing, that was going down. In maintenance, that's seeing them stay about the same. Seeing the same number over and over again is a good thing. When I bulk, it will be about seeing them go up.

    ETA: Although, right now, the numbers aren't doing what I want, so I'm probably going to have to add a couple hundred calories a day, soon.

  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    edited July 2015
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    I think it happens when people do unsustainable things to lose weight and/or don't have a good understanding of how to behave on a permanent basis for maintenance.
    They say that people who lose on crash diets have the same success rate for maintaining as those who don't. How you lose the weight is no indication of success when it comes to keeping it off.

    It's all very depressing when I think about it, lol.

    So you are already thinking of become a statistic?

    Everyone is part of the statistics, even those who keep it off. Those 2/10 who keep it off are in those stats.

    If the stats are right, 8/10 people in this thread who say they won't gain it back will, in fact, gain it back. It only makes sense to consider it.
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    jaga13 wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    In maintenance a person's focus on diet tends to taper off since seeing the same number on the scale (that is if they keep the amazing habit of weighing periodically) is not the same as anticipating different numbers each time.

    Whoa. I never thought about that. I AM very driven by seeing the number go down. I never thought about how seeing the same weight over and over again in maintenance could affect motivation. Good to think about before I get there!
    I'm driven by seeing the numbers do what I want them to do. When I was losing, that was going down. In maintenance, that's seeing them stay about the same. Seeing the same number over and over again is a good thing. When I bulk, it will be about seeing them go up.

    Good point. Maybe when I get to maintenance I will be driven by recording the same(ish) weight every week and watching the number of weeks grow. Different goal, but still number-driven.
  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
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    I heard someone describe maintenance once as gaining and losing the same 5 pounds over and over - makes sense to me. After losing 125+ lbs and being in maintenance for 15 months, I look at scale weight as a game - can I keep the numbers in my range and if I go over or under my range how fast can I get back in my range? Took awhile to shift my focus from seeing the numbers go down constantly but coming up with a new challenge for myself helped a lot.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Kalikel wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    gothchiq wrote: »
    I think it happens when people do unsustainable things to lose weight and/or don't have a good understanding of how to behave on a permanent basis for maintenance.
    They say that people who lose on crash diets have the same success rate for maintaining as those who don't. How you lose the weight is no indication of success when it comes to keeping it off.

    It's all very depressing when I think about it, lol.

    So you are already thinking of become a statistic?

    Everyone is part of the statistics, even hoes who keep it off. Those 2/10 who keep it off are in those stats.

    If the stats are right, 8/10 people in this thread who say they won't gain it back will, in fact, gain it back. It only makes sense to consider it.

    n=1 will succeed. I don't really care who gives up because I know I won't. Statistics are facts about the past and you keep holding it to truth about the future.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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    HappyCampr1 wrote: »
    There's one thing that I agree with in the article. It says a lot of formerly obese people lose weight and then decide they are ok even though they are still overweight. That's me. Normal range for me starts at 148-149. I'm currently 150.5, but I normally maintain around 152. My BF% is good for someone my age (49). I'm ok with this weight and so I'm one of those statistics in the article.

    Glad I'm not the only one. I've got 10 more pounds and a few % BF I'm working on, but I've maintained a long time in the slightly overweight category. At least according to BMI I should be <159 lbs, but I'm fairly happy, healthy, and fit at ~165.
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    Meh, a lot of people who lose a ton of weight do it through medical VLCDs and fad diets. You can even add the surgical folks as well. I would expect those people to gain a lot of weight back since the probably never learned anything about nutrition to begin with.

    I would be interested in seeing how many people gained weight back AFTER learning just the basics of weight loss.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    my thoughts are that 95% of people who are overweight and lose weight will regain the weight because they talk a good talk about living a more healthful lifestyle, but really it only ends up being temporary. They never actually adopt a healthier lifestyle...they just go back to same old same old.

    I've maintained my weight loss for over two years largely because I've adopted a healthier way of eating than I used to and regular exercise is a huge part of who I am now vs. who I was just three years ago.

    Everyone controls their own destiny...most just fail at making long term, sustainable life changes.
  • NikiChicken
    NikiChicken Posts: 576 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    An excuse not to commit

    Don't care what happens to those who don't commit properly ...I've got this

    exactly...it's like everything else in life..marriage, your job, paying off your mortgage...

    It takes drive and commitment and the desire to keep at it regardless....

    Like my profile says...you either want it or you don't....

    Yup, if you have the desire, drive and commitment to keep at it FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE you won't gain it back. If you look at eating for weight loss as a temporary measure, of course you will gain it back! I'm in the former category - this is what I have to do for the rest of my life. Otherwise, I'll be right back where I started. I guess that makes me a special snowflake as well...
  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    my thoughts are that 95% of people who are overweight and lose weight will regain the weight because they talk a good talk about living a more healthful lifestyle, but really it only ends up being temporary. They never actually adopt a healthier lifestyle...they just go back to same old same old.

    I've maintained my weight loss for over two years largely because I've adopted a healthier way of eating than I used to and regular exercise is a huge part of who I am now vs. who I was just three years ago.

    Everyone controls their own destiny...most just fail at making long term, sustainable life changes.

    I agree, but this thread makes me think: everyone says "it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle." This irks me. I'm not interested in fad diets, by no means. But cutting out 250 (or many more) calories a day is not meant to be a lifestyle. It does indeed have an end point (maintenance). THEN, maintenance is what I would deem a new lifestyle. I think this is part of the problem. Understanding that the deficit portion is actually temporary, and planning for a maintenance transition. I think about it all the time. I envision myself at my goal weight and think about how I will "spend" those extra calories...will I simply eat 250 calories more each day? Exercise less? Continue to eat at a deficit during the week so I can really indulge on the weekends?

    It's sort of like people who spend years planning their wedding...without any thought about what it's actually going to be like BEING MARRIED.

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