goldfinch

When any of us endorse a diet we are only saying it worked for us. Our anecdotes are not science.

But, nevertheless I am nterested in the stories of those who lost weight and have kept it off at least two years. There is research that shows if you can keep the weight off for two years the odds are now with you that you will continue to keep off the exces weight. For me, and others who are in the process of losing weight, who knows if we will keep it off. The odds are not yet with us.

For those of you who have kept weight off for at least two years, tell us about it. How long has it been? What do you eat? Do you count calories? Do you consider yourself low carb? Low fat? Any eating "rules" that you follow?

shawmutt

A good source of inspiration for me is from the Fat2Fit podcast. One of the hosts lost 100 lbs over 3 years and has so far managed to keep it off. He didn't do anything special, he just starting eating like a normal person does. https://www.fat2fitradio.com/

Sayre Kulp 

It's not been two years, but I'm doing pretty good. I started in October of 2009 and dropped about 170 lbs. over the next 14-15 months or so. Since then, I've been hovering within 2-3 pounds of that maintenance weight for the past 8-9 months. No special fad diets. Basically like shawmutt said, eating like a normal person + regular exercise. I learned how to count calories correctly, read food labels and understand serving sizes, and use exercise to make sure my calories out were more than my calories in. In fact, I've noticed that due to my exercise routine, I often take in more now than I did when I was actively losing. But then again, as I've become more fit, my activity level has gone up. The key for me was, and continues to be, balance.

motobecane69

just keep doing what got you there. there is no magic diet or workout program, just keep doing the things consistently that got you the results. you will have good weeks and bad weeks but overall stick with it. if you find you really start slacking, find a way to snap yourself back to reality.

redvespablur

I have come down from 330+ 4 years ago to about 250 today. Have been as low as 235 and as high as 265 the past year but never out of control. I use iPhone app "lose it" to count calories. It works pretty well for me.

CraigB

I'll offer a suggestion when I get there.

goldfinch

So you still count calories? I've been counting since January. I have felt that I likely will have to continue counting indefinitely.

goldfinch

I don't believe in magic either. I am curious though how and what people eat after they have lost the weight they want to lose.

McCallum

Redvespablur; research has shown that you are doing the right thing. It also has been found that people who continue to monitor their weight are more successful in keeping the wieght off.

While I like most am still in the weight lose side of the world; here is what I have learned so far from reading the weight lose research, discussion with those who have maintained, those who are "SKINNY" (more on that thought later) and my own life. I have done the yo yo thing for 38 years (I was 50 this past January) in Aug of 2009 I weighed in at 290 and went "&(*$" this Bull You have to do someting! I had watched "SKINNY" eat; I work fast food (on the flip side I have watched "FAT PEOPLE" eat as well); they eat a small burger small frys (or a small salad) and a drink usually a small and that is about it. I also hang out at a Church Potlucks and watche there as well the Skinny's chose the salads, fruits, vegies and meat (usually low fat). The FAT PEOPLE go for the BIG burgers (quarter pounders, Double quarter pounders, Angus burgers (the angus bugers are 700 cals a sandwich) and they usually get the meal and a double cheese burger. At a potluck we eat all the good fatty meats, the high cal salads, the vegies that are butter soaked and a piece of cake or three! At this point you are asking "McCallum, what is your point?" My point is we need to eat like the skinny peps and yes gold count cals for life. As I think you know Gold finch it is not a "diet" but a change in our lifestyle. I can not come home from work and eat cookies, granola bars, poptarts and the like (or as I have said here and other places have between snack, snacks!). I have to eat what it takes to keep me alive and that is it. About the only difference between weight loss and weight maintainances is you can eat a bit more cause you do not need to have less cals inorder to lose. My current weight hangs between 182 and 185 (would like it between 175-180!?!)

goldfinch

Good point on eating skinny. I find even though I am close to my weight loss goals that I still want to eat "fat." I went to a casino buffet a few weeks ago. I gorged on the ****ing meat. I loaded up on the prime rib, the beef wellington, and topped it off with a hot fudge sundae. I sort of planned for this, but what is bad is that drive. I want to eat like a pig and even after seven months it is still an effort to eat skinny.

McCallum

I have found that some things/times I just need to plan a day that is a failure eating wise. I can make it less of a failure by riding or walking thereby adding cals to the daily need. Yesterday we went to a pool in a town 30ish miles away. We had eaten an ok Breakfast and lunch. My son and his friend want to go to DQ so we did. I had a meduim Hawaiian Blizzard (a ok choice meaning there were a lot worse choices I could make --- it is fruit and ice cream); it was also my supper. Had popcorn as a snack later in the evening. I had not rode or walked so I did myself a bit bad but I was still only 184.4 this moring which is about what I have been the last few days. As I said I would like to see 180 or 175 but I take pride in the 105 lost! The othr thing skinny people do is eat "bad" food (a term I do not like) once in a while; the problem is fat people do so more than once in a while! By the way; I believe there is no such thing as a "bad" food; there are good choice, better choices and best choices. I try to make better and best most of the time!! Not that it is my business is the 110 a final goal or . . .?

chefisaac

There is a great book that suggest everyone read called "Potatoes not Prozac"

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...oes+not+prozac

The first half of the book is amazing.

goldfinch

I think 110 is the goal. I am only 4'11" tall and am small boned by any measure. When I was in college I weighed 95 so I could really be lower than the 110. But once I hit 110 I will be well within most table's normal weight range and I then can see how it is to maintain myself at that weight. My fat percentage is too high yet (roughly 26%) and I remain too round even though BMI charts now put me at the high end of normal weight and out of the overweight category. I would also like to be stronger. I am still a wimp. I didn't celebrate falling out of the BMI measure of overweight because I look at myself and see that I am in fact still overweight at 118.5 pounds.

goldfinch

I haven't even looked at the book yet but for me I might have been better off with Prozac, rather than potatoes.

chefisaac

gold: its worth getting the book

goldfinch

Having a Kindle makes it far too easy. I'll check it out.

EDIT: no kindle version. But it looks a lot like other materials I have read on the evils of sugar and other carbs. I don't need to be convinced. I am less hungry when I eat a diet with more protein in it and one that is lighter on the carbs. On the other hand, I have no signs of insulin resistance so I still eat quite a bit of fruit too.

Askel

I have both failed and, by some measure- succeeded at long term weightloss.

Way back in 1999, I was about 330+. Managed to get down to 220 through self denial and almost pure diet with very little exercise.

I'm not one for self denial.

I was back up to knocking on the door of 300 by 2002.

I made an important discovery though, and that's that any lifestyle changes I make will have to be permanent if I expect the weight loss to stick.

So sometime in 2004, I started slowly implementing small changes into my daily routine. I had no set goal at the time other than to make a conscious effort to be healthy. If for some reason, I couldn't lose weight, I didn't care. If I couldn't run a mile, well so be it. I put forth my best effort and that's what mattered. The word "acceptance" comes to mind.

But the thing was, the weight started to come off, and I found myself getting into healthy eating and exercise habits.

And here's where I made the biggest change. After years of being a pretty unhealthy computer geek, I suddenly felt better than I had in years. Mentally and physically.

I decided that I valued health and fitness above a lot of things in my life. I bought skis. Then bikes. Then more skis. Then more bikes. I did harder and harder races and events. I got whole group of new friends that also do this stuff.

And sure, the weight ultimately dropped to 198.5 at it's lowest. I feel best at 205-210, but often find myself between 210-215. I counted calories a lot to get there, I'll still do it if my weight jumps up inexplicably.

But that's just my method- the real, enduring change that made it stick these past 4 years is I valued my health and fitness, and more importantly- the things I can do with them. It's cost me a fair amount of money. I have a bunch of other hobbies that have fallen by the wayside. A fair number of my old friends, while still friends, are not exactly friends in the same way they used to be.

There's no endgame. "If I can just get to 200 lbs!" "If I can just complete a century!" It's a lifetime commitment.

But don't think this is drudgery and self sacrifice. I kayaked out to an island 4 miles offshore in lake superior this weekend. I mountain biked tonight. I'll have an awesome 45+ mile road ride through the country from my house to work and back tomorrow. This weekend I'll do a 4 day bikepacking expedition to copper harbor. I love this stuff. Sure, I'd love a cold beer right now. But those other rewards are just too much to give up. (And there will be more than enough cold beer in copper harbor!)

goldfinch

Good post, Askel. I'm visiting your neighborhood and just came from Copper Harbor. I'm from the other side of the big lake.

The rewards do outweigh the sacrifice.

Hill-Pumper

This pretty much sums it up for me too. I have been under the 200 pound mark for about 18 months now, and only because I had to make some decisions about what I wanted to do with my life. My pattern had been to exercise hard starting in the spring and keep it up until the fall when my other hobby would kick in. I would then put the weight that I had worked so hard to get off. Last year I made the choice to drop my winter hobby and make fitness my hobby. I'll have to say, that I could not be happier. I monitor my weight, and make adjustment as needed, but don't really count calories. by doing so, my weight has stayed in the 190 pound range. I try to keep my fitness fun by surrounding myself with friend that enjoy it too. We push each other, but support each other too. That in itself may be the best reason for my success.

motobecane69

totally normal feelings goldfinch. fatty food usually tastes great, it's normal for us to want it. it's okay to have it from time to time but we nee need to learn when enough is enough. I know a lot of people get upset with the idea of counting calories for the rest of their life but I tell them "would you rather count calories or be fat?" people want to lose weight and have what they feel are "normal" lives. what they don't often realize is that skinny people have plenty of problems in their lives too