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

arrghmatey1 · June 16

Start Date: 12/24/2016 Start Weight: 318.6 lbs.
Restart Date Weight: 05/1/2023 Start Weight: 280.2 lbs.
Current Weight 6/16/2023 270.6
I will not blame covid as I was an essential employee.
Failure to restrict the piehole and resumption of bad eating habits would be the culprit.
I am now retired and have very high hopes of once again getting below 250 lbs.
I am 63 and 5'10" male.
My advice is that you have to find a reasonable food intake level with an eye to good nutrition.
Friendly carbs and so forth.
I hate exercise especially mindless exercise.
Instead of a treadmill I bought an electric push with a bag and rotate through our half acre with it.
I live in the south, so this actually gives me about 9 months of an exercise window.
I will just have to find something else to be productive during the winter.

ThisMagicMoment · June 20

I was down a little over 40 pounds by the end of the first year after my husband died. I didn't really TRY to do this. I just had very little appetite for several months, and kept overly busy doing physical work in the yard, etc. to distract myself from grief.

I've kept most of this off for seven years now, but do always go up a few pounds during hot summer weather, and during the winter when snow and ice put an end to the puttering around in the yard that I like to do.

I'm in my mid-60s, and definitely not in the fitness industry.

NoelDosser · June 20

When I started my program in June 2015 I was 375 pounds and over 50% body fat. My lowest has been 172. That was 2017. I maintained until 2022. I've been bad and struggling with my sugar addiction and am back up 210. I know what's wrong. It's just getting back on the program

runlikeananna · June 21

Me for ten years.

pepperbandit · June 21

I lost 50 pounds right before Covid hit and have kept it off since. So not 5 years but a little over 3 years and going strong. I am a regular person who works from home, work out 5 days a week at Orangetheory and follow the Whole30 way of eating(no sugar, alcohol, grains or dairy). I am 5'3" and 125 pounds currently.

DiscusTank5 · June 23

mollydespondent wrote: »

Lost 90lbs cycling. Have kept it off 3 years. Cycling.

I keep thinking about how you lost NINETY pounds whenever I jump on my bike and start to think, "Oh, it doesn't burn that many calories." It really can, truth be told.

sunrise611 · June 23

Yes, I did it and I'm not in the fitness-related field and am not an athlete.

DussyHoppers · June 23

I failed

I lost over 40lbs about 10yrs ago. I got down to 9 stone from 12. Despite being active, it slowly crept back up to 10 stone and stabilised at around 10.5. But then I had surgery and it went back up to 12 again in the last 2 yrs.
So started again back in April and am now 11 stone.

Jarol777 · July 31

I'm Jarol777
I started in 1998 at 245.5 lbs - YoYo for 21 years - maintained constantly for last 4 years, July 2019 until today.
Today I'm 148 lbs
Primary System: CICO - for accountability, I report my weight annually to National Weight Control Registry. I don't count on vacations or when I'm a guest in someone's home but get right back on my CICO the next morning.
I would be dead without measuring my food and journaling. I'm not successful with estimating portions.
I do better with total abstinence than with moderation.
I'm not big on regular exercise but I have recently re-introduced it to my regimen. Mostly I compete with table tennis.

Ruffian1000 · August 1

IAmTheGlue wrote: »

I’m back to add a comment .. because I’m sick in bed and just thinking.

I think this may the the root of your question… how is it some people keep it off and some don’t?
...
Well, one day, you will get sick of your own bull… ish and that will be the attempt that takes. One day you will get fed up with your own nonsense. One day you will say “enough is enough “ and do exactly what it takes to lose weight and … keep it off. It’s an actual brain change. Weight loss is a mental process.
... You can do it. I believe in you. With all loving kindness… you *can* be a success story. Just keep going.

I love this. It's a brain change indeed. And I haven't felt ready to fully commit before. I've drifted through life grasping at pleasures (food, clothes, whatever) and not "planned" my life. Now I'm in my 60s and I'm fat without a lot of money in the bank. So I'm buckling down on both counts. I believe it's not too late. I am rethinking my priorities and planning. I'm saving now every month, paying off remaining debts, and even saving for a big vacation. The food has been the hardest because I usually go on autopilot when eating. Can't do that anymore. I have to really think with each meal, "can I afford this today"? Today, I can end the day with something i enjoy because I counted my calories and walked a lot. Tomorrow, maybe not! Each day is a challenge, but I love the person who said it takes as long as it takes. Just no going up or going back. That sounds like a good plan. And honestly, having a big trip is motivating - I want to be
able to walk all day and explore new places, and I don't want to be carrying all this extra weight around.

I've been working on simple meditation and being more grateful and more mindful. Now I have to be more mindful of what I eat and spend - not just my mindful of my thoughts. But I can see that it all works together.

Thanks for this thread. I lost 90 pounds at one point but gained it all back plus 30 more in the ten years that followed. I want to go back to that weight. I felt so great. I loved how my body looked. I'll never be young again, but I can be a lot healthier, and that will save me money and pain in the long run!

chris_in_cal · August 1

This is the best thread on MFP.

Keiyane · August 1

Hi,
I lost 30 Kg (~60 pounds if I'm correct) a while ago and kept it for like 5 years.
Due to a brain tumor and losing sight of the track, I've gained that way back. But I'm here to do it all over again ♥

waxingturtle · August 12

This is a really good question and I enjoyed the comments because I had the same wondering too

mkallie · August 14

I lost about 30 and kept it off for a long time until pregnancy. I think it's doable if it's a lifestyle change. I don't know what happened with me recently but something clicked and I felt like I sprang back into those habits this year and since then the weight has just fallen off.

judefit1 · November 3

I lost 45 lbs in 2008, from 165 to 120 (5' 2") I've never gained it all back. I stayed between 120-130 for many years, but during the pandemic gained 15 lbs to bring me back here at 142. This has been a lifelong pattern and I need to address two things. I binge eat at night in front of the TV, and I avoid getting on the scale/logging when I know I've junk binged. I hope to break that pattern this time, lose sensibly and maintain good health.

PAnn1 · November 3

I lost 82# back in 2008 and kept it off until my mom passed in 2014 then my eldest brother 3 months later. So, 7 years. I went up and down these past years. Now I'm back on track and have taken off 35 of what I had gained back, back then. My goal now is just another 5#.

bethanylynne22 · November 3

I gained, and then lost about 45lbs while working in the restaurant industry (as a multi-unit leader, with high stress, long hours, food everywhere). I've kept off the weight since 2019 and am currently in the best shape of my life at 46.
I attribute my success to spending the time to research, plan and follow through with routines that helped me stick to the food plan. Also to plain old discipline. Motivation never got me as far as just doing the thing I said I would do. Doesn't matter what industry you work in, if you just don't allow yourself to cave into the excuses.

simon_sheila2 · November 3

I started in 2017 at 22st 5lbs. Managed to lose 66lbs and it is a constant struggle to keep it off. Would like to lose another stone but I'm an office jockey and 57. Plus like a drink at the weekend. I managed mainly through cal counting and walking. Love and hugs to everyone on the journey :-)

sunrise611 · November 4

Yes, me! Age is just a number.

awnurmarc · November 4

As you will see from my profile, I have been a member here since December 2013. So that's the starting point for my weight graph:

So I did get back up to 230 briefly a couple of years after my stoke. On the other hand, my starting weight of 243 was lower than my highest weight, I am pretty sure. But since then I have lost and maintained at under 175. (The hilltops you see recently are bulking cutting cycles where I gain and lose about 10 percent).
I go to the gym 3 times a week, count my steps, and work in a warehouse/factory producing aluminum (sometimes copper) gutters, downspouts, and elbows.

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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