Simple Ways to not gain back the weight you lost.
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This post and comments have really been helpful, I'm terrified of gaining weight back after working so hard to lose. I have another 12 pounds to get to my updated goal and that will have been a total of around 55 pounds lost. I'm going to do everything I can to keep it off.2
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I just keep logging and when I get to my threshold (5lbs either way) I kick my butt and stop whatever it was I was doing.8
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These posts have been very insightful for me. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Over the last 3 years, I had lost 75 pounds and then the last year or so I have slowly gained 20 back. I stopped logging, I stopped weighing in weekly and stopped using MFP. I really wanted to not let food and constant thinking of food and weight control my life but I dont think I can.
I'm back now and logging daily and reading posts. Hoping to lose this 20 pounds in the next 6-8 months.
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I just won't stop logging
I yo yoed for 30 years, there is no getting away from it
I was goal orientated...get to that size and go back to normal...my normal makes me fat
This time I got to that size and went new goal, how do we stay here? And the answer was keep on doing what I did to lose weight but with a few more calories
If you've been fat you've got to make a new normal ...not go back to an old normal
Oh and I think trendweight.com has helped the most with this mindset, it links from my Fitbit, where I log my weight virtually daily and I check trendweight every month or so
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I have found that if I eat something small, like a protein bar or a 100 calorie snack every 2-3 hours I don't get as hungry and over eat with my big meals !1
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All the other posts TL;DR, but this is way too restrictive for me. Perhaps the audience needing to read this does not apply to masses here in the MFP community.
I love eating all my meals in front of the TV, I no longer have kids in the house and can do so.
I love eating things like sweets, cakes, pies, candy bars, ice cream. I do not have do with out these to maintain my weight.
I learned to eat smaller portions and include a lot of more volume foods like fruits and veggies and plenty of lean meats in my diet, no need to change this to maintain.
I exercise everyday, drink 1/2 gallon + of water everyday.
I am not trying to be snarky in the least, but if you choose to loose weight enjoying all the foods you already love, no need to cut them out to maintain, and if you did swap some foods to loose weight that may not have been so great in your diet, just keep that up.
Eating is something we have to do everyday and moreover enjoy eating with the ones you love! Nothing like breaking bread with family, friends, enjoying sports, holidays and birthdays! It would sad life if I hate to restrict cake!10 -
All the other posts TL;DR, but this is way too restrictive for me. Perhaps the audience needing to read this does not apply to masses here in the MFP community.
I love eating all my meals in front of the TV, I no longer have kids in the house and can do so.
I love eating things like sweets, cakes, pies, candy bars, ice cream. I do not have do with out these to maintain my weight.
I learned to eat smaller portions and include a lot of more volume foods like fruits and veggies and plenty of lean meats in my diet, no need to change this to maintain.
I exercise everyday, drink 1/2 gallon + of water everyday.
I am not trying to be snarky in the least, but if you choose to loose weight enjoying all the foods you already love, no need to cut them out to maintain, and if you did swap some foods to loose weight that may not have been so great in your diet, just keep that up.
Eating is something we have to do everyday and moreover enjoy eating with the ones you love! Nothing like breaking bread with family, friends, enjoying sports, holidays and birthdays! It would sad life if I hate to restrict cake!
^^ Ditto! Roxie Dawn has a good attitude about this.
In order for this to be sustainable, why not start out from the beginning with no food restrictions and just eating within your calorie allotment? No transitioning foods back into your diet when you reach maintenance, because you are already eating them. Allow for the times when you are with family and friends celebrating occasions, or just having an enjoyable time. The key is to not let the occasions become an everyday thing.4 -
Why all the negativity towards OP? These are a lot of good tips that can help many people, if not "you". I never read that these are CHANGES to BEGIN when one enters maintenance. They are strategies to use while losing weight that should BE CONTINUED into maintenance. That is where many people fail. They have a "diet mode" that gets turned off, then they're back to old habits, either suddenly or gradually. If it were easy to eat whatever you want and maintain, then everyone would do just that.7
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Please note (for those that didn't read everything): these are loose suggestions. Please use common sense to apply some if not all of it to your life. The idea is the science behind the suggestions.
The science is that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain.
For example: If you like to eat in front of the TV is not the point. The point is be mindful of your eating, which most people lose track of when watching TV/reading while eating.1 -
Please note (for those that didn't read everything): these are loose suggestions. Please use common sense to apply some if not all of it to your life. The idea is the science behind the suggestions.
The science is that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain.
For example: If you like to eat in front of the TV is not the point. The point is be mindful of your eating, which most people lose track of when watching TV/reading while eating.
Please explain the bolded...
ETA: If I know most here who commented I believe that these are the people who are mindful and can't lose track of what they are eating if reading/tv watching etc as their food is already portioned for what they know will not make them overeat....ie already logged, weighed etc.3 -
I'd like to weigh in (so to speak) on the gaining back what was lost theme... I work really hard at adopting healthier habits and avoiding processed foods, sugars, additives, etc., etc., but that doesn't mean I don't still like the nasty things!!! So I get tired of being so "good" all the time, tracking all the time, and hit a week or so when there are celebrations, more eating out than usual, extra stress, etc. with foods that are hard to figure out how to track, and BOOM! I'm eating poorly again, which triggers the desire to keep eating poorly. When I eat poorly, I don't want to track. When I don't track, I fool myself into thinking I'm not eating as many calories as I really am. It's a vicious cycle. I'm in my 60's now, so I'm feeling a kind of desperation to once and for all, get this eating thing figured out and under control! I gained back (from goal weight) about 10-15 lbs during the year my husband was in chemo and had 4 different surgeries, and I'm having a devil of a time getting those off again.
Eating within your calorie limit sounds so simple... but it's not!
I do agree that no food should be "off limits". That creates a deprivation scenario in which you will overeat that food when you get the chance... which is the problem with just eating healthy and adopting healthy habits... I miss the unhealthy habits, and when I let down my guard, I get into it full swing for days. It's difficult to swing the pendulum the other way! That said, I know I can do it, but I can't seem to do it fast enough to suit me!!6 -
Please note (for those that didn't read everything): these are loose suggestions. Please use common sense to apply some if not all of it to your life. The idea is the science behind the suggestions.
The science is that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain.
For example: If you like to eat in front of the TV is not the point. The point is be mindful of your eating, which most people lose track of when watching TV/reading while eating.
Actually, not eating more calories than you burn will prevent weight gain, just as eating less calories than you burn will result in weight loss. This is fact. If you overeat, you will gain weight.4 -
dcdickerson2 wrote: »I'd like to weigh in (so to speak) on the gaining back what was lost theme... I work really hard at adopting healthier habits and avoiding processed foods, sugars, additives, etc., etc., but that doesn't mean I don't still like the nasty things!!! So I get tired of being so "good" all the time, tracking all the time, and hit a week or so when there are celebrations, more eating out than usual, extra stress, etc. with foods that are hard to figure out how to track, and BOOM! I'm eating poorly again, which triggers the desire to keep eating poorly. When I eat poorly, I don't want to track. When I don't track, I fool myself into thinking I'm not eating as many calories as I really am. It's a vicious cycle. I'm in my 60's now, so I'm feeling a kind of desperation to once and for all, get this eating thing figured out and under control! I gained back (from goal weight) about 10-15 lbs during the year my husband was in chemo and had 4 different surgeries, and I'm having a devil of a time getting those off again.
Eating within your calorie limit sounds so simple... but it's not!
I do agree that no food should be "off limits". That creates a deprivation scenario in which you will overeat that food when you get the chance... which is the problem with just eating healthy and adopting healthy habits... I miss the unhealthy habits, and when I let down my guard, I get into it full swing for days. It's difficult to swing the pendulum the other way! That said, I know I can do it, but I can't seem to do it fast enough to suit me!!
the bolded words are not healthy...imo.
You seem to deprive yourself all the time...eating healthy and having healthy habits doesn't mean you can't indulge everyday..I do and have no issues when I was losing or maintaining.
Perhaps if you stop calling food "nasty" and putting negative adjectives in that area of your life and view food as fuel you might not have this issue...80/20...choose whole nutrient dense foods 80% of the time...20% is treats.9 -
snowflake930 wrote: »
Actually, not eating more calories than you burn will prevent weight gain, just as eating less calories than you burn will result in weight loss. This is fact. If you overeat, you will gain weight.
FYI - I never once mentioned you should not count calories. I'm getting tired of people posting negative comments about stuff they inferred but was never said.
The point is healthy living which leads to a sustainable goal of your maintenance weight over long (Decades) periods of time. Some people (myself included) are burned out on calorie counting by the time they reach their goals.
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Note: At no point was any food off limits.1
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snowflake930 wrote: »
Actually, not eating more calories than you burn will prevent weight gain, just as eating less calories than you burn will result in weight loss. This is fact. If you overeat, you will gain weight.
FYI - I never once mentioned you should not count calories. I'm getting tired of people posting negative comments about stuff they inferred but was never said.
The point is healthy living which leads to a sustainable goal of your maintenance weight over long (Decades) periods of time. Some people (myself included) are burned out on calorie counting by the time they reach their goals.
When you post a list of rules/guidelines for weight loss/maintenance, people will pick at it. Most of it is good advice, just not things that I can follow 24/7/365.1 -
My friend lost weight several years ago. She maintains her weight and pretty much eats the same things she ate when she was losing only a little more. From logging she knows the approximate calorie count and keeps track of it in her head. When she reaches her calorie range she stops eating. Sometimes she may have some jello or a celery stick if she feels she needs something more. She works out a few days a week at the gym or runs.2
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snowflake930 wrote: »
Actually, not eating more calories than you burn will prevent weight gain, just as eating less calories than you burn will result in weight loss. This is fact. If you overeat, you will gain weight.
FYI - I never once mentioned you should not count calories. I'm getting tired of people posting negative comments about stuff they inferred but was never said.
The point is healthy living which leads to a sustainable goal of your maintenance weight over long (Decades) periods of time. Some people (myself included) are burned out on calorie counting by the time they reach their goals.
This is not true. Healthy living does not guarantee that the weight will stay off for decades.
Over 80% of the people that lose weight gain it all back (some gain even more than they lost) within 5 years. It does not matter how the weight was lost, "eating healthy" or "unhealthy".
Fact is, if you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight.
Sustainability for me (3 years on maintenance in November - over 1/2 of my current body weight lost) is all foods in moderation, staying with my calorie allotment, and moving more. Celebrating the "moments" of my life, with family and friends and being aware of my weight so I don't start sliding down the slippery slope I was on pre-MFP.
I love MFP and the fact that with the help of this site, I have extended my life. My only gripe with this site is people who give out information that is not helpful, or true.
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Please note (for those that didn't read everything): these are loose suggestions. Please use common sense to apply some if not all of it to your life. The idea is the science behind the suggestions.
The science is that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain.
For example: If you like to eat in front of the TV is not the point. The point is be mindful of your eating, which most people lose track of when watching TV/reading while eating.
There is no science to maintaining.
For starters a person does not have to exercise to maintain their weight. All the recommendations out there are for a person to eat healthy diet and exercise to prevent weight gain lead a healthy life and live longer. I get that. But realistically, a person can eat pizza everyday and not exercise if they know how much pizza to eat to not go over their TDEE.
This is why I stated that this thread is not for the majority of the MFP community. There is a lot of people that do not fit into a particular category of needing strategies to maintain. Most folks have new habits they have acquired a long the way and do not forget all the failures along the way and times of stumbling before getting it right.
I think the target audience is for those that have had a really bad relationship with food, have been yo-yoing all their life and even those that are actually just trying to loose weight as their single goal in mind without looking a head at what they are to do when the goal is met, ther may be some people that are single minded in which they have their eyes on the "prize" of weight loss only, but this is probably fewer in number than those that fall into the first categories I mentioned.
I think perhaps the thread should have been named something different.. just my opinion.3 -
What a lot of us are trying to say, (which we have said probably many other times in other posts) is that losing weight has absolutely nothing with "healthy eating" or avoiding processed foods, or eating fast food or what ever. If you choose to avoid some kinds of foods, because it makes you feel healthier, that's fine, but that's not causes weight loss, which in turn will generally cause to you be healthier anyway. Caloric deficit or staying within your range. That's it.4
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