Superslimmers: Did They Really Keep the Weight Off?

hazels1973 wrote: »

Yes I am, but feeling quite depressed actually. The I'm getting is that it's pointless as we'll just put it back on and more because of bloody hormones..Grrrrrr
That would partly explain why sticking to under 1200 calories and exercising daily I'm not losing any weight or inches.. I've plateaued

Bearing in mind you've only been signed up for a week (First visit on the 7th), what makes you think you've plateaued?

There is no reason why, if you have a sustainable long term plan that you can't keep the weight off. Under 1200 calories unless you're sick/old/very short/very low weight is not a sustainable long term plan.

There will always be some fluctuation of weight due to hormones, hydration, etc but that doesn't mean you will pile back on all the weight lost.

Hazel- I'm 62 and 5'2". I eat between 1100 and 1200 calories a day and am losing about 3/4 of a pound a week. If you aren't losing, be sure to weigh your food in grams and don't let anything slip by. I had plateaued for 3 weeks but tightened up everything, including only eating back half the exercise calories burned, and started to lose again. Stick with it, be honest with yourself and your counting, and you'll lose.

I saw the program and thought it was really badly put together. There was only one real success story, and although they showed him lifting weights, they didn't at all explore the reasons why he, over the others, might have kept the weight off - because his training progressed, rather than him swimming the same 10 laps of a pool every week, maybe?

It seemed like the health professionals they had speaking were essentially saying, well, you could try to lose weight and hope you're one of the lucky ones, or you could stay fat and maintain that weight, because if you lose weight and don't keep it off, you're guaranteed to be in a worse state than when you started.
Although they looked at metabolic adaptation or whatever it's called, they didn't really explain that if you eat within your body's adjusted caloric needs, you still won't gain weight. In fact, they actually said something along the lines of, calories don't matter, it all comes down to hormones.

I honestly thought the program would have a few failures and then success, and end on a high note saying "go out there and do it, it's tough but here's some things to know to get you through", but it basically said, "don't bother, and if you do bother, you have a license to blame anything but yourself".

I fell asleep halfway!

I did't find it depressing as I didn't think it's indication on what my chances are. Dr Yoni Freedhoff said something along the lines that obesity (or in my case just being prone to weight gain) is like chronic condition. You don't just get better and move on, you actively manage it

Calories in vs calories out worked very well for me. i lost weight very slowly. This time. I had in mind creating a lifestyle I enjoy and can sustain

I am more interested in researching the 10% successful maintainers, but of course this won't make that interesting viewing for most people as they don't want to see that long term effort is required.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

hazels1973 wrote: »

Yes I am, but feeling quite depressed actually. The message I'm getting is that it's pointless as we'll just put it back on and more because of bloody hormones..Grrrrrr
That would partly explain why sticking to under 1200 calories and exercising daily I'm not losing any weight or inches.. I've plateaued

I've maintained going on four years...having an actual maintenance plan is key...people put the weight back on largely because they go back to their "normal" dietary habits...

^^This. People begin eating too much, too many cheats, too many treats, too many I Don't Care Days. More booze, more desserts, more fries, etc. Add to that people cutting back on their exercise, there are a couple of threads about this right now, right here in this forum. CICO works. If you eat more than you burn, you will gain weight. If you think that once you reach maintenance you don't have to watch what you eat, you are probably wrong.

OP, it is not possible to plateau in less a week!

I think results like you are seeing on that program is only proof of some "fringe" things:

1. People who sign up for fast weight loss on TV are not good role models for how to lose weight.
2. While there are exceptions, losing weight aggressively often makes it harder to maintain. You continue to have a roller-coaster relationship with food, you lose valuable muscle mass along with the fat, and you often have unrealistic expectations of what your life will be like after you lose the weight. Not for everyone, but I think often.
3. There may be underlying issues that cause some people to get extremely obese. If they lose the weight, but don't deal with the underlying issues, they will have a good chance of gaining the weight back.

Just like with everything else, don't look to "TV experts" or reality shows for your blueprint or motivation. There are plenty of people here who have lost 10 lbs, 50 lbs, 100 lbs and are maintaining their now healthy weight. Be patient, take the time to learn how to eat so you are happy and satisfied at the right calorie level, and check that your goals and expectations are realistic and healthy. Good luck :drinker: