Living Maintenance - Study at York Univ looking for maintainers

Today's blog post on stumptuous.com says York University in Canada is looking for successful weight losers who’ve lost a significant amount of weight and kept it off for more than 1 year.

This is a copy-and-paste of the announcement:
Study Participants Needed
Are you currently at a healthy weight?
Were you previously overweight and have intentionally lost a large amount of weight and have maintained this weight loss for at least 1 year?
If you answered “yes” to the two questions above, you may be eligible to participate in a genetics and psychology research study at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in collaboration with York University.
We are looking for both men and women:

Age 25 – 45 years
In good physical health, not using street drugs
No psychiatric disorders
Able and willing to provide meaningful consent to participate This study will require about 3 hours of your time to answer questionnaires, perform some simple computer tasks and provide a blood sample for genetic testing.
You will be compensated for your participation.
For more information call:
Caroline Reid at 416-535-8501 ext. 4639
or email creid@yorku.ca
ALL QUERIES ARE STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL

Dang! I'm too old! But good to know that some attention is being paid to maintainers. Thanks for posting the info, CJ!

And isn't stumptuous the best site?? :D

Well DANG it here, TOO! I'm too YOUNG!

Shane, if we got put together, we'd average out to the right age -- and be one heck of a maintainer. :rofl:

:lol: :lol: :lol:
We need to pretend we are conjoined twins!

Hmmm.... I'm in the right age bracket, do I count as losing a 'large amount' of weight I wonder?

I sent Ms. Reid an email and got a response back fairly quickly. My amount of loss does qualify, but the study requires one appointment in Toronto, Ontario. Hmm.

I sent off an email!

She responded! Woops - requires a visit to Toronto! Damn, would love to participate!

Doh, somehow I missed Shannon's last post! ha :) She must have been writing it while I was emailing!

LOL. And here I am, an hour from Toronto, but I doubt my one day of maintenance qualifies. Haha!

hmmm... a trip to scenic Toronto wouldn't be bad.

Wonder if they'd accept me and just count my results as TWO participants, LOL.






[Naturally, double remuneration would be fair.]

Well I'd qualify for a few more months. I'll be 46 in November. Though lots of people think I LOOK younger - does that count ;) ?

I guess I won't bother emailing, since that trip to Toronto is required. Oh well.

Hey, do they pay for that trip to Toronto? Or do you have to pay yourself? Because I would totally go for a free trip to Toronto but I don't really want to pay for plane tickets or drive 8 hours...

Although at my current weight I'm arguably not at a "healthy weight" if they are going by BMI, I'm 1lb too heavy.

Hey, do they pay for that trip to Toronto? Or do you have to pay yourself? Because I would totally go for a free trip to Toronto but I don't really want to pay for plane tickets or drive 8 hours...

Although at my current weight I'm arguably not at a "healthy weight" if they are going by BMI, I'm 1lb too heavy.

Ditto! If they paid for the trip I'd be very interested - we could all go at the same time and have a maintainers reunion (or meet & greet) trip! Darn.

I bet that they would get all the participation they needed from here if they threw in the airfare to Toronto! Oh well!

Wow, Jessica, I did not know 145 pounds was technically one pound overweight for 5'4". It seems like a healthy weight to me :p and you look awesome.

Shannon - so, so true. Look how eager we all were until we realized you had to go to Toronto to participate :(
I would GLADLY participate in such a study here, even if I wasn't being compensated. If there is anything I can do to reduce the obesity epidemic and find any additional causes regarding why it's so prevelant in our society right now, I'm down.

Ditto! If they paid for the trip I'd be very interested - we could all go at the same time and have a maintainers reunion (or meet & greet) trip! Darn.

Now you're talking!!!

Shane, my ticker is slightly a lie, I've been 146lbs the past couple weeks. But yeah, 145 is the maximum weight that is a "healthy" BMI for someone who is 5'4".

Ditto! If they paid for the trip I'd be very interested - we could all go at the same time and have a maintainers reunion (or meet & greet) trip! Darn.

I just wanted to clarify that I'm not totally mercenary. Of course if I could participate in the study from home I would do it, just don't have the financial means to travel so far on my own for the study.

I emailed the study anyway, just to tell them that we're here if they're doing any studies now or in the future that we could participate in from our widely scattered homes. We're here and want to help others!

Great idea, Megan! We'd be a gold mine for researchers looking to study maintenance. Just think of how many of our members have signed up for the NWCR!

Wouldn't a Maintainers get-together be awesome? Think of all the pounds lost together in one room!! :faint:

Meg, I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Maintainers Cruise!!!

I emailed the study anyway, just to tell them that we're here if they're doing any studies now or in the future that we could participate in from our widely scattered homes. We're here and want to help others!

What a great idea. Glad you did that. I think sometimes studies are set up with mail-outs kits, letting you get your blood drawn locally.

Humph. I'm too old, but I'd gladly go back to Toronto even own my own nickel.

Mel

Meg, I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Maintainers Cruise!!!

Oh gosh. Anything, but please, not a cruise. With all that food, I'd be a maintainer no more. ;)

No worries, Robin. :) I lost a pound and a half on the cruise I went on a couple of years ago. So long as you stay in the "I'm a maintainer" mindset, you'd do just fine. Seriously, there's temptation everywhere we go. So long as we don't get in the mindset of a cruise being a reason to overeat, it's just another time we use our "eating out" strategies. And I know you're good at that!!

So ... where are we cruising to? :carrot:

Meg We're all cruising up the west coast of US/Canada to go visit Pat in Alaska :p.

Seriously though I thought I was in as soon as I read Meg's post. I live in Toronto, might qualify with the amount of weight I've lost (over and over and over again), and York U, although in the sticks, is doable with a car.

Then I looked at the age limit - I'm too old! Whew, that was an eye-opener. I used to participate in a bunch of focus groups ($50-100 cash for 3 hours) when I was younger and broker :p. Hard to imagine they don't want me for stuff any more, particularly since the boomers are still such a market force.

I'll probably be too young (!) for the studies with them in mind :D.

Have a great weekend all!

Dagmar

Great idea to drop in on Pat!! And I've always wanted to go to Alaska. Hey Pat, got room for a few dozen of your good buddies from 3FC?? :D

No worries, Robin. :) I lost a pound and a half on the cruise I went on a couple of years ago. So long as you stay in the "I'm a maintainer" mindset, you'd do just fine. Seriously, there's temptation everywhere we go. So long as we don't get in the mindset of a cruise being a reason to overeat, it's just another time we use our "eating out" strategies. And I know you're good at that!!

So ... where are we cruising to? :carrot:

Meg darling, when will you realize you are really unique among us? To lose 1 1/2 lbs while on a cruise must be some sort of World's Record.

Wait, were you sea sick the whole time? ;)

But seriously, vacations don't scare me any longer. I didn't lose all this weight to sit home in my "safe" haven. The whole entire world had to BECOME my "safe" haven. Or make that I had to learn how to navigate in the not so safe haven that is - life. But no one, no one knows that better then you.

Oh and cruises really do make me sea sick. A land trip perhaps? A spa?

My cruise idea was that we would take over an entire ship (maybe a teeny one :lol: and maybe with the rest of 3fc) and tell them to only serve healthy food. Don't they have weight loss cruises? I think I've heard about them.

Hey, if we cruised to Alaska I bet we could get lots of fresh salmon! Or we could cruise in the Caribbean and get lots of exercise snorkelling...

Actually another thing we could do would be to have a maintainers retreat. Go to one of these spa resort places where we could eat healthy, go hiking, and take yoga classes. Wouldn't that be awesome?

Nobody's emailed me back yet, but if I get a good response I'll definitely post it here.

I remember us all talking once about how we'd be maintainer-kids on the playground together. We all talked about how we'd be doing pull-ups on the monkey bars, and eating string cheese, raw veggies, and hard-boiled eggs when the other kids were having their cookie snacks. I have a feeling that's what we'd be like if we did get together. We'd totally make it the healthiest, most active vacation known to humanity!

I'm all for a Caribbean trip... ya'll can snorkel and maybe I can sneak in a few dive trips! I've heard great things about the conch salad. And of course we will do all the hiking, maybe some yoga, massages and facials - rewards for all the exercise we will do together. But we should wait until after hurricane season.

Here's the reply I just received. Ah well, I tried to make us heard. If I get an email in the future I will absolutely post it here on 3fc!

Hi Megan,

Thank you very much for your email and your interest in our study. I know the fact the study is being conducted in Toronto is a bit problematic for many. If we do end up doing a distance study, I could always contact you to see if you would still be interested in taking part. It is nice to know that there are in fact people like you out there. You are such an inspiration!

Best of luck with everything and thank you for your email.

Sincerely,

Caroline

----

Caroline Reid

Ph.D. Candidate

Kinesiology and Health Science

York University

I'm not a maintainer yet but WILL be soon! Anyways what has struck me reading this thread is the number of maintainers that are 45+. Maybe age is a factor and the researchers may be missing a trick here. I'm 45 and I must say I have been more successful in my 40s at losing weight than I ever was in my 20s or 30s.

My theory is that at our age maybe we are more motivated by overall health than appearance as we reach middle age - I know I am.

Kitty

Megan - I'm chuckling at the idea of all of us together on the playground with our healthy snacks and exercises. :)

I'm not a maintainer yet but WILL be soon! Anyways what has struck me reading this thread is the number of maintainers that are 45+. Maybe age is a factor and the researchers may be missing a trick here. I'm 45 and I must say I have been more successful in my 40s at losing weight than I ever was in my 20s or 30s.

My theory is that at our age maybe we are more motivated by overall health than appearance as we reach middle age - I know I am.

Kitty

The same is true of this 45 year old.

You raise a good point. Is it that it's even more unheard of for someone to lose weight and maintain as they get older? Because quite frankly it took me the 2+ decades to BECOME miserable enough to actually do something about my weight. I certainly know this isn't the case with everyone, but it sure was with me.

I was just going to write that my circumstances also became different in my 40's. But I realize that is/was just an excuse.

My guess is they are just narrowing their focus to exclude women near menarche or menopause. Not because they don't count. Just because you can't study everything at once. Too many variables. Especially if your funding is limited.

KforKitty and RRobin, I was just thinking the same thing. There was a thread on the 20-somethings a while back worrying about weight loss getting harder when they got older. I commented that while there may be some slight physiological advantage to being 20-something, that life experience and circumstances made it easier for me at nearly 50 than at any point earlier.

Based on how many 45+ in the maintaners group, I'd say I have idea for my Masters thesis if my job evaporates and I do go back to school. But hopefully someone will beat me to it, cause I think there's a lot to be learned from you all.

I'm not a maintainer yet but WILL be soon! Anyways what has struck me reading this thread is the number of maintainers that are 45+. Maybe age is a factor and the researchers may be missing a trick here. I'm 45 and I must say I have been more successful in my 40s at losing weight than I ever was in my 20s or 30s.

My theory is that at our age maybe we are more motivated by overall health than appearance as we reach middle age - I know I am.

Kitty

I agree! And with what Robin said about being miserable enough to finally find a way to lose the weight. I'm 45 and I just couldn't get my act together and get the weight off when I was younger. It seemed too overwhelming to me. I had to get to the point where I was just plain miserable and sick and that way of living was becoming harder than doing the work to get the weight off.

Maybe women our age would be a good group to study:)

I think those of you 45+ who had kids have a lot more time to devote to yourself after the kids become adults? Now you can focus on eating right (and only cooking for you and hubby) and have more time to exercise?

I don't have children but I have friends who struggled and struggled with their weight until the kids "left the nest". Not that they don't still care for their kids and give them advice etc. but they physically have more time for themselves. and most of them have now lost weight and are exercising regularly.

And those of you with young kids who are managing to lose weight and keep it off have my true admiration. Raising children takes so much time and commitment it must be extra hard to find time for yourself.

Dagmar

Bumping this thread because this request was reposted at stumptuous. The study is still seeking participants and hopefully we have some new maintainers in the past year who live in the area and can join the study.

I live a couple hours drive from Toronto and participated in this last year. It was very interesting, and I'm looking forward to seeing the results of the study when it is concluded. It isn't often that I've seen a study that uses maintainers, and I hope some useful information comes from this.

I think those of you 45+ who had kids have a lot more time to devote to yourself after the kids become adults? Now you can focus on eating right (and only cooking for you and hubby) and have more time to exercise?

I don't have children but I have friends who struggled and struggled with their weight until the kids "left the nest". Not that they don't still care for their kids and give them advice etc. but they physically have more time for themselves. and most of them have now lost weight and are exercising regularly.

And those of you with young kids who are managing to lose weight and keep it off have my true admiration. Raising children takes so much time and commitment it must be extra hard to find time for yourself.

Dagmar

I have 4 children in the house- 21 DS with Crohn's, 2 twin boys 14 yrs, 9 yr DD. Plus very often I have SIL (28 yr active), granddaughter, & DD to dinner. My husband is slim (as are the children) always have been, always will be.

Losing weight is hard but having the advantage of age made it a must do situation. I knew this time was different. I had to learn for myself how to cook for 10 plus people who have a variety of eating needs plus mine while living a very busy life. Once I made a decision that my health was priority 1, once I made the time to plan, it came together.

I am too old for the study too.

Great idea to drop in on Pat!! And I've always wanted to go to Alaska. Hey Pat, got room for a few dozen of your good buddies from 3FC?? :D

I'm sure I could find room! :) And dang, I'm waaay too old for the study as well.