Harder the second time around? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

NYFLAgirl · 08-16-2011, 10:50 AM

Hey everyone! Has anyone noticed that its been harder to lose weight their second go round?

About a year ago I lost about 40 lbs but then gained back about 25. Now that I'm starting up my weight loss again I feel as if its been harder this time. I almost feel like my body knows what I'm up to and doesn't want to cooperate!

Has anyone else noticed this with their weight loss?

Beach Patrol · 08-16-2011, 10:57 AM

Hello. I am Beach Patrol. I am a yo-yo dieter. Nice to meet you.

And yeah, it's harder the 2nd time around, as it was for me the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, & 7th time. Here I am ... ROUND 8 of weight loss. I'm really hoping that I have truly learned some lessons by now, and that this will be THE LAST TIME I will ever have to lose weight. I will welcome maintenance with open arms & a closed mouth, LOL!

NYFLAgirl · 08-16-2011, 11:02 AM

It's nice to meet you Beach Patrol! It seems like you are doing a great job-and at least you had the drive to actually keep trying all of these times!

I just feel like the weight isn't coming off as fast the first time around. It could be that it was a year ago and I don't really remember though. I'm just a little disappointed in myself that this weight I'm losing now is weight I already lost once before. It just makes it a little more frustrating I guess.

abluvion · 08-16-2011, 11:35 AM

No sense beating yourself up about it

What happened happened, and what's important is to move forward!

I have this general vague feeling of "it was easier the first time" but the first time was oh, 10 years ago now. So not sure if that's an accurate remembrance, or something I tell myself. Either way - what matters is that it's coming off NOW. Slowly but surely, right? Didnt gain the weight in a day, right? Etc.

Just as you shouldn't compare your loss to other people's since everyone's body is different, comparing your progress now to progress before is going to be counter-productive too. Your body is constantly evolving. And maybe you're doing things a bit differently now. Who knows? Figure out what works for you in the here and now..... and run with it!

Good luck!

runningfromfat · 08-16-2011, 11:40 AM

Yes, I agree. It is a lot harder the second (and other subsequent times) to lose weight. That being said, I've found that slower weight loss has been good for me in a number of ways because I've had to deal with a number of issues that I have surrounding my weight and emotional eating that with quicker weight loss I never dealt with before.

kurbain · 08-16-2011, 09:13 PM

I've been up and down the scale a LOT. Less due to yo-yo dieting; more because of my 3 amazing children, ages 5, 3 and 20 months. Weight was ~160 before baby #1. I eventually got back down to maybe 162 (almost!) from my post prego weight of about 197. After baby #2, I got back to 172 before getting knocked up again. That was a lot slower. Now this time is even slower, but I did have a foot surgery a few months back. So I'll be happy to get into the 160s, which I haven't seen since early 2007. The 140s haven't been seen since about 2004. But yea, I definitely think it's harder after the 1st time!

April Snow · 08-16-2011, 10:38 PM

I do think it gets tougher and tougher each time. A friend of mine has a theory that you teach your body how to cheat (she can explain it better but it makes sense when she does!)

I'm actually having really good results with my current plan, which is brand new to me. And I'm kind of petrified to cheat because I don't want to stop the kind of progress I'm making, as I am afraid that it would not be as good the next time!! So the only suggestion I would make is that if you are doing things the same way as last time, maybe try shaking them up a bit?

christine123 · 08-16-2011, 11:34 PM

This time around (maybe the 10th or so) has been the absolute hardest. The weight is coming off at a snail's pace, despite being more diligent about counting, and I have many more temptations around me mostly because I have chosen to stay more social this time around rather than isolate to avoid temptation, and for the first time ever, I work in an office stocked with my favorite candy, chips, etc. I am going to have to be diligent about maintenance and not regaining because I don't really want to do this again.

rainydays · 08-16-2011, 11:43 PM

YEP! Although to be fair to my body, my baby isn't quite four months old. The last weight loss journey (my first serious attempt), my twins were three and a half, so I wasn't technically losing baby weight...well, maybe really old baby weight! Lol...that's why my first mini goal is to get back to 203, where I was at the point of my weight loss before I got pregnant with my youngest. Since that's 34 lbs from my 6 week postpartum check up weight, a pretty big number, my lower ticker seems to CRAWL. I also weigh in more consistently this time, so TOM fluctuations, etc. make it feel like it's going slower than it is. Anyway, just keep on keeping on!!

yossarianlives · 08-17-2011, 05:57 AM

Yes, the weight definitely did NOT move when I recommitted... again. I was doing the gym more than ever, and eating well but nothing was happening. That was when I decided I needed to attack it in a completely new way and went on Dukan, and I've lost nearly 20lbs.

Dukan writes a lot about the weight that your body maintains, and he says that eventually your body will begin to resist weightloss--some sort of instinctual physiological response. Very interesting idea...