The whole ‘long term weight loss is impossible’ thing

Those statistics, even if accurate, aren't about your body fighting you to get fat. The point is that most people who lose weight don't actually make long-term sustainable changes to their lifestyles. So after losing weight they go right back to living and eating the same way they did before losing the weight and subsequently regain.

It's not all lifestyle choices that contribute to that statistic. Think of all the things that can happen in a person's life over the course of 5 years. Illness, financial difficulties, life changes like children and jobs, relocation, death of family members, associated mental health issues with life changes, etc. Even if you know what to do and how to do it, a lot of things can get in the way of sustaining those changes. When diet and exercise have to take a back seat to something else, regaining can happen.

It's all about just trying to do your best as best you can. A plan for managing weight can change several times over the course of someone's life, and that's ok.

Long term weight loss is difficult, but not because of your body fighting it. But rather because it's hard for people to commit to anything for a long period of time. Most people seem to think that once they lose the weight, the work is done, and they can just got back to doing whatever they feel like. That is not the case. Maintenence is in a lot of ways at least as much work as weight loss.

A lot of us here are on our 2nd, 3rd, or many more rounds of this. But that doesn't mean that it is impossible, or it should discourage you. Rather it should keep you vigilant to the path ahead.

For me, I am on my second real bout of this. I dropped from around 190 to 165 in my early 20s, but took my eye off the ball and got up to 235in my early 30s. I am now back down to 205 and on my way down. I know more now than I did then and am ready for the longer term commitment. So I'm not letting my previous failure hold me back. This time, when (not if) I get to my goals, it will be different.

Down 100+lbs, 12 years. You’re wise to be concerned. The potential for regaining is significant. If you draw a red line, back it up with action.

I’d bet that 90% figure is accurate. Don’t be one of them.

Yes in general those stats are true, and it keeps weight loss fads in business. But MFP is the place where successful maintainers gather!

shw112 wrote: »

You guys are so right haha, I’m just gonna have to use these statistics (if they are even accurate) to motivate myself to be in the 10% 😂 and I am sceptical about how valid these studies are anyway. I’m just going to take it one day at a time and try not to stress myself out about long term weight gain

I think this is an excellent stats and science lesson. A lot of the studies have some inherent bias during selection (i.e. the people that sign up may be more inclined to struggle), and often small sample sizes. The first study about weight loss that's often referenced had a super high failure rate because they were studying people at a weight loss clinic. So, basically people that are already struggling.

Also, some of the numbers thrown around refer to attempts, rather than people. So, it's not that 90% of people fail, it's that 90% of attempts fail. It's kind of like how you hear the divorce rate is 50%, but 50% of the people in the US aren't divorced because if one person gets divorced twice, that drives up the stat. Many people who fail at maintaining weight loss have failed many times (even me!) and that drives the stat up.

So, take those stats with a grain of salt. They can be useful in that it shows that weight loss can be difficult, but at the same time, just because a lot of people fail, doesn't mean that you have to be a unicorn to succeed.