Note: I republished, as I added more info and links.
Most who lose weight will regain. The vast majority. FACT.
What do those who keep it off do right? Here's one article addressing that.
See the book THIN FOR LIFE to see several people who lost and kept it off. And how they do it. And the Google Books preview lets you read a bit of the book, including the list and explanation of the TEN KEYS that the "masters" use to keep it off.
Books aimed at maintainers--Previously Overweight persons--are not numerous. At least, I sure haven't found a whole lot. Back in 2010, when I was looking for maintenance success and maintenance related stuff to prep myself--yes, I wanted to see how they did it, believing I'd get there one day--pretty much it was REFUSE TO REGAIN, THIN FOR LIFE (that I owned since the first edition), and JOINING THE THIN CLUB (which, really, I didn't like much, and certainly didn't value or reread like I did the other two I've mentioned.)
Refuse to Regain has 12 rules. Thin for Life has 10. I like lists. :D
Blogs with successful maintainers include Roni's Weigh, Keeping Off 200 Pounds, Keeping the Pounds Off, among several excellent ones. (See my blogroll, sidebar right, for some links.)
Among my fatfighting pals, Karen of Sunshine's Heart and Anne H of Carb Tripper are also maintainers out there, working it, learning, adapting, fighting the fight.
I hope to feature some of the "masters" at maintenance--those at a stable goal weight for several years-- in the future. I'm thinking I may beg them to let me interview them and feature interviews. Me, baby, I'm interested in the folks GETTING IT DONE! I want to learn from MASTERS....
If you've kept your weight loss off for several years...what are you doing to make sure it stays off? Tell us! Link us to your blog!
15 comments:
I had weight loss surgery in 2009. I lost in excess of 180 during the next year and a half. I have kept all but about 20 pounds of that off. I do it by low carbing. When I stopped watching carbs back at Thanksgiving, that is when I started to regain. I am now back at a normal weight for my height but would like to get back to my lowest weight of 150 so I'm still low carbing. I'm losing steadily since getting back on Atkins a week and a half ago. http://sunshinesheart.blogspot.com
One of my "weirdnesses" (besides not caring that is not a word) is to take a way of saying it and using it. So now instead of saying "living proof" I will say "statistical anomaly'. Oh yeah.
Thanks again for the book references. There are so many out there, but knowing you (a true statistical anomaly" proofed the book means a lot.
What a great article! I love how it was written. Positive. Realistic. Brief. heh!
Thanks for the article! So often it seems that what we see in print is sensationalized, specifically designed to scare or intimidate. So what if a lot of folks out there are overweight? I don't want to be one of them, and I'm delighted to read about those statistical anomalies.
I hope I am one of the people who can keep it off. Maintenance is a whole 'nother subject, though. Thanks for the link.
I took a survey on FaceBook the other day...
How many of us know someone that lost a good amount of weight.... AND kept it off.... I myself do not know anyone... or know OF anyone... except the bloggers and me!
LC for life!
Anne, ya gots a point. My niece, who was losing with me last year and early this year and was smaller than me has now regained and is larger. I know one person who has kept SOME off, but he has gastric bypass. He's regained and is obese again, just not huge, huge, huge like he used to be. Everyone I know who has lost a lot of weight, has regained, even the few bypass folks I know. No one kept it all off.
That's why I come to blogs for inspiration...for those who lost it and keep battling to keep it off. I wanna learn from the winners at this war on fat.
I'm a fellow traveler, but I share your determination and very much admire your honesty and willingness to put it all out there. I'm 71 and down from a high of 225ish to ~170 (I'd love to call it 169, but my scale isn't as accurate as yours). What gives me hope is my love for the Jaminets' Perfect Health Diet. I know you must be familiar, since you link to it. What got me going on this road to health was Gary Taubes WWGF, but I had to flounder around quite a bit to figure out how to implement it. Of course there was a long period of thinking "how can I possibly give up sugar and flour forever?" but I'm reconciled to that now. And I know that my baking days are over (no sense fooling around with those LC recipes for gooey concoctions that serve six or more when there's just one of me). But the PHD lets me have rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes which means that I can pretty much enjoy "regular stuff" without guilt or weight gain. In fact I actually broke a plateau when I introduced those things. I think that this WOE of eating may be new enough not to have any long-term adherents, but I am full of optimism about it. My other favorite inspiration is Barbara Berkeley's "Refuse to Regain" website and blog. She, too, is of the paleo persuasion and always full of wisdom and good cheer. Onward!
Hiya, 65. Refuse to Regain is an invaluable book to me. I got it in 2010 and dip into it every again on my journey. It's on my reread for the E2E challenge that I'm in now.
Dr. Jaminet is fabulous. Truly. Intelligent, science-minded, a gentle debater (unlike Taubes, who can be horribly grating and smug), respectful of critics and always backs up his assertions with studies. His book probably doesn't get a whole lotta of press cause it's so "science-ey"...but it's a wonderful diet for folks who are interested in moderating carbs, upping good food, but including "safe starch" like rice, taters, and some other tubers. A lovely resource that I highly recommend.
I added rice and tubers back in after reading the Jaminets' PERFECT HEALTH DIET...and it helps with economizing. A Paleo/Primal diet is pricey! Adding safe starch makes for cheaper meals. I do have to be more cautious than hubby--he can tolerate way, way more carbs than I can--but I enjoy veggie sushi, gluten-free fried rice on occasion, a bit of rice with meals now and then (especially in soup, for texture).
I do believe some of us do amazingly better limiting "S" foods (as Dr. Berkeley of RtoR would call them), and I do. But I feel no need to be perfect, just adaptable and prone to eat whole, real, clean foods the majority of the time for good health.
God bless, thanks for dropping by.
Thank you for the helpful resources, Princess Dieter. I have a feeling that you will make your way to the list of long-term maintainers we can all look up to! :)
Thanks Mir for all the information you are always sharing.
Have a great day. Blessings!!
I remember Thin for Life when it first came out, maybe in the '90s? I read it and tried to get others to read it, then lost it somewhere in my many moves since then (and gained the weight back). Looks like it's been re-done. I should get it again!
www.innateweightloss.com
I have lost 30lbs over the years and have kept it off! Went from a size 12 at my highest to a size 2!! I tell you how I did it in my blog.
Can you add me to your blog roll and I'll add you?
I follow all of the blogs you mentioned, and the common denominator I noticed is that they just didn't quit. They didn't get to goal and say, "Great, glad THAT'S done!" They're never done, they're all still monitoring their weight.
Would love to see those interviews!
getting old affects metabolism, one reason it is hard to lose unwanted fats.
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