Does the speed of weight loss affect maintenance ability? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

LaurieDawn · 03-23-2008, 06:32 PM

I read the "why are we different" thread this morning with great interest, and I have been reading more and more in this forum as I try to wrap my mind around the idea that I will be at goal (hopefully) in the next few months and really don't want to blow the maintenance part after working so hard at the losing part.

Anyway, conventional wisdom says that losing the weight quickly makes it more likely that we'll put it back on. However, my personal idols on this site (Meg, RockinRobin, etc.) that started at weights close to my starting weight seemed to have really zipped through the weight loss part and are doing well with maintenance. Not unhealthy rates of loss, but faster than the "1 - 2 pounds a week" often cited as the ideal. I wonder if conventional wisdom is more tied to those with only have 20 - 30 pounds to lose who lose it within a few months and then get tired of the weight loss thing, and if the rate of speed is not relevant as much as the understanding that it's a long-term commitment.

So, I'm very interested in your experiences. Do y'all think that losing it fast puts you in more danger of gaining it back?

Meg · 03-23-2008, 07:07 PM

Hi Laurie and

to Maintainers!

There's a lot of folklore about weight loss that isn't backed up by science and I think your question raises one such issue.

I'm not aware of any study or research that correlates speed of weight loss with maintenance success. If any group were to study the question, it would have to be the National Weight Control Registry since it's a whole study group of maintainers, but so far as I know, they've never written about it. In fact, I don't remember being asked about speed of weight loss in the annual questionaires that I've received, though I probably had to fill something out about start and end dates when I enrolled back in 2003. Regardless, I've never seen any hard numbers backing up the idea, but I have seen studies that say that the biggest prediction of weight loss success is continued exercise -- Ann Fletcher cites one study in Thin For Life.

My entirely UNscientific opinion is that speed of weight loss isn't a big predictor of maintenance success. We have successful maintainers here who lost very quickly (Robin) and others who lost in chunks, maintained for a while, lost, maintained, etc., sometimes over a period of years (Nelie). Still others lost a bunch fast, then the last few pounds slowly (Glory). Yet they're all successfully maintaining.

I think that you put your finger on what makes a successful maintainer -- a conscious commitment to continuing the lifestyle that led a person to goal. An understanding that the diet is never over and we never can go back to the way we used to live. The realization that the tools and strategies that got the weight off are exactly the same ones that will keep the weight off. And acceptance of the fact that maintenance takes as much work, planning, sweat, and discipline as did weight loss. Forever!

That being said, it may be that the longer it takes someone to reach goal, the more these lessons get hammered home. And of course, the longer you practice a skill, the better you get at it. I don't think any of us would be successfully maintaining if the Thin Fairy had shown up one night with her magic wand and made us all thin in our sleep (my personal fantasy!) Problem is, I would have woken up and had a bag of Oreos to celebrate.

But looking back at my own weight loss, I wouldn't change a thing about it. I lost an average of 2.4 pounds a week, though it was much faster in the beginning and down to seven pounds a month at the end. Fast? Maybe. But it still took me almost a year, which was ample time to learn every lesson that I needed for maintenance. Knowing myself, I think it would have been a mistake to slow down or pause for a while (though it works well for lots of people

). I needed that positive reinforcement of seeing the scale go down to keep my commitment level high. I needed the excitement of going down a clothes size every month to stay motivated. I needed to see change! And if I had stalled out around 160 (my original goal), I seriously doubt that I would ever have gotten going again. I guess I needed momentum to make it all the way through!

But let me qualify all that by saying that the biggest lesson I've learned here at 3FC is that there are as many ways to lose weight as we have members. When it comes to weight loss, very little is black and white, right and wrong. My way was right for me, but it doesn't mean that it's right for anyone else.

And I have to get up on my soapbox to say -- when it comes to "conventional wisdom" regarding weight loss maintenance, there is none. The message that we get from the media is that maintenance of a weight loss, especially a large one, is virtually impossible, so case closed. We here are writing the book on maintenance, one successful member after another. I've often said that someone needs to come study US!

So to conclude my very long winded answer, no, I don't think that speed of weight loss determines maintenance success. I think it's far more dependent on the recognition that weight loss is only Chapter One of the very long book of maintenance that happens to be the rest of our lives.

And Laurie, kudos to you on how far you've come and especially on how you're thinking about maintenance NOW.

Glory87 · 03-23-2008, 07:18 PM

Great post by Meg!

The only thing I would add is...sometimes, people who lose weight quickly, do so drastically and in a way that is not sustainable (not in every case of course!). For example, in one of my more boneheaded ideas in college, I ate nothing but a bowl of rice krispies and an orange everyday. My memory is a bit hazy, but I lost about 20 lbs in one month. Very fast weight loss! But of course, I couldn't sustain it and I didn't learn ANY healthy habits, so as soon as I "quit" I didn't maintain the weight loss. I was at 137 for...like...a day. I gained all the weight back so quickly I got permanent stretch marks on my belly as a reminder not to do stupid things!

junebug41 · 03-23-2008, 09:00 PM

Yes what Meg said

I would like to add (maybe it was mentioned and I missed it), but I think the reason why weightloss is said to fail at "taking" is psychological. Many on this site, myself included, have said that there is a mental catch-up that occurs well beyond the point you stop losing weight.

I was one of those that lost fairly quickly (within 6 months). Even though I was/am determined to remain in a healthy weight range, at the time I had difficulty coming to grips with all the changes (I had NEVER been thin). Thankfully, I went searching for support and found this site.

I went through the same thing when I got engaged. I really began to understand why there is a standard one year engagement- you need time to come to grips with the changes... or so my self help book says, at least :P)

rockinrobin · 03-24-2008, 08:11 AM

Yes, I was very fortunate and lost fairly quickly. I look back and I can't believe it myself sometimes. But, like I've said many times, I was VERY impatient once I made the decision to lose the weight and therefore VERY not tempted to "splurge", wish I had some of that back now, ahem. Whatever. Even if I was tempted, it didn't matter much, I resisted, that's just how badly I wanted the weight gone. It's not for everyone, but it was for ME. This is how I needed to do it. Like Meg said, there is definitely not one right across the board way to lose weight.

I also think since I was soooo heavy, I think my BMI was 56 or something like that and I was eating sooo much prior to changing my lifestyle, that the weight fell off faster. I don't believe the 1 -2 lbs lost per week holds true for that of a morbidly obese person.

I could have lost it in half the time that it took me to lose or double or triple the time, no matter. There is no way (G-d willing, and with MY doing) that I am putting it back on. Not trying to sound too cocky here, but whatever DOES happen it will have NOTHING to do with the SPEED that it came off in. Nothing.

I have learned and incoprorated wonderful sustainable life time, habits into my life and as long as I STICK to that, then the weight WILL stay off. Has zero to do with the rate of weight loss. I knew when I started this little venture, that I was in it for the LONG haul. I knew there was no going back to my old ways. So, I firmly, FIRMLY believe that keeping the weight off is not at all directly linked to the time it takes to lose it. It's all about what you do AFTER you lose. Go back to your old habits, you'll put it back on without a doubt 100% so. Stick with the method that you used to lose - you'll keep if off.

LaurieDawn, you're doing a bang up job. Love your new avatar by the way. I always love reading your posts. Glad to see you around here and I look forward to spending lots more "maintenance" years with you.

paperclippy · 03-24-2008, 10:17 AM

I lost more slowly than many people here (55lbs in 1 year 3 months), but I agree with everyone else, especially Glory. The first time I lost weight I lost 30lbs in three months, but it was with special K and slim-fast. The entire time I felt so hungry and restricted that I was so glad when it was "over" and I could go back to eating like "normal." I think a lot of fast losses are related to over-the-top diets and trend dieting, and if you lose that way you will not learn how to maintain your weight at all.

LaurieDawn · 03-24-2008, 05:24 PM

This thread will definitely be a keeper for me. Thank you all for your insights, and especially Meg and Robin, who took such care in writing detailed responses. I have been working way too much lately, and I have decided to back off of it for a few months and really concentrate on the weight loss. (I do contract work, and I have taken nine contracts since January, and each contract is a huge commitment, so I've had way too many sleepless nights as I worked to fulfill my commitments - not a good weight loss tool!) My one-year anniversary is less than two months away, and I'd like to be close to goal when I hit that. I feel much more secure about really pushing through the weight loss now that I have a better understanding of your experiences. (And if I talk a big talk, that means I'll have to deliver, eh?)

And Robin, thanks for noticing the avatar. I actually really like her, though I was hesitant to choose her because it's not a realistic body image. I think she conveys power and strength, though, and I was very much attracted to that.

Glory87 · 03-24-2008, 06:56 PM

Nah, Wonder Woman is great! I have the theme song on my iPod as part of my workout mix!

Tara D · 03-24-2008, 09:18 PM

I lost my weight VERY slowly. I had no goal weight when I started. All I knew was that I had gained almost 20 pounds in 6 months (while eating out -- and not working out --in Chicago for a year), and that it was probably a good idea to go back to healthier eating habits and start exercising a little again. I didn't want to gain more weight.

I lost my 35-40 pounds over the course of about 3 1/2 years. I watched the scale to make sure that I wasn't gaining, and took losses as positives when they occurred, but never had a goal like "losing 4 pounds in a month". Things just crept down very slowly. When I lost weight, I just didn't regain it. It was a very low stress way of losing. I didn't have the disappointment that people sometimes feel when they don't see a loss in a given week.

Though exactly what I've been eating and how much I've exercised have varied at different times in the last 5 years since the start of that weight loss, it has definitely been a lifestyle thing. In fact, I feel comfortable saying that I've never been on a diet. I've only eaten things that I've wanted to eat, and I've not eaten things that I don't want to eat. What I want or don't want to eat has been defined differently at different times in the last few years, but I think the philosophy (which right now is eating at home, eating nutritious foods, avoiding fried foods, and not eating things that I can't pronounce) seems to work well.

Meg · 03-25-2008, 04:57 AM

Laurie, I'm glad we could help a bit.

You have a good plan for the next few months and you're right, weight loss really is like a part-time job. We have to make ourselves a priority for weight loss to work, yet it can be strange and different to say that sometimes our needs come first. But very necessary!

Go Laurie -- you're on the home stretch now!!

AnnRue · 03-25-2008, 06:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glory87

But of course, I couldn't sustain it and I didn't learn ANY healthy habits, so as soon as I "quit" I didn't maintain the weight loss. I was at 137 for...like...a day. I gained all the weight back so quickly I got permanent stretch marks on my belly as a reminder not to do stupid things!

I have a theory. It isn't about how fast you lose, but might be about how long it takes you to get there. Reading a lot lately about neuroplacticity and our mind's ability to change via repeated behavior. It takes a while to train your brain and have your brain change accordingly.

So maybe the reason people who appeared "lose slow" have seemed to keep it off is because the time it took allowed the brain to change. While a 3 month diet may not long enough to achieve any long term brain changes.

But the speed of the weight loss only impacts how long people spend changing behavior. Lose fast / crash diet/ and your brain doesn't change. Lose slower and it is like that period of time trains your brain. I think this applies to all weight loss even weight loss surgery.

rockinrobin · 03-25-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaurieDawn

This thread will definitely be a keeper for me. Thank you all for your insights, and especially Meg and Robin, who took such care in writing detailed responses. I have been working way too much lately, and I have decided to back off of it for a few months and really concentrate on the weight loss. (I do contract work, and I have taken nine contracts since January, and each contract is a huge commitment, so I've had way too many sleepless nights as I worked to fulfill my commitments - not a good weight loss tool!) My one-year anniversary is less than two months away, and I'd like to be close to goal when I hit that. I feel much more secure about really pushing through the weight loss now that I have a better understanding of your experiences. (And if I talk a big talk, that means I'll have to deliver, eh?)

And Robin, thanks for noticing the avatar. I actually really like her, though I was hesitant to choose her because it's not a realistic body image. I think she conveys power and strength, though, and I was very much attracted to that.

I know for me, my weight loss couldn't occur until I made it front and center. SUCH a hard thing to do. But it HAD to be done. Meg, I adore what you said about it being a "part-time job". Oh how true that is! Although I've reached my so called goal, or target weight, I still keep it very much on the top rung. It's just the way it has to be for me. NOT making my weight, my health that is, a priority is what led me to and allowed me to remain at 287 lbs. I can't let that happen again. So, top rung it remains.

Laurie Dawn, I talk a big talk too. Just how I say that I'm keeping this weight off forever, that it's never coming back on. But ya know what, I think we've got to. Believing it can be done is more then 1/2 the battle in GETTING it done. So keep on talking and keep on believing. Because you ARE getting it done and I've no doubt that you will continue to do so.

evilwomaniamshe · 03-25-2008, 09:15 AM

Good post Lauriedawn & Congrats on your loss thus far, how FABULOUS!

I guess I fall into the category losing weight fairly fast, being I lost 25 pounds in 3 months time. I have been maintaining my loss for over a year already, so perhaps my brain learns fast, or else I'm a quick study......

Who knows maybe I am a minority on this one, but my way is working wonderfully for me. I do know my weightloss lessons and maintenance are very similar indeed and they were literally hammered into my brain from the getgo! I truly believe that is why I am a s-u-c-c-e-s-s.

If you continue to do what you did to lose the weight, you too shall be a successful maintainer plain and simple! ( no sugar coating needed) I honestly do not think it matters how big the loss, or how small the loss may be, to maintain ANY loss will ALWAYS be the same regardless.