People who lost weight and then gained it back

So many of these stories hit home with me too. This time around I have been more careful about diet & exercise changes to my life that I don't mind keeping on a long term lifestyle basis. I may do a temporary challenge such as exercise more for a month, but then I allow myself to go back to a more moderate exercise schedule when the month is over. As a result, I have found that I am gradually exercising more overall. I agree with the others who have said not to call your favorite junkfoods off limits. I basically just had to tell myself that I am a grown up now and I can't afford to eat without control. A little junk is okay, but a life of junk is not all that smart. It's what I do with my kids. I don't let them overdo on the junk, so why would I let myself. I have preached this message in my head to myself many times. This is a wonderful question. Thanks for putting it out there.

I believe if I reach my goal weight I have to continue counting my calories... forever.

Hello, I'm on week six of the first weight loss journey that I've actually ever taken seriously aside from all the yo-yo and fad dieting that have been unsuccessful. So this is the first time I can actually say I've lost weight in a healthy and real manner (12 pounds down, 40 to go). This is the longest I've ever stuck with this lifestyle change and also the most I've ever lost and so I'm starting to really understand how difficult and long of a process this can be.

Congratulations on your successful weight loss thus far! You seem to have the right mindset this time as to what it takes to not only lose weight, but to maintain at a healthy weight! :flowerforyou:

So my question for the people who got down to their goal weights or lost a significant amount but gained some or most of it back is - why did that happen? I'm asking just because I want to be mentally prepared the closer I get because going through this process now makes me want to never have to start at having to lose 50+ pounds again.

Thanks!

I've yo-yo'd over the past 10 years or more and as many of the others have mentioned, the main reason for this was I had used some kind of restrictive diet to achieve the initial weight loss and as soon as I reverted to my normal eating patterns then the weight crept back on.

The last time I lost a lot of weight was when I dealing with the acrimonious breakdown of a 10-year relationship and the weight just dropped off me for a while. This did give me an unexpected confidence boost (especially as my self-esteem had more or less been destroyed by my ex).

Funnily enough at the time, I was also recording my weight weekly as part of a weight-watchers project with my fellow colleagues. For a time I could see my weight dropping, but I didn't perceive that my food intake had changed any and again, I can see that I started putting on more and more weight - at a rate of 1-5lbs a week - once I stopped exercising and continued to eat with careless abandon. I can also see periods where I was maintaining at a steady but heavy weight.

If I had any advice I would say that once you get to the half-way point in your weight loss goal, it might be worth considering starting to eat to the maintenance calories you would eat were you at your goal weight. That way you will continue to lose weight, albeit perhaps slowly, but more importantly you will be getting used to the portion sizes, the types of food you enjoy and how to manage your diet and exercise plans over the long term which is a step towards sustainability.

Good luck!:flowerforyou:

I'm not even close to goal weight yet, but I have lost and gained lots of weight over the last decade, the most being 80 pounds one time. I failed in the past because I went on restrictive diets that were not maintainable over the long haul instead of learning how to feed my body properly. I also did not exercise like I am now. I wasn't consistent so I had trouble building the habit, whereas now if I don't workout even for 15 minutes each day, I miss it.

It was also pivotal for me to realize that this wasn't really about the numbers. I let the scale dictate my entire life, and I would punish myself if I gained weight. Now, I weigh to see how I'm doing, but if I gain a few pounds or have a bad eating day, I move on instead of letting it be an invitation to fall off the wagon. I used to think that when I was thin my life would be effortless and perfect, but then it hit me: I'm going to have to eat and exercise for the rest of my life, regardless of my weight, so there is no "when I'm thin..." This is my life right now.

Good luck to you on your journey!

""IMO if you have a lot to lose and have lost it and regained it there are probably issues other than calorie control that are motivating you. I lost about 40 kilos five years ago and gained about 12 back, mostly due to depression. The reasons for gaining weight are much more complicated than just putting the food in your mouth... if you can deal with the issues then you probably won't gain any back.""

ITA with this statement! In 2003, I lost 65 pounds and then gained back 70+ when I was pregnant. I didn't deal with the reasons behind my eating. I always say I am not an emotional binger, I am an emotional anorexic, until I realized that "emotional" includes nore than just being upset about something.

Two pregnancies later and I finally lost it all again, but have recently gained 20 pounds. The only reason why is becuase I just grew tired of thinking about it so much. I am working on that, and working on really accepting the reasons why I need to do this for my health. The fact that I think so hard about it just proves that I haven't made it a lifestyle yet :-)

I lost nearly 40 pounds last year and gained about half of it back when I stopped exercising as much and started stress eating during grad school. I knew I was doing it but kept on. Back at it again..and hoping I can get back on track faster this time. It seems to be working so far. Good luck to you!

I agree with whoever said that the re-gain is often caused by choosing a method of losing weight that is unsustainable. I lost about 60 pounds on the South Beach Diet, but it was just miserable for me. Not everyone derives enjoyment from eating. My son doesn't. My brother didn't. But I do...and eating in a way that robbed me of the pleasures of it is not something I'll be able to stick with forever.

I had never tried counting calories before. Probably because it seemed too...easy? I always thought there was some magic formula I was missing out on, when really I was just eating too much. It wasn't carbs making me fat, it was too many calories from too many carbs.

My strategy, and the only one that hasn't felt awful is this:

1. Try to get 6 servings of vegetables and fruit every day. I don't always get this done, but I do try. The practice encourages healthier choices because, frankly, who wants to eat steamed broccoli with a dinner of pizza?

2. Unless it's a vegetable designed specifically for nutrition purposes, I only eat things I enjoy. I won't eat a hot dog just because I'm hungry...because I don't like hot dogs that much. But I also make wise choices. I like fried chicken, but not enough for the number of calories that come with it. I am constantly weighing my options. I LOVE pizza, so when it's treat time, pizza is often the way I go.

3. Focus on calorie density. I am learning that there are certain foods (like bagels) that pack a large calorie punch, but do very little to keep me satiated until my next meal. I avoid these foods even though I like them. Instead, I'll pick oatmeal or eggs which stick with me much longer.

4. I build in treats and junk every once in a while. I had a hamburger and french fries the other day. I was still within my calorie range...and wow did those fries taste good! I don't do this more than once a week though.

These won't work for everyone. Some people are perfectly content eating only lean protein, vegetables and whole grains. I am not one of them.

I lost weight (30 lbs) when I counted calories.

I gained weight (30 lbs) when I stopped counting calories.

I lost weight again (30 lbs) when I started counting calories again.

I gained weight again (15 lbs) when I stopped counting calories again.

I am losing weight again (12 lbs) now that I am counting calories... again...

Lesson learned: I need to count calories. YMMV.

That's what we like to call "self-correcting behavior".

I've always been a yo-yo dieter. I'm at goal weight now and have lost 20 lbs this time around in about 4 months without actually dieting or totally restricting all foods. I have cheat days and I have learned portion control and I exercise 4 to 5 days a week. This lifestyle change has been much easier as opposed to dieting.

Hey, before i say anything i should mention that i am only 17 but i have a good amount of experience in weightloss. anyways, as a kid i was always fat but my worst point was when i was 15; i was 5'4 and weighed 230 lbs. Long story short, i barely ate and ran 5 miles a day which ended up in me weighing 170 lbs in 3 months. Unfortunately, i moved to a new country and stopped all that running so i went back up to 250 lbs in a matter of 5 months. It was awful but it did open my eyes that i should lose weight smart next time. So i started lifting weights along with my usual running, and i am proud to say that i now weigh 180 lbs and am at a height of 6 feet.

Moral of the story: Regardless of whether you are a male or female, you HAVE to incorporate strength training in your weight loss journey. It's simple, the more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. My fault the first time through was that i ate very little and only did cardio. This messed up my metabolism and a good amount of the weight i initially lost was muscle. The Second time through, i made sure that i lifted heavy and that my strength was going up as i lost the weight. So my advice to you is that you follow a strength training program. Screw that low weight high reps crap and lift heavy weights. Make sure that your strength is not decreasing, but instead staying the same or better yet, increasing. If you gain more and more strength while losing weight, this indicates that the weight your'e losing is mainly fat and not muscle. Goodluck

When I was about 17 I lost 120 pounds using Atkins. I was so young that except for some thin skin on my breasts and stretch marks I was really lucky. I maintained that weight for about 6 years, after which I met my current partner. I was in a really great relationship and the pounds started piling on, mostly due to my now full social schedule and all the eating and drinking that comes along with a new set of friends. I am 26 now and have gained 40 pounds over the last 3.5 years. I officially hate myself. I keep attempting to lose weight and then fail. Having never had a long term partner before I am unsure how to work out when she has no interest. I start getting the "why aren't you home yet" texts and start feeling guilty for spending so much time on myself and no time with her. I keep trying to go back on Atkins because my body really thrives on it, but I can't seem to stop cheating, which as everyone knows causes weight gain instead of the much wanted weight loss. I dislike my body so much now, and can feel myself falling deeper and deeper. I need help

This was me, I did this a good few years back on my own (never knew MFP existed), lots of hard work and determination and lost around 40 pounds in a relatively short period of time. I felt great for a few months, but I never learned anything, when the 'diet' ended I reverted back to my old ways and piled all the weight back on plus another half stone for good measure.

I started again in January 2011 after being the heaviest I had ever been and managed to lose around a stone by the summer on my own. In September 2011 I found the MFP app and have logged and tracked every day since. I reached my goal weight in April 2012 and have been successfully maintaining (plus or minus 2 - 3 pounds) since by continuing to log and track my food and exercise. This site really does work if you are honest with yourself and are patient enough. Far too many people come on this site (you wait until January 2014 for the New Years resolutions) and expect to undo years of abuse and neglect within a few weeks or months but that is not going to happen and if by some miracle you do take it off very quickly it is far more likely that you will gain it back just as quickly because you won't have learned enough to change your lifestyle.

Good luck everybody