Simple Ways to not gain back the weight you lost.
cee134
Posts: 33,711 Member
I read this and thought I would share it.
(about me - I lost 100 lbs, but did not do maintenance and gained back the 100lbs. I know better know, and agree with this as a simple way to keep your weight down.)
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/how-to-lose-weight-without-dieting?page=1
(about me - I lost 100 lbs, but did not do maintenance and gained back the 100lbs. I know better know, and agree with this as a simple way to keep your weight down.)
- Limit your intake of sweets, refined carbohydrates, and fried foods. (Note: I didn’t say “never eat sweets, refined carbohydrates, or fried foods.”)
- Avoid eating in front of the television or computer.
- Eat more vegetables and fewer starches. (In other words, gravitate toward foods that fill you up for fewer calories.)
- Take slightly smaller portions.
- Stop at a single cocktail or glass of wine.
- Have fruit for dessert—or no dessert, most of the time.
- Drink water or tea instead of soda.
- Make time most days for a 20-30 minute walk at lunch or before dinner, or both.
- Take time on weekends to shop and do a little cooking so that you’re not as dependent on take-out and prepared foods to get you through the busy week.
http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/how-to-lose-weight-without-dieting?page=1
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Replies
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I'm sorry you gained your weight back! Out of curiosity, how did you manage to gain it all back? Did you not adopt healthy habits while you were losing the weight?8
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For me, the simple way to not gain back the weight I lost is to keep logging my food/calories and weighing every day, taking action (reducing calories) if I gain a few pounds.
I spent 30 years being overweight and hating my body and trying to find clothing that looked/fit decent. Then I started with MFP (calorie counting) and walking, and now more than a year later I can buy clothes because I like them instead of because it's the only thing that fits, I can walk for miles if I want to, and I'm content with my body knowing that my 70+ pounds of excess weight isn't there dragging me toward an early grave anymore. I love the feeling of having control over my weight for the first time in my life, instead of feeling like it just kept going up and up and I couldn't seem to do anything about it.
This analogy works for me: my health-threatening disease is obesity. My "medicine" which keeps this disease in check is logging/weighing. I can take my medicine and be healthier and hopefully live longer (like insulin to a diabetic) or I can say that I don't want to take my medicine because taking medicine is boring and other people don't have to take this medicine so why should I have to... and I can get sick and maybe die sooner.
I'll take the medicine.37 -
I'm curious too, but I don't want to be a jerk.
So let's imagine a theoretical person who lost X pounds, then gained them all back.
What goes through this person's head when they reach .25X, .5X and .75X pounds regained?
I ask because maybe in talking about it, I/you/we can identify some thought patterns that can be nipped in the bud.11 -
BackStory: In about 3 years I lost 100 lbs. The major thing I did was eat less calories then I burned (so I ate anything I wanted as long as it keep me at my goal. I did not eat healthy nor did I exercise regularly)
In 2 years I gained it back because:- I stopped logging my calories because I thought I "knew" how much I was eating. (I was very tired of logging at that point)
- Was not eating very healthy.
- Stopped going on the forums to keep myself motivated.
- Knew that I shouldn't eat as much as I use to before I started, but fell into the diet trap of: when you stop your diet and eat normally, your body isn't use to that and you gain weight easier.
- stress ate
- Wanted the freedom to eat what I wanted.
- Was addicted to sugar and didn't want to do anything about it.
Now I am eating a mostly plant based diet, because I believe it is very healthy and it forces me to chose healthy foods over the junk food, processed food, refined food, sugar, etc. that I use to choose.
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One problem I had is I knew I could lose the weight again so I said to myself, I'll just lose it again later.... later came when I was back up almost all the weight I lost.
When I was up 20, 30, 40 pounds I would say, each time, oh that's only 20 lbs I have to lose, that's not to hard.
Also I was burnt out on dieting.6 -
I'm curious too, but I don't want to be a jerk.
So let's imagine a theoretical person who lost X pounds, then gained them all back.
What goes through this person's head when they reach .25X, .5X and .75X pounds regained?
I ask because maybe in talking about it, I/you/we can identify some thought patterns that can be nipped in the bud.
Well... I'm actually just trying to get my drive to nip mine in the bud again right now. I'm currently at 0.39X... however you may wish to note that X=28lb in my case.
A lot of things go through your head:
- This is too hard to maintain
- It's just water weight
- Maybe this is the weight that my body would be if I keep living a this lifestyle I like so much (not considering the fact that it's an upward trend, not stationary at a higher weight)
- I can't lose weight right now because of such-and-such a reason (for me, it's TTC. But how does that justify having nachos for dinner all week and not eating as many veggies or losing my fitness routine)?
- I look the same, no one has noticed
- My clothes still fit so who cares (even if they are just stretching out)
It's funny the games you play on yourself. All those excuses you said weren't valid while you were losing... they all come back... but in a different form. You have to learn to battle them, and it doesn't feel the same as during weight loss.
I think the fact that maintenance is indefinite adds to the struggle. At least with weight loss, you can tell yourself you won't be at a deficit forever. But what do you do when maintenance feels like the same amount of work as being at a deficit? I think that is what scares me off. Maybe I've convinced myself it's easier to gain and lose, gain and lose perpetually than it is to maintain indefinitely. I honestly don't want to count calories or weigh my food forever. And I don't want food to always be the thing that seems to occupy my mind the most.
Setting new goals is really hard. Especially if you don't find them overly interesting. I don't get excited thinking about increasing my number of weekly workouts from 3 to 4. That doesn't feel like an accomplishment. I haven't been able to bribe myself with non-food rewards. Those are boring and either too expensive or too easy to not actually care if you buy them. Trips and things? Well I'm not going to put my life on hold because of a few pounds.
This is something I'm struggling with as well. That and it seems like even after 3 years, the good habits haven't "stuck". I guess my habit of yo-yoing over 10 lbs has stuck... but I'm not sure that's exactly the habit I was hoping to form. I still don't find veggies more appetizing than cake.22 -
But what do you do when maintenance feel like the same amount of work as being at a deficit?
I agree and that was a huge problem for me. Seeing blood tests, knowing the illnesses that faced me are some reasons I knew I wanted to change. Changing my diet and jumping on the forums to talk to people are what has helped me, and it hasn't been as bad. When I came across the Simple Ways, I thought, I'm already doing most of those (if not all), that is a very helpful thing to do, that makes maintenance not seem so bad.3 -
Good luck but that sounds horribly restrictive and far from simple to me, a permanent diet mentality isn't for me.
I just weigh myself daily and set an upper intervention weight that triggers me to take action if I get an upward trend. That seems far more simple than a load of inflexible rules but each to their own.
Apart from weighing for vigilence my daily habits like food choices, activity and exercise create a balance.
I didn't really have diet issues to fix though as I just needed to restrict portions/calories for a while.10 -
I lost over 1/2 of my current body weight and have kept it off for over 2-1/2 years.
I am basically doing the same thing I did while losing, except eating more calories and not overeating. All foods in moderation. Stick to portion sizes. Move more. Watch my weight and don't let it creep up over 5 pounds.
What works for one person, may, or may not work for some one else.
Finding what works for each of us, and knowing ourselves, and sticking with our agendas, is key to keeping the weight off. Statistics say, less than 20% of people who lose weight, keep it off for more than 5 years. That is my goal for now.9 -
To maintain weight, all you have to do is to not start overeating (eating more than you burn) again. How to make that (as effortless as) possible, would be highly individual. I'm sorry, but I don't think these are simple ways at all. They look like arbitrary rules. But you left out this important part - "For example, to be a person who maintains a healthy body weight throughout life, you’d probably...:" In that context, the list would align perfectly with what I do:
- I'll eat anything I like, but not everything at once, and not all the time.
- I don't have a TV. I eat all my meals in front of my laptop, but I stick to meals and I serve myself an appropriate portion before I start, and there are no seconds (mostly because there ARE no seconds; I cook just the amount I need, or with planned leftovers, which means I'll be eating the future me's dinner, and I don't do that).
- I eat vegetables for every meal, and portion out everything, including starch.
- Using a food diary for one and a half year taught me portion control.
- I don't drink alcohol, but just because I don't like it.
- I eat fruit for every meal besides dinner. I have dessert when the calories from dinner isn't enough for me, and at special occasions.
- I'm not a fan of soda anyway, so I drink water, tea and black coffee.
- I walk when I need to go somewhere and do things, and when I get restless.
- I grocery shop mostly Mondays and Fridays. I love to cook and it doesn't take much time, so I prefer home cooked over takeaway 99% of instances.
Oh, and the list you provided didn't seem to address or even approximate the reasons you gained weight.9 -
I'm curious too, but I don't want to be a jerk.
So let's imagine a theoretical person who lost X pounds, then gained them all back.
What goes through this person's head when they reach .25X, .5X and .75X pounds regained?
I ask because maybe in talking about it, I/you/we can identify some thought patterns that can be nipped in the bud.
I only gained back 15lbs, but what "allowed" it to happen was I stopped getting on the scale (because I knew it was a number I wouldn't be happy about) and I had stretchy pants, and clothes in my closet that fit me at a higher weight.
I just used some rough times and emotional issues as an excuse to eat way more than I knew I should, and ate until my stomach hurt, every day.
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So when you see your weight go up, how much do you "allow" yourself before you start taking steps to lose again?4
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girl_inflames wrote: »I'm sorry you gained your weight back! Out of curiosity, how did you manage to gain it all back? Did you not adopt healthy habits while you were losing the weight?
Many of us have probably lost and gained several times even though we adopted healthy habits while we were losing. Unfortunately, those habits don't always stick. Consistency is key. Also, life happens and sometimes we lose track of our health. So many reasons for not sticking to those healthy habits. Just my opinion though.
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tech_kitten wrote: »So when you see your weight go up, how much do you "allow" yourself before you start taking steps to lose again?
Near gaining 100 lbs again. After every 10 lbs I thought, oh I've lost more, it won't be that hard to lose again, I'll start trying to lose again soon. I was very sick of logging and calorie counting.0 -
I have to respectfully disagree. After you reach your maintenance, figure out how many calories you should be eating to maintain your weight. (your TDEE) This may take a few weeks. Eat that many calories. Some people need to continue to count, weight and measure, some people already have a good idea with out doing this. You can either eat your TDEE daily, or as I do, figure out your weekly allowance, since I tend to eat more on the weekends. Your tips can certainly help some people, who are struggling to stay within their limits, but some of us eat dessert all the time, and I have multiple drinks every weekend. With my kids grown, I eat in front of the tv every night. But......one of the biggest habits I had to break, while I was losing weight was to stop mindlessly eating while reading a book.8
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I have to respectfully disagree. After you reach your maintenance, figure out how many calories you should be eating to maintain your weight. (your TDEE) This may take a few weeks. Eat that many calories. Some people need to continue to count, weight and measure, some people already have a good idea with out doing this. You can either eat your TDEE daily, or as I do, figure out your weekly allowance, since I tend to eat more on the weekends. Your tips can certainly help some people, who are struggling to stay within their limits, but some of us eat dessert all the time, and I have multiple drinks every weekend. With my kids grown, I eat in front of the tv every night. But......one of the biggest habits I had to break, while I was losing weight was to stop mindlessly eating while reading a book.
You look gorgeous. How much did you lose?
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Please note: I thought of these as loose suggestions.... I thought of it as an easy way to steer oneself to the goal of healthy living. I don't follow everything listed, but I like the suggestions and understand the science behind the suggestions.
The science is that a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent weight gain.
Please use common sense to implement these suggestions to your own life.
For example, if you are already jogging every day, you probably don't need to walk for 20 - 30 minutes a day, the idea is to get some exercise in your life. Walking 20 - 30 minutes a day is a very Simple Way to add some exercise if you aren't doing any.
I know for myself, I didn't like logging anymore. If I, for example, ate more vegetables then starches, I would have been better off. If I did not eat so much dessert every day and ate fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth, I would of been better off.3 -
girl_inflames wrote: »I'm sorry you gained your weight back! Out of curiosity, how did you manage to gain it all back? Did you not adopt healthy habits while you were losing the weight?I'm curious too, but I don't want to be a jerk.
So let's imagine a theoretical person who lost X pounds, then gained them all back.
What goes through this person's head when they reach .25X, .5X and .75X pounds regained?
I ask because maybe in talking about it, I/you/we can identify some thought patterns that can be nipped in the bud.
OK, I am not the OP, but maybe this will help someone...or maybe it won't...
I have gained and lost 80 or more lbs at least 3 times. Before that it was perhaps 50 lbs, or 40lbs, or 25lbs, several times. As the years have passed, the amount of weight I gain and lose gets higher. 20lbs when I was 30 y.o. I'm currently 23 lbs down on a 100lb journey (I'm 62 y.o.). I've probably lost at least 1500lbs in my lifetime.
Why?
1) I never believe I am as fat or as thin as I actually am.
2) I am in denial when I am gaining, partly as a result of #1.
3) When I am gaining or overweight, I feel ashamed and embarrassed, which triggers unhealthy eating behaviors.
4) When I am gaining or overweight, I feel ashamed and embarrassed, which I allow to influence my behavior, such that I avoid looking at myself in the mirror or stepping on the scale.
5) I allow fatigue and negative emotions such as anxiety, anger, & frustration, to trigger unhealthy eating behaviors.
6) I think about food constantly unless I am very, very busily occupied at work, or engrossed in a project.
A little background that may or may not have some bearing: While a toddler, I had a GI illness which necessitated being in isolation & having nothing to eat or drink by mouth for 2 weeks, with IV nutrition only, after which my eating patterns changed. I was a very picky eater before the illness, then began cleaning up eveything on my plate, regardless of the food offered or the amount, after the illness. NO EXCUSES HERE, I am no longer that toddler & I don't even remember it, but I know from my mother that there was a change in eating patterns at the age of 21 months.
I am a health professional with an obligation to be a good role model for others. I have grandchildren who are my heart walking around outside of my body that I desperately want to watch grow up. I have a partner I love and friends & family that care deeply about me. I have a good life that I want to live to the fullest. I like myself and believe I deserve to be happy & optimally healthy. I have every motivation you can think of.
So, you say, what are you doing about this?
I finally realized that for me, not for any of you, I understand, but for me, this problem is akin to a medical condition for which I need to see a doctor every few weeks, similar to diabetes or hypertension or hypothyroidism. I alone am responsible for managing this "medical problem" I have. So I see a nonsurgical bariatric endocrinologist every 6 weeks. I am accountable to him. I would like to say that logging and weighing are all the medicine I need, like another poster above, but that would not be the truth. I actually need to see my doctor regularly or eventually I will slide...and for me, that can mean gaining 100lbs...which probably seems unbelievable to some, or disgusting, or weak, or whatever. I don't really care, for me it is reality, and I have tried many solutions...
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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thank you so much! 118 pounds a few years ago.leejoyce31 wrote: »I have to respectfully disagree. After you reach your maintenance, figure out how many calories you should be eating to maintain your weight. (your TDEE) This may take a few weeks. Eat that many calories. Some people need to continue to count, weight and measure, some people already have a good idea with out doing this. You can either eat your TDEE daily, or as I do, figure out your weekly allowance, since I tend to eat more on the weekends. Your tips can certainly help some people, who are struggling to stay within their limits, but some of us eat dessert all the time, and I have multiple drinks every weekend. With my kids grown, I eat in front of the tv every night. But......one of the biggest habits I had to break, while I was losing weight was to stop mindlessly eating while reading a book.
You look gorgeous. How much did you lose?
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I just recently relaxed my MFP calorie counting for a few weeks, combined with a somewhat stepped-up ice cream habit, and I've gained five pounds. Still within a normal BMI - but this thread has been a good wake-up call for me.
Seems like the simplest thing is, when in doubt, just keep logging. Although the advice of sijomial, above, sounds good too.11 -
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
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