[KigerCat]

Springboarding off a comment in another thread...
What are peoples thoughts/experiences with the idea of "resetting" your bodies "programing" after a significant amount of weight loss
Seems like that's the new buzz word and some diets seem to be using this.

I know that 500 per day Cal one with the drops or shots does something like this (Dynamite Products has a similar one)...where after a set time on the plan (one course of drops) you enter a resteeing phase where you are not actively dieting but letting the body readjust to the new weight, eating healthy. Then you hit the perscribed plan again and repeat until you get the desired results. A friend has done the Dynamite program and lost quite a bit, but it always seems to come back and she has to keep doing additional protocals.

I have read that the body wants to go back to the higher weight it remembers, that it's "comfortable and happy there", so maybe the re-setting period has some validity?

Just wondering if the re-setting idea works, has worked etc....or if it's better to just keep grinding away slowly at the ultimate goal.
To me the mini plateaus you hit along the way seem to be the body's way of adjusting as you go. So wasnt sure if once you get to a certain point (like say mid-way to your goal) you take a few weeks and go into a sustaining phase, keep up the healthy eating but not actively try to lose more. Just be consious of what you are eating, staying active etc and let the body settle in at that new weight before hitting the weight loss train again.

Thought? Comments? Personal experience?

[LockItUp]

Through my weight loss I only ever took a couple days break, a few times, and it was more for mental reset than physical reset. I experienced weeks here and there with no loss, or a gain, for no apparant reason, but always netted a loss for the month.

That said, since mid-December when I hit 139 I had struggled from then until end of January trying to lose and decided I needed to enter maintenance for now. I had gotten as low as 136.8, but with all my effort and calorie cutting I was still in the 137-140 area. For the past 4.5 weeks I've maintained in that same exact area yet have been eating LOADS more. I took all of that as a sign that this is a nice weight for my body so it's time to focus solely on weight training and building strength and hopefully some muscle and aim for body recomposition. I never had that problem before getting to a "normal" weight though.

[April Snow]

I had thought about doing a maintenance break when I started my plan for the first time in 2011. Losing a certain amount, and then taking a break from actively losing and just maintain for a while until I was ready to lose again.

Unfortunately, I just went right from actively losing to actively gaining instead. It wasn't really a deliberate choice, of course. But I think that for me, it would be dangerous. I am hoping that getting down to goal weight will be enough of a difference for me - and mean that I've done things like get rid of every single item of clothing that fits a bigger sized body. As it was, even losing 65 lbs left me wearing a lot of the same clothes. They were looser at 198 than they were at 263, of course, but aside from some stuff that had gotten truly way too large, I had most of it on active rotation in my closet. And I worry that if I got back to 198 and decided to stop again, I'd be at the same point, where I could gradually gain the weight back and not really notice that much.

So my plan is to not stop until I have all new clothes - ones that I will notice right away if they are starting to get too small, and I'll have no choice but to turn things around and shrink back into my wardrobe.

[AlmostMe]

I'm doing "Intuitive Eating" so my whole approach is living maintenance. I am trying to live a healthier lifestyle - but not a restrictive one. At some point I will exercise less, I think - because right now I'm training to get fit for rugby and a 10K this summer. At some point I will be eating well and exercising appropriately and I will stop losing weight...and I have to accept where that is.

[Robin41]

I wouldn't base any decision on what an incredibly dangerous fad diet company is spouting.

I also tend to believe that we over think virtually everything to do with losing weight. Consistently create a caloric deficit and your weight will trend downwards, set point or no set point, but it's like there's some human need to turn it into rocket science.