For those of you who re-gained weight
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I lost about forty pounds, but went back to my old habits and stopped doing what I was doing to be active. It sleeps like I woke up one day and was 250lbs from 140lbs, after my starting weight of 220, then 180, then 140.
Since I gained 110lbs in a year (not even joking), I've since lost it all again, coming in at 130lb. I'm much more active and my fundamental underlying habits are changed and are incapable of cropping up on me again. I also have a better understanding that it is something I'll need to work on every day in maintenance, not something I can assume.
I think the change from not having a goal anymore is a big part of it for a lot of people. To help with that, along with the simple impossibility of my old habits, I set new body goals in the line of recomp and building.0 -
I became depressed because I hated my job and my abusive boss, then my grad school shut down in the middle of my program, then the man I loved (boyfriend/and one of my best friends) kept saying how unattractive I was and he tried to hide our relationship, then I tried to lose weight and it didn't work, and I quit my career but had to live off the money I'd saved up for a wedding, then I left my boyfriend but we remained too close and he would see what he could get away with while maintaining I was fat and unattractive, then my dad died, then my car died, then my house went into pre-foreclosure. This was all in just less than a year. I was left with crippling depression, a broken heart, penniless, wrought with confusion about my life choices, unpredictable daily anxiety attacks, anddddd regained 40lbs.0
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I lost a lot of weight once and gained it all back because I stopped thinking about what I ate. Then I lost some, then gained it back. Each time I would begin to count calories and lose and then stop and gain it back. Basically I ate whatever I wanted as long as it fit into my calories and macros and never really developed a healthy relationship with food, so once I got tired of counting I went back to eating how I was before.
Right now I am trying something new and instead of counting calories I am eating tons of vegetables, fruit, nuts and seeds, good meats and eggs, and whole grains. When I eat that way I am generally at a good place calorie wise and I feel good during exercise. Sometimes I eat sweets or refined carbs but as long as it is very sparingly compared to eating the other foods. I've started to look at food as a good thing that fuels my body and gives me vitamins instead of thinking about what I can't eat and what is the caloric content of everything.
I haven't gone long enough to see if I will eventually gain weight back, but I feel like I have developed some good habits that I can sustain for a long time without getting burned out on constantly thinking about the # of calories in my food. I know calorie counting is the end all be all for a lot of people on here but I think that is what gave me trouble before - just worrying about calories and not developing the other healthy eating habits.0 -
I lost 70 pounds 20 years ago, kept it off for about five years and then regained it all over the next ten years. If I had to say what went wrong I would say it is because I didn't use the bathroom scale and because I was a fair weather athlete. I also found it easy to tell myself that because I had ridden my bicycle that day that it was okay if I ate more. Without stepping on the bathroom scale I had no way of knowing that I was gaining weight. So, now I use it weekly. Then there was the exercise thing. I would ride a bicycle if it wasn't raining, if it wasn't windy, if it wasn't cold, and if it wasn't dark. I would take the winter months off and then be so out of shape come Spring that it would take me until Summer to be able to ride much at all. And then I had to mess with 100+ degree days. Now, I read through the Winter, ride inside when it is lightning, enjoy a little wind, and seek out bigger hills.2
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No. They're really not here, I mean impossible literally. It is incapable of repetition.1 -
I stopped weighing my foods and logging in MFP. Period.1
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I lost 50 lbs in college, but I did it by eating a low calorie diet, working out a ton, and cutting out all the "bad foods" that I enjoyed. Because I was under eating and working out so much, I couldn't keep up that lifestyle. I never reached a point of maintaining my loss. I didn't even know that maintenance was a thing... I have always either been losing weight or gaining weight. So once I lost it, I just started gaining again. I was in grad school and stressed, so that's where the gain started. And then I had 4 babies and gained weight each of those pregnancies.
Now I've lost 90 lbs and I've been maintaining for almost a year. I didn't lose weight by starving myself or working out excessively so I have a lifestyle that I've adjusted to and it works for me. I feel confident that I can keep this up long-term. The way I lost weight previously wasn't something anybody could keep up long-term.3 -
Exactly what @try2again said....... viewing it as a short-term project of achieving a weight loss goal, as opposed to a life-long project of maintaining a healthy weight.......
This was my precise mindset. After I lost 70 pounds -- project done, moved on to the next thing. Stopped tracking, started drinking and very quickly lost control. Gained it all back.
This time, I'm learning about balance and nutrition, I'm learning new habits ridding myself of my food demons. I'm doing nothing (and I mean NOTHING) that I can't do for the rest of my life. If that means it takes me a year or two to lose the last 10 pounds, so be it. I have a very modest deficit, do exercise I enjoy and eat and drink what I like, at appropriate calories levels for my goal.
There is some very, very good advice here. Take it, learn from it and beat the odds!
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Well I'm not "back" and not "gone" from MyFitnessPal -- Kind of in some weird purgatory where I feel myself gaining, but I have zero motivation to actually do what it takes to start losing again. My Diary is an empty wasteland, and I really don't want to keep it up.
- For me, I let myself have a cheat week during the holidays that unleashed my snack foods binge beast. It's turned into more of a cheat quarter than a week.
- I also started a home-based bakery, which was fine until I started attempting to come up with new recipes. It takes a lot of tasting (and calories) to get to perfection -- I ate like 6 muffins trying to figure out what I can do to improve a carrot cake formula. Plus I always bake an extra for quality assurance -- guess who eats that whole thing . Yeah, me.
- I also switched day jobs, and I had to cut my spin class . It was right after my personal training session, so I burned a WICKED amount of calories --I could pretty much eat anything on those days because the calories were so high. Also the sun used to set later, so I was running after my evening Zumba classes -- I run alone, and I don't like doing it in the dark.
- I also snack more on this job. I have no idea why -- I buy the same things I used to, but it all disappears faster.
- I am also kind of tired-- trying to start a business and hold down a strict government job is a lot. My previous focus was just gym, cook, work.
0 - For me, I let myself have a cheat week during the holidays that unleashed my snack foods binge beast. It's turned into more of a cheat quarter than a week.
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No. They're really not here, I mean impossible literally. It is incapable of repetition.
Maybe a situation or condition that gave rise to your bad habits is gone, but life always holds new challenges.0 -
I've lost significant weight a couple of times with Atkins, but the low carb eating wasn't sustainable long term for me. I kept most of it off for a long time by living an active (hiking) lifestyle, but eventually the pounds would creep back either because I became less active for a while or because I allowed the occasional treat to become a daily occurrence. I wasn't tracking and I wasn't weighing myself often, so it was easy to pretend that I wasn't actually gaining much weight.
When my husband retired, we did a lot of travelling, which meant eating out a lot more often, which meant weight gain. After a few years, we settled down again and I lost 50 pounds by becoming more active (running and walking) and doing my own cooking. I kept most of it off for 5 years, but went up and down within about 10 pounds whenever we would go on another long trip. As long as I'm running regularly (5 days a week) and limiting my treats, I am fine. But sometimes that isn't possible.0 -
I say running, but I mostly walked with intermittent sprints.0
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I lost 35 pounds counting calories then doing WW. That took nearly 2 years. Then, I went on Medifast and lost 70 pounds in 6 months, for a total loss of 105 pounds. Over the past 3 years, I've gained 30 back.
I think my weight gain came from not knowing how to feel as a thin person, previously having worn a size 24W and getting down to a 6. I felt elated but very uncomfortable at the same time and mentally, it was just easier to go back to the way I was for 30 years.
So, I slipped back into old eating habits (too many carbs, too many calories) and it's been a battle since. The reason I've only gained 30 vs. the entire 105 pounds back is due to constantly thinking about my weight and food. It's not a healthy mental process but to me, it's loads better than gaining it all back. I used to cover my feelings with food CONSTANTLY and now I do that far less but still do it sometimes. It's about progress, not perfection. I'm tons better mentally and physically than I was just 4 years ago when I started losing weight. So, I'm still a little weird about my weight and diet but we all have issues, this is mine.3 -
I lost 70 lbs and gained it all back plus about 5 lbs. more. January 2016 I was determined to get disciplined -- make myself go to the gym, practiced portion control, and logged all the calories and food I was eating. That's how I lost the weight. But in August 2016 I had an accident and fractured my foot. My primary exercise was walking 3.6 mph with a 13% incline (it kept going up higher as my cardio got better) for an hour every other day. Also I did the couch to 5K program. Finished that and continued with the Bridge to 10K program. I think fracturing my foot really took a toll on me. Not only did I lose motivation, I got depressed over the whole thing. It took until October 2016 when I finally got cleared to exercise. But by then I had no motivation, no control, no care. So I gained all the weight back. I realize, at least for me, I need the control. I need to go to the gym daily, I need to practice portion and food control. It is the control that is the key for me. This time around I started the same goal in January 2017, but I got too aggressive at the gym and re-injured myself. I have a fractured foot again. But I am still maintaining control. I still log everything I eat and I practice portion control. I still go to the gym and I see a trainer who can help me exercise without using my feet (I have to wear a big medical boot for 4 weeks). I am confident that I will lose the weight again (this month (January) I have already lost 22 lbs. and yes I know a lot of it is water weight). But again, I realize as long as I maintain control, I'll be OK.2
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Tacklewasher wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »For me, the following link rings pretty true having lost my weight and more or less maintained that loss for going on 4 years...
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-22368/12-habits-of-people-who-reach-maintain-their-ideal-weight.html
That was a good article. Thanks for posting it.
All of those things are helpful not only at maintenance but also during your weight loss. The only thing I don't adhere to is the meal planning. That's kind of hit or miss depending on if I want to drive to town to buy food or not. I try to plan, but that's where all the other items come into play.0 -
I've yoyo'd for 20 something years. Each time putting on additional pounds than I started with.
My problem was two-fold...
I didn't know about my TDEE - so I never knew how much less to eat after weight loss and I gradually ate like I did when I gained the weight.
AND
I always did overly restrictive "diets" (no sugar, no whites, very low carb, cabbage soup etc) - which is not how I want or normally eat and I would overeat those restricted foods once I hit desired weight.1 -
ValHollings wrote: »An emotional journey, at the end of last year, I had to undergo 6 weeks of radiation therapy for skin cancer...in the middle of that, my husband fell and broke his femur! So there was never any time to plan meals, I was eating fast food or whatever friends provided. Not a great ending to 2016, or a great start to 2017! But it's a new time, and I have a new outlook, so with MFP, which was so successful in the past, I'll reach my goal before the end of 2017! One day at a time!!!
Off topic but I wish you good health for 2017 x1 -
I got married , changed jobs, moved house, moved the kids school, had to quit my gym and change my routine due to new commitments, oh, and had a miscarraige. The stress and emotional trauma of that over 6 months sent me into food meltdown. Depressing, but back on track now.1
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Wow a lot of wisdom in these answers! Thanks for sharing!
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IMO, people regain because they use artificiality (for lack of words on my part) to lose in the first place. The more forced something is, the more work there is. And the less sustainable it is. We all have a breaking point.
To increase your chance of success, make your new, healthy eating habit as natural as possible.
For example I feel very familiar and natural that I fast with certain meals. I feel it's weird -- and my wife feels it's a lot of work -- to make elaborate dinners on Monday, Tues night.
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I feel like I've lost the weight forever this time, because I've learned how to lose it so slowly that I don't have to wait for a window of opportunity to go on a diet.
A big factor in my two most recent regains was digestive issues. Basically I feel better having just starchy carbs and fat when I'm having problems, which throws off my fullness signals, but worse yet, I feel better when I'm very full. Stress was in there too, but even with both of those problems I think I could have really minimized the damage if I'd been willing to aim for a small deficit on my good days (there were lots of them in between bad ones), instead of waiting to launch a full attack.0 -
I tend to get "addicted" to counting calories. I enjoy it like a hobby for a while, and enjoy seeing the weight come off. Once my interest wanes, the weight starts to come back. I have never been able to translate the hobby of counting calories in to an actual lifestyle change.1
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I reached goal in Jul 2015- 70 lbs lost. Then I went through a very difficult time and despite all the heartache, I kept my weight +/- 5lbs of goal... but when my partner and I got engaged in Mar 2016, I celebrated with cake! Lots of celebration dinners and drinks and cakes. My focus shifted from training and calorie counting to weddings. I moved house twice, with my scales packed away for a couple of months. I ordered my wedding dress too big by mistake, which meant losing weight for the wedding wasn't a pressure. Over all that, I gained 30 lbs back by Dec 2016.
I caught it just before Christmas and have lost about 10 lbs to now and am aiming for another 10, although probably not all before my wedding.
I loved being skinny, but I love all the other things in my life too- working on my relationships, planning my wedding, making a home. Those things took precedence, despite my solemn vow to myself that I would never gain more than 8 lbs above goal. I thought I'd be working out most days for life, but suddenly I had other stuff If rather do instead!
What did I learn (or TL:DR)- I need to pay attention to what I eat, or I will eat more than I need. I need to focus on maintaining a certain level of activity, or I will sit on the sofa. Maybe I need to use MFP forever; maybe I don't. Whatever happens, I know it will take longer than a few months of weight loss and 6 months of maintenance to overrule my innate preference for eating all the snacks in front of the TV and internalise better habits.
I am disappointed I didn't keep the weight off, but even when I was 30 lbs more than goal, I was still 40 lbs less than when I started. And though my 5k is now 4 mins off my best time, it's still 6 mins better than the first time I ever ran 5k in one go.2 -
I tend to get "addicted" to counting calories. I enjoy it like a hobby for a while, and enjoy seeing the weight come off. Once my interest wanes, the weight starts to come back. I have never been able to translate the hobby of counting calories in to an actual lifestyle change.
You can develop other interests in the place of meal time. I very much like to go to tennis court during lunchtime than to food court.0 -
I lost a little over 80lbs and maintained for about 3 years. I lost it through simple changes - smaller portions and working out. I didn't count anything and the loss took about a year.
I started gaining back when my life changed. I switched jobs dramatically affecting my activity level and moved in with my boyfriend so we were having larger meals together. I was so busy adapting to my new life I didnt notice at first. One day I went to put on my favorite jeans and they didn't fit so I weighed myself and had gained 30lb. I hadn't weighed myself in months before that day.2 -
I lost 70 lbs over 2 years. I lost 50 lbs by cutting all processed food (no logging). When my weight loss slowed, I switched to MFP. I lost another 20 lbs. I was feeling good, super active. I thought "I got this". Then vacation, stopped logging that fall, Christmas and sadly the upward trend never stopped. I gained 40 lbs back.
Logging is painful, but, clearly, I am not a good judge of calories in/calories out. I am still quite active (especially in the summer), but not enough to do more than loose the fall/winter weight. So this January I went back to no process food and logging. I will either need to continue to always log or find enough check-ins to keep my on track.
Great threat.1 -
I started taking the pill. It made me *insanely* hungry. My doctor was not receptive to the idea of trying other pills to fix that. I gained 20 pounds.
Then I stopped taking the pill and got pregnant twice in three years.
I have lost all the baby weight and am 5 pounds into that remaining 20 to get back to where I got before.1 -
I lost 60 pounds slow and steady over 4 years (putting me about 15 pounds away from goal weight). And then February 2016 hit me with 10 months of terrible stuff, not limited to spending over half the year on various steroids and pain killers, going temporarily legally blind, found out my back was super messed up. I was unable to exercise and train like I was used to. Lack of exercise + stress + financial bills + drugs + pain = 30 pounds went back on in 3-4 months. It was heartbreaking and soul crushing. I managed to drop 15 pounds prior to the new year but have now been stuck due to stress at work. I have at least fixed my physical issues and am finally in a training program once again. But it is now time to get my nutrition back under control and drop 30 pounds. Would love to do that by end of year - and drop at least half that in the next few months.0
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