Did I yo yo too long?

cmacphee3
cmacphee3 Posts: 278 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My weight loss history is long and I have lost large amounts of weight several times in the past. I lost 112lbs in 2005, regained about 87lbs in 2006-2007, lost 67lbs in 2008-2009, kept it off 2.5 years then regained 50lbs in 2011-2012, then slowly kept gaining and relosing 20lbs until I came only a couple lbs shy of hitting my highest weight again. Two years ago I lost 25lbs, only to regain it, then 40lbs last year, to regain it again while travelling extensively for work. Now I'm trying again, in what I hope is a more sustainable manner.

My question is this, has anyone else had this sort of terrible yo-yoing history, and if so, did you find it got harder and harder and harder to lose weight? Have I completely screwed over any chances I have to be a normal weight person? I am just below the cut off for "morbidly obese" and weight loss at this size is supposed to be easier.

I lift weights, and try to walk 10k steps a day (I have plantar fasciitis so extra on my feet cardio is out right now), and I'm aiming to hit 1350-1450 calories a day (I weigh my food - so I think that I am likely not more than 100-200 calories off on any given day). Normally in my first week of doing well, I drop weight quickly before slowing down to a reasonable pace, but this time it feels like I put in all the effort of eating properly and end up feeling discouraged because my body refuses.

My body has regained the weight in different ways, and now I am very apple shaped when I used to hold it all over. I had my blood tested a couple months ago and I am not diabetic or pre-diabetic - so I don't think that is the issue. I do have hypothyroidism, but they upped my synthroid and it is now in normal range again.

I'm not saying I NEED to lose weight quickly, I realize that is part of the issue with my regaining is how unsustainable it is to maintain such a drastic life change. But it just feels like my body is completely unreactive this time.

Sorry this was such a ramble, I am just feeling discouraged and sad that it seems so much harder now. I need help getting an attitude adjustment.

Replies

  • cmacphee3
    cmacphee3 Posts: 278 Member
    Thank you both. I agree. I need to be more patient. I also subscribe to weighing each day and seeing my weight as a weight range rather than a single number. I think what happened is that I only restarted about 1.5 weeks ago, and in the past my first week has been crazy good, and very motivating to keep going. This time it has been slow, more like my regular weeks instead of a boost. This sent me into a discouragement spiral.

    I don't have the best food habits, it can be hard some days because I work in R&D for a food company so I need to sample products pretty regularly, but I am trying to include those in my totals and only try things when I truly need to.

    I agree I need better habits. Instead of making it all about hitting a calorie goal, I need to find foods that are healthy that I look forward to eating, instead of feeling like it is punishment while watching my partner eat chocolate and chips.

    I will take both of your advice very seriously. I can do this. I just need to work on my patience and make changes that are sustainable and not dramatic just to see the number move.
  • MinuitMinuet
    MinuitMinuet Posts: 156 Member
    Yes and no.
    Yes I yo yo dieted as much as you.
    No it's not harder to lose..Same principles still apply.. cico.
    Is it taking longer this time? Yes, because I'm not trying to rapidly lose it the WRONG way. I'm trying to change my WOE and not fear food.

    You didn't break you.. Unless you complete destroyed your thyroid. Simple fix, medication. And your bmr will be about 200 or more lower possibly. But still the same principle. Create a deficit.
  • animatorswearbras
    animatorswearbras Posts: 1,001 Member
    The only other thing I can say is that your job seems to be quite detrimental to your efforts, this is probably not possible but is their any opportunity for you to change careers? However if you really enjoy your job ignore this.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
    One thing I found in the past was that the first time I did a really low carb diet I lost a lot of weight the first two weeks (14 lbs.) It was primarily water, of course. The second time I did the diet I lost a lot less the first couple of weeks. The third time I lost even less. My overall rate of loss stayed pretty much the same though. I think my body just stopped dumping water, or perhaps I was drinking more to make up for it to prevent dehydration. That may be what you are experiencing. Yes, it is very motivating to see a 10 pound loss, but that isn't fat, it's just water. So don't worry about it.
  • scarlett_k
    scarlett_k Posts: 812 Member
    Only person who can adjust your attitude is you :)
  • SummerSkier
    SummerSkier Posts: 4,780 Member
    as a veteran Yo yo'er who is focusing HARD on maintenance this time, I think that it IS harder for our bodies to start losing with each loss. The reason is not the CICO which works of course, but that with each UPward YO, we tend to gain more fat. So for instance in college I was at 131 (my highest weight ever) but when I lost down to 102 it was a steady loss. With each YO up over the 40 years or so since the gain is more fat. 130 at 59 looked a TON worse than 130 at 21. believe me. I think once your body realizes you are serious it will start to lose again given CICO. One thing I am doing to combat HARD another Yo up, is focusing on maintenance. I started this time before I even hit my goal and am almost a month in. Still slowly losing but within my range. I have also found that due to my yo yo history every time I have added 100 cals, my body almost instantly thinks I am about to binge and just sort of stays in one place weight wise. At first I thought my TDEE was going to be REALLY low, but as I progressed each week I could see the pattern. I have added 100 cals every other week and the first week I add, I plateau, then the 2nd week I end up losing per what CICO says. So there is hope. Hang in there and once you start losing turn your thoughts to how you are going to maintain forever. And what will work for you..... Just thoughts from one yo yo er (usually 20 pounds or so up and down) to another. Good luck and be of cheer. You can do it!
  • greenlizard72
    greenlizard72 Posts: 76 Member
    scarlett_k wrote: »
    Only person who can adjust your attitude is you :)

    Yeah, but how to keep it adjusted? I can't seem to figure that one out.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    greenlizard72 wrote: »
    scarlett_k wrote: »
    Only person who can adjust your attitude is you :)

    Yeah, but how to keep it adjusted? I can't seem to figure that one out.
    What if you pay attention, like really really pay attention, to how you feel?

    I have this as a sort of mantra: feeding myself regularly and reliably.
  • teags84mfp
    teags84mfp Posts: 49 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Just speculatively, what if you did yo-yo too much? What if you did "down-regulate your metabolism" by doing so?

    I sometimes say - most often to myself ;) - that the wisest sign in the world is one I see everywhere. It says "you are here". I may not be where I wish I was, I may not be where I think I should be, but exactly here is where I am, and it's the only place from which I can make my next step. Fretting about where I should've been is just wasted energy.

    Decide, in a true, deep sense, that you want your life to be different. Set yourself to it. Learn lots, put it to use. You can. You just have to want to, then act on it. It's just that simple . . . but it may not be easy. ;)

    I'm possibly old enough to be your grandmother (61). Just a couple of years ago, I finally lost weight, after being obese for decades. Now that I realize how much better I feel, how many painful, difficult health problems I could've avoided, and how truly straightforward weight loss and even weight maintenance are, I could kick myself for wasting all that time, not getting on a healthy footing decades ago.

    You have to decide what you want. Only you can decide.

    Granny sez: Make some gradual, sustainable changes in your life. Make changes you can live with forever. Periodically, review and reassess. Make a few more sustainable changes. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. You can do it. You'll surprise yourself.

    Incredible advice♡
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    If you're asking if you did some sort of metabolic damage? Then a resounding no. Your body is quite resilient and a rather marvelous machine.

    In each diet phase you have made weight loss and health a priority. Once you're achieved your desired goal you de-prioritized the activities and moved on. Through this you have likely implemented drastic changes which are completely unsustainable in the long term and you move back to your old habits quickly. Our brains are not wired to stop an activity without replacing this with another, so in the yo-yo cycle this tends to be a shift from eating in surplus to working out/dieting and back to eating in surplus.

    For long term sustainable change you need to think small and implement kaizen (small changes having dramatic impact over time). Perform the following exercise:

    List 5 habits that contribute to weight gain and prioritize these 1-5. Scratch off 2-5 and focus on 1. Develop a plan of action to replace a "good" behavior to replace this "bad" behavior. Continue with this new behavior until it becomes habit. Once firmly set repeat this exercise.

    What is also helpful is to develop some larger goal that reinforces the positive behaviors and promotes wellness. Find people that reinforce this behavior

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