anyone who lost weight and gained it back, but ended up losing it again?
Replies
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My weight's been going up and down for several weeks. My highest weight since loosing over 20 pounds from being 148 is 126, the lightest I've been is 121.
It's just so frustrating! I exercise, I watch my calories and it still happens! Sometimes I think that something is wrong with me!2 -
I am a serial yo yo dieter. Can keep the weight off for ages and then its just like a switch flicks. Hopefully for the last time this time though1
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Yep. My weight loss cycle has gone from 241 lbs to 180, then back up to 195, then down to 170, back up to 180, down to 158, then finally settling on 165 lbs. I've never gone back to my starting weight, though, and that makes me feel successful so far.3
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I'm very lazy during the winter and this winter I even took a break from lifting. I originally went from 240-160 and was quite happy with how I looked but I've gained 10 and like a previous poster, spring is when I cut the winter weight. I have less than 10 to lose but since I have a decent amount of lean mass I manage to do it in about 3 months just in time for swimsuit season. I remember thinking omg 1450 cals is SO LOW but you truly get used to it. It's just a matter of what you've grown accustomed to. I was eating a lot of calorie dense foods so naturally when I had to replace those foods with either less of them or fewer calorie similar volume foods... I was cringing. It's about a month before I can say I was satiated with my new diet and I'm steadily losing with only a few to go.0
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oh yeah i def had to cut out diet soda. i had a thing where if i drank soda i wanted to eat something with it so i could enjoy the soda more ...??
i only drink water or apple juice now
How much apple juice are you drinking? Are you logging it as well? One cup has ~110 calories. You can have a lot of veg and solid fruit for that same amount!0 -
This is encouraging to see. I lost 100 lbs in 2013/2014. I started at 320 and got down to 220. Gained it all back in 2015/2016. I have been struggling with depressing/self esteem/stress issues. I am back trying to lose the weight again. This time around my focus is going to be in this order...1) my psychological state, 2) my eating habits, and 3) my exercise habits.6
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I'm right there with ya'll.
- 272lbs in 2006
- 171lbs in 2008
- 234lbs in 2011
- 164lbs in 2012
- 239lbs 6 weeks ago
- 216lbs presently
For me the process is always the same. Weight loss has been consistent as far as effort. I don't think mentally it's been any different. When I ran deficits back then I was always hungry and I always go full steam while working out and hate the pain, but always loved the time immediately after the gym of feeling worn out and relaxed. Weight gain came back at the same rate each time also. I just had a shift in priorities that stopped me from keeping a regular fitness routine and taking my diet along for the ride too.
The shift was always due to my relationships lol While I'm in a relationship, there's a lot of eating out and little time at the gym. Post relationship, it's always easy to control my diet and I have all the time in the world for the gym. Plus there's the added bonus of rubbing it back into her face when I look better and she can't have me anymore. What I need is to find a girl that is also into fitness and a healthy lifestyle so that we don't have to sacrifice our health priorities and be able to spend time together and maintain an active lifestyle at the same time. 3 -
This is typically due to sustainability of one's diet. If you were eating enough back then to feel satisfied and full, then something other than that must've caused you to start eating all those extra calories.
You'd be better off just eating at maintenance for a while and then hopping back on a deficit if you think you can handle that, but if you want to keep going with your current diet, you'll need to find a distraction from food. Why not try pushing most of your calories towards the end of the day? That way you have all morning to take care of other things and get to eat a big meal or two in the afternoon.
And don't worry about skipping breakfast, weight loss is solely due to deficit and (not necessarily) a solid workout routine.
Hope this is of use to you. I'm not certified of anything, but this is generally what I've learned from months to a year of research.
Good luck!2 -
Yes, but with a big big time gap in between - but that was due to just not being serious about things to get the weight back down again, and trying a billion trendy "diets" in between that I would rebound from and binge. This was repetitive, for years.
In 2005, I lost from 180 (post-pregnancy weight) to 151, I think it was. My plan was to go down 30 more lbs. Then I got pregnant and started overeating all over again. I came out of the delivery at 200 lbs., lost down to 180, then over the years, ate my way back up to 212, shockingly enough.
About 15 months ago I got SERIOUS...NO MORE, and now I have lost SIXTY pounds! I have about 25 to go.
It can be done. And each time I've done it it's been because I reduced my calories. (And when I gained, it was from overeating.) For me, this has always been a very simple and obvious thing. Yes, I've been sick in between - thyroid disease - and yes, I've been pregnant. But even sick and unmedicated, if I overate, I gained; if I ate less, I lost. With pregnancy, if I overate, I gained way too much for that given month. It's just been a no-brainer for me. But it took me saying ENOUGH over a year ago to make a real and, I hope, permanent change. I'm at my lowest right now in almost 12 years. In a couple more months I hope to be at my lowest in, amazingly, 15 years. And after that...I hope to finally be a normal weight again.0 -
After high school, I steadily gained weight until I was afraid to step on a scale because I wss afraid I would see a number starting with a 3. I cleaned up my diet, hit the gym, and got down to 204. I got lazy and quit going to the gym but maintained around 220 for several years. Later though, I got married, worked longer hours and instead of grilled chicken for dinner, the family wanted pizza or nachos. Well, the weight started coming back and I was probably around 275 or so. Eventually, after a case of plantar fasciitis followed by working out of town, company provides meals, and buffets, I ballooned up to 328. Finally, I decided to lose the weight no matter what and learn how to truly keep it off long term. I am currently 186 and feel great.3
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Well 2300 doesn't seem excessive to me because it's my maintenance, but I have to be very active to keep that up (I'm 38, 5'5", and have to walk about 12k steps a day to get there).
But I hear you. I lost 80 pounds eating 1600-1700 and it was easy, and maintenance has been really tough. It's actually much harder to eat 2300 now than it was to eat 1600 at the time! But I've maintained my loss (ok, more or less 5 pounds) by keeping a deficit whenever possible - my goal is still 1800. Most days I stick to it, some days I go over (some days way over), but overall, I'm maintaining. And yeah, I have to stay active... there's easily a 800-1000 calorie difference in my TDEE if I take a rest day!
I guess the key is to try to limit 'empty' calories, especially on days when you're hungrier... eat more filling/nutritious foods. If you're less hungry one day and have extra calories, indulge a little bit if you feel like it... if not, save those calories for another day. And just keep a small deficit - 400/500 calories.
For what it's worth though, I still can't lose my last 5 lbs (plus the 5 I've gained back in 2.5 years), so it's definitely not as easy as it sounds. Sigh.
I get about 14,000 steps a day. I'm 5'9" and maintaining 165 on 1800 cal/day at 38 years old.
OP: I hit 225 in 2000. I got down to 165 in 9 months, then left the weight slowly creep back up. And up. And up. In 2014 I found myself at 260 lbs, and realized that I couldn't let my weight be a problem in my life. I lost much more slowly this time, and am maintaining 165 now. I know I need to track calories for the rest of my life because my appetite is misleading. I'm OK with that... I know I have the tools necessary.
Do you weigh your food? I have a hard time believing that someone with your stats would maintain on so few calories.
Yeah I was wondering the same thing..0 -
Yeah, I'm with you guys. I've been morbidly obese my entire adult life with the exception of a brief period when I was in college. I was around 280 for years and then when I was in college I lost 100 lbs. The first 40 without any effort (I studied abroad and was much more active and ate less junk food because the foods I liked weren't available to eat there) and then the next 60 through unhealthy means (over-restricting) as I wanted to lose weight for my wedding. Post wedding I got pregnant right away and then juggled full time work, grad school, and kids (3 of them now) for years and completely neglected myself and gained all the weight back. I reached an all time high of 295 last summer, and decided it was time to lose weight for my health and for my kids. I've committed myself to doing it "the right way" this time around, i.e. eating enough calories to satisfy hunger, eating a variety of nutrient dense foods (but having treats on occasion), exercising regularly, and being active with my children.
So far I've lost 90+ lbs, and I have another 40-50ish to get to goal. (I don't even know what to set as a goal since I've never been a normal weight, so I'm just looking to be within a healthy BMI range to start). I think it's helpful to have done this before (although it sucks to have to go through it all over again) as I know a lot of things that don't work for me and don't contribute to long term success. Basically, I'm avoiding my previous weight loss habits. No more "how low can you go?" (eating as little as possible to lose as fast as possible) and no more ignoring advice that is sound but is inconvenient or doesn't provide immediate gratification (find exercise you enjoy, eat more fruit/veggies, eat more protein, do strength training, be patient, etc). If you're willing to learn from your mistakes it can be a huge asset that you've lost (and regained) weight before.5 -
I'm sorta in this situation now. I lost 100lbs but I've sadly gained 29lbs of it back over Christmas and my birthday. I'm now 5 days into the grind again and it's tough, I'm very hungry like I was when I first started years ago, hopefully I can nip it in the bud before 29lbs turns into the full 100lbs. I have no excuses, I've just been a piggy since around November up until now.4
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oh yeah i def had to cut out diet soda. i had a thing where if i drank soda i wanted to eat something with it so i could enjoy the soda more ...?? i only drink water or apple juice now
How much apple juice are you drinking? Are you logging it as well? One cup has ~110 calories. You can have a lot of veg and solid fruit for that same amount!
i barely even drink it anymore. liquids aren't my problem. calm down dude2 -
Alex_Evora wrote: »This is typically due to sustainability of one's diet. If you were eating enough back then to feel satisfied and full, then something other than that must've caused you to start eating all those extra calories.
You'd be better off just eating at maintenance for a while and then hopping back on a deficit if you think you can handle that, but if you want to keep going with your current diet, you'll need to find a distraction from food. Why not try pushing most of your calories towards the end of the day? That way you have all morning to take care of other things and get to eat a big meal or two in the afternoon.
And don't worry about skipping breakfast, weight loss is solely due to deficit and (not necessarily) a solid workout routine.
Hope this is of use to you. I'm not certified of anything, but this is generally what I've learned from months to a year of research.
Good luck!
yes i went through a lot in 2012. not only was i having a hard time, but my living situation made it so i was, for the most part, only eating 1 meal a day. so the combination of eating one meal/snack a day, and going through a rough time in my life is what caused me to binge almost all my weight back.
another thing is that i do nothing all day. i'm no longer in school and it's hard to find a job. so i'm bored a lot which makes me want to eat more 0 -
I gained a lot when I was pregnant with my son. I’d never been very big before that. When he was little I was diagnosed with hashimotos and some food allergies and after getting my thyroid healthy again and changing my diet I lost the weight. I went from 223-230lb down to 145-150lb. Three years after maintaining I gained about 30lb back and got up to 184. Now I’m bouncing between 155-158 with a goal of a 150-155 range. I’m in much better shape now than when I lost the weight before and have taken up lifting this time around. I added 10lb to my deadlift tonight3
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It's one year later since I replied to this thread and I've lost 5lbs lol i cri4
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I was usually around 260 for years during college (mid to late 90s), if I was really busy with work & school sometimes I'd get down to 245-250.
Then I had to be on steroids and crutches and in the hospital for a spider bite ordeal, and got up to 280s. Bad breakup, comfort eating, and I hit 299 in summer of 1999. That freaked me out so I decided to change my lifestyle, ate more veggies & less junk, took walks, etc. Didn't weigh myself again until 2002 at the doctor's office and I was at 236 lb which was a big achievement for me.
I didn't weigh myself again until 2005 or 2006 and I was back around 265.
Then in 2007, I got my first super stressful "career level" job and I found myself at 307. Freaked me out again.
I spent years (literally 5 years) getting back down to 270 lb and I was pretty dedicated to walking miles every night of the week and "trying to eat better" but I didn't count calories until 2013 when I joined MFP. Within a year I was at 170 lb and have maintained there (going between 166-176) since then.7 -
My weight's been going up and down for several weeks. My highest weight since loosing over 20 pounds from being 148 is 126, the lightest I've been is 121.
It's just so frustrating! I exercise, I watch my calories and it still happens! Sometimes I think that something is wrong with me!
It sounds like you retain water pretty easily. 5 pounds isn't that big a swing. If you eat out, extra salt will cause you to retain water. TOM will cause you to retain water. A hard workout can cause you to retain water. Stress can make you either gain or lose a lot of weight in a hurry. A large meal can make you seem to gain weight, but it's just bulk in the system.0 -
I always gain in the winter and begin losing in spring.
I do this on purpose tho. last summer I was 134 by December I was 169 im losing now and at 159.
I have a ways to go but I just have to stay disciplined. I'm cutting to 1401 -
back in 2008 I went from something like 205lbs (highest weight ever) to 150lbs in 4 months - thinking back to what I was eating, I wasn't calorie counting at the time and I was probably only getting something like 800 calories a day considering I was consistently dropping something like 2.5lbs a week with zero exercise and I'm 5'2.. gained back to 190ish by late 2009... then lost/gained the same 10lbs for the next year or two...
I then dropped down to a normal weight in 2012 by calorie counting - the problem was, I ended up having 6 months worth of dental issues which made eating painful and I actually ended up about 2lbs away from being *under*weight
I did gain some of it back (stress eating, combined with some health issues) but I never got heavier than high 150s/low 160s again, I kinda maintained that weight between 2014-2017... then in late 2017 I decided I'd had enough and now I'm down to roughly 140 and planning to get to 120ish and definitely stay there1 -
I lost and regained 60 or 70 pounds twice before losing about 100 and keeping it off a few years ago. The first two times I lost the weight it wasn't in a healthy or sustainable way; I never developed the habits and routines I needed to make it a lifelong change. When I lost the weight the last time I think it was helpful that I found a passion for exercise which enabled me to eat more while I lost. I also found a passion for nutrition and learned that I could be a hell of a lot more full while eating at a deficit (1700 calories) when those calories were made up of volume type foods like lots of meat and veggies as opposed to 1700 calories of things like chips and pasta. Don't get me wrong I believe in CI<CO but if the calories in are keeping you more full its easier to stay in a deficit.2
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It took me 20 months from January 2016 to lose 107 lb at 165lb, then I chose to gain weight for a few months. I've been trying to return to my 165 since January 2018. It appears from my records that I've been able to get to ~190 before having a binge day, which has had a high of as much as ~201. I'm very clearly yo-yo-ing between 190 and 200 for the past several months. All I know to do is keep trying.1
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Too many times to count.1
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I started gaining weight right after I left school and its organized sports.
Then well life……….
Got married, had our twin boys, and struggled to make ends meet…..lol.
I always used food as my escape….. it’s my drug of choice.
When I didn’t want to think about things I’d hide away for a few minutes with food and pretend it would all go away.
I had become resigned …. I’d “settled” with my over weight 265 lb life and thought that it just was what it was.
Then in Feb of 2004 I was watching Oprah while making supper and listened to Wynonna Judd talk about her lifelong struggles with self-esteem and weight. Don’t ask me why, but it struck a chord. Here I am in rural Manitoba sharing the exact same feelings as a Country Superstar!
So I literally went out that very same week, bought a treadmill and Dr. Phil’s Food Guide.
I was 44 years old and in 11 months I lost 105 lbs.
Exactly one year after that Oprah show I ran my first half marathon, and later that year completed my first full marathon.
I had found myself!! Running wasn’t just my passion, it was my salvation!
.
My sister was so proud of me she emailed Dr. Phil and Oprah. I’ve had the honor and thrill to have appeared on both of their shows.
For 5 years running was everything. I ran 17 half marathons, 4 full marathons & 1 ultra-marathon.
I was teaching learn to run classes and speaking to them about my weight loss journey.
And then I had one knee injury and surgery. Then the other knee and surgery.
Looking back, it’s almost like those years were some strange wonderful dream that happened to someone else. I distinctly remember having a panic attack in a Walmart parking lot because I felt like I was in someone else’s body, that I wasn’t really this slim person and that everyone knew I was just a big fat liar.
Not being able to run anymore just proved it….. I mean, I was Cheryl…. the woman who lost 100lbs, ran marathons and was on Oprah…. if I can’t run then that Cheryl never really existed and the real me was that overweight person I was seeing in the mirror again.
And I so went back to my drug of choice when I didn’t want to think about any of it.
Fast forward to 2017. I'm 58 and almost 290 lbs. I had gained all the weight back and more.
I could hardly walk or even stand because of back and knee pain. I looked at recent pictures of myself from our son’s wedding and didn’t recognize me.
I cringed if anyone even mentioned my running days, embarrassed and ashamed.
Lol…… it took me awhile, but I had found rock bottom.
So I went to my old running orthopedic Dr and said shoot me up with whatever you got cause I know I have to lose weight before they will even contemplate knee replacement. He disagreed, said how can you lose weight if you’re not mobile and referred me. His faith gave me purpose.
I knew what I needed to do….. I could teach classes on what to do….. heck I DID teach classes on it!
I logged onto MFP last April and started weighing & logging my food again.
THIS WAS KEY !! Logging it made me face the reality of what I was eating.
Exercise was pretty minimal the first few months because it was just too painful, but eventually I became more and more active. lol..... not running marathons.... that will never happen again, but walking, cycling, rowing.
I've lost 103.5lbs and hope to hit my initial goal of 130 lbs lost this summer.
What is different this time?????
I’m older, wiser, humbler.
And I had some really, really good talks with my husband.
I’m not going to hide my feelings behind food anymore!! Whether he likes it or not, I’m going to tell him how I’m feeling…..lol.
And I’ve asked him to please, please, please talk to me if he sees me stumbling, to not be afraid of hurting my feelings.
I’m learning you can’t outrun a bad diet and that I don’t have to run marathons to stay slim, just live my normal relatively active life doing the things I love to do.
I’m learning that I’m not the only one in the world who will always have to be mindful when it comes to food because for me it’s a very, very, very fine line between sustenance and drug…… between enjoyment and oblivion.
I’m learning that I can eat anything I want, but the ability to take a minute and think about that choice is a powerful thing.
Lastly, I’m finally learning to be comfortable in my own skin…. loose and wrinkly as it is.
10 -
I yo-yo a lot. A year or two of calorie counting, clean food, workouts, feeling great, looking good, getting close to my goal weight, then life of some sort happens, stress gets to me and I turn to binge eating and sugar to help me deal. In a few months I'm pretty much back where I was before (I usually yo-yo 170 lb on the high end down to 140s and back up).0
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bikecheryl wrote: »I started gaining weight right after I left school and its organized sports.
Then well life……….
Got married, had our twin boys, and struggled to make ends meet…..lol.
I always used food as my escape….. it’s my drug of choice.
When I didn’t want to think about things I’d hide away for a few minutes with food and pretend it would all go away.
I had become resigned …. I’d “settled” with my over weight 265 lb life and thought that it just was what it was.
Then in Feb of 2004 I was watching Oprah while making supper and listened to Wynonna Judd talk about her lifelong struggles with self-esteem and weight. Don’t ask me why, but it struck a chord. Here I am in rural Manitoba sharing the exact same feelings as a Country Superstar!
So I literally went out that very same week, bought a treadmill and Dr. Phil’s Food Guide.
I was 44 years old and in 11 months I lost 105 lbs.
Exactly one year after that Oprah show I ran my first half marathon, and later that year completed my first full marathon.
I had found myself!! Running wasn’t just my passion, it was my salvation!
.
My sister was so proud of me she emailed Dr. Phil and Oprah. I’ve had the honor and thrill to have appeared on both of their shows.
For 5 years running was everything. I ran 17 half marathons, 4 full marathons & 1 ultra-marathon.
I was teaching learn to run classes and speaking to them about my weight loss journey.
And then I had one knee injury and surgery. Then the other knee and surgery.
Looking back, it’s almost like those years were some strange wonderful dream that happened to someone else. I distinctly remember having a panic attack in a Walmart parking lot because I felt like I was in someone else’s body, that I wasn’t really this slim person and that everyone knew I was just a big fat liar.
Not being able to run anymore just proved it….. I mean, I was Cheryl…. the woman who lost 100lbs, ran marathons and was on Oprah…. if I can’t run then that Cheryl never really existed and the real me was that overweight person I was seeing in the mirror again.
And I so went back to my drug of choice when I didn’t want to think about any of it.
Fast forward to 2017. I'm 58 and almost 290 lbs. I had gained all the weight back and more.
I could hardly walk or even stand because of back and knee pain. I looked at recent pictures of myself from our son’s wedding and didn’t recognize me.
I cringed if anyone even mentioned my running days, embarrassed and ashamed.
Lol…… it took me awhile, but I had found rock bottom.
So I went to my old running orthopedic Dr and said shoot me up with whatever you got cause I know I have to lose weight before they will even contemplate knee replacement. He disagreed, said how can you lose weight if you’re not mobile and referred me. His faith gave me purpose.
I knew what I needed to do….. I could teach classes on what to do….. heck I DID teach classes on it!
I logged onto MFP last April and started weighing & logging my food again.
THIS WAS KEY !! Logging it made me face the reality of what I was eating.
Exercise was pretty minimal the first few months because it was just too painful, but eventually I became more and more active. lol..... not running marathons.... that will never happen again, but walking, cycling, rowing.
I've lost 103.5lbs and hope to hit my initial goal of 130 lbs lost this summer.
What is different this time?????
I’m older, wiser, humbler.
And I had some really, really good talks with my husband.
I’m not going to hide my feelings behind food anymore!! Whether he likes it or not, I’m going to tell him how I’m feeling…..lol.
And I’ve asked him to please, please, please talk to me if he sees me stumbling, to not be afraid of hurting my feelings.
I’m learning you can’t outrun a bad diet and that I don’t have to run marathons to stay slim, just live my normal relatively active life doing the things I love to do.
I’m learning that I’m not the only one in the world who will always have to be mindful when it comes to food because for me it’s a very, very, very fine line between sustenance and drug…… between enjoyment and oblivion.
I’m learning that I can eat anything I want, but the ability to take a minute and think about that choice is a powerful thing.
Lastly, I’m finally learning to be comfortable in my own skin…. loose and wrinkly as it is.
Very nice story Cheryl.
For many of us we share this these same feelings...feeling as if we failed...that we aren't worth the effort...that there must be something wrong with us. I think at times...it makes us feel all alone...
By sharing your story I hope that others will realize that they aren't all alone in this struggle...there are others that are walking the same rocky and winding road. The take away..at least for me...I am worthy...I haven't failed...there is nothing wrong with me...I am not all alone. I just have to get back on the road and keep moving forward...maneuvering the pot holes.
For that loose and wrinkly skin...geesh...it serves as a reminder...I should keep my clothes on as much as possible. No more skinny dipping or running through the streets naked for me! Oh well...such is life.1 -
Those are also my stats, except I'm an inch taller, and that's about what my maintenance calories will be. (Depressing.)0 -
2013 - went from 230 and sucking wind at the top of the stairs in January to completing a half marathon in 2:08 weighing 168 in October. I went on a crazy untracked crash diet to lose the weight and had no idea how to maintain it. Then my knees started going out on me and I quit running after surgery and the weight came back.
Did some smaller yoyos between then and last summer, when I got up to 223 and decided I had enough. I am 162 now. I am 5'8", so my BMI is now below 25 for the first time since my 20s and I will turn 60 late this year. This time I started out with another crazy crash diet, but then I was convinced to do it the right way here. Since then, I have tracked calories very closely and slowed the rate of loss for the last few pounds and I am still tracking to figure out maintenance. I have given up on the idea of being a natural eater; I am going to have to track what I eat and keep an eye on the scale indefinitely.1
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