Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Double Dippers or Yo Yos

Anyone out there lose a lot of weight, then gain it back?

How are you dealing with it? Do you go back to what worked for you the first time? Do you try something new?

My story:
Although I'm not as Clydely as some of the people on this board. But I have an issue I need to deal with.

I knew I was not healthy and going in the wrong direction. Then in late 2004 I decided to do something about it. A friend of mine had done the South Beach Diet and had success, so I read up on in and started the diet on January 1, 2005. I was spectacularly successful, losing 70 lb., going from a 30+ BMI down to less than 22, right in the middle of the "Normal Weight" category on the government's BMI site.

But I went too far. I was 6'-2", 168 lb., and didn't feel healthy because I was too skinny. I purposely put some weight back on, and then stopped. But I didn't really stop. After several years of relatively slow weight gain, I'm flirting with the 230s again. Ugh.

I started riding my bicycle again in 2008, after I realized I needed to do something about my weight and fitness. In some senses, I feel more healthy. I can ride my bike 30, 40, 50 miles without it wiping me out. But I STILL have this gut and weigh more than I should. I'm currently about 225. I know I don't want to go all the way back to 168, and riding the bike may have added some muscle to my core, but my middle is still too round and I know I should lose about 30 lb.

But it just won't come off.

I've considered trying SBD again, but I don't think it's practical for two reasons: 1. with my riding, I think I need the carbs that SBD discourages, at least some of the time. The problem is that I have trouble turning off the carbing when I don't need them. And, 2. I've gone from a family of 4 where we all eat meat to a family of two with a vegetarian. My sons have pretty much moved out (one still in college), and my wife no longer eats meat. So SBD cooking just doesn't jive with my family situation.

So that leaves me in this situation: I'm exercising (riding the bike) much more than I did when I lost the big chunk of weight in 2005. That is good. I don't really see going back to what worked for me before (South Beach Diet). That is bad. Going forward, what can I do that will help me lose the weight?

I think one of the things I liked about SBD was that it was very structured, so my food decisions weren't being made by me, but by the plan. I saw that the plan worked, and turned control over to it. The bad part about that, though, is when I got away from the plan, I lost the healthy habits.

I think what I need is a way to make better decisions about food. Going vegetarian is an option, since my wife already is (actually, she's technically a pescatarian who still eats some fish, and also eats dairy). I was leaning that way going into the summer, but when my some came home from college, meat crept back in.

I could try to minimize carbs as in the past, and reward myself for riding by saving beer for the ride days when I can burn the carbs in it (sounds bad, I know).

I could join Weight Watchers which would give me that structure again. Maybe that's just the same but different compared to SBD. I have a friend who had great success with WW. But even if I lose the weight, will I be able to maintain it if I go back off WW? I do good losing weight on a plan, but I'd rather develop healthy eating as a lifestyle and not follow a plan for the rest of my life.

Anyone else out there deal with weight loss, then a reversal? How do you get back into the groove?

I lost about 50 pounds when I was in my late 20s/early 30s, but bottomed out about 212. Then over the following 25 years I steadily gained until I was 304. I lost about 50 of that by trying to stay moderately active (read: regular walking) and through portion control, but that only got me so far, and I gained about 20 of it back. Then my wife and I joined WW, and in the 16 months since then I've gone from 270 to 190. I still need to lose another 20 to 25 pounds, if possible, and I'm working towards it, though the going at this point is understandably slow.

Besides the fact that the program has worked for me, it also makes practical sense to me as a cyclist and sometimes athlete-wannabe. It teaches basic, no-nonsense nutrition, so you know you're not cutting out any one type of food, the lack of which could otherwise have a deleterious effect on your ability to ride and continue to improve. I recommend it whole-heartedly.

I was overweight all my life. Like many fat people, I made unserious attempts to change myself over the years. I was 400 some pounds in December 2005 when I had my wake up call. A year later I was 275 and learning to ride a bike. Six months after that I reached 240, which might have been all I could lose - goal was 225, and I had a lot of loose skin. I gained a little back over the winter of 2007-2008, but not a lot. I was about 260 during my trips from Pittsburgh to DC in 2008.

During 2008 I had a great deal of stress to deal with - a close personal friendship (with another poster here) ended in an ugly way, I befriended a coworker who took advantage of my good nature, I had to deal with harrassment in the workplace from a 'protected class' person I was training, and the economy tanked. I'd never dealt well with stress aside from medicating through food, and so I put on another 20-30 pounds in 2009. I reached 310 in 2010.

With some help from Sayre Kulp, although he'll not accept responsibility, I dropped 30 pounds by December 2010. Then I hurt myself in both knees, and the months of inactivity and stress brought me back up to 310 by the time I went to Ohio. I'm slowly dropping again.

Obviously I need to deal better with stress in all aspects of my life, find something to relieve it aside from food, and make better choices who I consider 'friend.'

Just putting this out there. Thanks for listening.

I've lost over 100 lbs two different times in my life. I'm on my 3rd go around now. I've finally got it in my head that I'll be dieting the rest of my life, or at least cutting back on what I eat to keep the weight off. It kills me every time I think about putting all the weight back on.
I have gone back to the same way that I lost weight before because I know it worked. Only this time I've added going to the gym 5 to 6 days a week and cycling.

Good responses all. Although only CraigB mentioned any specific program (WW), it sure helps to know I'm not the only one in this boat.

I might add that it almost seems a little silly when I post here; I'm not really that overweight. But I still have a weight problem. My loss target may not be that large, but I think I still need some of the practical advice that this forum offers. Thanks, guys.

A little or a lot, Doohickie, the root problems are pretty much the same. Anything we can do to share what's worked and what hasn't is beneficial to us all.

I was overweight all my life. Like many fat people, I made unserious attempts to change myself over the years. I was 400 some pounds in December 2005 when I had my wake up call. A year later I was 275 and learning to ride a bike. Six months after that I reached 240, which might have been all I could lose - goal was 225, and I had a lot of loose skin. I gained a little back over the winter of 2007-2008, but not a lot. I was about 260 during my trips from Pittsburgh to DC in 2008.

During 2008 I had a great deal of stress to deal with - a close personal friendship (with another poster here) ended in an ugly way, I befriended a coworker who took advantage of my good nature, I had to deal with harrassment in the workplace from a 'protected class' person I was training, and the economy tanked. I'd never dealt well with stress aside from medicating through food, and so I put on another 20-30 pounds in 2009. I reached 310 in 2010.

With some help from Sayre Kulp, although he'll not accept responsibility, I dropped 30 pounds by December 2010. Then I hurt myself in both knees, and the months of inactivity and stress brought me back up to 310 by the time I went to Ohio. I'm slowly dropping again.

Obviously I need to deal better with stress in all aspects of my life, find something to relieve it aside from food, and make better choices who I consider 'friend.'

Just putting this out there. Thanks for listening.

Me, 400 pounds, May 2004 - on the left, next to the late Grandmaster Larry Evans.

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/25046_1312726550717_1607271639_742889_1616400_n.jpg

240-ish. July 2007, after a thirty-some mile ride in New Jersey.

http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/16753_1231344916227_1607271639_573095_5573207_n.jpg

Me two weeks ago, 302 pounds:

http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/281942_2129109199773_1607271639_2086997_6814565_n.jpg

Yep.. Peak weight back in 2007 was 255lb.. Diet and exercise and an awesome job (I was a trainee meteorologist being trained to forecast and being paid for it.. best year of my life) and I dropped to 196lb (I am 5'9")
My mum got cancer and I started to travel a lot between Melbourne and Sydney to see her and travel a lot for work and started stacking on the stress and like many here medicating with food and more so with beer...
Mum died in 2009, I took a job in the USA (escape route) My most recent peak was just before I left Aus in late 2009 at 230lb..

Back on the weight loss wagon now (did a Dry July to kick it off...) down to 217lb REALLY need to lose it now, last "peak" came with terrible health consequences, very high BP, cholesterol, Gastric reflux (which felt like a heart attack, landed in ER)

BTW my wife does WW, really helps here... and helps me when she is doing it as we both watch our points...

Yep.. Peak weight back in 2007 was 255lb.. Diet and exercise and an awesome job (I was a trainee meteorologist being trained to forecast and being paid for it.. best year of my life) and I dropped to 196lb (I am 5'9")
My mum got cancer and I started to travel a lot between Melbourne and Sydney to see her and travel a lot for work and started stacking on the stress and like many here medicating with food and more so with beer...
Mum died in 2009, I took a job in the USA (escape route) My most recent peak was just before I left Aus in late 2009 at 230lb..

Back on the weight loss wagon now (did a Dry July to kick it off...) down to 217lb REALLY need to lose it now, last "peak" came with terrible health consequences, very high BP, cholesterol, Gastric reflux (which felt like a heart attack, landed in ER)

A lot of parallels there. I have to travel some with my job which is usually when the weight shows up. And yeah, I've been to the ER fearing I had a heart attack which turned out to be acid reflux. I think a dry month would be very beneficial to me. Maybe once my current stash of beer is consumed, it will be time to do it. That will be tough because the group I ride with does pub crawls. Then again, there are several people who don't drink that come along for the camaraderie and drink water or soda.

Part of my problem currently is the acid reflux. It tends to get worse with increased weight, although the time I went to the ER was when I was at my low weight (we were on vacation and I ate some things I normally wouldn't... and because of the weight loss I was no longer medicating for the reflux).

Yep... The Dry Month was done both because I knew it would be hard and because I needed a trigger... I actually think drinking to much is a weight gain source not due to the calories but due to the impact the next day.. Most of my heavy nights were friday and saturday nights and curtailed my saturday and sunday rides... By going dry I no longer had hangover aborted rides... Dry July was a great success, and the first beer in August was SWEET! :)

And yes.. the reflux sucked.. I really thought that was it, and I am only 33...

Yo-yo all the way here. I have done restrictive diets, followed by uncontrolled eating and weight gain, my entire life -- from the time I was around 13. I think it's a very common experience for women. You eat in a punitive way and lose a ton of weight quickly, then eventually you can't take it anymore and binge. I swore off the whole mess about five years ago after yet another WW experience, and resigned myself to being overweight but at least not eating-disordered. My only binging behavior has been in reaction to restrictive diets, I'm not "naturally" a binge eater.

Two years or so ago, I found out about a plan called No S -- no eating between meals and no sweets during the week, treats if you want them on weekends. I have lost weight slowly, but kept it off and avoided binging and food obsession with that. I will NEVER do a full-on diet again -- they are disastrous for me! I have often wondered what my weight would be like now if I had never dieted.

I'm trying to take the same approach with exercise. No punishing marathon workouts, no gym classes or boot camp or sweating on equipment just to beat my body into shape. I walk, bike, and just started paddling a kayak -- my goals are to do physical activity that is fun, useful (I walk or bike my errands instead of driving), or ideally both. And I don't try to push myself to exhaustion or map out a work-out schedule, my goal is to WANT to get out the door and go have fun!

No punishing marathon workouts, no gym classes or boot camp or sweating on equipment just to beat my body into shape. I walk, bike, and just started paddling a kayak -- my goals are to do physical activity that is fun, useful (I walk or bike my errands instead of driving), or ideally both. And I don't try to push myself to exhaustion or map out a work-out schedule, my goal is to WANT to get out the door and go have fun!

THIS is why I ride. :)

I weighed 90-95 pounds in college and grad school(early to late-1970s), which was a good weight for me. I slowly over 30 years put on nearly 70 pounds, with one blip. In about 1990 I got very ill, with a hormone imbalance. I couldn't eat anything and had to be fed through a tube. In two months I lost a huge amount of weight. I then got better. I became voraciously hungry, hunger like I have never imagined. I quickly put the weight back on again. And I was hungry for 10 years after that. It was very difficult to control the hunger. My docs all poo-poo'd my experience and I am still rather pissed about their denial of my experience.

Always been kind of on the chunky side; had a size 42 waist in high school at graduation. Never weighed myself at that time though. I was moderately active until graduation, doing casual cycling, but mostly Judo.

I lived a very restricted life at home; parents would lock food up at all times so when food was accidentally left available we would scarf it up as soon as we saw it. An ironic part of my youth was that my brother and my sister were both much skinnier than I was, but ate a lot more. Regardless, since I was heaviest I was always blamed for the missing food; so I became quite bitter about the situation and decided "well ****, if I'm going to get blamed for those cookies when they go missing, I may as well just eat them anyway", and thus began my comfort eating.

Graduated in 1998, went to college. I would estimate my weight was around 250. The cafeteria was named "Gracies", but everyone called it "Greasies". Pizza, hamburgers, hot pockets galore. Anything fattening. No vegetables or fruits. I lost my frigging mind and ate to my hearts content; no longer constrained by anything I had no self control. I don't know how much I gained in those 5 years.

Things got worse near the end; I started writing books, as well as going to school, as well as holding a job at a local department store. I was drinking 72 to 96 ounces of mountain dew every single day just to stay awake long enough to fit those three things in my schedule. I probably hit 400 by 2003, as a rough estimate.

A girl came into my life then. I don't know why, but she seemed to be interested in me. I decided I needed to lose weight to seal the deal. Began walking on a treadmill every day. Got bored of being cooped up indoors. Started walking outside. Then in April 2004 I went to a concert in Toronto for the band Kraftwerk, who had released their album "Tour de France Soundtracks" in 2003 celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Tour de France. I loved the album, I loved the concert. All the songs were about cycling, and that inspired me to get my old bicycle out of my parents shed and start cycling. I did *not* alter my diet in any way during this time, however.

Did 1250 miles in 2004, and I dropped to around 360, but things went south with the girl. Decided to try dating other people, but those were even worse disasters. The end of 2004 was pretty disastrous for me emotionally and I stopped the exercise completely over the winter.

In January 2005 I was flown out to Seattle to interview with Microsoft, as they were interested in me due to my 3rd book being directly related to their technology stack. After 2 days of interviews, everyone there said that they loved me and wanted nothing more than for me to go work there. I felt like this was a brand new life opening for me, so I was finally starting to feel good again... then they emailed me a week later and said that they decided to move in a different direction and I was not going to be hired.

Crushed, I sunk into an even deeper depression than before; barely moved anymore. Only got out of bed to go to work really. Surprised I even had it in me to do that. Weight skyrockets to around 400 again. A few months later the first girl I mentioned comes back into my life and wants to get serious this time, so that partially buoys my esteem... but that was a stupid mistake. Took up cycling again, but that only lasted 600 miles before the relationship crashed and burned even worse than before and I stopped doing any exercise in October '05.

January '06 rolls around and I notice I'm starting to get out of breath every time I walk up the stairs to my apartment. Weigh myself at 390, and my new years resolution becomes to lose weight. I buy an exercise bike and go crazy on that sucker. I can't remember why I didn't use my actual bicycle that year; might have been embarrassed by my size. Not sure. I was doing 6 hours a week at one point. I was not weighing myself at all during this time; I would go to the mall and use the scale outside of the health shop because I didn't want to buy a scale for fat people; so it was a pain to go weigh myself. December '06 comes, and I decide to weigh myself after the year of exercise (150 hours of intense cardio for the year)... and it comes up to 402 pounds. I GAINED 12 pounds... after all that exercise.

My soul died right then and there. I kept up the exercise for another 3 weeks out of habit, but by the end of January '07 I had completely given up again. I said it wasn't worth it; after all that exercise I gained weight, this was futile. I was never going to be normal and that was that. I started binge eating around this time.

2007 to 2010 is a blur. I worked my ass off at work; all I did was work and eat. Got lots of promotions (averaged 2 a year) but ignored everything else around me. In December 2009 my grandmother died; I'm not sure why but this inspired me to start eating healthier at the start of 2010. Only problem is, I half-assed it. I would buy low salt crackers, but then load them up with that spray cheese crap, thinking it was ok because the crackers were low salt. Lots of other examples; in my mind I was "eating good", but not really.

July 2010... I started feeling really strange. I convinced myself that I was having mini heart attacks. All month long I kept telling myself I needed to start exercising again. Finally, July 17th I climb on the exercise bike and pathetically pound out 30 minutes of exercise. I said to myself "ok, that's enough for this week, we'll do another 30 minutes next week!", and was actually proud of myself for doing that. Later on that day, I'm sitting on my ass playing on my computer, when I hear someone scream outside "HELP!!". The apartment below mine caught on fire. I got out safely, but the paramedics that answered the call insisted on checking everyone out afterwards. I tried to avoid this but I think they were concerned about me because they found me and insisted on checking me first. After not being able to find a blood pressure cuff that worked for over 10 minutes, they find a "fat dude" cuff in the other ambulance. If that wasn't embarrassing enough. When they finally do check my pressure, he says "holy ****". I was over 200. They insisted on taking me to the hospital, telling me that I was going to die. I keep telling them it's only high because I exercised a few hours ago, hoping that was the reason. They weren't buying it. Long story short, I had hypertension. Big wake up call for me.

Bought a scale, started using the exercise bike. Weight was 457, 2 weeks after the incident when the scale arrived. I probably peaked at 460 or so, but I can't say for sure. The hospital nor my doctor had a scale that goes that high. Started eating right for real this time.

A year later, I'm down 98 pounds as of today. This is the longest and the most loss I've ever sustained. All of my previous efforts were thwarted by what I like to call "The Three W's: Winter, Work, and Women". Well I've managed to make it through one of each of those this time. Winter came, I embraced it with open arms; bought nordic skis and ski'd my ass off all winter long. Work came; 2 major product releases in the last year. Didn't impact my exercise at all. In fact when it appeared that it might, I started bicycle commuting to make sure it wouldn't. A Woman came... March to June. I fell hard for her. She laughed at the idea of us being a couple after I bought her a $150 dinner. Was crushed, and my usual response is to binge eat. Not this time though. I moved my half-century goal from October to June, and forced myself to do 57 miles the very next day. So I'm feeling like my mental state is finally strong enough to handle these various setbacks without giving up for once.


My only fear is that if I get hurt somehow. I can see that really putting a damper on my newfound success. So I've got to be careful and not take undue risks. I am addicted to this idea of me being 200 pounds right now. I need to do this. For the first time in my life I need something with every ounce of my being.

I am addicted to this idea of me being 200 pounds right now. I need to do this. For the first time in my life I need something with every ounce of my being.

Do it.

Do It.

DO IT!

Good story; I hope you make your goal! I'd be happy at 200 myself.

I grew up in Cheektowaga. Last time I came up for a visit I brought a bike. If I do that next time, I'd like to ride with you.

The problem I have had, and from the original post it sounds like you do as well... I keep thinking of a diet as something you go on and off of. I'll go on a diet to get the weight down then come off it.... that just doesnt work. You need a plan that changes your diet forever. ...... forever.

forever!

I've been telling myself this for a little while now and its finally starting to sink in. Forever does not mean a misserable existance. It just means I need to plan and stay within a plan from now until the day I die. Yes, occasional excursions will happen, but they must be the rare exception.

I dont know anything about south beach, or most of the fad diets, but they can only work if there is a completion phase that you continue until the end of time. If the diet as an end date, its a sure recipee for yo-yoism.

just my $0.03 worth (inflation and all that)

The problem I have had, and from the original post it sounds like you do as well... I keep thinking of a diet as something you go on and off of. I'll go on a diet to get the weight down then come off it.... that just doesnt work. You need a plan that changes your diet forever. ...... forever.

forever!

I've been telling myself this for a little while now and its finally starting to sink in. Forever does not mean a misserable existance. It just means I need to plan and stay within a plan from now until the day I die. Yes, occasional excursions will happen, but they must be the rare exception.

I dont know anything about south beach, or most of the fad diets, but they can only work if there is a completion phase that you continue until the end of time. If the diet as an end date, its a sure recipee for yo-yoism.

just my $0.03 worth (inflation and all that)

I failed at that aspect too. I failed to take my own advice that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. After all, 400 pounds is a lifestyle too.

Great story Mithrandir. The really big deal with me this time is time itself. In other attempts I was thinking 6 month time frames. When I started the journey this time I told myself " I'll give this 2 years and if I'm not where I want to be I'll give it 2 more years." I've surpassed the original goal and lowered my "ideal weight" by 15 lbs. I'll give this 2 years and if I'm not where I want to be I'll give it 2 more years. On a certain level I know it'll never end but I still need a carrot out there to keep me focused.

I really did view my 2005 South Beach Diet as a change of habit "forever." I kept away from carbs religiously for several years. It was my first experience with dieting, though, and I think I did make some mistakes. First of all, I read the SBD book cover-to-cover when I started, but when I got to my low weight, I should have gone back and reviewed Phase III (Maintenance). I followed Phases I and II religiously, but by the time I hit my low weight I thought I knew everything I needed to know. Oops. And my "forever" commitment to SBD makes much less sense now than it did when I was following it in 2005 due to my lifestyle changes (now an empty nester with a vegetarian wife).

Part of what I'm trying to do is identify what to try next. SBD worked well for me then, but isn't right for me now.

I think the things I could do that would have the biggest impact are: NO food after dinner (and dessert, if any). I think the late-night stuff is the worst for putting pounds on. And also I need to monitor my diet better when I'm business travel. More salads, less ribs.

I don't think I could do a low-carb diet with how much exercise I do a week now. 15-20 hours a week... no/low carbs would kill me.

Yeah, that too.

Mithrandir - WOW that is quite the tale you presented there brother. I hear ya on the three W's. They can kill a guy if you can't deal with stress. Going back to school for me was killer. I had to back off the grad schooling cause it was just ruining my health. Couldn't find time to do homework, actual work, and have 2 seconds of social life in the day, let alone 45 minutes of gym time. I just wish I could do it, but I don't think its in the cards for me. I'm going to try again this fall, but I'm hesistant.

Even since starting this thread I've yo-yoed. We celebrated my son's birthday last weekend by taking him to a Japanese steak house (where they cook at your table). Got solidly back over 230 again :(. However, I've been riding every night lately and I've already lost the weight I gained that night and then some, back to the mid-220s. Sometimes when I do business travel or otherwise over-indulge, I'll put on a few pounds, then lose it again in a couple days.

It's getting dark (and therefore cooling off) earlier now, so I'm going out to ride right after dinner. Probably a good idea; it puts a hard mark on the end of eating for the day. Did 28 miles last night, the last 5 of which I was running on empty. There is a significant hill about a half mile from my house... I was totally gassed before the hill but got up out of the saddle and attacked it with vigor. (There's really no other option since I was riding my single speed.) I was totally spent at the top, but the rest of the ride was flat anyway.

Even since starting this thread I've yo-yoed. We celebrated my son's birthday last weekend by taking him to a Japanese steak house (where they cook at your table). Got solidly back over 230 again :(. However, I've been riding every night lately and I've already lost the weight I gained that night and then some, back to the mid-220s. Sometimes when I do business travel or otherwise over-indulge, I'll put on a few pounds, then lose it again in a couple days.

It's getting dark (and therefore cooling off) earlier now, so I'm going out to ride right after dinner. Probably a good idea; it puts a hard mark on the end of eating for the day. Did 28 miles last night, the last 5 of which I was running on empty. There is a significant hill about a half mile from my house... I was totally gassed before the hill but got up out of the saddle and attacked it with vigor. (There's really no other option since I was riding my single speed.) I was totally spent at the top, but the rest of the ride was flat anyway.


Any weight fluctuations that occur that quickly are going to be variations of water weight, and not truly indicative of your "fat weight". All it takes is more salt than you're used to and you can easily suck up 5-6 pounds in a day. Or exercise like a madman, forget to rehydrate, and lose 12 pounds in a day. It's all just water, however, and it shouldn't get you down, nor get your spirits skyrocketing. A true yo-yo is only detectable over months.

I just had my first weight gain since December of 2010. I had a week of too many temptations. And then yesterday, when I was going to be meticulously careful, my husband and I were on the road changing locations and we stopped at a casino for lunch. They had an amazing lunch buffet. I ate prime rib, beef wellington, pork ribs, and chicken kiev and a hot fudge sundae. I gained two pounds overnight.

I guess I have to put some rules in place before I am totally out of control:

--no sweets except real fruit
--1200 calories a day, no averaging over a week period until I am back on track
--eat up the chard that is crowding the motorhome refrigerator

I am having a lot of trouble controlling my appetite with the extra exercise. Any tips? It seems to be a day after kind of thing. The day I do a lot of exercise I am just fine. The next day I am starving. I am sure some rationalizing must have gone into the eating as well.

Quintuple-dip, maybe?

I was as low as 175 and as high as 475 between 1980 and 2003. I lost over 100 pounds at least 3 times that I can recall, and many more times in the 25-30 pound range.

In 2003 I had RNY gastric bypass surgery. For about 1.5 years after that life was good. I didn't have to worry about eating or weight regain at all. I lost down to about 165 pounds. During that time I also took up jogging and eventually got back on the bike.

For the last 5 years or so I've done a lot of yo-yoing, but haven't gotten back up above 210 pounds or so. Right now I'm about 175. I could totally out-eat whatever few restrictions I still have from the surgery. I do still have bad eating binges from time to time.

The only thing that really keeps me from going all or most of the way back up is 1) my bike riding, and 2) the fact that I want to be able to be in good enough shape to enjoy my bike riding.

One thing I've noticed is that when I have over-eaten, I might feel like a bike ride is out of the question. Lately, I've been going anyway. And then at some point during the ride I realize I feel pretty good- the bloated feeling from over-eating dissipates with exercise.

As a result of trying to eat as much pizza as my bigger buddies, and drink as much beer..... I became concerned that I was "getting fat" at age 28 and 131 pounds. I joined a health club, found out that my genetics responds VERY well to resistance training, and grew huge muscle easily.... overshadowing my fat and justifying my eating habits.... though muscular, so also was I becoming fatter.

Starting work as a Correctional Officer, I attended my first Union dance/feed/get-together. I looked around and saw my future...... hardened, cynical, "Guards" with inflated pot bellies.... beer in hand. It turns out that there are quite a few bodies that try to seperate itself from stress or a source of anxiety by laying on the fat between the individual's psyche and it's environment. Stress & anxiety frequently triggers fat.

After a year of proving myself, I got picked up perm' full-time and had to pay my dues working the "First Watch"/graveyard shift. There I remained for a few years (as per affirmative action/"equal opportunity"), and in time, my metabolism slowed.... even shutting down and causing physical problems. I started gaining weight slowly and became bigger and bigger.

Years later at 255 pounds, I participated in Weight Watchers and quickly shed 55 pounds in 5 months..... and kept it of - until - a full tear rotator cuff & bicep tendon injury, whereupon after the repair I took heavy drugs and ate lotsa comfort food. Returning to work, a year later it was time to address an umbilical hernia.... you guessed it, more comfort food. Four years after my success with Weight Watchers, I was and tipping the scales at my former 250 pounds. January of 2011, it was time to get my life, and my health.... back.

Stationary bike, dumbbells, "interval training", with no regard to eating habits. May 20th.... bought a bicycle after two months of shopping and asking questions. I started riding and 725 miles/two months later, I got my weight down to 232 lb's. August 2nd, I started a 1,000 calorie-a-day diet with Medifast..... this morning I weighed in at 213 lb's.

So...... though not a yo yo, I tried dieting once, it worked, and have since gained the weight back 3 years after the fact. I hear with every cycle of losing & gaining, it becomes easier and MORE likely that one will gain their weight back. But at 57, it's time to "get healthy" and reverse the trend of gaining weight as recorded by my medical record over the years.

Outdated BMI charts imply I should weigh as little as 118 pounds, records over time indicate that if I could achieve a weight of no more than 137 pounds, my health would be at it's best. Based on information I have available to me, 160 pounds is realistic..... but if I'm not 17-20% fat there would be room for improvement. Men my current weight/height, when polled, believe that 170 pounds is real-world goal. In short, I'm on a mission..... can't yo yo, will dip but only one time, gotta become a mere shadow of my former self, shooting to become an in-fit and streamlined cyclist.... otherwise the Nationalized Health Care Plan's "death panels" will deem me unworthy of living in their world and turn a blind eye to me if/when I need care........

People mention the inaccuracy of BMI charts. For me, I find them to be spot-on. There are weights where I feel less healthy if I exceed them and strangely enough they line up pretty close to the divisions at Overweight and Obese. If I exceed Overweight, I can tell. If I approach Obese, I definitely feel it. I'm currently at the higher end of Overweight, close to Obese, and every pound I lose makes me feel better.

I was a skinny kid. Maybe the BMI numbers are normalized to "skinny kids."

I am 6ft in August 2009 290lbs after being down to 220 back in 1996ish. We did a low fat diet and lost really well; 220 was a not the goal but it was where I stopped losing so!?! Why did I gain? I ate to much! Ok, also ate the wrong stuff. I am now 182.6lbs; I lost the weight by returning to a balanced diet meaing I now eat 3-4 oz of meat/protein; a vegetable or two and fruit. I also eat more fruit instead of other less quality rich foods like pop tarts for snacks. My biggest issue was I would come home from work at 1:00p.m. and eat alot of low quality calorie snacks (the usual was a poptart, a granola bar, a fruit and fiber bar and other stuff!) none of it BAD by itself but together it was KILLING ME!! I once told someone who asked my how I lost my weight that "Oh, I stopped eating between snack snacks." This is some what true. I also started walking (read "I got up off my a$$ and exercised; something I had not done for 15 years, al least not on a regular basis) instead of sitting at home killing time till it was time to get my son from school; if I was not home I could not eat! I would suggested looking at your lifestyle and see where you are killing yourself. Also do not go on a diet; this implies you at some point will go off a diet. I would suggest a change in lifestyle; which is what you are talking about doing. Eat good quality calories and exercise. Also I have not stopped eating anything; I eat all the cookies and ice cream and all the other bad things that WW and others will tell you not to eat; the difference in the last two years over the past 15-20 years is that my wants have changed!!
I also log my food on a daily basis; I use a diet program that counts the calories and tracks fat, carbs and protein so I can keep them balanced. I also do one other things that diet programs tell you not to do; I get on the scale EVERY morning; for some this helps for other they get discouraged so do what is best for your lifestyle change. For me this helps me monitor where I am and what my body is doing. For instance I have found that with high salt intake I do hold on to water; I love cantelope and apples and I salt both if I eat half a cantelope or a couple of apples in a day and over salt I will be a pound or two up the next day; there are other things that cause one to hold on to bodily excreations that will cause one to appear to gain weight but once that retention is over one will lose the "added" weight and sometime more than the "added" weight.

For me, as a small framed short woman the BMI charts understate my fluffiness.

(Rando, I hope you were joking about the death panels as there is not and never was such a thing. Instead, it was a proposal to compensate doctors who might chose to talk to their patient about end of life care. No panels. No judgments.)

For me, as a small framed short woman the BMI charts understate my fluffiness.

(Rando, I hope you were joking about the death panels as there is not and never was such a thing. Instead, it was a proposal to compensate doctors who might chose to talk to their patient about end of life care. No panels. No judgments.)

Yeah, sure.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-01-22/bostonglobe/29336972_1_death-panels-end-of-life-planning-donald-berwick

Yeah, sure.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-01-22/bostonglobe/29336972_1_death-panels-end-of-life-planning-donald-berwick

If you consider those to be "death panels", then they already exist. Except now it's an insurance company suit whose job is to make the company as much profit as possible.

Can you please take that to P&R and talk about weight loss here? PLEASE?


Anyway.... 44 miles last night, about half of that at a very spirited clip with a group ride.... which left me totally exhausted. (That's a good thing, right?)

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/295762_217099791672252_100001166989376_557672_5513319_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/293122_217099825005582_100001166989376_557675_2698939_n.jpg

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/301437_217099911672240_100001166989376_557680_5271536_n.jpg

Even with a stop at the taco truck on the way home (I didn't have dinner before the ride, and only had a couple street tacos... not too awful), I weighed in a pound lighter this morning.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/301347_217100061672225_100001166989376_557686_1515998_n.jpg

P&R or not.....
If you show, admit, or it is implied in your medical history, that you have "yo yo'ed" or "double dipped", it will be construed as a pattern that will not be seen in your favor. If one's medical record, year after year, indicates "overweight", "obese" or "morbidly obese", that information WILL be used to rationalize anything but good. In addition to the ramifications of rapid weight loss followed by significant weight gain, I can only imagine the expense.

Bottom line (this thread is not about a night ride), it's addressing something that can have serious consequences on more fronts than just one's health.

Yeah, sure.

http://articles.boston.com/2011-01-22/bostonglobe/29336972_1_death-panels-end-of-life-planning-donald-berwick

I stand by what I say and the article does not contradict what I said about the death panel myth. The rationing exists now and has always existed, based on ability to pay and on what insurance companies are willing to cover. (I should mention that sometimes states pass laws requiring insurance companies to cover certain things, like mammograms.) Rationing one way or another is going to always exist. Under health care reform insurance companies still are largely in the drivers seat. The question is whether we want to be thoughtful about rationing. But I don't want to get into a discussion about it. I am retired.




P&R or not.....
If you show, admit, or it is implied in your medical history, that you have "yo yo'ed" or "double dipped", it will be construed as a pattern that will not be seen in your favor. If one's medical record, year after year, indicates "overweight", "obese" or "morbidly obese", that information WILL be used to rationalize anything but good. In addition to the ramifications of rapid weight loss followed by significant weight gain, I can only imagine the expense.

Bottom line (this thread is not about a night ride), it's addressing something that can have serious consequences on more fronts than just one's health.

Yes, you are correct. Right now on the individual health insurance market insurance companies will not sell you insurance if you are obese unless a particular law requires the sale. Only five states have guaranteed issue health insurance. In the rest of the states you will not get covered unless (1) you have rights under HIPAA, a federal law that requires a state to have an insurance option for you if you have had 18 months of continuous coverage, and are coming off of a group plan and have used up your COBRA rights or (2) the state has an open risk pool and you wait out any preexisting condition waiting period. This will change under the new law, which bars underwriting. Depending on your own situation there may be no insurance option for you.

Under the current system risk pools and HIPAA options are underutilized because they are too expensive. I currently buy insurance through a risk pool and my spouse and I pay together over $1000 a month with a $5000 deductible each. And this is in a state that has one of the most affordable pools. In some states premiums for a single person can be as high as a couple thousand a month. Other states cost less but have terrible coverage, with low yearly limits, limits for particular conditions, or low lifetime limits.

Sorry for the diversion, but the individual health insurance market is what I know, politics about it aside.

I'll shut up now.

I'm starting to get some momentum now. Still eating normally but not binging, trying to ride every night, at least 10 miles (I miss maybe one or two nights a week). Getting religious about NOT buying stuff out of the vending machines at work. I'm almost ready to put the ticker down another pound, to 220.... just want to make sure this morning wasn't a fluke.

I failed at that aspect too. I failed to take my own advice that it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. After all, 400 pounds is a lifestyle too.

^ 100% correct.

i was heavy my whole life, when i came out of high school i was about 260-270. when i started college i snapped and i cut my calories to about 1500 a day (not really a balanced diet either) and excised my ass off biking 7 days a week plus running and weight lifting 6 days a week. i got down to 175-180 and i was in amazing shape. i maintained that weight for a few years. then i got sick, salmonella caused my body to go haywire and that was the beginning of the end. fast forward through the last 10 years, i slowly put all the weight back on and a little extra. at my heaviest i was around 295 (in may 2011). this is the first time in my life that i saw 290's on a scale and i decided that it was time for a change. but this time my goal wasn't to just lose weight fast. i needed to change my eating habits and eat like i should have been all along. nobody gets fat over night, is a long term process, so i figured "why not just reverse the process. it started by me doing an audit of what i ate, when i ate and how much i ate throughout the course of the week. cutting out unnecessary snacks, smaller meal portions and picking better times to eat. so far i have lost over 40lbs and i'm now 250. for cardio i ride my bike and i lift weights 20-30 minutes four times a week. i eat a balanced diet and try to keep my calories around 2000 a day.

two tips for people losing weight:
1. keep a fat picture handy, if you feel that your are slipping off course, look at the picture.
2. try not to weigh yourself too often, it will only drive you crazy.

I could try to minimize carbs as in the past, and reward myself for riding by saving beer for the ride days when I can burn the carbs in it (sounds bad, I know).

This appears to be one of your most significant big-gut issues.

Stop the reward drinking and you might make some progress (if I am reading what you have written correctly).

Something to help you lose weight...

This goes against the grain of a lot of people's teachings about losing weight. Weigh yourself daily.. Twice a day if you can.

The catch? You have to track it. Get a scale that does this. I only know of one, though I'm sure there are more. The WiThings scale ties into their website - so you just get on it, and you can check online (privately) and watch your progression. Weighing everyday might be discouraging if you dont pay attention to the big picture, but tracking it fixes that problem. What it also does, it allows you to tie in a food journal and excersize journal and actually see where and why the fluctuations come from.

The funny thing about our minds, is we're always right, and we're naturally the victim. I mean, not conciously, but we tell ourselves "i dont know why im not losing weight" ... etc. I honestly didn't. I thought i was doing well, i thought i was trying hard.

Then it came time that i decided to track my food and excersize. After all, weight loss is a simple math game as everyone knows - if calories consumed is less than calories burned, you lose weight.

I found loseit.com ... because its ties in with the withings scale, so i can see my food/excersize journal and my weight trend in one place. Also, it keeps you honest... at first, you'll unknowingly be convincing yourself to not track something.. to cheat... but then you realize you're cheating and then it clicks to you why you never realized why you couldnt lose weight... we cheat ourselves wihtout having to think about it.

Anyways, i know product endorcements fly around here a lot, but don't take this as my endorsing or pushign a product, but the withings scale in combination with loseit.com has worked for me before (its how i lost 50 lbs a year ago.... i've sense gained a lot of that back... pregger wife = sympathy weight gain... or at least thats my fat guy excuse this time) ... and im implementing it again now...

More than any other "diet" plan out there, I've found for my purpose, keeping myself "honest" is the more effective way to lose weight - which is really all that the strict diet plans do anyways... you just learn to do it for yourself.

Something to help you lose weight...

This goes against the grain of a lot of people's teachings about losing weight. Weigh yourself daily.. Twice a day if you can.

The catch? You have to track it. Get a scale that does this. I only know of one, though I'm sure there are more. The WiThings scale ties into their website - so you just get on it, and you can check online (privately) and watch your progression. Weighing everyday might be discouraging if you dont pay attention to the big picture, but tracking it fixes that problem. What it also does, it allows you to tie in a food journal and excersize journal and actually see where and why the fluctuations come from.

The funny thing about our minds, is we're always right, and we're naturally the victim. I mean, not conciously, but we tell ourselves "i dont know why im not losing weight" ... etc. I honestly didn't. I thought i was doing well, i thought i was trying hard.

Then it came time that i decided to track my food and excersize. After all, weight loss is a simple math game as everyone knows - if calories consumed is less than calories burned, you lose weight.

I found loseit.com ... because its ties in with the withings scale, so i can see my food/excersize journal and my weight trend in one place. Also, it keeps you honest... at first, you'll unknowingly be convincing yourself to not track something.. to cheat... but then you realize you're cheating and then it clicks to you why you never realized why you couldnt lose weight... we cheat ourselves wihtout having to think about it.

Anyways, i know product endorcements fly around here a lot, but don't take this as my endorsing or pushign a product, but the withings scale in combination with loseit.com has worked for me before (its how i lost 50 lbs a year ago.... i've sense gained a lot of that back... pregger wife = sympathy weight gain... or at least thats my fat guy excuse this time) ... and im implementing it again now...

More than any other "diet" plan out there, I've found for my purpose, keeping myself "honest" is the more effective way to lose weight - which is really all that the strict diet plans do anyways... you just learn to do it for yourself.

Weighing yourself once or twice a day and tracking it is a lot of work that will end up driving most people crazy. I dont see the beneifit of OCD'ing the weighing process.

I weigh in once a week, the same way every week. I find it important to weigh in under consistent conditions.

jim,

thats the point of a smart scale, to track it for you... :)

weight every day lets you see your bumps... i foundthat strangely, i would gain on monday and tuesday, and lose a little the rest of the week ... i'd end up netting out a loss at the end of the week, but seeing that monday and tuesday were always small gains, i became more conscious of what i was doing those days and ended up raising my weekly loss...

Not for everyone, im sure... but its another tool to try.

Around 1988 –89 I weighed 235. I went on Weight Watchers, walked 4 to 5 miles per day, andplayed a lot of racquetball. I got down to a low of 173. I was 36.

Gained allthat back and more and in 2003 – 04 was up to 270. Went on Atkins, did a lot oflap swimming and got down to 198. Justcouldn’t get any lower, got discouraged, and gave up.

Startedputting weight back on by the end of 2008 had ballooned up to 288. Onecontributing factor were my knees. I’d had, at that time, 4 surgeries on myright knee including a knee replacement in 1999. This limited my physicalactivity to things that didn’t involve running, jumping, quick turns, etc. I hadalways been involved in many different sports, baseball, soccer, basketball, andracquetball. As I couldn’t do these any more I became discouraged and moresedentary and the weight piled on.

I made a NewYear’s resolution for 1999 to do something about it. I started the year off by walkinga couple of miles a day and modifying my food intake. However, the walking washaving a negative effect on my knees. I decided to try getting back on thebicycle.

I’d had aBSO that my wife had given away as I wasn’t using it. This, thank goodness,caused me to have to buy a new bike. So I went to the LBS where we had earlierpurchased a bike for my youngest son. I was soon the proud owner of a new GiantCypress DX. I’ve been riding that and commuting with it for the last two years.I also picked up a Giant TCR 2T off of Craig’s List a year ago and ride it,too. I’ve put on over 7K miles in that time frame and am down to 225. I stillwant to lose another 30 lbs. but have hit a plateau.

Since 2008 I’vehad two surgeries on my other (left) knee. Fortunately cycling allows me tokeep pedaling and not miss a beat. Cycling really is pretty easy on the kneejoints.

1. keep a fat picture handy, if you feel that your are slipping off course, look at the picture.
2. try not to weigh yourself too often, it will only drive you crazy.

Actually, the opposite works for me. Seeing pics of myself at my heaviest is terribly discouraging but weighing myself daily is motivating. My point is find what works for you and keep at it.

By the way, I did confirm my 220 lb. weight. The scale actually came it just under this morning (which is when I do my "official" weigh-ins).

This appears to be one of your most significant big-gut issues.

Stop the reward drinking and you might make some progress (if I am reading what you have written correctly).

But.... I like beer. I am slowly losing the weight while still drinking one now and then. It's sustainable for me. In my future state, I see having a beer now and then, so yeah, I'm still drinking even while I lose.

Weighing yourself once or twice a day and tracking it is a lot of work that will end up driving most people crazy. I dont see the beneifit of OCD'ing the weighing process.

I weigh in once a week, the same way every week. I find it important to weigh in under consistent conditions.

I was weighing several times a day at one point. I was fascinated to see how my body 'worked' as far as weight loss goes. I'd have been less motivated and less aware if I didn't weigh in frequently.

Something to help you lose weight...

This goes against the grain of a lot of people's teachings about losing weight. Weigh yourself daily.. Twice a day if you can.

The catch? You have to track it. Get a scale that does this. I only know of one, though I'm sure there are more. The WiThings scale ties into their website - so you just get on it, and you can check online (privately) and watch your progression. Weighing everyday might be discouraging if you dont pay attention to the big picture, but tracking it fixes that problem. What it also does, it allows you to tie in a food journal and excersize journal and actually see where and why the fluctuations come from.

The funny thing about our minds, is we're always right, and we're naturally the victim. I mean, not conciously, but we tell ourselves "i dont know why im not losing weight" ... etc. I honestly didn't. I thought i was doing well, i thought i was trying hard.

Then it came time that i decided to track my food and excersize. After all, weight loss is a simple math game as everyone knows - if calories consumed is less than calories burned, you lose weight.

I found loseit.com ... because its ties in with the withings scale, so i can see my food/excersize journal and my weight trend in one place. Also, it keeps you honest... at first, you'll unknowingly be convincing yourself to not track something.. to cheat... but then you realize you're cheating and then it clicks to you why you never realized why you couldnt lose weight... we cheat ourselves wihtout having to think about it.

Anyways, i know product endorcements fly around here a lot, but don't take this as my endorsing or pushign a product, but the withings scale in combination with loseit.com has worked for me before (its how i lost 50 lbs a year ago.... i've sense gained a lot of that back... pregger wife = sympathy weight gain... or at least thats my fat guy excuse this time) ... and im implementing it again now...

More than any other "diet" plan out there, I've found for my purpose, keeping myself "honest" is the more effective way to lose weight - which is really all that the strict diet plans do anyways... you just learn to do it for yourself.

Here is research the supports rjm 1982's thoughts on daily weigh-ins. http://walking.about.com/b/2011/03/10/seven-secrets-to-lasting-weight-loss.htm

Also Fetters, in reporting oon the findings of National Weight Control Registry (they tracked 6,000 people who had lost 30 or more pounds and have kept the weight off for over a year) says doing something to track your day to day changes helped maintain weight loss, when coupled with uses of a food log. http://www.active.com/fitness/Articles/13-Easy-Weight-Loss-Tips.htm?cmp=17-7-327

So draw your own concluetions folks. By the way I alos have a friend on another forum for whom the daily weigh-in is more of a kick in the gut (no pun intended) than a help.

Here is a page of the national weight control registry research that is published http://www.nwcr.ws/Research/published%20research.htm


I was weighing several times a day at one point. I was fascinated to see how my body 'worked' as far as weight loss goes. I'd have been less motivated and less aware if I didn't weigh in frequently.
Neil, what does this say about us? I am glad to see someone else admit to this!!

I was weighing several times a day at one point. I was fascinated to see how my body 'worked' as far as weight loss goes. I'd have been less motivated and less aware if I didn't weigh in frequently.

Lol, same here! The reason my "official" weigh-in is first thing in the morning is that it is when I weigh the least, which I found out by weighing myself throughout the day. Last night I weighed myself before going to bed and weighed just to the high side of 220. This morning it was on the low side of the mark (maybe 1/2 to 3/4 lb. difference).

A couple guys I work with have lost about 100 lb. each. I don't know about you guys, but I find that very inspiring; if they can do it, hopefully I can, too (and I don't need to lose nearly as much).

Something to help you lose weight...

This goes against the grain of a lot of people's teachings about losing weight. Weigh yourself daily.. Twice a day if you can.

The catch? You have to track it. Get a scale that does this. I only know of one, though I'm sure there are more. The WiThings scale ties into their website - so you just get on it, and you can check online (privately) and watch your progression. Weighing everyday might be discouraging if you dont pay attention to the big picture, but tracking it fixes that problem. What it also does, it allows you to tie in a food journal and excersize journal and actually see where and why the fluctuations come from.



Once a day, sure. I do this myself, and it's interesting to see the fluctuations in my weight from day to day.

Twice a day? I disagree. There is no scientific benefit of weighing yourself twice a day in my opinion. In order to track weight accurately you need a set of controlled variables. I wake up at the same time, relieve myself, then weigh myself. That's as close to consistent as I'm ever going to get. Throughout the day your weight will fluctuate solely due to how much you drink and go to the bathroom, and there's really no true benefit in a second measurement since the number is not comparable to the first number; the variables are no longer controlled.

Anyway, I got sick of recording my weight daily, so I got a scale that records it all for me. Heh.