Eat less, move more did it work for you and if so did the weight stay off and what was your BMI to start with?

[Disfordiet]

Sorry for the long title!
My BMI was around 26 and is now 22. I think I started around September time but with a break over Christmas. Slow and steady weight loss by eating less, moving more. I try not to eat after 6pm but I don't always stick to that. I eat 3 meals a day, and eat snacks if I fancy them which is always.

I know many say that eat less move more doesn't work but it is doing for me. My BMI wasn't very high though and I wonder if the simple theory works ok for those who are overweight rather than obese. Perhaps the closer someone is to normal weight the easier it is. There is of course the theory of insulin resistance but that isn't the case for me. My bloods are normal and my cholesterol is low.

Weight loss fascinates me as does the whole cultural aspect of food which is why I got to wondering but in particular reading about ozempic has got me wondering why some approaches work for some but not for others.

Not getting to be overweight in the first place would be best of course but food is such as integral point of life and chocolate is so nice!

It's worked for me ...but very slowly.

I used to do things like Slimming World, but I'd break the rules and then think "oh sod it I have messed up for today may as well make the most of it and start again tomorrow" or I would get to weigh in day and then binge the next day and then the next week binge for 2 days ..all a disaster and ended up with me gaining.

So I decided to look at what I ate in a day, what I really couldn't do without etc and work out what I could eat within a deficit. I do eat healthy meals, but I like chocolate and cheese! I decided I needed to feel like I wasn't on a diet as this is for life and yet not to eat mindless calories. I aim for about 1300-1500 calories (some days I have nearer 1800) and I try and do as many steps as possible. It's taken since last August to lose 16lbs, but that time would pass anyway and as I said it's for life. I still eat too much chocolate, but I can address that later. I'm losing weight and this is the first time it has felt doable.

@Blondebakingmumma I used to work in an eating disorders unit and that certainly wasn't the case for our patients. Weight gain on a normal diet carefully worked out by the dietician was very slow and their exercise was minimal because they were only allowed so many minutes supervised walking in relation to their progress. If their calories weren't increased they continued to lose weight.
My intake is around 1500 a day and I'm losing weight steadily on that. I log everything so know my calories are accurate.

It worked for me. My BMI was 27.8 nine years ago, I gradually lost 2 and a half ish stones over 18 months and started running. My BMI went down to 20.7 and has been there or there about ever since.

I did do slimming world for a bit to start with but haven’t for almost seven years now but I still run at least twice a week and walk everywhere. I’m lucky that I’ve never had a big appetite and when I’m full I’m full. I’m more aware of what I eat but I think the exercise is what’s really helped me.

How much does will power come into it do you think? It's not easy to lose weight as we all probably know but I wonder what it is that makes us successful? Will power? Motivation? Determination? Education regarding nutrition and how our bodies work? Genetics? Something else? Combination of lots of factors? I think that might be the Record Breakers theme song in there 🤣 And what keeps it off? Why do some people become obese but not others?
In my own family I have an obese older brother. In the past I've had a BMI of 27 thanks to hormone treatment for endometriosis, an abusive marriage, and terrible late night eating of takeaways and large portions in general combined with limited exercise. Husband had an affair and left and I lost over a stone. Yay! Since then I've been wary of gaining weight especially as I look at my siblings and see the propensity for obesity and double chins which is why I took action last year. My sister was overweight, my other brother was too. We were all skinny as kids and my obese brother skinny until his 40s. My mum has always been slim and has probably never varied by more than half a stone. My maternal grandparents were very slim. I think genetics plays a big part but probably not as much as what we eat and how much we eat (and drink). I've got a few pounds to go until I reach my goal weight and I really need to look at how to maintain it and also tone up my poor abdomen.

How much does will power come into it do you think?

I don't know about will power, for me, it's more a state of mind. When I'm in the right headspace, i actively enjoy eating healthily and watching the changes. But, when I have gained weight, I feel so negative and helpless. Like even trying is pointless, because it will all go back on again anyway. This time I managed to convince myself that some time at a healthy weight is better than none. I am nervous about regaining, but trying not to let that happen.

Education regarding nutrition and how our bodies work?

Definitely not this for me. I am well aware of nutrition and physiology. It's putting it into practice that's been the problem.

Genetics?
It's a factor. There are studies demonstrating there is a genetic contribution. Personally, I think people's ability to sense when they are hungry and full varies greatly, and those that aren't very aware of these feelings are more prone to gaining excess weight.

Something else?
There are clear associations between lack of microbiome diversity and excess weight gain, but I don't know if that's causative.

Combination of lots of factors?
Definitely. Some of us fair well in the current obesogenic environment, others don't.
I think that might be the Record Breakers theme song in there 🤣 And what keeps it off? Why do some people become obese but not others?
There is quite a bit of obesity in my family, especially my dad's side, and going back a couple of generations too. Both my sisters and my brother have been obese, and lost weight, and regained in cycles, like myself. I think we're quite determined people, but highly susceptible to weight gain, so we fluctuate...

The Biggest Loser study was depressing. Yes, the contestant's basic metabolic rate (BMR) dropped as they lost weight but it didn't rise again even when they gained all their weight back, which maybe explains why people who lose weight find it hard to keep it off. They also found that those who exercised had a lower BMR, which was surprising, however those who continued exercising after the show tended to have better weight loss than those who didn't. So, it's complicated.

I think different people are overweight for different reasons, so lumping everyone together in the same group maybe isn't helpful. You need to look at the individual. I also think there is a lot of really bad advice out there on how to lose weight. I've seen on MN that you can't lose weight if you consume more than 600 kcal a day, you can't lose weight of you eat any carbs, you can't lose weight without IF, you can't lose weight of you do cardio. It's just crazy and it's bullshit.

Being peri menopausal or in the menopause seems to have a huge effect on weight loss. And not in a good way.
In the course of this discussion, nobody has mentioned their age range which will have an effect on their weight loss.

In my 20s, I’d eat a bit less. Drink a bit less. That worked.

Now I’m in my 50s, it’s a very different story.

@Ohyeahwaitaminute I said upthread that I'm 46 and have been perimenopausal for about 5 years. I can't say I've noticed any particular difference at different ages for me but know that others do. When I was younger I didn't have the time to walk as much as I do now. I've walked 40 miles this week so far. By Sunday night that will be about 60 miles. If I wasn't walking so much I'd have to eat less than my 1500 per day. So got me the difference is my ability to exercise rather than my diet.

It's all very complex because you can't separate the psychological aspects from the physical aspects.

@Ohyeahwaitaminute I’m 38, turning 39 this year. I think losing weight is harder as you get older so I’m trying to get a head start on it now.

@Disfordiet apologies. I know you said your age… many others didn’t! It seems to have had a massive impact on how I loose weight…and anecdotally it affects others too from what I’ve read.

Yes @crimsonpeak - chop chop! 🤣🤣

I'm 52 ...as I said up thread calorie deficit is working for me ...very slowly, but that is down to me still eating a lot.

I'm also 52 & in menopause. Never felt better tbh. Weight still coming off, very slowly now; I lost the first lot quickly and am happy with current progress. This is my weight plotted over the last year. My starting weight (Oct 2021) was ~151 kg 😱 I lost the first 30 kg in about 6 months.

@Bedbouncer that's amazing

@Bedbouncer that's amazing, well done!