Anyone Lost Over 30 and kept it off for more than 5 years, who doesn't work in the fitness industry

mjc614900 · August 2022

I am a year and a half. 5'1. Age 64. Lost 25 pounds. I am now 130.

Weighed 155 for over 15 years (Okay since I got up to 165 and was there for about ten years).

cguti91 · August 2022

I took off 60kg (120ish) lbs and am on year 5 of keeping it off

I bounce up and down 10lbs or so but never more

delen4000 · August 2022

Having been large for most of my life in my late 50's I lost 50 pounds and that was 8 years ago...s0 as an author of 9 books I wrote about it but neither my agent nor publisher were interested...it seems that to sell a weight loss book it has to have a gimmick...so I published on Amazon "The New NO Gimmick Diet"...the secret was eating less, moving more, and learning that it is okay to be a little hungry and learning to ignore all the pressure to eat food that is made to increase your cravings and not your satisfaction. All that being said losing the weight was easier than keeping it off. I still track what I eat and my activity level...the tough part is that as you get older you must eat less because your metabolism slows down...I am not svelte...that was never the goal ...but but I am healthier and much more mobile.

padi82 · August 2022

I listen to the Half-Size Me podcast. Heather Robertson has kept off 170 lbs. for 11-12 years now. She's not in the fitness or appearance industry, just shares her very common sense approach and it has ended the diet drama for me. I am steadily losing and it's not a struggle, and what I'm doing now to lose the weight I can do for the rest of my life to maintain the loss.

jhjenkins4fit · August 2022

CICO works.
CICO is not what makes you successful at doing CICO.
Effectiveness of CICO and its effect on the body are driven largely by hormones. (as are nearly all bodily functions).

You can just do CICO or you can do it and add other elements to leverage its impact and success.

nossmf · August 2022

Took me about a year to lose 25#, kept it off for 13 years now. It's not quite the 30# you're looking for, but considering I've also been an avid weightlifter during that time and I know I've added muscle, I'm sure the actual fat loss was over 30#. I work at a sedentary desk job, which until recently included midnight shifts where snacking runs rampant just to stay awake. But there are snacks (chips and soda), and there are snacks (red pepper slices, ice water with caffeine pill).

blackjade64 · August 2022

90 pounds kept off for about 9 years, but for the past 4 I am gaining and losing the same 20 pounds. Probably should say 70 pounds off for 9 years. Food tracking, walking, occasional periods of doing yoga, lazy low carb.

QuinntessentiallyMe · August 2022

I lost 120 lbs from 2017-2018. I was 37-38 years old. It's been over 4 years. Sorry not 5! LOL

Maintenance has been rougher than losing by far. A constant struggle. I was overexercising to keep the weight off before I got Covid in 2020. I had lung damage from it, now I cannot work out the way I did before in terms of intensity or time. I put on 20 lbs, and just keep losing and regaining 10 of it. I have had to accept that this is my new normal weight span. Radical acceptance. I also learned how my mental illnesses and neurodivergency create a struggle within me that can result in overeating. I have a motto.... "The work often changes, but never ends!". You cannot become complacent and unmindful once the weight is off.

AnnofB · August 2022

Yes. Heaviest weight: 183 lbs. Current weight: 124.2. In fact, this month makes it 10 years since I reached my goal. Up until I found MFP in 2012, I had lost weight but would regain and would try again. Many, many times. I think I owe my Pals (one in particular joined the same month I did all those years ago) a lot of gratitude for being so helpful and encouraging over the years.

Never worked in the fitness industry. I've been retired for a while. I worked mostly in the communication industry.

lpina2mi · August 2022

Not quite there--but I did stop wt gain creep and kept a small handful of pounds off before and through the pandemic via MPF & IF and just all-around-sensible healthy nutrition. Lost my exercise routine during the pandemic, but am putting it back into my weeks.
Also back with MFP adding Lumen measurements to my macro tracking and IF and I have lost another 10lbs since Memorial weekend.

I will need the remainder of year of mirror your success stories. --Congrats to You ALL

Btt2020 · August 2022

At three years and plus 30lbs off. Now recommitting to getting another 10ths off. I don’t work in the fitness industry.

COGypsy · August 2022

I lost 60 pounds and have kept most of it off for not quite 7 years now. I had a 10 pound backslide while caring for my mother after surgical complications, but am slowly but surely losing that now. I’m in my late 40’s, have an office job, and my most consistent exercise is walking my dog. He’s half chihuahua though, so we rarely hit more than about 3 miles. Other than our walks, I try to get one other activity in my day like a Pilates video or some kettlebell swings. So yeah, pretty far from anything to do with the fitness industry…

Sarkoptesmilbe · August 2022

I'm 34 and weighed 120kg at my peak, around 12 years ago. I've been hovering around 85kg since then. Not in any field where weight or appearance is relevant.

msmonicaneo · August 2022

I did. I lost nearly 100 pounds 2012-2013. For the past 10 years I have remained at a 75-80 of those pounds off. I did it using science. I took a class at Drexel University called "The Psychology of Eating Disorders and Obesity" in December of 2011. I'll give you the short story: after a review of anorexia and bulimia, the rest of the class was on obesity—A MEDICAL CONDITION. If you are overweight, it's not your fault! It's environment, genetics and stimulus/response that are to blame.

I learned in that class about one study, in that study people who use an obesity specialist, a psychologist and a nutritionist (and those people should be using the latest research), and CONTINUE the group therapy for 2 years afterwards maintained a good portion of their weight loss. (This is a very shortened version). It gave me hope and showed me a way.

Oh, and I didn't exercise the whole time. I used MyFitnessPal for most of the weight loss journey, and ever after. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I was able to avoid surgery, but sometimes, I wish I had.

Everyone tries to lose weight on their own, yet won't try to cure their own broken arm, or infection. Obesity needs medical help, and tools. There are great tools here: food journal, and blogs. But I stand by getting professional help to change your brain.

lisaschamus · August 2022

Lost 35 pounds over the course of four years and have kept it off for another 5 or so. I love movement - so that is part of what keeps my weight down.

brenn24179 · August 2022

I lost 40 lbs 9 years ago with MFP, three years ago I gained 25 back after a bad flu, I ate everything in sight. But I did lose it. I went low carb, 100 carbs or less and lost it really quick. Now I just log my calories and it works, kept it all off for 4 1/2 year, so almost 5. 9 years with 1 hiccup, dont get complacent, life can get in the way, a lesson I learned.

motivatedmartha · August 2022

Yep - lost 58lb starting in 2012. Maintained within +- 5 bs for 6+ years and started 2020 at my lowest weight since before children (one of 31: one of 29). I maintain by being active (walking, gardening and swimming) and keeping an eye on portion control. I revisited mfp every now and then to check my portion control but am generally pretty good at eyeballing after all these years. Covid lockdowns and subsequent illness - breast cancer for me, heart valve issues for dh - have led to more treats and less activity and I was prob up 14 lbs by July 2022. Back on this site now to weigh and log as a check on my portion control and I am now also able to increase activity levels so I hope soon to be back on track. Hope to get back in the water soon but we do have some pretty beautiful coastal walks.

KarmaKamen · August 2022

I'm still losing weight (body fat) and I've been working on my health for about 2 years now. I stopped tracking CICO so rigorously for the past few months, but I was able to maintain. That gives me confidence I can keep the weight off long term. I think it's pretty well known how easy it is to regain lost weight, but if that starts to happen you can catch yourself. We are not powerless. Even if you regain it all back, I don't think you really ever start from square one because you have started to learn what works for you and what doesn't. My friend is in that situation right now, but we are not giving up.

ayalowich · August 2022

I'm down 23 off of a high of 184 back in 2013. It's not 30 as you asked, but I never needed to lose that much since I'm a tick over 6' tall. But I am over 9 years and while I work out daily the last 2, I lost most of my weight while working in an office as a professional in the accounting and tax industry. I lost 18-20 in the first 5 months after starting in July 2013 and have been in maintenance for the most part since then.

In 2020 I joined an indoor rowing group, and to stay in the Lightweight category I have to be < 165 so it's been more focused on my #'s since the rather than just how my clothes fit. But I'm pretty consistent about staying below that # and to be safe I prefer being 161-162 just in case I have a few big eating days (which is rare).

MFP works. The calorie credits is so simple and a great motivator. I love my commitment to my daily workouts (I row 4-5 times a week and run 2-3). Good luck.

Edit-just checked and am at 3330 days consecutive logging in. I never want to give up my streak even though I am semi-retired and closing in on an age I never thought I'd reach.

janalford1954 · August 2022

Yes, 82 lbs and it has been off 6 years. I'm retired but generally active (walking). MFP has worked for me with portion control, eating correctly, and tracking my food in the journal for 1012 days as of today. I would have more days but 3 times I forgot to record numerous days on several holidays over the years (oh well).

I have gotten a girlfriend to join me in MFP. She is working on it and trying her best.

jillstoner1977 · August 2022

I lost 124 lbs in 2002. I was 24 then and weighed 244 at almost 5'3" starting my journey. This year will mark 20 years that I have kept off the majority of it even having two kids since. I have yo-yo'd some (it does get a little harder as you get older), but I have never even come close to getting back up to my highest weight. I've always worked in an office setting, so exercise has to be intentional. My original weight loss came through living a low carb lifestyle, but I've found through using MFP that it's as much about how much you eat as the foods you consume. Plus, the act of recording your intake of calories makes you aware of just how much you are eating. I know it will be a lifelong effort to maintain a healthy weight, but you don't have to be a fitness fanatic to do it. It just requires discipline and a willingness to get back on when you fall off the "maintenance" wagon. Good luck to you!

jacquesd · August 2022

I lost nearly 50 lbs in 2017-2018. I have gained about 15 lbs back and am working on trying to lose about 10 lbs. It hasn't been easy maintaining, but it hasn't been impossible either. As I age (I'm nearing 65), it seems harder to lose 5 pounds than it was and easier to gain. The struggle continues...Been logging here for nearly 10 years now,

terrorsmurf · August 2022

Yup - lost almost 120lb in 2016 doing low carb and have kept it off. I find maintaining a lot harder than losing and it requires far more discipline I think, especially as a middle aged menopausal woman with hormones pinging all over the place. I have found maintaining is a combination of:

Vigilance - knowing that your weight will fluctuate up during things like holidays and celebrations, but also knowing when to draw the line and tighten up
Strength Training - when I lost weight I was a fat-thin, taking up strength training put some pounds on but took a lot of inches off
Accepted that scale weight is just an indicator not the single point of truth - it's not the numbers on the scale, is the measurements and body composition that counts
Generally upping the NEAT (Non-exercise activity thermogenesis) by being generally more active in my day - stairs over elevator, further parking space away, going up and down stairs every time I wanted to take something up instead of creating a pile to take up in one shot, getting up from the office desk every hour to do a few hundred steps
Massively upping protein intake to 1-1.2x body weight in lbs
Learning not to think of myself as a failure if I went up a dress size after a few lax weeks, but instead recommitting to the process of dropping weight and getting back to the desired body fat %
Not comparing myself with others - e.g. there's absolutely no point expecting that what works for a 25yr old male will work in the same way for a 55yr old female
Making my goals about feeling fitter, stronger, more flexible and healthier rather than having goals purely aesthetics (e.g. being X dress size, having Y measurements, looking 'hot' in a swimsuit etc etc)

lsandy4 · August 2022

I began my journey in 2014 at 230 pounds. I reached my initial goal weight of 150 at Christmas time of 2016. I lost another 5 pounds before Easter. I have maintained 145 +/- two or three pounds since by keeping up with my exercise and using my portion control devices (kitchen scale and measuring cups/spoons) on a regular basis. I have not missed a day of calorie posting since I began this quest. Having a heart attack in 2015 just cemented my resolve to not gain any of this back. As for a career, I have retired from being a Clinical Laboratory Scientist just over two years ago. So I wasn't in a fitness/beauty focused job. Good Luck on your personal journey.

fraklein · August 2022

Yes, I lost 70 pounds in 2014 after being diagnosed with T2 diabetes. I slowly gained back nearly 30 pounds of it over a couple of years, but I'm still maintaining most of the loss. I get very little exercise due to joint problems. I was very physically active up until about ten years ago, mostly hiking and folk dancing, but don't enjoy them any more due to pain and the advice of my orthopedist.

SHTFPrepper1 · August 2022

Yes, I was 380lbs and got down to 160 (was not healthy at that weight) currently 215, 8 years later in the picture i was about 320/180

beabria · August 2022

Thank you all for sharing these experiences! We're so often told "it's not possible". (I was actually told that by a dietician...)

berndholst · August 2022

https://www.dietdoctor.com/bernd-went-from-immobility-to-100k-deadlifts

Lolinloggen · August 2022

I was just talking to my friend and realised that I have been in maintenance for 6 years at least.
I still log, though not as precise as when loosing. I walk a lot and have built muscle to help (lifting weights)
I see it as that the weight loss journey helped me to learn how to balance the energy balance. I approach it still as if it is a bank balance in reverse. Never more in than out

rightoncommander · August 2022

beabria wrote: »

Thank you all for sharing these experiences! We're so often told "it's not possible". (I was actually told that by a dietician...)

A dietician should know better, really. Statistically most people do put weight back on, and statistically most people gain weight slowly throughout their lives, so as a broad sweep assumption at a population level it is not unreasonable. But you are not a population, you are an individual, and individuals can beat those odds.

I lost around 30lbs in 2013, and have mostly stayed within +/- 5lbs of my end weight ever since without any particular effort. I know for a fact that this is possible. If you're interested in how, I'd sum it up as: exercise daily, don't snack after dinner.

Anyone Lost Over 30 and kept it off for more than 5 years, who doesn't work in the fitness industry

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