If the stats on long term weight loss are so bad, why bother?

CSARdiver · August 2017

mph323 wrote: »

LiveToBloom wrote: »

I asked my counsellor, yesterday, what I can do to increase the chances of success on Keto, and she said "Don't go on a diet." She went on to explain that diets don't really work, and ppl end up gaining the weight back. She reminded me of other failed attempts. I was crushed. I just really needed to hear something supportive from her. And then, just this evening I was visiting good friends. I told them I was on keto. My friend says, "Ohh, I know a lot of ppl that were on it. They lost a lot, but gained it all and then some." I don't know y I'm allowing these things to affect me so much. Maybe deep down inside I actually 'know' I'm going to fail...

1. Stop talking about your weight loss efforts with other people. Really, you're going to get a lot more negative than positive, and all kinds of stupid advice and discouragement.
2. If you enjoy the keto way of eating, join one of the lchf groups on mfp and ask away - you'll get good advice and encouragement.
3. If you are doing keto just because you think it's going to make you lose weight faster than any other way of eating, you might want to rethink that - any way of eating will work if you stay at your calorie limit, and you'll want to eat the foods that most satisfy you.

I agree with all of this.

@LiveToBloom Is this counselor experienced and knowledgeable in weight loss/weight management? Professionals often start relying on those letters behind their name, even when completely out of their area of expertise.

Think long term on this. If you cannot envision doing keto your entire life, then you may want to rethink this strategy. The reason most diets fail is that they are not realistic and lack implementation of discipline into the process.

Long term success in this (and anything) relies on looking beyond the symptoms and identifying root cause. Conduct this simple exercise - write down 5 habits you want to change that will have a positive impact on your health and weight - prioritize these from 1-5. Scratch off 2-5 and focus on number 1. Replace this "bad" habit with a "good" habit. Once this habit has become part of your normal behavior repeat this exercise.

Rick_1953 · September 2017

The stats are this way because people diet, which is a short term comment. The only way to permanently improve your health is a commitment to a lifestyle change

jdlobb · September 2017

Because I'm special and better at this than all of those normals

ccruz985 · September 2017

I truly believe that this prevailing culture of 'acceptance' is something people use as an excuse not to change. Accepting that you're unhealthy does not lessen your unhappiness or health risks but a lot of people sure like to act like it does which is why so many more people are unsuccessful in their weight loss and maintenance endeavors.

Green_Faerie · September 2017

Kullerva wrote: »

While regain/relose the same five-ten pounds, the original forty I dropped is still off...and I finished losing it almost three years ago. I'm in no danger of ballooning up like a cartoon character, because to lose weight, I changed. I'm a different person than I was, and I no longer worry that the weight is going to magically come back. For one, I'm more vigilant. For another, I'm more active. And I care, generally, more about my health and choices.

This. I've been struggling with the same 20-30 lbs for what feels like forever..but my highest weight was 6 years ago and about 90lbs more that I currently am (I weighed abput 230-240ish lb).. I always feel like crap when my weight creeps up to where it seems to like to sit (about 160 when my ideal is abput 135ish) because I feel like 'just another failed diet statistic'. I "fail" because I fall off my intentions but I do catch myself, and, in the long run, I'd be concidered an overall success.
Statistics can be interesting and they're good for studies and examining populations, but one should be careful about taking them too personally.

JeromeBarry1 · September 2017

Those of us who, in their middle-aged and older years, who've bothered to undertake proper eating and exercise and then experienced improving health, know why to bother.

I'll set the scene for you. My oldest daughter is a nurse practitioner, but in her early career was a critical care nurse working in a cardiac ICU. I was an obese 40-something guy. One day, for no reason, my heart started beating super fast. I dillied, I dallied, I delayed, but eventually I drove to the local hospital and presented at the ER with "my heart is beating 200 beats per minute". The ER staff sprang into action, hastily moving me into a big room with lots of equipment.

As I told this story to my daughter the nurse, she remarked, "The room was big for all the doctors trying to keep you from dieing ".

As @SezxyStef noted with her deceased step-mother, I've observed with my mother, dead at 59, and my cousin, dead at 42. They weren't killed by their obesity, but their death was hastened by their ignorance and their choices.

Choose health, and to do that, keep learning.

If the stats on long term weight loss are so bad, why bother?

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