How to not be one of those "I lost X pounds but then I gained X of it back!"

I've been mostly maintaining my weight for about a year now. I've dropped a few pounds here and there as well as picked up a couple of pounds from vacation but mostly it's been maintenance. My advice is to just keep doing what you did to lose the weight. The only thing that's different now is you get to eat more calories.

the best defense against gaining it all back is staying aware of what you weigh, ie weighing yourself regularly. I didn't let myself get to over 300lbs by being aware of it. If you keep tracking your weight, then you'll notice the pounds if they start to creep back on before it becomes a big problem. Then you can make the necessary changes to get them back off. It's a lot easier to lose 3lbs from a vacation, then 35lbs from not paying attention for 6 months.

people tend to talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change, but most do not really understand what that is or what that means and ultimately fail to implement such a change. people tend to look at goal weight as the "finish line" when in reality, they've simply arrived at the starting line of the actual race to be run.

I don't log...haven't logged in over two years and I've maintained by 40 - 50 Lb weight loss just fine. How? My lifestyle is completely different than it was three years ago when I started out. I eat very healthfully...I am admittedly a whole foods/minimally processed foods snob...my diet is very heavy on whole foods. Fruits, veg, whole grains, legumes, lean sourced protein, and healthy fats from things like avocado, nuts, olive oil, etc make up the vast majority of my diet...this is no different than when I was losing weight...the difference between my maintenance and losing weight is a mere handful of calories...a couple extra snacks during the day...that's it.

Where people go wrong here is that they hit goal...the "finish line" and say, "awesome...now I can go back to normal"...that mentality pretty much signals that they've already lost the real race...they don't register that there has to be a new normal...you can't revert to old dietary habits that got you into trouble in the first place.

Beyond that, people tend to fail at fitness...people tend to so closely associate fitness and exercise with losing weight that they fail to recognize fitness for the sake of fitness...you exercise to be fit, not to lose weight...thus you also exercise when in maintenance...because you're doing it for fitness. I still exercise the same as I did when I was losing weight...I ride 60-80 miles per week just like I did then...I lift 2-3 times per week just like I did then...I fit in a 5K run pretty much weekly to cross train just like I did then.

TLDR...people tend to revert back to old dietary habits and cease regular exercise and thus put the weight back on.

None of us will maintain a "lifestyle change" 100% of the time, without fail, for the rest of our lives. The best we can hope for is to catch ourselves more quickly when we fall. To do that, we need to check our weight regularly, never allowing ourselves to say, "I'll wait till next week, so I can make up for overeating first." It can also be helpful to have someone hold us accountable. Aside from that, it is good to get involved in things that encourage activity. Instead of hanging with the guys who do happy hour every day, hang with the guys who ride bicycles after work. Instead of inviting your friends to eat with you at a restaurant, invite them to have a picnic with you at a park. You can't just quit doing something that is unhealthy you have to replace it with something that is healthy.

DrEnalg wrote: »

I see lots of those pop up around here. I'm a few pounds from what I previously said was my goal weight (really, I think I'm at goal at this point). I'm trying to seriously start thinking of what maintainence and recomposition will look like for me.

How do you *not* become a statistic, as they say?

That's most of the herd.
I just don't get it.
The reasons are usually crash dieting with unsustainable eating habits which stifle metabolism, wreck lean body mass and weaken the will.
I lost 100 pounds and have maintained going on 3 years.
Maintenance is every bit as challenging as losing the weight, but so worth it. The key is taking the time to do this slowly.
Today, I eat around 3500 calories daily, and my metabolism is like a furnace.

I would not sustain my results any other way.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

people tend to talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change, but most do not really understand what that is or what that means and ultimately fail to implement such a change. people tend to look at goal weight as the "finish line" when in reality, they've simply arrived at the starting line of the actual race to be run.

I don't log...haven't logged in over two years and I've maintained by 40 - 50 Lb weight loss just fine. How? My lifestyle is completely different than it was three years ago when I started out. I eat very healthfully...I am admittedly a whole foods/minimally processed foods snob...my diet is very heavy on whole foods. Fruits, veg, whole grains, legumes, lean sourced protein, and healthy fats from things like avocado, nuts, olive oil, etc make up the vast majority of my diet...this is no different than when I was losing weight...the difference between my maintenance and losing weight is a mere handful of calories...a couple extra snacks during the day...that's it.

Where people go wrong here is that they hit goal...the "finish line" and say, "awesome...now I can go back to normal"...that mentality pretty much signals that they've already lost the real race...they don't register that there has to be a new normal...you can't revert to old dietary habits that got you into trouble in the first place.

Beyond that, people tend to fail at fitness...people tend to so closely associate fitness and exercise with losing weight that they fail to recognize fitness for the sake of fitness...you exercise to be fit, not to lose weight...thus you also exercise when in maintenance...because you're doing it for fitness. I still exercise the same as I did when I was losing weight...I ride 60-80 miles per week just like I did then...I lift 2-3 times per week just like I did then...I fit in a 5K run pretty much weekly to cross train just like I did then.

TLDR...people tend to revert back to old dietary habits and cease regular exercise and thus put the weight back on.

THIS THIS THIS THIS!!!!!!

This should be a stickie!!!!

Thank you, @cwolfman13 , could've not summed it any better!

As someone who is part of this "statistic" of losing and regaining, I have to say it's not always *just* about hitting the finish line and going back to bad habits, or that you didn't lose weight in a sustainable way. I lost 25 lbs in 2012 and maintained that loss for just over a year.

I can pinpoint the exact moment when my weight started coming back on: my then boyfriend, now husband, and I bought a house and got engaged. I went from living a 15 minute walk from my office, with a gym in our apartment building that was included in our rent, to a 40 minute commute in the suburbs and nothing but a yoga mat. Since we bought a house at the top of our budget I had no room for a gym membership, and also no convenient way to get there as we only share 1 car. I also had to plan a wedding, which for me took up a lot of free time, and money. So fitness went on the back burner, and gradually my eating habits got worse and worse.

I've now lost that weight again, but I had to figure out my fitness goals in an entirely different way. I bought a second hand treadmill and got some dumbbells and workout dvd's. I workout at home, but it's different than it was the first time. I know we will be in our current living situation for a long time, so I don't see any reason why I won't be able to maintain this time.

All I can say is watch out for major life events or changes in your living condition. You truly have to make it a priority, and definitely always be aware of your weight and what you're eating.

kristen6350 wrote: »

What works for me? Having that # that you won't go above...I lost 50lbs from 2012-2013. Summer of 2013 I was in the best shape of my life and the lowest weight I had been in my adult life. Happy me. So, after doing the whole "I've got this" and never getting back on a scale until Dec. 2014 and having gained about 20lbs, I realized I needed to change my thinking. I lost the 20lbs I re-gained and after that point I said "I must weigh once a week, and if that number goes to or higher than 152, it's time to log again". This way I didn't have to feel I was a slave to MFP forever but it rewarded me when I didn't go overboard. I've been some where between 148 & 152 for about 6 months now, only getting 151.5 2x. 1 week back and logging and I was back in the range. It works for me. It's not disciplined, it's not Type A, but it's working.

This is (going to be) my strategy too: I am not logging consistently at the moment, but I am weighing myself every day, so if my weight starts going up (as it did over the holiday, by nearly 3 kgs) I know to do something, and can log again, or just cut back. I know what too much feels like now! Too many 2 or 3 course meals with wine and the odd cooked breakfast, and those kgs start creeping back up.

Yeah, exercise daily. (Also, don't get injured It's true that if you account for the lost calorie burn, you shouldn't regain, but in real-world situations, it doesn't always work out that way, just because of how we are -like it's tricky if exercise helped w appetite regulation, or you lose your head for a bit bc you're sad bc you can't do things you loved anymore or aren't mobile ) But really, even if you do everything right, things can happen in life that might take you off-track. Just keep getting back on the horse, every time.

Also, pick a cue to monitor things. And don't let yourself rationalize around it. E.g. a number on the scale or clothing - when you have to go up a size, it's time to tighten things up again. (But make a deal with your future self that those are firm metrics. It's not that you're bloated, or that all your clothes shrunk in the wash at the same time.)

This one's easy...stay connected to the scale. It amazes me to read when people post that they are "surprised" to have gained back 40 pounds....they had no idea. Really? Use the tools that got you to goal and keep them in your toolbelt. Since my "intuitive eating" sensor is broken, I have to journal...and by now, it is a habit anyway. So why not step on the scale at LEAST once a month?

I don't know anyone who's successfully lost weight and not gained it back eventually...

Actually I haven't got ANY comment on my weight loss from my husband's family because they're probably thinking that I'll gain it all back anyway (been maintaining for over a year), or people I see once a year ask me how I manage to stay 'so skinny' (which I'm not, really). To be fair, I do eat quite a lot when we have social events, but it's only a few times a year thing... and they usually don't see me eating the rest of the time, and they don't see me exercising one hour a day (which, as far as I know, none of them does at all) etc...

For me, I guess I'm still in the 'weight loss' mindset because I didn't have a very aggressive goal, and it's what's stopped me from gaining weight back... I wouldn't mind losing more. So I try to keep a deficit and it makes up for the days I end up eating too much. But losing too much weight is not something I've ever been worried about, I just get too hungry for that to happen.

MasterVal wrote: »

cwolfman13 wrote: »

people tend to talk a good talk about "lifestyle" change, but most do not really understand what that is or what that means and ultimately fail to implement such a change. people tend to look at goal weight as the "finish line" when in reality, they've simply arrived at the starting line of the actual race to be run.

I don't log...haven't logged in over two years and I've maintained by 40 - 50 Lb weight loss just fine. How? My lifestyle is completely different than it was three years ago when I started out. I eat very healthfully...I am admittedly a whole foods/minimally processed foods snob...my diet is very heavy on whole foods. Fruits, veg, whole grains, legumes, lean sourced protein, and healthy fats from things like avocado, nuts, olive oil, etc make up the vast majority of my diet...this is no different than when I was losing weight...the difference between my maintenance and losing weight is a mere handful of calories...a couple extra snacks during the day...that's it.

Where people go wrong here is that they hit goal...the "finish line" and say, "awesome...now I can go back to normal"...that mentality pretty much signals that they've already lost the real race...they don't register that there has to be a new normal...you can't revert to old dietary habits that got you into trouble in the first place.

Beyond that, people tend to fail at fitness...people tend to so closely associate fitness and exercise with losing weight that they fail to recognize fitness for the sake of fitness...you exercise to be fit, not to lose weight...thus you also exercise when in maintenance...because you're doing it for fitness. I still exercise the same as I did when I was losing weight...I ride 60-80 miles per week just like I did then...I lift 2-3 times per week just like I did then...I fit in a 5K run pretty much weekly to cross train just like I did then.

TLDR...people tend to revert back to old dietary habits and cease regular exercise and thus put the weight back on.

THIS THIS THIS THIS!!!!!!

This should be a stickie!!!!

Thank you, @cwolfman13 , could've not summed it any better!

I agree. This is the best thing I've ever read about maintenance!

The last time i lost weight and regained, my diet and exercise didn't change at all. I was still eating healthy, nearly half fruits and vegetables every day. But i attempted to do it without counting. Unfortunately for me, my maintenance calories are low, only 1400-1500. So the difference between losing and gaining is quite small. I've realized that this time I'm going to have to count calories during maintenance for quite a while at least. Even on the healthiest diet you can gain weight if you're eating too many calories.

I think also, since i tend to burn out on counting calories, I will schedule a week here and there to take "diet breaks".

As usual, wolfman is absolutely right!

I'd also add that life is a dynamic thing. There is nothing that says if you've regained pounds in the past, you're going to gain them back again. Just learn from mistakes you've made in the past. I've lost and regained before, but I won't this time (after 70lbs gone) mainly because of what I've learned about nutrition, health and myself. I'm quite literally a new person!

I'm still 50 pounds away from maintenance, but I think about it a lot and how I'm going to maintain what I'm working so hard to achieve. I just figure it's a continuationof what I'm doing now with a few more nibbles thrown in. I try not to make a change that I don't think I can keep up for the rest of my life.

It's so encouraging to hear all of you talk about the successes you've had! Thanks got the perspective!