A "crap ton of work" approach to not regaining the weight: I weigh in my own opinion and advice

Weight loss: There are many different ways to lose weight. Pick one. Do that. Check with your doctor somewhere along the way. You do NOT have to sustain weight loss, you have to sustain weight maintenance... There! I said it.

Many people will re-gain the weight post weight loss. The Biggest Loser's are not alone, just more in the public eye. Some people will not regain the weight. 5-20% won't, so you can choose to be a weight maintainer. *** Maybe***If you are willing to do a lot or even a little work and deep digging.

*** Depending on genetics and life circumstances, it may not be a choice you can fully make. Double copies of all the obesity genetics, tossed in with depression or other diseases.. well, I understand it goes beyond choice, way beyond calories in calories out, and the low fat snack food industry will try to sell you****  = It's complicated!!!!

Read what Doctor Berkeley thinks about it here:
     Dr. Berkeley's Article - When Public People Regain

There's not enough study, self experimentation, science, support in weight maintenance- in my opinion. If you do get to a goal weight, the next steps are the wild west. You'll hear so many different opinions your head will spin, you will exclaim- WHAT THE HECK!

My Best advice:  NOTE: this is what worked for me, it won't necessarily work for YOU. That's the hard part- customizing your own approach.

1. What worked for me:  Paleo-ish/Primal/Low Carb High Fat/Abstaining from grains and sugar approach. There are many different ways to maintain your loss, but based on genetics, past experiences, past diseases, age, menopause, allergies, you WILL have to experiment. You will have to change up your plan as you age. It's complex for many people.

 My opinion: Think weight maintenance is sustainable using what you used for weight loss and early weight maintenance? Maybe yes, but probably NO WAY.  Maybe YES WAY, if you are young and genetically lucky.  Good for you, easy maintainers- high five!

I'm one of the NO WAY people. I had to do a lot of work post weight loss to make weight maintenance work. High ten to those of you having to do this sort of change management.

I made 6 key changes over 3 years. 6 shifts.

2. What worked: 6 month shifts : Each 6 months over the last 3 years, I've had to test, re-test, change up my food template, my thought process, get help, remove things that weren't helpful.  I've had to do things other people HATE. My disease is their recovery. My recovery is their disease. That's okay.  I'm alive today because I did stuff that was right for me. No apologies.

 My opinion: If we look at the rates of re-gain after major loss, NO WAY will you maintain unless you can craft something that a what works for you approach. You are going to have to do a crap ton of work to maintain until you reach 3- 5 years post loss, according to statistics, what I've observed.

Example of " My personal crap ton of work"

My advice:  Several tactics in weight maintenance will work better for you. Find a few weight maintainers who are 3-5 years into weight maintenance and they are or have been steady THAT long. About 25% of them will match some or many habits, processes, experiences that you'll need.

Take what you need for yourself, leave the rest of their plan behind. Make your own plan. 

Here's a list of weight maintainers that I follow. (link) Make your own plan, but do seek out and question other people who are 3-5 years into solid weight maintenance.  SOLID in their processes. Truth!


What didn't work for me in the past:
1. Not respecting the inflammatory and food sensitivity of grains or sugars: 

Moderating grains/sugars + Auto Immune thyroid disease + menopause+ Food Addiction = crazy high inflammation + morbid obesity+ pit of misery

2. Getting too much advise from mainstream:

Not learning about other ways of maintenance from people who were  3-5 years into it.
Also taking too much advice from people who were actually re-gaining and not maintaining. Yeah, moderators. Love you, but I can't do that... I'm done re-gaining. DONE!

3. Not changing fast enough: 

I spent way too long, way , way too long trying to make other people's plans work for me.

 Okay, I hope this makes sense... feel free to leave your 2 cents below and bring your soap box. Biggest Loser, Public Weight re-gain, moderating vs abstaining, - let it rip!