For those who gained it back

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Replies

  • Marycycles
    Marycycles Posts: 48 Member
    I lost 105lbs initially on MFP, kept it off for two years. Had anorexic bulimic history and dieting has always been hard. After my mom passed away I started binge eating again and gained 60lbs back. When I hear myself say, "I don't care anymore this is to hard!" I know it's a red flag for binging. I have now lost 25lbs of that 60. For me it's about keeping diabetes at bay. I do at least 60 minutes of exercise and weights everyday! When my family complains I just ask do you want me to weigh 250lbs again and be diabetic?
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    I became very active and switched how I ate, instead of the protein or carb for my main course I had salads and the other stuff as a small side. I didnt count any calories and I lost 80+lbs. I maintained for 3 years and then switched to a stressful desk job so my activity decreased a lot and at the same time I moved in with my boyfriend who is a chef and always bringing treats home.

    After a year I had gained 30lb and one pant size. Thats when I joined this site and got a fitbit to motivate myself to become more active again.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
    @ashjongfit Thank you for sharing your story. So glad that you're able to see inside yourself that way--not everyone can.

    For me, I am successful maintaining as long as I stay vigilent, once I slack off (due to stress, illness, lack of motivation, whatever), the weight comes right back on. I've found that if I weigh myself daily and log my calories about 1/2 the week (sticking to weight loss numbers), I can maintain fairly comfortably. Once I completely stop logging, though, it's going to come back on. This is pretty much what everyone else is saying too. Good luck!
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    johunt615 wrote: »
    CSARdiver wrote: »
    I lost ~60 lbs using MFP - simply keeping track of my intake and increasing my output. I stopped logging about a year ago and gained ~35 lbs back, so back on track for one week now. Don't plan to do anything different other than continuing to keep logging and stay aware.

    Did you try to eat intuitively or did you just not pay attention?

    I paid no attention and stopped working out. No surprises there. My priorities temporarily shifted and dealing with some bad issues at work - these have largely been resolved and priorities have been adjusted appropriately.
  • jadorade91
    jadorade91 Posts: 119 Member
    In 2012 I used the Weight Watchers points system and somedays just counted calories, and I lost 30 pounds in 3 months. I was super proud of myself and felt so much better, but after I lost the weight I went back to how I usually ate. With Weight Watchers I was just eating a bunch of premade meals and snacks that I didn't actually like. I have gained all the weight back since.

    As I've noticed the weight coming back over the years, I've been slowly incorporating healthier foods into my diet. I still buy some premade microwave meals for the times I'm too lazy to make a healthy meal for myself, but I mostly mealprep and make things that I find to be delicious--things I'll remake for myself even 30 pounds lighter, just because it tastes good and I enjoy it!

    Now I'm using MFP to log my calories and exercise and incorporate all of the healthy habits I've slowly been learning the last few years. I feel amazing! I think the key is to be honest with yourself and recognize the things that are usually barriers to weight loss--then getting creative and finding a way to make it work for you! Love Mexican food? Try out recipes that are healthier versions of what you normally eat! Can't resist those doritos? Just have 2-4 and eat them slowly, so at least you're not depriving yourself. Make this a LIFESTYLE change and not just a 3-Month change that will inevitably set you up for failure.
  • red99ryder
    red99ryder Posts: 399 Member
    My second time here .. lost 60 first time .. had some health issues and gained it back .. I could blame that or the ice cream being on sale lol main thing is we have to take care of ourselves .. no one else will ... hope I succeed this time ..

    Good luck
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    I lost and gained many times, always gaining more than I lost. Then I decided to change my entire outlook on food and it's role in my life. I've lost 43 pounds while learning new eating habits and stress reduction strategies. It's been a long slow loss, however; as soon as I plataue for a couple of weeks I notice the weight begins creeping up so now when that plataue comes it's a signal for me to go into maintenance mode ... which sometimes lasts as long as 4 months at a time. ... what do I do ... eat food that doesn't trigger pig-outs 90-95% of the time and when I do have the foods that do trigger cravings/pig-outs I have them outside my home instead of in it ... cause I've learned if it's in the house I'll over-indulge in times of weakness. That, and prepare my own meals and reserve restaurant meals (fast or not) to special occasions. And, an steady increase in my physical output ... nothing wild or super extensive, just a big mixture of stretch, strength, cardio all done in at home or on the sidewalks of my neighborhood. I am for 45 minutes of such activity a day/
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    I maintained for awhile until:
    1) I hit a really stressful patch of life
    2) I had trouble sleeping and got a lot less sleep
    3) I got lax about drinks with calories.

    The only BIG difference in my food intake, honestly? Was getting in the habit of having wine with dinner a couple of nights a week, but those coupel of hundred calories a shot add up over time!
  • malioumba
    malioumba Posts: 132 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I have friends that think I'm living some kind of miserable life, but I'm really passionate about nutrition and my fitness...I think this stuff is fun and good livin' is grand.

    What!? But reduced TV time and playing with the earth doesn't seem miserable at all! =D

  • malioumba
    malioumba Posts: 132 Member
    edited September 2016
    Francl27 wrote: »
    About nine years ago I lost weight using meal-replacement shakes - not one of the well known brands, but still a product from a reputable MLM company that my friend and sponsor had used (and was still using... that should have been a clue!) with great success.

    So, I learned nothing about calories or portion control, went back to eating the way I had been before I started, and soon the weight started creeping back on. I'd complain about my weight but do nothing, because I thought I'd have to be on the shakes for the rest of my life like my friend (who probably still has one a day

    My friend has used shakes for a very long time as well, and she's doing great with her success. I would have never considered buying a shake, or going into a specific diet - even at the time prior to any research about fitness, but the shakes work for her - she might get off them, or maybe she'll continue to use them - but I think it just depends on each person. She has become totally enveloped in fitness training - don't think she's going to let herself go anytime soon - with shakes or without. :smile:

    *Sorry, I glitched with the "Quoting" tool. :)
  • MaxineMarieM
    MaxineMarieM Posts: 50 Member
    I lost over 200 lbs on Weight Watchers. When I reached goal I felt like a fish out of water. I knew how to lose but not how to maintain. I kept the weight gain at bey but after some life changing events I started dealing with my emotion like I did before with food. 70 lb gain later I got ahold of myself and I have now lost 46 of it with WW again and now with MyFitnessPal.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    edited September 2016
    Thank you all for sharing. It seems the common thread is not to get lax in keeping up with counting and weighing.
  • zbobbsemple
    zbobbsemple Posts: 38 Member
    The Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday came around I am struggling to get back on track but Im still in the game. Aiming back to my size 4. They are my new goal pants because that is where I was when the weight melted off. Took me a whole a year then, but I will do it again and so will all of you.
  • bamfgoals
    bamfgoals Posts: 28 Member
    I lost 70 lbs over 2-3 years by eating the same old normal foods in moderation (aka calorie counting, but without really changing my diet) and exercising more. It worked and I enjoyed it. About two years ago I became depressed, and turned to comfort foods to keep functioning in work & uni; up 90 lbs (20 above starting), and still struggling to get it all under control :s
  • shellyld2016
    shellyld2016 Posts: 288 Member
    Several years ago I lost 55 pounds on weight watchers flex plan. I loved it and actually learned so much about how to have what I wanted within reason. I never had to deprive myself of treats.
    We went on vacation and I ate what everyone else did for the most part just due to accessibility to better choices. It was a slippery slope. I didn't track and had a hard time getting back on track. After a few years I had just gone back all the way to old habits and gained it back slowly.
    Their plan has changed so much now and is more restrictive making it hard for me to stick to when we are out so much.
    I love this app and counting calories is easy with it. I am using the guidelines I did before and doing well again. I am already feeling better after week one and down 2 pounds and my official weigh in day is actually Sunday.
    I am tracking water and making sure I get in all my fruits, veggies, dairy, and eating plenty of fiber and protein.
    This is feeling like my old plan again!
  • rosnz
    rosnz Posts: 91 Member
    I had a slither up and am now working on going down again! Mine was nothing major ..just a combination of a few more glasses of wine in a week, slightly bigger portions, bits of cake and nibbles at work … just all those wee deviations quickly add up.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    The only plans where I lost and regained were exchange plans that give you the paper that say "eat this many servings of that in these combinations". Too rigid. Lost and regained anywhere from 40 to 60 lbs on those.

    Did Weight Watchers off and on but never regained during breaks from it. During breaks I logged here. That's because the healthy eating habits and portion control I learned from WW stuck and MFP taught me caloric awareness. Both are more flexible. So far I've lost almost 70 lbs on Weight Watchers and MFP.
  • jahillegas_51
    jahillegas_51 Posts: 143 Member
    johunt615 wrote: »
    Can you share what happened? Include what method of weight loss you used. The reason I ask is that I've yoyo'd and never stuck with the same method to maintain as I used during weightloss. I'm interested in those that DID try to stick with the same method to maintain regardless if it's counting cal, carbs etc and where you think it went wrong.



    I also yo, yo'd for many many years, had about (3) distinct round with it over 3 years. What I found worked was following IIFYM honestly and seeking help from a coach.

    All diets work, but most people lack the education about the after part. To be fair, very little information is published about what to do after. You bust you butt for months, achieve the goal look, weight, whatever, and now what??

    I suggest researching "reverse dieting" by Layne Norton. Hope this helps:)
  • angelahammon
    angelahammon Posts: 114 Member
    around two years ago i lost over a stone in weight, i used MFP to log, i used my scales i went to the gym and the weight fell of of me i was so proud of myself, i loved being in size 10 jeans, i got to my target, i started to slip on the weighing my food, i gradually stopped going to the gym and began eating like there was no tomorrow and bang i put almost all of the weight back on again, I'm not as heavy as i have gone back up a dress size , i feel sluggish and bloated, so the scales are back out, logging everything i eat and back to the gym i go, i will get back to loosing the weight but this time i won't let things slide!!
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
    Lost about 55 lbs right here 2012-2013 (about 10 lbs from goal). Maintained for a few months without logging, then abruptly was up 10 by the end of 2013. Then gained another 20 back. The only reason it wasn't more was because periodically I would log back in and keep track for a month or so and lose 5 or 8 or whatever.



    Anyway, I've been logging consistently again since August 6 and I'm down about 9 lbs.



    I have to log my food, that's where I went wrong. I like to snack and graze and eat a little bit of lots of things at once and I suck at eyeballing it or adding it up in my head. I will have to do this forever I guess! But I am proud I didn't gain all of it back, at the very least.
  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
    About fifteen years ago I used Weight Watchers, and I gained it all back.

    A pregnancy that was spent mostly on bed rest certainly didn't help, but I was regaining before. The primary reason, now that I've reflected, was doing regular cheat days. It taught me that my weight loss journey was temporary, and it would be a free for all once I was done. This time I'm losing based on what I'm going to do for the rest of my life, and incorporating treats and heavier intake days into my caloric goals. I'm going to be logging for quite a long time on maintenance.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited September 2016
    I calorie counted and lost ~40 pounds seven years ago. Then I met my husband and started birth control which made me unbearably hungry. I gained back about 20 pounds over a year then stabilized. (I kept counting for at least some of that time and watched the "calories in" go up; as proven during my pregnancies, my body does not respond well to pregnancy hormones.) Within a few months of stopping the pill, I was pregnant. Gained a lot, gave birth, lost most of it, got pregnant again, gave birth again, lost a bunch and got stuck.

    So, now I'm calorie counting again because it works (if you don't have hormonal issues making you hungry all the time). I've lost almost all of my baby-#2-weight then I have 10 more pounds of baby-#1-weight then the original 20 pounds.
  • KrazyKrissyy
    KrazyKrissyy Posts: 322 Member
    My method was intuitive honestly. It was before I joined MFP. I lost over 50 pounds just by eating intuitively with little exercise. I'm on MFP maintaining now. I did gain some weight back but am shrinking/leaning at the same time while doing lots of exercise especially lifting weights.
  • LeslieB042812
    LeslieB042812 Posts: 1,799 Member
    KrazyKrissyy wrote: »
    My method was intuitive honestly. It was before I joined MFP. I lost over 50 pounds just by eating intuitively with little exercise. I'm on MFP maintaining now. I did gain some weight back but am shrinking/leaning at the same time while doing lots of exercise especially lifting weights.

    That's great that intuitive eating works well for you, and many other people too. I think for others (myself included) it doesn't work as well because for whatever reason, our intuition wants us to weigh more than we want to weigh. That's why I know that I need to count calories, even when I have whole, nutritious foods, because my natural satiety point would have me land about 30 pounds plumper than I want to be. The trick is finding what works best for you.
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I haven't gained it back, but in my experience and general observation, people tend to go back to "normal". They go back to the eating habits that made them fat in the first place and they cease to perform regular exercise and cease to pay attention to what they're doing...cease to weigh in regularly, etc.

    I'm going on 3.5 years of maintenance...I did calorie counting when losing weight, but I only used that as a tool...I don't do it in maintenance and haven't in 3.5 years.

    I eat well for the most part...mostly whole foods and meals prepared from scratch, whole ingredients and/or minimally processed food stuffs. I eat vegetarian 3-4 times per week usually so many staples of my diet include things like legumes and lentils and oats and potatoes/sweet potatoes, etc. I mostly eat fish on non veggie days and chicken once per week or two...I eat red meat maybe once or twice per month. Vegetables are front and center in my diet...I eat around 6 servings daily and a couple servings of fruit. Most of my fats come from things like avocado, nuts, and good cooking oils.

    I also exercise regularly...pretty much 5-6 days per week...a lot of people mistake regular exercise for a weight loss tool...it's not...it's a fitness tool and has the added benefit of making weight management easier...most people who maintain a healthy weight also exercise on the regular. I do both cardiovascular exercise as well as resistance work.

    Though I do not actively log or count calories, I'm generally aware of what I'm taking in just from months of practice while losing. I also take it easy on the "junk" food...I don't eat much. We don't eat out that often either...we do pizza night about once per month as a nice little family treat and fun and my wife and I go out a couple times per month for a nice dinner somewhere...but most of our meals are from home and I brown bag my breakfast and lunch 99.9% of the time.

    I weigh in regularly and monitor my weight...I don't really weigh in every day anymore, but usually at least once per week and usually more like 2-3 times per week.

    Outside of my desk job I like to be generally active...my wife and I don't watch much t.v....maybe 2-3 hours total in a weeks time...perhaps a bit more in winter but that would be mostly some football...we'd just rather be up and around doing stuff.

    I have friends that think I'm living some kind of miserable life, but I'm really passionate about nutrition and my fitness...I think this stuff is fun and good livin' is grand.

    This could pretty much have been me writing this whole paragraph but for the sake of the thread the first highlighted part is what I have observed (obviously there are hundreds of situations I haven't seen so it is generalised).

    The second highlighted paragraph is not necessarily linked to the thread but so true for me!





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