If you have managed to lose a lot of weight and keep it off, what do you think was the secret to keeping it off?

[ILikeBigBookssandIcannotlie]

I am reading Why We eat (Too much) and admittedly I am not very far in but while I am finding it really interesting it is making me feel quite despondent about the likelihood off keeping my weight gain off once I lose it.

I was always slim until my thirties, then gained a lot of weight when I was out on heavy steroids. I managed to lose most of the weight but then regained it all and a bit extra. I am trying to lose again now but feel like I need to believe I can keep it off.

I actually love healthy food, and I don't ever binge eat but I was probably relying too much on ready made food because I have a health condition that makes me tired so cooking is hard and I can't exercise much at all - just some very gentle pilates or slow swimming. Steroids also made me ravenous and I was constantly fighting that feeling.

I have switched to all home made food and I am building back in exercise.

I want to be healthy and I want to feel like "me " again, but it feels futile when the message seems to be that

I have also gone cold turkey on diet coke/pepsi max as I was having 2-3 cans a day and I am convinced it made me more hungry. It seemed worth stopping anyway.

(Nb I don't want to use mounjaro etc because I have had a really bad time with medication side effects - steroids made me very unwell as well as fat- and I am just very wary of trying anything new)

I would love words of encouragement from people who have managed it, and especially if you couldn't manage weight control through exercise

I lost over 4 stone in 6 months on a calorie deficit and maintained by sticking to a maintenance calorie level. It’s simple physics, energy in/energy out. Burn more than you eat to lose and burn the amount you eat to maintain. I go off plan at holiday time then go straight onto a deficit again to lose any gains.

The only way I maintain my weight is by continuous exercise and healthy eating. It's a lifestyle which you have to keep up to maintain a low weight, at least for me

(am 5ft 6, I was 14 stone, am nearly down to 13 stone). Until my thirties I never weighed more than 8.5 stone. I accept I probably won't get back to there but I guess would like to get to 9.5/10 stone and be a healthy weight.

Did you lose lots of weight?

I lost 4st healthy eating, portion control, lifestyle change forever

@Pollqueen exercise (other than light exercise) isn't an option for me.

I am happy to keep up the healthy eating. It's just that I feel despondent from the first chapters of this book as it suggests our body will just push us to regain the weight

I think I will feel encouraged to hear it is possible

(I was always slim and very fit till I got ill, but exercise makes me more ill so simply isn't an option)

Accepting that I cannot eat whatever I like, that my portions have to be small and that exercise won't eradicate or even mitigate over eating by very much.

Nb am heading out for a few hours now but will read again when I am back

I maintained for years, it’s constant deprivation, watching what you’re eating, denial and exercise. You need to always eat and drink to maintenance cals and if you go over, immediately cut back

ultimately I gained and ended up on mounjaro. It’s been a revelation, now in maintenance for the last six months, on a low 5mg dose, and maintaining at a 20 bmi and size 8-10, without thought or effort.

if it really is just fear that’s stopping you I’d recommend it. If it’s something else like cost, shoulda said.

I lost just over 30kgs.

To those who have kept it off - how long have you kept it off for?

I've struggled with my weight since I was around 5 years old. Ive managed to lose weight in the past, but it always comes back on in 3 to 5 years. I'm only around a 6kg overweight, and other than being pregnant I've never been more than 10kg overweight. Nevertheless, it feels like a vicious cycle that is hard to break. I think I've cracked healthy eating and lifestyle and then boom, something happens (death of parent, pandemic, pregnancy) and the weight is back on again.

I know to some, it may seem like a insignificant amount to be overweight by. But it's a constant battle. I'd love to go on Mounjaro and not have to battle with constant thoughts about food, but I don't qualify as I'm not heavy enough.

I have a simple rule for maintenance, even on holidays.

One day no meat/cheese.
One day no alcohol.
One day neither.
One day both.

I find that helps me focus enough on making conscious choices about food/drink intake.

Not a huge amount, but went from a 12/14 to 8/10. I'm older so find only way I can maintain this is by a lot of exercise and I eat super healthy.

I think it has to be a lifestyle to maintain it. I put weight on really quickly if I slip

This is interesting. Is this your holiday rule or your general rule?

@ILikeBigBookssandIcannotlie it is hard. I lost about 20kg following Corinne Crabtree's method (I didn't pay for membership or anything if you're interested). Honestly I found that very easy, and I thought I would never struggle again. But it was a period of very low stress in my life. That was 2 years ago and I never quite got down to target.

Since then I have regained around 5kg. So not bad but not amazing. I haven't had to increase my clothes size. There are permanent changes I have made. For example before I lost the weight I felt like if I thought about food, eg, I feel like having cake, I was so anxious about not having it that I'd have it. So I used to probably have multiple treats a day. But now I have learned that just because I've thought about something unhealthy doesn't mean I have to eat it. For example in a restaurant I could think oh I really want a side of garlic bread. But I don't have to order it and once I'm full up on my main I won't want the garlic bread any more.

The thing that has made me regain the 5kg though is work related stress - that is what coincided with me no longer losing weight and it is hard.

Of course technically it is calories in vs calories out. But if that was easy to do we wouldn't have a massive obesity crisis.

I was a fat child and a fat teenager. I lost 3 stone by calorie counting when I was about 24. I maintained my weight (apart from 3 pregnancies) but really struggled in my 50s and put on two stone in 2 years. My old methods of cutting down a bit no longer worked. I then did 5:2 and am now back to my ideal weight. I still fast a couple of days a week and am careful on other weekdays. On the weekend I relax a bit and eat ice cream or have a couple of drinks. I’m 69 now and I’m trying my best to keep fit and active and need to get back to the gym for weight training as I have let that slip a bit over the summer

I've read that book too OP and it's great - definitely worth finishing as he does have suggestions on how to change your weight set point. I think a big part of it is accepting that it takes time and not hoping for quick results and then being disappointed when that either doesn't work or your weight rebounds as a result. Good luck!

I don't weigh myself so no idea how much weight but I lost 2 dress sizes and have kept it off for 15 years. Weight loss / maintenance is almost all about nutrition - exercise is a huge part of being healthy but really doesn't help much with weight loss

I do 80:20 - eating and drinking with a focus on nutrition 80% of the time, then having some indulgence the rest of the time. I eat 3 nutritious meals every day with a focus on protein, plants and fibre. Fruit or nuts for afternoon snack. Loads of water / herbal tea. 8 hours of sleep. Move body every day - strength training 3 times a week. Then at weekend, I have 2-3 alcoholic drinks and some cake / chocolate/ pudding. Repeat forever!

I've lost 20kg over two years, it's been tough and I put half of it back on last year due to cancer treatment and many surgeries which meant I couldn't go to the gym for long periods, the steroids made me bloat too.

I'm back on track now; like PPs have said, you just have to be very strict. Cheese, bread and alcohol are treats and only for meals out and holidays. My diet is protein heavy (salmon and chicken) with lots of veg and smoothies for fibre.

There are days when I feel like jacking it all in but it's worth it when I can get back into my favourite pair of jeans 😅

Good luck OP, you just have to find what works for you ❤️

Using smaller plates and leaving room on the plate after I’ve served up. Two meals a day. Exercise everyday and a physical job. Having zero interest in cooking and food in general also helps. Never buying /eating cake, crisps, sugar etc. (exception being birthday). It’s small, cumulative actions which basically balance the calories involved calories burnt equation which works for me.

I have lost 21kgs and kept it off. My rules are:

• No food is banned. Instead, we adjust portion sizes and frequency of consumption.
• When I changed my diet I accepted that it was a permanent change. If I go back how I ate before I will regain the weight.
• Exercise is now part of my daily routine. It is not a punishment, it is something I do to feel good about myself.

I lost 5 stone with Slimming World, kept it off for over a year by continuing to go to class every week, kept me accountable. Then covid hit, stopped going, put 3 stone on again. Back at Slimming World and back at my target weight but I know I need to keep going to class or i slip. I joke I'm like an alcoholic with AA meetings but it is the only thing that has worked for me. I find the group really helpful and supportive

@Wizomania just a general rule I abide by. It's easier if anything on holiday because no meat or cheese will automatically rule out half the menu and I'll have a fish salad or something.

If we go AI, I tend to mainline the meat and veg anyway, and swim for an hour a day.