Based on an extremely small sample, I have the impression that two years into a new lifestyle is a critical time. One of my coworkers went on Weight Watchers in April 2008 and lost a little over 100 pounds by the spring of 2010, then had a backslide and gained back about 20 pounds over the summer. I have a vague recollection of a couple of other people running out of steam at the 2-year point.

Do any of you have any data points or opinions?

obegal, my feeling is that every point is potentially dangerous.
stay on track, stay on track, get off track.... get right back on track-- all we can do
hugs

I struggled but maintained this past summer/fall. I started October '08 but didn't really get serious until May '09, so that kind of was and wasn't the 2 year mark for me. Anyhow, I say everyone is different and you are in no way doomed to hit a plateau or backslide at a certain point. And if you do, well you just pick yourself back up and get moving again!

This is just my story.

For me, the first year after I reached goal was fine--and even a year and a half. I was doing great. But then my weight started to slowly go up. It was not a straight line, and it didn't go up in big leaps.

I love the idea that people just have to get right back on track again and everything will be fine, but that has not been my experience. I tried and tried to go back to losing, once my weight started to go up! And it would work for a few weeks. Then the routine would stop working--I couldn't keep it up.

So my weight went up and down, up and down, but the trend over time was higher. Mind you, I've fought back the whole time!

I'm not someone who typically is weak or lacks stamina or can't stick to things. So of course I felt like I had failed in some way. How could this be happening? I thought I would never regain weight. I was convinced I had a handle on this thing.

But, evidently I didn't. And I still don't. I'm trying to find another way to approach this because what I did in 2007 to lose doesn't work for me now. Maybe it's the law of diminishing returns at work.

So, I don't know whether "two years" is a magic number or not. But I do know that it is certainly possible to regain. And at this point I don't have any answers about how to stop that from happening.

Sorry if people find this scary. I should mention also that lots of 3FC maintainers are successful and have been for years. Just because this happened to me doesn't mean it will happen to anyone else.

Jay

Hi obegal, I don't know the statistics, but I thought it was after 5 years of maintenance under your belt, your more than likely on your way to maintain it?! Unfortunately weight gains happen (even for some maintainers) none of us are exempt from weight gain at any point in our life. Especially if you plan on doing it (maintenance) for LIFE. But I do know that LIFE is a LONG, LONG time to continue doing it & I suppose for some people they just are not willing to go the distance perhaps after awhile, life changes, many factors weigh in, metabolism changes, caring for elderly parents, stress, accidents, death, medications, injuries, well gosh- you name it & weight gain can happen. So I dunno about the two year thing, but weight gains happen for whatever reason & at any time- However, I DO know many peeps here that have MADE it past the 2 year point with success! MEG for one, Glory, myself, & many other maintainers so I will let THEM all chime in, being there are too many to name. I don't think the 2 year point is something you have to worry about obegal, just continue on with good habits the majority of the time & exercise often and you will be A-ok. Things happen, people change, weight fluctuates, you just gotta continue to be aware day after day...

Yes.

By the Ann Landers defintion, Yes.

Once asked if her mother had been right when she warned a young lady to be wary of men with mustaches, Ann replied, "Yes, and be wary of men without them also."

My data is that my two year point wasn't a specific big deal. But, by the Ann Landers advice of "be wary," I remain concerned that each year is a marvelous opportunity for me to begin that slippery slide back to gaining all my weight.

And Honking Congratulations, Oboegal, for your progress to date.

Honestly, I don't feel like I'll ever be safe, especially since I have binging tendencies. I know that at any point something could happen and my prorities could shift. And maintenance is hard work, everyday is a conscious effort so any slack and scale could slide. But the difference now is I know what to do and I know how to get back on track, but it will get trickier as my metabolism changes with age and life throws more challenges at me, but I'm willing to keep doing whatever it takes because life is so much easier without adding the challenges of being overweight!

Thanks for your replies.

Just to clarify my original question: you know how they talk about the "seven year itch", when boredom sometimes leads someone in an otherwise good marriage to think about straying? It's not as if it hits every marriage, or even most marriages, but it's enough of "a thing" to have a name.

Based on the fact that two people I know IRL started to have difficulties two years after they started a weight loss program (not two years into maintenance), I was basically wondering if this is "a thing", or just a coincidence. Probably just a coincidence. Personally, I'm doing fine and not borrowing trouble yet--it's just in my personality to look for patterns.

JayEll, I appreciate your candid reply--sorry to hear about your frustrations.

I see my own weight issue as chronic & incurable. It's just in remission now, and I don't know how long I'll be fortunate enough to keep it that way, but I am doing my damnedest right now, using the behaviors that I've learned can help me keep it in check.

I don't know if life will intervene, or if the effort will eventually exhaust me & seem beyond my powers, or if I'll find something else that requires all my energies. All I know is that right now, yes, it's still in remission, thank God.

I'm struggling a little right now, and I am just over the two year mark. But, I don't think the timing had anything to do with it - I let my guard down and have let bad eating habits slip back in. I'm about five pounds over where I want to be, and am taking my control back.

So, I don't think the two year point has to be trouble, but that anywhere that you let go of the vigilance that has gotten you there could be problematic. It is a lifelong process for me, not a 'just make it through this year'.

Thanks, Oboegal. I haven't regained everything I lost--just enough that I would need some months of effort to lose it again.

Binge eating isn't a problem of mine--I did want to mention that. It's more that setting a calorie level like 1350 per day average and sticking to it just doesn't work. I get too hungry within a matter of a couple of weeks. And anything above 1500 or 1600 seems to lead to a gain. The gain is not muscle.

It doesn't make sense--eating 150 calories more than 1350 per day "theoretically" shouldn't lead to a gain, or at least not as fast as I've seen it come on.

But I won't give up trying to work with this.

Jay

This is an interesting thread and one that resonates with me. Like others have said, I will never be cured. I still would love to eat whatever I want in whatever quantities I want. But (hopefully) I would rather be thin. I am right at three years of maintaining and my weight has been creeping up slightly the past few months. I am trying to wrap my head around it and take care of it before it gets out of control. There are days when I am sick and tired of being so "good" and exercising that I do debate throwing in the towel. I think that is what you are talking about with your IRL friends. I just have to remember why I lost the weight and what it means to me.

I have been maintaining for about two years now. I don't know if two years is particularly more dangerous than any other period. Even now I find that I have to be fairly vigillent to maintain. I've gained and lost 5-10 pounds during this period but the main difference compared to times is that I have a pretty good idea of how to deal with these up periods and can those creaping pounds relatively easily.

I also have found that making periodic fitness goals has kept me more motivated. For example, last year I made it a goal to run a marathon (had to imagine given that I could hardly run a mile when I was over 240 lbs). I trained all year, first building up my weekly milage and then spending a good 4 months working up to marathon shape. I did run and finish my first marathon in November, which I am very happy about. However, surprisingly, I found that training/running a marathon actually made me gain about 10 lbs. Mainly because I had to eat a lot of carbs during training and running. I generally eat low carb to maintain my weight, but I just couldn't run the marathon distances without eating carbs.

Good news is that I cleaned up my diet once the marathon was over and I lost the 10 lbs I gained in 2 months. I learned two very important things from this experience. (1) Long distance running is just not for me. It was very stressful for my body and I ended up with numerous chronic pains. Frankly, I think my body was just worn out by the end. (2) I just can't eat a lot of carbs and maintain my weight. It makes me hungry all the time and I can't control my appetite.

Anyway, I guess my point is that we need to keep an open mind and not be afraid to try new things to keep things interesting. It may not work as expected, but we will learn something new about ourselves that will ultimately help us maintain in the long run. I'm always reading new fitness and diet books and trying to see if I can learn anything new that I can apply to my life. It keeps me focused and I feel like I am getting better at my maintenance.

I regained 10-12 pounds of the weight I'd lost 5 years into maintenance, so I'm of the school that any time is a good time to regain . I maintained at that higher weight for 9 years and only recently, in the second semester of 2010, did I manage to lose 10 pounds again.

What I've learned about myself in these 14 years is that I'll never be so good at maintenance that I'll never regain, and that losing weight is ALWAYS difficult, no matter how many times I've done it.