Keeping weight off

[sbfluter]

Every now and then I have done something that causes me to lose enough weight to look like a normal person. Eventually the weight comes back. I really don't want it to come back this time. But I fear that if I had to walk 12 hours a day to look like this there is no hope of staying like this.

Any tips for keeping weight off, especially for those who are metabolically challenged? Do you spend all your time feeling hungry? How many hours do you exercise every day?

[Innocent Bystander]

Every meal that you eat - cook it yourself.
(Works for me.)

[Lambchop]

A recent study showed that women who have that putting-on-weight problem need to exercise 55 minutes a day in order to lose weight or keep it off.

If you went back on the trail, you could expect to continue losing. Staying at your current weight is probably just a matter of figuring out how long you have to exercise daily to not gain. Try an hour a day and see what happens.

Exercise has more benefits than just weight loss. It improves mood, relieves depression, prevents osteoporosis, improves immune function, and a bunch of other things. If you look at it that way, instead of just as a weight-gain preventative, it may seem more palatable.

[Redwolf]

My experience is that every little thing adds up, whether you're talking about calorie consumption or exercise. As far as food goes, it's very easy, once you reach your target weight, to relax a little. We tell ourselves "well, a cookie or an extra helping here and there doesn't hurt," and if it were ONLY once in a while, we'd be right. The trouble is, that cookie or extra serving can easily become a several-times-a-week habit (one we don't even notice, because it doesn't feel like we're overeating), and those calories can add up faster than you might think. Other people can get away with it, perhaps, but those of us with metabolic challenges have to be hyper-aware of how often we allow ourselves "extras."

It also helps to remember that beverages count, calorie-wise. If you have a beer or glass of wine or cocktail on a regular basis, you need to allow for those extra calories somewhere else in your diet.

Another important thing to remember...in the U.S., at least, restaurant portions are often two- to three-times the recommended portion size. When you eat out, order whatever you like, but divide it in half as soon as it comes, and take half home for a later meal when you leave.

The good news is, little things add up when it comes to exercise as well. Little things like parking at the far end of the parking lot, and bagging and carrying your own groceries. Things like walking to the closest store, rather than driving, if you don't need more than two bags of groceries. Things like taking the dog for a walk in the evening before settling down in front of the TV. Things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Things like choosing to go out dancing instead of to a movie. Little things such as these really do add to your total energy expenditure, and can help make a difference.

As far as regular, scheduled, exercise goes, you're unlikely to keep up something you don't enjoy. Find something active you really like to do, and make sure you do it several times a week. Dancing can be great exercise. So can martial arts, especially kata. Finding something you like to do, and that you need to practice regularly, is the key. It can even be a mixture of somethings...go dancing one evening, play tennis another...whatever floats your boat. You can even join the teenagers in doing DDR in your own home, if you don't feel like going out. It's a lot easier to exercise regularly if you're enjoying yourself!

Redwolf (who faces the same battle daily)

[MandoMark]

Work to build muscle. every pound of muscle you build burns an extra 100 calories/day. Cardio is great, but if you want to maintain weight, you need to build.

[Redwolf]

Another thing I've found that helps is doing regular reality checks...partially because I tend to have a distorted body image, but also because it helps me keep on top of things before they get out of hand. I weigh myself once every couple of weeks, always using the same scale, at the same time of day, and in the same place. If things are starting to creep up, I take a look at how I've been eating and how often I've been physically active, and make the necessary adjustments. I also monitor how my clothing is fitting, which is useful from a couple of standpoints: On the one hand, if I can't fasten the jeans I wore two weeks ago, there's a good chance I've put on some pounds...time to check the scale. On the other hand, on days when my body image is distorted, I can tell myself "look...you're NOT getting fatter! You're still wearing the same clothes you wore when you lost all that weight!," which helps keep things in perspective.

Be wary of lying to yourself, though! It's very easy to assume that that favorite T-shirt or pair of jeans got shrunk in the wash! It does happen, but usually not with clothing that's been through more than a couple of washes, and usually not to the extent that you can't get it on, or wear it comfortably after giving it a bit of time to stretch. If those clothes aren't fitting, do a reality check...weigh yourself.

Redwolf

[djm]

Women are genetically predisposed to put on more weight than men, from what I'm reading. That means you actually have to work harder and for longer to get the same benefits from exercise as men do.

The difference, as I understand it, is in how much energy your body continues to consume in your resting metabolic state. The more muscle mass your body contains, the higher your resting metabolic rate, i.e. the more calories your body burns even at rest. This is why weight training can have long term beneficial effects on weight.

There are some other things you can do, like take chromium daily to help balance glucose levels, and also there are ginseng tablets/capsules that can assist in keeping your metabolic rate up higher to burn more calories when at rest. But really, exercise and diet seem to be key.

djm

[Doug_Tipple]

My wife talkes a bite of white French bread and says, "I love it. I love it. I love it!" I try to explain to her that more dense, high fiber, whole grain bread is more healthy. In addition to metabolic factors there are psychological factors to consider here, and these can point to an eating disorder. Counselling may be needed to get at the root cause of why the person has the desire to eat as much as they do. Exercise is great, but the desire to eat and the willingness to exercise do not necesarily go hand in hand.

[peeplj]

Exercise and physical activity will help you to feel your best and have strength and energy.

Eating right will also help you feel your best, and will help keep you healthy.

I would say a reasonable strategy is to set those as your two goals to keep in mind, rather than a specific weight that you may or may not can obtain in a healthy way.

--James

[Redwolf]

My wife talkes a bite of white French bread and says, "I love it. I love it. I love it!" I try to explain to her that more dense, high fiber, whole grain bread is more healthy. In addition to metabolic factors there are psychological factors to consider here, and these can point to an eating disorder. When a person has an eating disorder, it doesn't do much good to tell them to eat small portions and only eat half of what is served at a restaurant. Counselling may be needed to get at the root cause of why the person has the desire to eat as much as they do. Exercise is great, but the desire to eat and the willingness to exercise do not necesarily go hand in hand.

I actually DO have an eating disorder, Doug. That's why I mentioned body image and reality checks. I've been a compulsive eater all my life. I had my first bout with anorexia nervosa (which is really just the flip side of the kind of compulsive relationship with food that can cause obesity), which sequed into bulemia, when I was 18. That bout lasted 3 years, and came close to putting an end to me. I also have metabolic issues...whether as a result of the eating disorder or part of the cause...the jury's still out on that.

Counseling may be useful for some, but a compulsive relationship to food is a life-long condition...much like alcoholism. Since we can't give up food, the compulsive eater/anorexic will always have to walk the tightrope between excess, control, and excessive-control. The key is to find the balance. For some, counseling is helpful in that regard. For others, it is less so. In the end, however, it always comes down to the individual.

Another thing to mention is that there is a 12-step program for people who have an obsessive relationship with food. Overeaters Anonymous can be a godsend for some. When I first investigated it, back in the '80s, I was in a bulemic phase and, at the time, was brushed off by other OA members because their view of an "overeater" didn't include people who weighed 90 pounds. That's changed, though, as we've come to understand the relationship between various eating disorders. There's good support out there, for people who want it.

The advice I've offered is what has kept me alive and functional, and, for the most part, not obese or skeletal, for more than 20 years.

In any case, I don't want to violate the "medical advice" terms of the forum. The question was "how to keep the weight off," and the suggestions I made are all valid (and non-harmful), whether one has an eating disorder or not.

Redwolf

[dwest]

Dean Ornish, modified.

[Doug_Tipple]

Redwolf, I edited my previous post, deleting the sentence that implied that if a person has an eating disorder, self-limiting behaviors, such as trying to eat smaller portions, would not be helpful. As you mentioned, they can be helpful. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder tends to run in my family, so I know what it means to try to keep compulsive behaviors under control, although, so far, food has not been a problem for me, knock on wood.

[Redwolf]

Redwolf, I edited my previous post, deleting the sentence that implied that if a person has an eating disorder, self-limiting behaviors, such as trying to eat smaller portions, would not be helpful. As you mentioned, they can be helpful. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder tends to run in my family, so I know what it means to try to keep compulsive behaviors under control, although, so far, food has not been a problem for me, knock on wood.

You know, knocking on wood can become a compulsion...

No worries.

Here are a couple of other things that work for me:

1) I know that there are certain foods that I just can't keep away from. Those foods I don't keep in the house. If I'm eating out, or at a friend's house and they're available, then I go ahead and indulge, but I cannot and will not have them in my home (if I did, I'd be bigger than a house!). Guacamole flavored tortilla chips spring immediately to mind....

2) This doesn't work for everybody, but I've found those 100 calorie packs of just about every snack under the sun to be a godsend. If I have a full-sized bag of chips, say, or a can of nuts, in the house, I really can't resist having "just one more." Something about having to open a new package helps me put on the brakes...it tells my mind "you've had your portion and now you're done." It's nice, because I don't have to totally deprive myself of the occasional "junk food" kind of snack...it allows me to eat such things in moderation.

3) I do schedule snacks into my day. I'd rather have a fairly small breakfast (say, some toast, or a small bowl of oatmeal) and then have a snack a few hours later, then have a big breakfast and not eat anything until lunch. I tend to keep a lot of things around that have about the same calorie count, so I can have my snack, and have some choice as to what it is, without trying to figure out what won't sabotage my diet (or overly compromise my attempt at eating more or less healthily!). For example, I might look at the clock and say "it's 10:00...I can have some light yogurt, or a banana, or a hard-boiled egg, or one of those 100-calorie packages of almonds, or....". I really find it psychologically easier to nibble throughout the day, and that helps me do it more or less sensibly.

Redwolf

[Thomaston]

I've been working on my weight loss for 2 years now, sporadically. I'm 50 lb less now than I was this time in 2006, but there's more to go (15-20 lb).
I've recently been trying to do Weight Watchers with my wife, and we found out that there is supposedly some chemical in the 100-calorie packs that can make you feel hungry again. And I do find that I tend to have the munchies more if I've been eating those. So, that may be something to be cautious about.

[chas]

This is a topic close to my heart. Not because I'm obsessed about weight, but for two other reasons. First, I don't understand why I'm not losing weight (actually, I think I do understand, see next paragraph), second, because I do want to lose weight for my knees' sake. I'm running about 25-30 miles a week and biking the same right now. That averages out to about an hour a day. This is more running than in (most) years past, yet I'm at the same weight. I tend to put on about 10 pounds in the winter, partly due to the holidays and the food and drink involved, partly because I take a month or so off from running. I take the ten pounds off pretty quickly (in a couple of months), but then plateau. I weigh the same as I did in March or April despite really getting a helluvalot more exercise.

One thing I've noticed is that if I do a 10-15 mile run first thing in the morning, I'm ravenous the rest of the day. During the week I run at lunch instead of eating, but especially during the summer heat, I do my weekend run in the morning.

In the 70's or 80's there was something called the three-mile-a-day theorem, which stated that for most people they'd reach their body's natural weight if they got the equivalent exercise of walking three miles a day. I think that's a gross simplification, but there's a grain of truth in it.