For those of you who re-gained weight

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.

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.

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.

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 x

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.

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.

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.

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.