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

sharon81 · November 2023

First comment for me ever on MFP and I've been on and off since 2009. I am typically in the "I gained it all back plus" group.
This time feels different. I have been losing for just over a year now and am down 40lbs. I have gained 3-5 lbs back but then lost it immediately again. I find that the hardest part for me is getting enough movement in my day. I have a sedentary job (office) where I force myself to get up and walk about but that burns very few celeries intermittently. I HATE exercise and find myself doing great for about 3 days and then not going back to it, so my plateaus are longer than I'd like them to be. My longest just passed, it was 3 months long, same weight every day!!!
So, to answer your question, not longer than 5 years and not even 5 years as I am still losing. But I've lost 40 and counting in 1 year and I feel confident this time.
My secret?
Keep starting over. EVERY day. So, you ate 500 celeries over yesterday, Today is a new day! Don't give up, if you have a bad week or bad weekend or month. Just keep starting over,. Keep logging what you eat even if you stumble....
That's my two cents worth !

waxingturtle · November 2023

@sharon81 that's good advice and I'm doing just that. Logging it all and knowing I will have to log everyday as a routine for the rest of my life bc I NEED to do that. Thanks fur sharing.

@Shaggy_Dominic thank you. I'm hopeful by hearing others have done it!

@themommie thank you for commenting. It's reasonable to gain some when your life is in turmoil. That's why we have this app, right? I'm glad you're getting a handle on it again. Best wishes for good health to your husband!

AshinAms · November 2023

I lost 40kg (88 pounds) back in 2010 on MFP and have kept it off for the last 13 years (with a 10kg (20 lb) fluctuation up and down due to life stresses). I don't work in the fitness industry although when I was losing the 88 lb I did do a lot of sports.

I think that it would be a bad idea to base losing weight on having a guaranteed active lifestyle as a lot of those 10 kilo fluctuations since 2010 with me have been due to not being able to exercise over the years because of serious injuries (car accident, back injury). What goes in your mouth is definitely the most important factor - I gain weight whenever I stop tracking calories but now I have the tools to come back to MFP and start tracking again and knowing I will need to do that for the rest of my life due to a disordered attitude toward food. Here to lose the last few kilos now to get down to a truly healthy BMI.

springlering62 · November 2023

Oooh oooh oooh 👋🏻

I will hit keeping my first thirty lost off for five years next week, so now I officially qualify.

Not a trainer, not in the fitness industry, but have taken liberal advantage of both.

I’ve had an in-person dietician and a phone dietician, and two superior trainers (plus another two that absolutely sucked and one who was good but insisted on treating me like a grey/headed possum and ignored me when I said “challenge me and make me whine”.)

It all came down to weighing food, habitual logging, learning to love new foods (we walked past church’s Chicken with the dog a little while ago and I nearly urped from the grease odor. Win!!!!!) and learning to love exercise plus be willing to try new things.

The board community here was also instrumental.

I went on to lose 97, then made the difficult decision to add some back because I was so thin I looked like I’d snap. 142 is my current ideal weight (I think) am hovering at 146 because of a minor foot injury. Ya injure one darn thing and everything else starts hurting. Yay, age. Not! I figure a good bit of it is extra water weight for the soreness all over. Five years of meticulous logging and weighing has learned me that that’s really a thing so I’m not panicked.

dgper · November 2023

I lost 35 lbs. and have kept it off for 5 years. It "helps" that I have some pretty severe digestive disorders that sometimes make it hard for me to eat, but for the most part it's been a matter of giving myself a 3-5 lb. limit on how much I can gain before taking real action (calorie reduction, intermittent fasting, going off starches). I weigh myself every day. That was the one hard and fast rule.

gunnmike · November 2023

60 pounds off for about the last decade or so. Not in the fitness or "appearance " industry.

Lucy7903 · July 31

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?

All of this is my own personal opinion. Just some rando on the internet… so grain of salt and all that..

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.

Until that day, I think a lot of people are just floundering… buying shake weights and ab rollers and eating cabbage soup… (not that I don’t love cabbage soup), trying to find a magical combination of foods that melts away fat. Looking for a magic pill. There must be some secret that some people know and others don’t .

I just wanted to address all the “hoping for a miracle, hoping one day it will stay off “… the actual difference is not magic. It’s stick- to- it- iveness.

It’s getting up every day and making choices that bring you closer to your ideal life, your ideal weight, your ideal fitness.

I’m just some rando, but CICO works. It can and will work for you if you are just honest with yourself and log accurately.

There is a phrase about learning a new skill (and managing your weight is a skill) and that phrase is “embrace the suck”. There is a period of time when learning any new skill that you suck at it. Keep going. Learn from your mistakes, but just keep going.

You can do it. I believe in you. With all loving kindness… you *can* be a success story. Just keep going.

I have to agree with everything said above. I am a returning user to this app after a five year absence. The app itself was always one of my favorites and the tools provided are progressive and more supportive than other programs I have tried. My family as a whole is "obese" I watched my Mom "yo-yo" diet my whole life so at an early age I chose to make fitness a lifestyle. I educated myself. I made healthy choices about what I put in my body. I am a firm believer in garbage in, garbage out. I started working out but not at athlete status. I began hiking and then, later, strength training and cycling. I had three children and never gained over the recommended 30 lbs. At 34-39 years of age, I was in the best physical and emotional shape of my life. I truly believe that was because of years of training and consistently working at a healthy lifestyle. It didn't happen overnight or in six months. Four years ago ( during the pandemic) I stopped going to the gym. I started eating processed fast food with my children. I didn't eat as many greens as I had my entire life and I probably tripled my carb intake! And I don't eat bad or sugary carbs. I gained 40lbs in a matter of about 3-5 months. And 40lbs on a curvaceous 5'5 can look like 100lbs. I went from a size 6 to a size 12-14. So this week, a month before my 50 th birthday...I said I don't want to look this way anymore. I want to like the way my clothes fit. I want to not be ashamed of the pics that are taken with my children and share them with others. I want to have more energy. I want to be able to do my own toes and not be uncomfortable iny own skin. I have been making excuses, Covid changed my life drastically, my age, my hormones ( I actually had my labs ran hoping there was something medical that caused the weight gain that I needed to address. You know what my doctor said? She had never in her life seen such perfect numbers for cholesterol, and everything else was in range not to mention my blood pressure has always been and was about 115/80.) These lab results were because of me making fitness a lifestyle. Everyone in my family has health issues. My siblings are younger than me and take medication for various conditions. I blamed depression, the loss of my father, pretty much everything but the truth is ITS MY HABITS. I know if I change those things, the weight will come off. Set realistic goals and forgive yourself when you fall short. It truly is a journey and not a race to a destination. Before entering my information into my profile...my mindset was I want to take this weight off immediately. The app said even aggressively that the soonest it will be is the end of January. Okay, shrug, I can live with that. Because I know the end result is that I will feel better but in January, the work isn't finished. I have to continue making the healthy decisions every day to keep it off. Wishing all of you the best. P.S. I smoked cigarettes for fifteen years. Gave the habit up 10 years ago and I am still successful at not smoking. Hardest habit I ever kicked. Just in case, anyone is struggling. It was a process as well.

ewtfyoga · July 31

I imagine that it may help if you are in an industry that is centered on looks but I think that something else is important to look at - NEAT (non-exercise activity time) It may be easy enough to put your best foot forward when you have a "goal" in front of you but how active are you the rest of the day? When I taught, it was easier to maintain my weight just because I was on my feet for my work day. Of course snacking also plays a part but similarly, I could easily eat a whole meal while doing a desk job but would not dare eat during a lesson as that would show no respect for my students and their time.
My mother stayed within 10 pounds of 115 her whole life, because she only sat when she was eating or watching tv and she didn't do either more than 3 times a day. I, however, will happily sit for hours unless paid or externally motivated not to

ewtfyoga · July 31

Sorry it was not my intention for this to be posted twice and I am unable to simply delete it.

gretchen_sf · August 1

On March 15, 2017 weighed 230# - BMI of 30 (60 yo - 6 ft tall) - got "married to my FitBit" - recording every thing that I've ate on each and every day since... plus regular exercise... indoor rowing & treadmill for the most part
December 22, 2019 - 199# - during the pandemic walked 3 miles 5-6 days each week.
June 24, 2021 - 179# - low weight - have bounced around but never higher than 187# - generally higher during ski season/winter - yes, I am now 68 years old and got back on the slopes at 65yo. Ski 12 - 20 days a season.
Currently 181# - hoping to increase muscle and fitness for 24/25 ski season -
I eat beef very rarely, mostly chicken, salmon, sometimes pork, most of what I consume is organic - it tastes better! - generally 5 servings of fruits/vegetables each day - keep my macros at less than 50/30/20 - try for 100g of protein each day. Enjoy a glass of wine almost every day at dinner.
I'm NOT a fitness professional, I'm an office worker who may someday retire... best to all on their journeys - I believe in persistence!

durhammfp · August 29

I have never worked in fitness, and never plan to. I sit at a desk all day.

I am in my 50s.

I originally lost 49 lbs a few years ago (2018-2019) but, due to a COVID injury, stopped exercising and gained 23 pounds back, stabilizing at 176, which, I have to say, does not feel unhealthy to me.

According to this BMI calculator my BMI is 26, https://halls.md/body-mass-index-calculator/.

I'm beginning to lose weight again but eating more healthily is the key driver these days. Also I started walking more and just that makes me feel pretty great.

I was able to keep 26 lbs off all these years despite a couple injuries and some life situations that were difficult. So, not over 30 lbs. Sorry! Is that a success? A failure? I feel physically pretty good and my blood work remains much better than it was before I started losing weight in 2018 so I am pretty happy where I am, though I always want to improve myself further.

From the OP: "It seems like most of the people who keep it off work in fitness. I hope I'm wrong."

Well that may be where their motivation comes from. Mine comes from seeing too many of my relatives with T2D and/or Alzheimer's slowly and painfully lose more and more functioning over a decade (or longer) before they die. I'm trying to do everything I can to avoid the same fate.

As far as exercise, I think that is a better help for keeping weight off. Losing weight initially, for me, had to start with limiting my calories.

KarinSanden · August 30

DonM46 wrote: »

I will be 76 in November.
Retired engineer.
I lost 39 pounds in 2011.
I've been +/- four pounds since then, almost 11 years, & still log my food every day. Currently, I have a 3,107-day streak going.

Do you track cals to have a sense of what you eat to maintain your new weight?

ThomasMProctor · August 31

Yep! in 2011 I lost 95 pounds. I was 255 lbs. in January, and by August I was down to 160. I was never athletic. All I did was use this app to track my food and exercise, which consisted solely of walking 3-5 miles per day. Since then, I've summited several alpine peaks in the Cascades (Adams, St. Helens, Baker, Sisters, etc.), and learned that I love to run, which I do 5 days a week, now. I've had a few ups and downs over the years, but am at 164 today (2024).

springlering62 · September 8

I’m happy to say that this month is five years keeping it off for me.

I do not work in fitness, never have. Most exercise I ever got was climbing under a desk to do the standard IT fix of unplug it all and replug it back in. 🙄

I was retired when I started losing weight. I maintain by still counting calories religiously.

I lost 97, it was too much and I looked awful, so intentionally regained about 20. I’m happy where I am.

We are currently traveling, and a week of our trip has been a serious food tour. Including a ton of home baked breads, homemade cheeses and sausages, fresh honey from the hive, the richest homemade yogurt you can imagine, and I swear I’ve eaten an acre of tomato vines. Best tomatoes EVER. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. Tasted like watermelon. We even picked and ate fruits right off the trees as we walked.

I fully expect to be up 5-7 pounds when we return, but the food tour is over and at this moment we are chilling in a courtyard and eating a 285 calorie Greek salad from a local grocery. We’re already reeling it in. Saving calories for a famed local handfood and to then plan to return for dinner to a local restaurant we ate at with our small group. I will have no problems returning to MFP habits.

I went slow, and took the time tor read here and learn as I went. I am very grateful for all the “slow loss is best” advice I got from other members. It’s very true.

I am very grateful for the help I got here on MFP.

Adventurista · September 8

@springlering62 - wow wow! Congrats! Wonderful milestone - thank you for sharing your journey here, it helps, encourages and inspires us

isabelle596 · September 10

So helpful. Thank you for the question and all the answers. I realize that I have to change my goal from “lose X lbs of weight” to “maintain daily eating, moving, and food logging habits to lose X lbs of weight and keep them off for 5+ years”.

So logically simple and yet, such a different mindset.

Shifts from future-focused, before and after goal weight behaviors (ie. Doing this until I lose the weight) vs… daily behaviors and long-term sustainable habits. Phew.

Already #27 down with more to lose but a very needed correction of my mindset. This is not a change for the next 6-9 months to reach my goal. It’s a behavioral change for the 5-10 years and beyond.

Let’s begin again.

F8Cone8 · September 10

I lost 40 pounds using SparkPeople in 2006 going from 220 to 180. I have kept it off for about 16 years. I find now that I have gained 3 pounds back and want to lose more. I'm only 5'3" so I am carrying much more weight than I should.

gelatojo · September 10

I've NEVER worked in fitness/health. Lost 50 pounds at age 50, went from pretty unhealthy and a pharmacy regular to now - Age 60, physically fit, NO pharmacist in my life, and other than childhood, probably the healthiest I've been in my entire life. NO gimmicks, no purchases, just CLEAN eating, intentional movement, lifting heavy things. IMO, diets to not work - it was a lifestyle change. You'll find no crappy oils or ingredients in my cupboards. I did hire a coach that changed my life. Paleo-"ish" eating style, Crossfit types of exercise (always changing never boring, constantly working on strength, balance, endurance, flexibility, accuracy, agility, coordination, stamina, etc)

Being a bit "long in the tooth" I thought caloric deficits and avoiding fats/cholesterol, etc was the "right" way. I eat more nutrient dense foods now with healthy fats, whole eggs, natural meats, etc, and proof is in the bloodwork. I feel like I found the fountain of youth. Since age 50, some firsts are learning new sports, learning to snow ski, setting a deadlift state record, running my first 5k's, and not bragging, but I'm the lady that's called to help move kids into dorms! Ha! This isn't the only way to reclaim your health, but it's the one that keeps my personality on track.

I cannot imagine my life without this gift of health. I "impossibly" defeated Grave's disease, for the last 7 years no longer dependent on thyroid drugs, or hypertension drugs, never went on the statin prescribed.

YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!!! I wish you all the very best on your journey's.

aprilmerritt434 · September 10

I've been down 85lbs for about 15 years now. So yea its possible though, I am up about 8-10lbs from the lowest point for a couple years now, but its muscle because I started lifting.

Its possible. I have a desk job. It takes work and you have to find a fitness program you love and make real diet changes, but yes, its totally possible.

terence_laoshi · September 11

Delighted to report ...
I reduced from 97kgs (213lbs) in 2018 to 82-85kgs (180-187lbs) from 2019 onwards.
Key reasons ...

1. Tracking
Being able to track my eating and calories and exercise on myfitnesspal.
Having a record has really kept me on track and often motivated me
to get off the chair and go for a long walk, or to get my hand out of the refrigerator.

2. Lifestyle change
Instead of placing all the emphasis on changing food and exercise habits,
I changed my approach to life. The habits followed automatically.
"When you come to an obstacle in life, throw your heart over first.
Your body is sure to follow."

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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