How To Maintain Your Weight Loss
I'm sure you heard it before: "Ninety-five percent of all dieters gain the weight back." There is little evidence to back this up.
Many dieters can - and do - keep the weight off.
Recent research surveyed 1,310 people who had all lost a significant amount of weight. The survey was taken at a point that was one year after weight loss had already occurred.
Overall, 59 percent were still close to their weight of a year before -- which in all cases was at least 10 percent lower than their heaviest all-time weight. Another 8 percent weighed less than they did a year earlier.
A third of the subject regained a "significant amount of weight".
The National Weight Control Registry also looks at what successful weight maintainers (people who lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least a year) have in common. They have published their results in a number of articles.
The Keys to Maintaining Weight Loss
From the above research.
- Exercise - Those who continued on with exercise were much more likely to maintain their loss.
- Not Sedentary - Hours spent in front of the computer or TV were closely correlate with regain.
- Lost weight slowly - Regainers were more likely to be those who had lost large amounts of weight in short periods of time.
From the Weight Control Registry (via):
- They watch portion sizes.
- Four in five eat breakfast every day of the week.
- Most are physically active, with walking being their most common form of activity.
- They actually find pleasure in their healthier lifestyle.
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I know in my own case, these keys to keeping the weigh off are 100% correct. Oddly enough, I contribute my continued success with the very last bullet point: Finding pleasure in the healthier lifestyle.
Brian
ReplyI've lost almost 60 pounds, and it's taken me two years. I dropped the first 40 in a matter of months. I've been eating well and exercising. It is a forever thing. I know that if I stop going to the gym, if I throw my running shoes in the closet never to be seen again, and if I go back to eating my "old ways," that every pound and then some will come back.
Eating well and exercising, being healthy, is a FOREVER choice.
I know lots of people who are joining WW "again." Those are the people who don't get it. Once you join, if you intend to stay at your new, fabulous weight, you can never leave. If you can't control your calorie intake yourself, and you stop tracking it, you will start eating too much.
FOREVER is a very, very long time.
ReplyExercise is by far the most effective and controllable way to maintain weight loss. It is also the least used one :)
ReplyI think it's an encouraging study, and the conclusions seem very sensible. I never understand how people think they're going to be successful in the long run with weight loss unless they make a real commitment to daily exercise. But so many seem to view this aspect as somehow optional.
(That being said, it's time for me to drag my butt out the door to get some myself!)
ReplyI do agree that exercise can be an important factor in maintaining weight loss for some people, but for others less willing it is still possible to lose weight by makeing mental changes that will compensate for lack of exercise. I lost 140 lbs over 18 months,I have no need for skin removal surgery and I've maintained my goal weight for the last 3 years with very little exercise.
I believe it's your mind that determines your sucess not your body!
ReplyWhat did the data really tell us?
The researchers used the database of in-home interviews from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), and found 1,310 adults who one year earlier had weighed at least 10% less than their all-time highest overweight or obese weight. These 1,310 were the people identified has having successfully lost significant weight. What the researchers didn’t report is that this number represented only 6% of those surveyed.
Maintaining weight loss? Of these, only 98 people (7.5%) continued to lose weight during the one-year study period. The rest were regaining their lost weight! At the one-year mark, most (59%) had thusfar regained up to about half (5%) of the weight they’d lost, with 33.5% having already regained most of what they’d lost, or more. [They neglected to share full details on the extent of the rebound.] Clearly, there is no evidence of any sustained weight maintenance, even during this brief one-year study.
To arrive at those they deemed successful weight loss maintainers, however, they combined those who were losing with those regainers who were still within 5% of their starting weight. That was the “nearly six in ten [who] were able to maintain their original weight loss” being reported in the news. Not quite the “encouraging” success we might have thought.
Hat tip to Sandy Szwarc for detailing the hard data on her blog.
ReplyThe old adage of 95% diets fail is a great way to become a self fulfilling prophecy for so many potential dieters. I prefer to focus on people like you that have been successful and can encourage others to be successful as well. Positive reinforcement with forgiveness can be much more powerful than always berating ourselves when we reach for another bowl of ice cream.
Reply"Lost weight slowly - Regainers were more likely to be those who had lost large amounts of weight in short periods of time."
I found this part really interesting. It seems like crash diets are less effective in the long run. I wonder if that's because they are unsustainable or because they fail to teach people how to really control their diet.
Gal
ReplyI was thinking about this myself when there was all this energy from the NS folks about losing 10 lbs in 1 week. It dawned on me that every Saturday, I lose 5 or more pounds in 2 hours. It's unsustainable, of course (well, one hopes so; a guy's gotta drink). Over a longer, but still short period, weight loss causes a change in metabolism and so it's very easy to regain weight. Weight loss over the long term (like 20 lbs a year ^_^) requires changing your approach to life.
ReplyPersonally, I lost 80-pounds in a year and have maintained it now for six years (gained in pregnancy, of course, but eventually returned to pre-pregnancy weight again)....I'm not convinced how fast you lose is an issue - for me it was key to develop long-term, sustainable changes in my eating - specifically the quality of what I eat - that really mattered; I didn't lose the weight and return to previous habits that contributed to weight gain, rather I tweaked along the way and as I neared my goal, was eating as I do now and have continued to eat this way (with the exception of increasing calories and nutrients while pregnant).
ReplyI constantly think about this with regards to exercise.
Life isn't a 6 week program.
ReplyTo a degree, I agree with that sentiment...but then again, I also think people need the truth, which simply is if you return to previous eating habits, you'll regain weight; I think our environment feeds the thinking a "diet" is to "lose weight" and then there is "normal" eating, something you go back to doing after you lose weight, that over the long-haul leads to failure to sustain weight loss.
I do think a positive outlook that **you can do it** matters, obviously there are a number of people out there who do lose weight and keep it off.....but without a full understanding of what it really takes...a complete modification of eating habits sustained for life...one is still left with only a piece of the puzzle to complete the picture of what it takes to lose and maintain lost weight.
ReplyI'd prefer to see what the results are for people who've kept it off for 5+ years. I've lost weight and kept it off for 1-3 years, but always gained it back.
ReplyI think some people do make major changes - born-again kind of moments - and can lose weight more rapidly. But, not all such major changes endure...
ReplyYep, is that true. Im like that, im trying to loose weight and its so hard because im hooked on seeing results right away!!! its really frustrating, i know it take time...... I just wish i had the will power and self control!
Man, is there anyone who can help me? i would love the support!
ReplyTry using visualisation to quickly recall your goals when you are tempted, this should help you to delay gratification and stay on track. I don't believe Commitment and willpower is something you either have or dont have, it's a personal journey about what you want out of life and the skills to practice it can be learnt.
I've lost 140lb in 18 months and maintained it for 3 years
ReplyTrue story - my OB made me halt weight loss at six weeks after my son was born...I'd already lost 39-pounds and he felt it was too fast (and I was eating what I thought was well above my needs for nursing, but obviously not).....I wound up having to eat 3800-calories a day to not lose weight - and no, that level of calorie intake is not easy or fun - it's way too much food!
When my son weaned, I was eating way too much not to gain so at first I cut back slightly to compensate for no longer nursing and my weight didn't decrease.....then I finally I modified to lose weight and then it came off again without much fuss; and as I neared my goal, I again modified to eat as I do to maintain weight.
For me, how I eat now is habit - it is how I eat and no longer a "diet" if you know what I mean.
ReplyI think the key is that crash diets don't work in the long run because they sabotage your metabolism and self-esteem. (See my website for article on a UC Davis study.)
It's the same old story... only long-term lifestyle changes show long-term results. As far as the pleasure goes, I write diet reviews for a living, and one of my favorites is "French Women Don't Get Fat" for this very reason.
Reply"There is little evidence to back this up."
I've been on at least 30 diets in my time, and always gained the weight back (so far). My evidence is 100% ;)
ReplyThe thing is that if you want the weight to come off permanently, you can never stop eating less and exercising. Temporary diets don't work. The people who lose AND maintain are the people who made a lifestyle choice instead of "going on a diet."
ReplyVery true. I have several friends that lost weight quickly and then felt that because they were thin that they could eat whatever they wanted. They all quickly regained the weight.
I lost 40 pounds two years ago and I have kept it off and then some. My motivation was simple - I never wanted to feel that way again - and never meant never.
Tracking my progress has also helped. I track my all of my workouts and meals at www.fitnovo.com it has everything that I need and it is free, so you can't beat that.
ReplyI am losing weight slowly, I've been doing it for over three years now, and I'm not planning on stopping going to the gym or on long walks once I reach my goal weight. No way in hell am I gaining this weight back!
ReplyIt's true that the "95% of diets fail" chestnut can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I have read a weight loss blog of a woman who tried every diet under the sun - for about two weeks - then ended up getting a lap-band. Her rationale? Yep - 95% of diets fail.
ReplyI'm quite sure lack of results are a large cause of diet failure. People are just too impatient and want instant results. When I was losing weight, I hit the dreaded platteau, so it was a real challenge to stay motivated when the scales weren't shifting, but I kept at it and finally broke through and made it to my target weight.
Finally reaching my goal and having a healthy body and I figure that I was happy with created the motivation to not regain the weight. Once in a while after a succession of eating out or holidays etc and my trousers start to feel tight, I take acton straight away, before it becomes more than just a couple of extra pounds, to make sure I never slip back into old habits.
ReplyRe the lack of results - a lot of people drive themselves crazy by weighing every day. When I was losing weight, I weighed myself only once a month; the number was always down so I was happy.
I've lost 90 pounds and kept it off now for four-and-half years. In that time, my weight has fluctuated by no more than a pound or so. Like other people here, there's *no way* I would ever regain. Being pig-headed and stubborn seems to help!
Replya bigger issue is gaining more weight than we started with when we go on the diet.
ReplyI lost 35 pounds in 7 months -- a healthy, consistent 5 pounds per month. (I should add that 35 pounds is pretty significant on a 5'3" woman with a small frame -- from 150 to 115). I've been maintaining my current weight now for about 2 and a half months. I'm very motivated to maintain my new slim figure and HEALTHIER habits. I haven't maintained for very long yet, but I'm confident that I'll keep it off because I didn't "go on a diet" and then stop. I altered my diet permanently with a few simple rules and also increased my exercising significantly. My rules are: no sweets or sugar soda (which was the biggest factor in my overeating); eat whole grains for breakfast and lunch; eat small protein-rich snacks midmorning and midafternoon; eat whatever I want for dinner but watch portions. I did increase portion size once I needed to stop losing weight. Another key to success is that it's not about so-called "will power". When I allow myself to eat sweets on special occasions, I don't eat very much because it doesn't feel good anymore -- my body just doesn't tolerate sweets very well any more. I find the same thing to be true with large portions -- it just feels too crummy to do it too often. One last comment: just like "RedPanda", I won't let myself weigh in more than once a week, though I should probably cut down to once a month, because I consistently gain a pound or two when I'm premenstrual and then go back to normal the week after. Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments.
ReplyI box in a gym and i lost weight really fast. I lost and average 1 pound a day and have been doing so for the past week. But recently i began to notice i been regaing all that weight. I have been working harder lately and lost weight again but its like a on and off situation beacuse that weight comes back. After reding this i think is to much time spent on computer that is my problem so i ma gonna be using it less to see it helps. Also a tip for everyone at breakfast u should eat a big meal and eat a lot of food, then at luch something simple like a friut or yogurt not more. Then at night is when u should eat dinner like at 7 pm or more but when u finish dinner dont SEAT DOWN immeadtly. walk around the block or do a simple 5 minute exercise so that food digest easier and wont stay in your body causing it to turn to fat. following this and doing exercise daily or however u do it should keep you balanced but remember to eat all you can at breakfast cause the more you eat at that time the less you will feel hungry through out your day and will keep you in balance with your weight.
ReplyI searched google and read and read until I finally found someone who mentioned the plateau part of dieting. I have been losing 2 to 3 pounds per week for 8 weeks now in the 9th and 10th week I am staying at my same weight. I have lost 18 pounds but need to loose 50 more pounds. I was so discouraged but now I see that for some reason this happens and I will start losing again. I will not give up. 2 pounds a week is worth it but I sure am hungry. From what I am eating I should be losing 5 lbs. a week. Thanks, Kathy
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Replyhello I just want to know why im i losing weight and im not in a diet or nothing like that..Before i use to weight 98pounds know i weight 89pounds and i lost that weight in 3days..
IF THAT CONTINUES SEE A DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY. THAT IS NOT NORMAL.
ReplyHi Kathy, I lost 140lbs over 18 months and have maintained it for 3 years and i noticed the plateau stage reoccurred at regular intervals during my weight loss, every 2-3 months, during this plateau period i seemed to change body shape and it sometimes continued for a week or two. Just remember that every week that you stick to your healthy lifestyle WILL get you nearer to your goal. You have done amazingly well so far and I can see you have the attitude that will succeed. What i would say though is to rethink your weekly hope of 5lb loss, i always found it better to expect less and be proud of more. It was more motivating. I would wish you luck but it doesn't have a factor in weight loss, I'll wish you determination instead :-) x
ReplyI'd prefer to see what the results are for people who've kept it off for 5+ years. I've lost weight and kept it off for 1-3 years, but always gained it back
ReplyI weighed 175, and now i weigh about 140, still losing until i get to 118-115, im only 5'2'' lol.
Replywell, i was wondering if 2-4 lbs a week is steady enough of a loss? not too much?
A LOSS OF 2 TO 4 LBS A WEEK IS GREAT.I THINK TOO FAST IS NOT GOOD. THE 2 PER WEEK SHOULD BE FINE. GOOD LUCK.
ReplyFOUGHT WEIGHT GAIN ALL MY LIFE. FINALLY REALIZED I NEEDED TO BE HAPPY WITH THE MEALS I ATE. I SUBSTITUTED LOW CALORIE FOODS FOR ALL THE HIGH CALORIE FOODS I ALWAYS ATE. I USED TO FEEL DEPRIVED NOW I DON'T. I ENJOY SO MANY GOOD MEALS AND TREATS AND STILL KEEP MY CALORIC INTAKE IN CHECK. I LOST A TOTAL OF 84 AND 1/2 LBS IN 19 MONTHS. I JOINED A WEIGHT LOSS GROUP CALLED TOPS FOR ADDED SUPPORT. I WANT TO STAY WITH THIS GROUP FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. I NEED ACCOUNTABILITY. MY TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS IS REALLY 108 AND 1/2 BECAUSE I HAD PREVIOUSLY GONE TO WEIGHT WATCHERS AND LOST SOME POUNDS THERE TOO. I LEARNED SO MUCH THAT I AM CONFIDENT THIS TIME I WILL KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF. OTHER TIMES I KEPT THE FAT CLOTHES IN THE BACK OF THE CLOSET OUT OF FEAR. THIS TIME I GAVE THEM ALL AWAY. I REALLY ENJOY THIS NEW WAY OF EATING. WHILE I DO SOME EXERCISE (WALKING AND LIGHT WEIGHT TRAINING)I FEEL THE MAIN REASON FOR MY SUCCESS IS THE CALORIE COUNTING. IT CAN BE BORING,BUT IT IS SO WORTH IT. ALSO, MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF. IT TAKES TIME TO PREPARE GOOD HEALTHY LOW CAL MEALS. DO NOT PUT YOURSELF LAST.
ReplyWhy lose weight? Im 14 1/2, 5'5 and 152 pounds. Ive been trying to gain weight!!! I like fat much better than muscle. at the start of the year i weighed 136.
Replybecause fat guys tease fat chicks, even though its the guy who is fat
ReplyOh Boy Brandon. DO YOU REALLY WANT AN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION. You are a sick child. The main answer, first and foremost, is your health! Fatty tissue around your heart can kill you. Fat also causes peoples blood pressure to go up. If you ever have to have surgery, you are at a much higher risk of having complications. I AM NOT A DOCTOR. It is just common sense. You probably think all these people care about is their appearance. NOT TRUE! I could write much more of an answer but I don't think you are listening. I hope for your sake that you are.
ReplyI've been trying to follow various guidelines and adopt "healthy" habits. For example I watch my diet and try to plan ahead when i eat. I have attained my weight goal finally but does that really mean i can never let myself go? that i can never indulge again? I mean it feels great to have loss all that weight but deep down i know all i really want to do is pig out... does anyone else feel the same way?
ReplyI lost 8 kg in 5 weeks. So far i try to maintain my weight. I m happy cos i look healthier n better in cloth. Now m trying to maintain my weight.
ReplyI was 48 kg before pregnant. After 65 to 67 kg maintained for years until i got my 2nd child which i weight 67 kg during pregnancy and after 62kg. The best score was around 58 to 60 kg. My height is around 4 ft 11. So that makes me really, really overweight. I feel fat n ugly all over. It's been wt me for more than 10 yrs. That's how i finally decide to do something. Now i feel great eventhough i ve not reach my targetted weight of 48 kg b4 pregnancy. However, i look healthier n i can definitely tell i eat right. I eat when i m hungry, anything but not too much. Even fried chicken,or anything. Every once a week i even indulge myself in buffet Hopefully i can maintain my weight after....
ReplyI agree with most but I also use the comp but I remember how to manage my food, excercise, and comp time. I think if you remeber to do your daily hour you wont regain.
ReplyI'm a martial artist and that type of intense exercise actually increases my hunger and appetite. I tried the breakfast and minimeal thing and all that did was to increase my appetite, make me tired, screw up my blood sugar, and make me obsessed with food. I also gained 16 pounds since June and I have been training for over 18 months. Sure, some of the weight gain is muscle but not all of it.
I bought Ori Hoflmekler's The Warrior Diet and began searching around the net for "one meal a day." I don't follow Ori's diet - organic food, eating the one meal at night after working out and so on. However, I have been eating my main meal in the morning (I eat things like spaghetti with meat sauce, things I'd eat for dinner normally). Oddly, I have an incredible amount of energy and don't get hungry later in the day, though I do eat a few snacks like yogurt, a clementine, a veggie just to cover the bases.
Before this lifestyle, I would have blood sugar crashes in my evening martial arts classes. Now I have energy to go all day. And I have lost four pounds in four days.
Ori explains how eating one meal a day and fasting the other hours actually leads to an anabolic state, not a catabolic state like one would think. (Gee, there is so much misinformation out there.)
All I know is that I feel so much better. It's all great from a psychological point of view - no planning meals, counting calories, thinking about what I can and cannot eat, you name it - whatever comes with the dieting mentality.
I generally eat healty but that had not made a dent in my weight problem. Too much brown rice is too much brown rice, or rather, when you eat often your body can't access fat stores for energy. And something like Volumetrics made me hungry an hour later, like going to a Chinese restaurant (not the buffet!) and ordering Chop Suey. You get full fast from the veggies and then are starving an hour later.
Anyone else do this plan of one meal a day? I can't wait to see what my blood lipids are in about 12 weeks.
Oh, you can read "studies" about people who lost weight on one meal a day but their lipids climbed. No kidding. They ate something like 2,000 calories a day in one meal. That would be force-feeding, even for most men.
ReplyI have done "warrior style" for years, really from before I ever heard the term. I evolved it on my own due to the rigors of being a surgeon, and the demands it put on my time. In addition I have been very involved in several types of martial arts. I'm happy to say it works for me, though I do not recommend it to others as it's difficult for most and does not adapt well to our "normal" societies eating style.
ReplyThanks for responding Dr. J. I can't imagine being a surgeon and trying to eat on a three-meal-a-day schedule. You might be doing some of your coworkers/friends/patients a favor by recommending this diet though. Honestly, I have tried a lot of the diets out there. I'm sure that some are healthy but people generally aren't going to succeed for one reason or another. If I don't fail because of physiological (hunger, appetite, whooziness) reasons, I fail because of the psychological struggle. I believe, at least for me, that counting calories or planning minimeals creates an obsession with dieting. It's a lot of stress and that can't be healthy. Who the devil wants to spend most of their time planning a diet? I'm not sure people can keep up that kind of regimen for years on end. I can't believe I'm losing weight and that I feel good at the same time. I'm getting about 1600 calories but my stomach capacity is "shrinking," so I imagine the calories will drop to some degree. I don't believe in going days without eating or dropping to very low calories though.
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