Heard a statistic that basically nobody can truly lose weight, is it BS?
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Trestjerner
Posts: 5 Member
An overweight and very negative friend told me today that, I shouldn't bother trying to lose weight because only 3% manage to keep the weight of and the rest will gain it all back and then some. That statistic sounded...less then credible to me, but she couldn't give me any evidence for it except to point me towards a fat acceptance blog.
My question; Is the statistic as BS as it sounds like? Where does it come from and how can I debunk it for her?
My question; Is the statistic as BS as it sounds like? Where does it come from and how can I debunk it for her?
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Replies
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I can't cite any specific sources, but yes I think the conventional wisdom is that at least 90% of dieters tend to fail over the long-term.
Editorially...I think it has to do with the prevalence of gimmicks and fad diets that do not teach sustainability in the long term15 -
Trestjerner wrote: »An overweight and very negative friend told me today that, I shouldn't bother trying to lose weight because only 3% manage to keep the weight of and the rest will gain it all back and then some. That statistic sounded...less then credible to me, but she couldn't give me any evidence for it except to point me towards a fat acceptance blog.
My question; Is the statistic as BS as it sounds like? Where does it come from and how can I debunk it for her?
I've read the source for that. It's from a HAES advocate who gathered the data from a very "scientific" sampling of about 4 people she knew.
Try looking at the National Weight Control Registry for a brain palate cleanser.
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I think it is true that a lot -- a LOT -- of people gain it back. I did. But I don't think I was really serious, to be honest. And, if your friend is always "very negative" you might try not to pay attention to everything she says. People who are always negative are draining to be with. I'm not saying we can't all be negative sometimes, but the chronic ones are energy-sapping.
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Let's say other people do fail. How does that mean you will?10
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This man has lost 312 pounds and has KEPT it off, using MFP. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/CyberEd3124
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ceoverturf wrote: »I can't cite any specific sources, but yes I think the conventional wisdom is that at least 90% of dieters tend to fail over the long-term.
Editorially...I think it has to do with the prevalence of gimmicks and fad diets that do not teach sustainability in the long term
I also think it has to do with the seriousness of the effort involved in the loss and totally agree with the issue of sustainability and fads/gimmicks.
Even weight loss studies are carried out with unsustainable methods. As long as dieting is looked at as something you "do" and then "stop", people will struggle with weight regain.
I like the idea of the disease model of obesity because it addresses the idea that it's a chronic issue that needs ongoing management. The formerly obese will always need to manage their disease through some sort of watchfulness.
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PeachyCarol wrote: »Trestjerner wrote: »An overweight and very negative friend told me today that, I shouldn't bother trying to lose weight because only 3% manage to keep the weight of and the rest will gain it all back and then some. That statistic sounded...less then credible to me, but she couldn't give me any evidence for it except to point me towards a fat acceptance blog.
My question; Is the statistic as BS as it sounds like? Where does it come from and how can I debunk it for her?
I've read the source for that. It's from a HAES advocate who gathered the data from a very "scientific" sampling of about 4 people she knew.
Try looking at the National Weight Control Registry for a brain palate cleanser.
Aww....now that sucks that a 'friend' would say something like that to anyone.
Yes the statistics for success aren't the most uplifting and inspiring and as @ceoverturf has pointed out the consensus of 90% failure is pretty abysmal...
Prove her wrong. Remember the adage of "There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics."
If her info. came from HAES from the sample size Carol is speaking of then it's rubbish, she has a personal agenda and you would probably be better to steer clear of the topic of weight with her in future.
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Did you know that 73.6% of statistics are made up?
Your friend sounds like a miserable person who wants other people to be miserable too.
If you truly want to lose weight you have to commit for the long-term. There are no fad diets or quick fixes that are going to keep the weight off long-term. Slow and steady wins the race.8 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Let's say other people do fail. How does that mean you will?Liftng4Lis wrote: »This man has lost 312 pounds and has KEPT it off, using MFP. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/profile/CyberEd312
^^^ This and this. All that matters is what YOU do.4 -
Whatever the true statistics are, I think the distinction is between the words 'can' and 'will'.
Maybe only 3% or 5% or whatever WILL keep the weight off, but pretty much anyone CAN do it. Which means so can you (you being anyone), you just have to decide you're part of the (allegedly) small minority.2 -
Statistics like this are horrible and shouldn't be considered unless you know exactly where the information is coming from and how it is being used. If you think of all the people in the world who start a diet (especially fad diets) and give up in a couple weeks I can see why it would be around 3%. Using MFP is a great way to stick to losing weight and keeping it off long term- it gives you all the information you need to make good food choices on your own and in real life situations. Diets don't work, changing your eating habits long term will give you the best chance. If you use the website correctly and consistently it will give a much greater chance of succeeding compared to a fad diet.
IMO: I've been yo-yo dieting for over 10 years and I would rather be yo-yoing for the rest of my life than just getting bigger and bigger every year!4 -
This is a nice read on the subject:
http://www.weightymatters.ca/2014/06/is-it-really-scientifically-impossible.html0 -
You can debunk her, by proving her wrong.4
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I reached my goal in November of 2011. I've maintained at +/- 3 pounds since then.
You can do anything you want to IF you want to bad enough.9 -
The success or failure of others should have nothing to do with your determination to complete a goal that you set for yourself. You will succeed or fail based on your own merit - as with anything in life. If you truly want something, *kitten* what anyone else has to say about it. Do it.2
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True, just about. According to http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/82/1/222S.long , various studies show a range of anywhere from 2% to 20% success rate at best. And they define success as losing 10% of body weight and keeping it off for 1 year. Moral of the story is, don't be a statistic. They also give a few keys to lasting weight loss, including exercise, constant monitoring, consistency, catching 'slip ups' before they get too far, etc.3
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I've read that the success rate of weight loss is less than stopping smoking (something like 7%). I haven't had a smoke in 10 years, so I think I can keep my 163# off.
IMO, it's about making a commitment to a WoE (way of eating) you can do the rest of your life. For me, that's weighing and measuring my food and being moderately active.5 -
5% is the number I've heard and here is the source for that:
95% Regain Lost Weight. Or Do They?
It is a depressing article of faith among the overweight and those who treat them that 95 percent of people who lose weight regain it -- and sometimes more -- within a few months or years.
That statistic has been quoted widely over the last four decades, in Congressional hearings, diet books, research papers and seminars. And it is the reason so many people approach dieting with a sense of hopelessness.
But in fact, obesity researchers say, no one has any idea how many people can lose weight and keep it off. Now, as researchers try to determine how many people have succeeded, they are also studying the success stories for lessons that might inspire others to try.
''That 95 percent figure has become clinical lore,'' said Dr. Thomas Wadden, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. There is no basis for it, he said, ''but it's part of the mythology of obesity.''
Dr. Kelly D. Brownell, the director of the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, said the number was first suggested in a 1959 clinical study of only 100 people. The finding was repeated so often that it came to be regarded as fact, he said.
Since then, nearly all studies of weight-loss recidivism have followed patients in formal hospital or university programs, because they are the easiest to identify and keep track of. But people who turn to such programs may also be the most difficult cases, and may therefore have especially poor success rates.
To get a more accurate picture, two researchers are studying long-term dieters for a project called the National Weight Control Registry, and have found it surprisingly easy to collect success stories. About half the people who maintained a substantial weight loss for more than a year had done it on their own, they found. This suggests that many people have found ways to lose weight and keep it off, but have never been counted in formal studies.
Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/25/health/95-regain-lost-weight-or-do-they.html9 -
My favorite thought from the link PeachyCarol posted: "... if a meta-analysis of randomized trials of weight management fails to show long term success with weight management does it mean the people in the included trials failed to maintain their interventions, or does it mean that the interventions were too crappy to be sustainable in the first place?". And I agree with the writer in strongly suspecting the latter. I think for those who make the effort to truly change their lifestyle and become informed about fitness and nutrition enough to be adept at estimating portion sizes, monitoring calories and macros, and avoiding fads and quick fixes the success factor will be much higher.6
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