How long is "long term" weight loss?

[coffeeslave]

This is probably one of those "how long is a piece of string" things, but... How long do you consider "long term" weight loss, or "keeping the weight off"?

I have read about so many diets that claim long-term weight loss, or "lose the weight and keep it off" but they never seem to be able to demonstrate results longer than just to the time it takes the subject to get to their target weight, or maybe a year at most.

I was very interested in a feature in a newspaper last year that was all about "losing the weight & keeping it off" but they didn't do any 1, 2 year followup on the subjects. They just followed them for a couple of months.

What is your definition of "long-term" weight loss? For me it's 5 years+, but maybe I'm expecting too much?

For me it would mean forever. Lose the weight and stay around your target weight.

fruitbrewhaha I think ideally it'd mean that for me too. I'm quite frustrated that there seems to be no weight-loss "system" that offers long-term evidence, though. Cambridge & WW & even Atkins have all been around for a decade+, so why no long-term success stories? (Or am I just not finding them?)

For me, any kind of significant weight loss requires a change in your fundamental brain fuckery and the 2 hardest things in the world are getting that change to happen in the first place, and keeping that change going once the weight stops coming off and you're finally happy. I say this as a size 20 who's currently in the process of shrinkage down to a size 8.

Before The Great Shrinking began, I could happily eat 3 takeaways in a week and not bat an eye. I made no connection at all between that and the fact my thighs were sore from rubbing together . I knew takeaway was bad for me, but I felt like the "NOW" me was more important than the "FUTURE" me, and the "NOW" me needed pizza, Now.

It's the easiest thing in the world to lose weight in a week. You just eat less. Nay bother. It's bloody hard work to do that week in , week out and completely impossible if your brain is still in "NOW" me mode.

So in answer to your question: There IS no weight loss system that can offer you "forever" because that's not what a weight loss system does. What a good weight loss system does is gives you 10001 tools you can use to help you change your brain. Part of that is teaching you how to eat healthily, but a much bigger part is subtly altering the way you relate to food.

That could be by teaching you that no food is "good" or "bad" and therefore there is no "wagon" to jump off and on, there's only your nutritional needs and how you choose fulfill them. It could be by teaching you that you can't feed your soul with food. You do that with music and friends and laughter and good books. What you learn along the way about your relationship with food is completely personal, but a good weight loss plan will give you the space and prompts to think about that while their "system" sorts out the mechanics of shrinking your body.

Ultimately though, these changes come from a single decision that you make with every cell of your body. Unless you're 100% committed to change and ready to face up to some pretty hard facts about yourself along the way, no system can help you.

Once you've got that down, it's easy!

Fantastic post Bugger Off - nothing really more to say!

Great post BuggerOffDailyMail!

I guess I ask because so many weight loss articles/blogs/"systems" seem to think "long-term" weight loss is like 1-2 years. My story is that I started my weight loss in 2009 at 77ish kg (sorry to be in kg and not stone). I got down to my lowest weight in 2015 of 70kg - took me a long time. I maintained at 71-72kg until about 6 months ago, but now I'm back up to 74-75kg. Did I manage long-term wight loss or not? According to all those publications that say "long-term" is a year, I guess I did? But is 7-ish years long-term?

Sorry, not really sure if I know what I'm asking! Until 6 months ago I was proud that I'd achieved "long term" weight loss, but now I'm back up again, I'm not sure if I achieved "long term" weight loss after all.

Sorry, probably doesn't make a lot of sense

So you're worrying about 7kgs? It's all relative but I can put that on in a week and a half and have

I don't think it really maters if you achieved long term weight loss or not. Did you struggle to maintain it? Did you find it sustainable?

If you've just put it back on recently then maybe be more mindful of your diet for a while and it will soon drop off again.

For what it's worth, i don't think you've undone any of the work you did already and you're STILL maintaining your weight loss. Part of that is recognising that weight fluctuates throughout our lives and when we feel it's time to reign it in, coming to that conclusion in good time is as much a part of keeping our weight under control as eating a balanced diet

Be kind to yourself

Thanks BuggerOff

It definitely is relative - those 7kgs were the difference between a large16/18 and a size 14 for me, so it's quite a lot on my body!

Maybe as little as 7kgs doesn't count as loads of weight loss though

Of course it counts! It's a huge achievement to reach a weight you like :)

You can lose 1/2-2lbs a week just by eating a healthier diet, you'll be back where you want to be in no time :)

I lost the weight 15 years ago.
I still have to watch myself