AIBU to think hardly anyone ever actually loses a lot of weight for good ? Please post here is you can prove me wrong!

[Smallhorse]

I have followed literally hundreds of weight loss threads on mumsnet in the last 20 years.

They all start the same way

“ I need to lose 3 stone - who is with me ? “

There then follows a lot of people joining in, lots of day to day posts about “ what I ate today “ and lots of encouraging chat in general.

People post their weight losses . Then their gains. Followed by encouraging messages to keep going.

Then people drop off the thread one by one.

I am not knocking these threads but they don’t seem to be helping .

Has anyone lost say , 3 stones of more and kept it off?

If so could you please post here and encourage me and my fellow fatties?

Thank you 😊

I lost 3 and a half stone in 5 months. I kept it off for 5 years, then put some back on whole pregnant with dc1, lost it all again 1 year after giving birth, put some on again after dc2 and have nearly lost it all again.

I think it only works if you plan to change your lifestyle. Ww/sw aren't sustainable Imo.

I don’t know what the answer is to long term weight loss. All I know is that health is about much more than just what scales say.

This idea is being pushed a lot at the moment. And I get it - a size 10 woman might be an alcoholic and doing cocaine and no exercise whereas an overweight person might eat well and not have any major vices

But I still think it oversimplifies things. If you're overweight you're at higher risk of all sorts. Cancers, heart disease, diabetes, joint pain, fatty liver disease, fungal/skin infections, etc etc. It is very bad for you. I don't see it as a moral issue or an issue to do with attractiveness. People have worth at every size and I know some stunningly beautiful larger women. But I don't like the trend towards saying obesity is possibly even neutral healthwise or that your health isn't linked to your weight because that just screws over people who are overweight and lulls some into a false sense of security that it poses no risk. Doesn't mean that weight loss is easy, it isn't. But it's worth working on even if you just make small changes.

I lost almost 6 stone about 4.5yrs ago. I did this by following the 5:2 fasting diet and going to the gym 5 days a week.
Unlike a lot of people, it wasn’t a permanent lifestyle change (I no longer do fasting and haven’t been to the gym for 2yrs) but despite getting pregnant and now having my 1-yr old DS it’s all stayed off.

Brilliant thread

Absolutely amazing lot you are

Im loosing weight atm but i just find is such a bore. I adore food but hate being overweight. I guess my ideal size is a size 12 so i can i have a few treats and have a few curves without being obese.

red a pp said it really is quite simple.
I’m just saying it’s not for everyone

Yes, it can be done. I lost three stone thirty five years ago. Took six months. Now am half a stone heavier than lowest weight, despite pregnancies. Just sensible eating, was already active and didn’t do a sedentary job. No ‘diet’, no slimming club, no gym or exercise classes, just being sensible about food and drink.

Gained almost 4 stone with each pregnancy. Lost it both times. Am now 9 and half stone, probably about a stone lighter than my pre pregnancy weight. When I was a lot younger I was 14 stone at my heaviest (I'm only 5'5) and tbh looked bloody awful. Super bloated, found it hard to walk, pre diabetic, snoring, people ignored me or called me fat etc ad nauseum. No thanks.

It is a different world, it really is, being slim. A size 16 vs a size 10 makes a huge difference in so many ways.

How I lost it:

Massively cut down on bread, pasta, rice, crappy carbs
Cut out sugar (not hard-core, still eat fruit etc)
Cook from Scratch
Hate the phrase but lots of clean eating, which in a way is back to a meat and 2 veg, lentil and veg soups kind of lifestyle
Reduced portions, big time.
More protein
I do not have to finish my plate, I do not need carbs with every meal. Rationing isn't still in place. There is food in the cupboard and you do not need to be stuffed full at every single meal!

I live in this body. Me and me only. There's only me here. So I'm damned if I'm going look like shit, feel awful and limit myself socially, professionally and physically. Yes, a lot of this comes from how other people reacted to me when I was big. You know what? They gave me a wake up call. And I'm glad they did.

All I know is that health is about much more than just what scales say.

^

Yes. But it ain't a bad place to start.

The anecdotes you'll find here are next to useless. 97% of people who lose weight gain all of it back within a few years. A good portion of those 3% used bariatric surgery. You have a better chance of kicking a serious heroin addiction than you do of permanent weight loss. Sorry!

My late wife had lost over 10 stone and kept it off. She was at her target for over 3 years. It is possible to keep the weight off but it is really hard. When she was losing the weight she really got a kick out of seeing the figures change. After she hit her target she didn't have the numbers to aim for and found maintaining hard. She changed her focus from weightloss to gaining fitness. She found it helped to have something to aim for.

Hey not sure if you like watching YouTube but I found two lovely You tubers.

One called @obesetobeast and another @jordanshrinks

They make a lot of informative videos and have sustained massive weight loss for a while now.

Hope that helps!

Mallorie I lost my weight 35 years ago. No bariatric surgery, no weird diets, love food and cooking. It can be done and the longer you do it the easier it becomes

I lost 3 stone seven years ago and have kept it off. I'm not dieting twice!

I lost 3 stone and kept it off. Tbh I’ve always been slim and gained weight rapidly for some reason when I started a new job. I felt awful and one day just snapped and went on a diet
I’m now a size 8-10 and fluctuate a few lbs. I’m very aware of what I’m eating and if I overindulge I rein it in for a bit

I lost 4.5 stone 13 years ago.

Now, I’m a stone more (so kept 3.5 stone off). But I was underweight when I was at my thinnest - I went too far. My BMI was about 18.5 at its lowest and that included a fair bit of muscle.

I’ve stayed a size 10 for the last 10 years. I was an 8 before that (I’m tall, so a size 8 is bones on me).

I do have to watch my weight though. I’ll have a few weeks of going “fuck it” and eating what I want. Then back to tracking to make sure I lose anything I gain. If 10s feel tight, I go back to less calories. Most of the time in between I just eat sensibly.

not an overwhelming success as i should still lose about another 2 stone (don't know exactly as i don't weigh myself, just get checked if i'm at GP for some other reason) but i am 5 stone lighter than i was at my heaviest 17 years ago. i've lost at least a couple of stone in the last 18months by changing my diet substantially and doing more/different exercise.

think i will always struggle as i have a HUGE appetite naturally but i'm the thinnest i've ever been, and turn 45 in a few weeks so not exactly an easy time to be achieving it. what helps keep me on the straight and narrow though is how i feel rather than how i look...

@Mallorie

Gosh that’s depressing! Should people just try not to diet or just to stay fat

@grannycake do you not understand the difference between statistics and anecdata? If you’re telling the truth, you’re an outlier and an anomaly. Some people can get firsts at Oxbridge, some people can play Rachmaninov by ear, some people are born looking like Audrey Hepburn, some people can lose weight and maintain that weight loss. It’s great for them, but they are essentially lucky freaks of nature. It’s very unlikely that OP is one of them.

I'm about a stone heavier than I like and do what you say...lose it, put it back on

Dh was very overweight was but lost 3 stone 7 years ago...and has kept it off. He used myfitnesspal. It was a great education...I.e. you can eat those biscuits but that is your entire days calories!

@cvcv

I think if you lead a sociable life; if you go out with friends or DH every weekend for drinks and dinner, if you have dinner parties and BBQs and enjoy good wine.... weight loss simply can’t happen.

I disagree. I absolutely LOVE food and wine and almost all of my socialising revolves around this. But I think it’s about what you like to eat and therefore how much willpower you need.

For example, I would always choose a starter and a main and skip the dessert. Mainly because I don’t have a sweet tooth. I also wouldn’t choose somewhere like TGI Fridays or a Chinese Buffet or a massive meal at a British-style Indian restaurant, again just because that food isn’t to my taste. I don’t like sweet drinks, so I would choose a G&T over a sweet cocktail or a dry white wine over a glass of bright pink, sugary rosé. So for people do like foods like that, I think it’s going to be harder and require more willpower.

Snuffalo the OP asked to hear from people who had lost weight and maintained that loss. A number of people have posted that they have managed to do so.

I'm not sure why you think I'm lying. I used to eat too much and way too many sweet things. I no longer do so and have maintained the weight loss. I'm not saying it's easy but I don't feel that it's too restrictive. I do it as I said earlier for health reasons and vanity. I don't want a medal I was simply replying to the OPs question.

Yes I understand stats but if people think it can't be done, or that weight loss is an inevitable part of ageing then they're not going to even try and I think that's quite sad

Does anyone know how reliable the statistics are about how many people keep the weight off? I am suspicious of them but am prepared to be told that in fact they're reliable (if they are)

And partly I wonder if the stats wouldn't improve if so many dieters weren't doing shitty restrictive diets. For me the way out of obesity has been learning to absolutely love healthy food rather than only nibbling sawdust, counting calories and never touching fat (which is satiating and tasty and regulates your appetite).

I hope you are wrong op.