Why does regain happen so FAST. Last year I was 159, now topping 200. (Granted I was almost 300 so still ahead of the curve)

I haven't freaked out, eating 5000 calories a day, but mostly what everyone else is eating around me and they haven't gained 50 pounds.

After so many years of dieting I have no doubt my metabolism is screwed up but am I doomed the rest of my life to 1200 calories...or less?

I'd be interested in any studies or articles anyone has about how metabolism is affected after years of dieting and substantial weight loss and how to combat it.

Thanks!

It is true (someone can point to an article) that people who have been obese will forever have slower metabolisms than people who have not been obese.

But 5000 calories a day is a lot of calories (it's about what I was doing too) and really, you cannot know what "others around you" are doing. Did you eat more fries? When alone, did you also eat? Do they move more, etc.

I can "think" that I don't eat differently, but I do when I eat without giving it a thought (or when I'm hopped up on sugars/carbs).

But, it's just EASY to overeat more than you burn. It's not so easy to create a deficit long term - unfortunately.

Almost everyone I know who has lost weight and kept it off had to work hard to do it. They had to exercise regulary and they had to control portion size. forever. and their portion size is less than (or their exercise is more than) their like peers who never had weight issues.

Do people keep it off? I know many... but they have truly worked at it nonstop too.

For me to maintain at my lower weight I ate around 1450-1550 calories a day OR I could eat 300 calories more if I exercised either strength or cardio that day.

I have had this happen too... several times unfortunately... from what I've read once you become obese losing weight is not only really tough... But keeping it off is extremely difficult for most people... And it looks like, in fact you are metabolically different... I actually just came across a NYT article about it for some reason called the "The Fat Trap"... I think it was from back in 2011... If you google "New York Times - Fat Trap" it comes up...

I was up to almost 220 lbs last year when I decided to start this latest round of weight loss... AGAIN... Thankfully I'm down almost 60 lbs in just a little bit over a year and very close to goal now... BUT I swear losing the weight this time was literally one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life... I mean it was physically HARD... I really don't think I could do it again...

So right now I'm really starting to think about just exactly what "maintenance" is going to mean for me... And it's looking like it's going to be just as much work as losing the weight was...

I just want clarify this sentence. Do you mean you haven't freaked out and started eating 5000 calories a day? Or do you mean you ARE eating 5000 calories a day? If it's the latter, we've clearly identified your problem. Unless you are a professional athlete, you'll gain weight quickly on that kind of diet.

I think for me, exercise is going to be way more important in maintainence than it ever has been. Right now it's really all about what I'm eating... because in the grand scheme of things, exercise doesn't burn THAT many calories.

I'll have to look for the articles but I read much about how being overweight can mess with your body's natural "set point" where your weight will sort of gravitate without any real effort.

I think the context clues of the sentence clearly indicate that the OP is saying they have not done anything crazy like started to eat 5000 calories a day. That is my take on it.

To the OP...unfortunately once you've been fat, it's super easy to go back. It'll always be work to stay smaller.

The answer is simple - it is way harder to say "no" to food than to say "yes". Example - donuts brought in by coworkers sitting out for everyone. Takes lots of willpower to say no, if you have always loved donuts. Your mind goes through a battle deciding which answer is the best at the moment.

Well, I don't know any articles about metabolism, but what I've noticed about weight gain and why it's so easy is because there's so many incredibly caloric foods that are so easily accessible and don't make you feel full. I had a couple of donuts the other day (I was still hungry afterwards) and a single donut was twice my breakfast! And my whole wheat cereal and two cups of fruits really left me full.

For me, what made the change was switching to foods that are less dense in terms of calories. A small slip-up, like a tiny little chocolate bar, would already be over half of my lunch more often than not! So yeah, these slip-ups matter. And they especially mattered when I was having them constantly, always making bad choices and eating nothing of nutritional value.

Also, going through the market is always especially hard for me. Finding low-calorie foods that are tasty isn't so hard, but they're always much harder to make. You often need to cook or prepare or mix them. There's so much access to frozen and processed foods, and with our modern lifestyle, it's hard to separate the time to prepare good meals. So bad food is not only tastier and doesn't leave you full with one portion, but it's really easy to get.

It takes patience to get into these new habits, really, but very much worth it! I'm sure you'll be surprised by how easily your body will adapt.

Google and read the "fat trap" article.

Very good article and it was easy to read and understand. Truly made sense of what happens to our "dieting" bodies.

Ok, I totally misread the 5000 calories thing (though that is easier than one would think!)

But it doesn't take much to gain weight. 50 pounds in 6 months is eating about an extra 950 calories a day (or an extra 600 calories if you were also exercising an hour a day) over maintenance. And every person's maintenance weight varies by age, size, etc.

An extra 950 calories is: one 20 ounce soda is 220 calories, add in an ice cream bar and that's 160 calories. Oh, a tall glass of orange juice in the morning? another 220 calories. 4 oreos: 280.

it adds up QUICKLY!!!! And I think a LOT of people drink a lot of their calories and that totally doesn't fill you up! Man, one big gulp a day will make you gain 43 pounds in a year if you just add it on to maintenance eating!

I think most people get tired of counting calories long term. Most of its diet. It's probably hard to find "maintenance calories." Eventually it becomes a chore. Even in maintenance you would have to. I'm not quite at maintenance yet. I'd love to be ...it'd be awesome to eat 2300ish calories a day. But I suspect keeping track will be the hardest part.

Yep, it's amazing how little it takes to gain or not lose. A coupla extra glasses of milk does it for me. (I have low vitD and sometimes I Crave milk.) Or a salted peanut.

I noticed that when while losing, I get tired and tend to fidget less. Less movement-->slower weight loss and real danger if calories creep up. Having RA, low thyroid, and low vitD doesn't help. At all.

But maybe I'm different.....I'm having a heckuva time losing....Maybe it'll stay off?

Thanks for "The Fat Trap." It was nice and long with so much good information. It explained why it's so hard to keep weight off, but it wasn't "abandon all hope," either. Toward the end of the article are some examples of real people who have lost a lot and kept it off for years.

No problem. It's a good read.

I think I've read it before while I was still losing weight, but it was good to reread on the after side of weight loss and regain.

I just commented on my blog the other day that the beginning of weight loss is so easy. No major cravings. Not feeling hungry. It's like my body is not taking me seriously and not very worried about the sudden drop in food.

When I was nearing goal, 18 months into it, I could not stop thinking about food. I was so hungry and it was only exercise that helped me stay on track. When I got injured (three times) it just slowly wore me down. And then I just finally gave in as winter approached and made it even worse for me to stay on track.

And I have to tell you, it got really depressing when I went on vacation and gained over 20 pounds in a month. Over a Christmas season, the same. The weight piled on soooooo quickly and it was so hard to take off. I got depressed thinking about how super vigalent I had to be all the time. Even now, thinking about not being able to "let go"during vacation makes me weepy. Who wants to count calories while exploring new cuisines?

It truly is a lifetime commitment and not "most of the time", but all the time.