Are we doomed?

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  • ReaderGirl3
    ReaderGirl3 Posts: 868 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    NewDay16 wrote: »
    No we are not doomed. I have maintained my 100 lbs loss from my late teens early 20s for 10 years. I lost on a "diet" that was sustainable for ME. Nothing drastic (like BL), just a deficit and exercise . I don't think I am special. I don't think my metabolism was damaged at all. I have maintained at 2000 to 3500 calories depending on my activity level at the time.

    Actually, I have to disagree, you ARE special. Statistically at least. I've seen a variety of stats, but the highest % of maintainers I have seen is 30%. Some would have you in an even more elite group. But, with regards to metabolism returning to normal or near normal, we do agree.

    Do you have a comment on your hunger levels/cravings after having lost that weight? I know there are some studies about hunger hormones after dieting that do look like we will have a struggle for a while but I don't know of any 6 years or even 10 years out.

    Yep, us maintainers are pretty much on par with super heroes :D

    I wonder how many of us are actually hanging out on MFP? Now I'm curious-going to start a poll in the maintenance area!
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
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    robininfl wrote: »
    No, the study is saying that the 190 pound man who got there by starting at 435 and doing an extreme weight loss diet cannot eat as much, to maintain that 190 pounds, as an average 190 pound man. If they eat to maintain 190 like most guys can, they will gain weight. If they want to maintain at 190, they must eat as though they are much lighter, or as thought they are still trying to lose. Normal calculations will not work. Their bodies have adapted to run on less energy than would be expected.

    And if they monitor their weight changes and food intake in maintenance, they'll be able to see that they need to reduce their input to stay at their desired weight. If they monitor their weight changes and food intake they will stay on track whether or not the claims of the study are valid. I think people get into trouble when they think, "Well, dieting's over -- back to normal" and return to their old habits.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
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  • trina1049
    trina1049 Posts: 593 Member
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    Here's another thread about the same topic.

    community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10382802/gaining-it-back-nyt-article#latest
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
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    If you expect to go back to the way you ate food before you began your diet then yea, you're probably doomed.

    Many people reach their goals and then go right back to eating they way they did before. Feels great for a while then they realize they've gained back 10, 20, 30, 100 pounds again in a short period of time and have to go back to dieting. It's unhealthy to have to do that constantly (going back and forth). My suggestion is to slowly work yourself back up to maintenance while maintaining your a level of exercise that you are comfortable with. When you find the sweet spot where your weight stays the same, and you can handle the exercise requirements then stay that way. Make healthy choices going forward, and you won't have the problem.

    I can say without a doubt that I now know exactly what made me morbidly obese in the first place. It took a period of about 12 years of overeating, snacking, and generally eating everything in sight that tasted good. The pain I endured to lose the weight will forever remind me not to go back to those old habits. I'll be watching the scale and continuing my healthy eating habits for the rest of my life. Should the scale tip in the wrong direction even 10 lbs I will probably adjust either exercise or diet to compensate. At least now I know what it takes to lose the weight, it took a new lifestyle. I don't expect to change it.

    Maybe when I'm 75 or 80. I may give up at that point and dive into a pool of chocolate pudding, but hey.. until then nope.
  • Poweredbycoffee06
    Poweredbycoffee06 Posts: 39 Member
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    goldthistime wrote: »
    NewDay16 wrote: »
    No we are not doomed. I have maintained my 100 lbs loss from my late teens early 20s for 10 years. I lost on a "diet" that was sustainable for ME. Nothing drastic (like BL), just a deficit and exercise . I don't think I am special. I don't think my metabolism was damaged at all. I have maintained at 2000 to 3500 calories depending on my activity level at the time.

    Actually, I have to disagree, you ARE special. Statistically at least. I've seen a variety of stats, but the highest % of maintainers I have seen is 30%. Some would have you in an even more elite group. But, with regards to metabolism returning to normal or near normal, we do agree.

    Do you have a comment on your hunger levels/cravings after having lost that weight? I know there are some studies about hunger hormones after dieting that do look like we will have a struggle for a while but I don't know of any 6 years or even 10 years out.

    I didn't have a problem with cravings but my first year or so I struggled a bit to find the right balance to control hunger. I had to play around with my protein levels. I am bad about not getting enough protein if I don't log. Once I got the hang of it I did fine.

    I lost weight slowly and then when I was close to maintenance I slowly increased my calories. I don't know, maybe that helped me transition into maintenance?

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,133 Member
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    emdeesea wrote: »
    What does everyone think of this article? Sounds pretty depressing to me.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?_r=1

    What frustrates me about these sort of studies is that they always seem to use extremely fast weight loss. For example the winner's goal while in the at home segment was to lose 1 pound a day, that's right, a 3500 calorie deficit each and every day. That is crazy even for someone with as much weight as he had to lose. All the studies mentioned here tell us is that if a person loses their weight through an extreme deficit it will cause long term negative effects on metabolism. The exceptions to this are apparently gastric bypass patients. However, extrapolating this to people losing in a radically different way using a moderate deficit does not follow. It may be true for them (that the the general user here on MFP), but this study will not tell you that. Nor will the others cited in the article.
  • DrewMontoya
    DrewMontoya Posts: 77 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Nevermind. I stand corrected.
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 273 Member
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    I stopped watching The Biggest Loser a couple of years ago because stories were starting to come out about how they actually reach some of those goals and some of the unrealistic things people had to do to come in as low as possible on the scale. I've done the dramatic wt loss thing before and it always comes back. Then I end up yoyoing, which is the exact cycle I want to break. I have to wonder what impact this research is going to have on the show.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    ljashley1952 wrote: »
    I stopped watching The Biggest Loser a couple of years ago because stories were starting to come out about how they actually reach some of those goals and some of the unrealistic things people had to do to come in as low as possible on the scale. I've done the dramatic wt loss thing before and it always comes back. Then I end up yoyoing, which is the exact cycle I want to break. I have to wonder what impact this research is going to have on the show.

    I wonder what impact this study will have on how obesity is treated in society. Will the official guidelines include warnings of not overdoing it? Will weight loss clinics use this to play/prey even more on people's desperation and despair?

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