Super Dieters share their six weight loss tips

[BariatricGirl 220]

Ever since this story aired on the evening news I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind. For years the National Weight Control Registry has been keeping records and documentation of those who have lost weight and kept it off for years. The term “Super Dieters” tends to turn me off a bit because we all know diets don’t work and no one should be called “Super” as if figuring out how to manage your weight somehow gives you magic powers. I’ve been a member for several years. The questions are extensive… they ask everything you eat, your activity, how much you weigh, did you gain, did you lose, etc.

Ok…. so they gave us six tips these people seem to have in common and I’m thinking most people won’t get past the first one. Just like knowing the sky is blue, this first tip will be just like being told it isn’t….but what if this nugget is really spot-on? Truth is it won’t apply to everyone but I’m going to attempt to explain why it might apply to way more than you think.

Let’s get the next part over with (the posting of the list) so we can go ahead and get done with the screaming after reading the first rule.

Rule No. 1. Don’t ever cheat. They never give themselves a break, not even on holidays or weekends.

Rule No. 2. Eat Breakfast. The National Weight Control Registry shows that’s one of the most common traits of those who succeed in keeping those pounds off once and for all.

Rule No. 3. Get on a scale every day.

Rule No. 4. Put in the equivalent of a four-mile walk seven days a week.

Rule No. 5. Watch less than half as much TV as the overall population.

Rule No. 6. Eat 50 to 300 calories less than most people.

So rule 4,5, and 6 deal with the “stuff” we’ve heard forever….calories in/calories out. For years I never ate breakfast because every day for over three decades I woke up with the idea that I would go as long as possible without eating. Too bad no one was around to tell me in the 4th grade that I was destroying my metabolism. So check…Rule 2 is a given. Since finding out there are about approximately 2,000 steps in a mile, most days…Rule 4, check!

Rule 5 done. Sometimes I watch TV while I’m walking so I’m not sure exactly how that fits in.

Rule 3 is an absolute for me. “Hello scale” every morning…it just gives me feedback and it has no special monster powers. I’ll do a “part two” in order to cover this in another post because this one is for everyone still laying on the floor from a cold faint after reading Rule 1.

My surgery was nearly 13 years ago and I’ve learned many, many things. Some beliefs that were absolutes changed and Rule 1 was one of them. I’ve told this before and I’m telling it again. Early on I would allow myself my one guilty pleasure ONLY IF I was able to get 5 pounds below goal. (It was a Quarter Pounder with cheese – insert my self induced shame). I was somehow able to stick to that but what I noticed was on the days I couldn’t have it, I wanted it! Eventually it became harder and nearly impossible to get 5 pounds below goal and after some period of time I also realized that I was beginning to forget how my “crack” meal tasted. Then I totally forgot and I didn’t even crave it anymore. Because I stopped eating it I had successfully rewired my brain to lose the cravings. I was also acutely aware the cravings would come right back if I ate another one…even one bite. Um….duh. That’s sort of like quitting cigarettes and having one just for fun after 3 years. I’ll say this again too. For me, the idea of taking a bite of something to get past the craving equates to giving an alcoholic a sip of beer to stop the craving. SOME of us can take these bites but so many cannot.

If I had a quarter for every post-op that told me the M&M story, I could take a trip to Mexico. The M&M story you might ask? Maybe it’s because they are tiny…but the story always starts the same. “I was doing great for 2 years, 4 years, (sometimes even longer) and I ate one M&M. Really what could that hurt? Next it was two then three…then a small bag, a bigger bag.” Some call it testing the waters. They went such a long time without one single M&M and nobody died, they certainly didn’t miss out on anything of nutritional value and they were doing great until they decided they could try just one. In other words they never cheated during that time and most were at the weight they wanted to be or at least smaller than after they started the M&M’s. You CAN be abstinent from sugar and junk food and it is far easier if you have none instead of a little for those that struggle with not being able to stop.

Again let me repeat….IF you can “eat just one”, go for it. I’m beyond thrilled for you!!! If you find you are not losing or you are in the process of regain, you could always try stopping any food you don’t wish to crave. Try it for a month but approach it one day at a time. When I’m somewhere and there’s a bowl of M&M’s, I look at it as if it’s a bowl of cyanide. Sugar put me in the prison of an obese body and at the end I would have rather died than spend another day at my heaviest weight. And really….if you were a drug addict would you allow yourself a cheat snort once a week?

This is a great quote that applies. 100% is easy, 99% is a b***h. Not eating processed sugar and junk food 100% is so easy but 99% leaves a ton of wiggle room. It has became totally effortless for me to avoid these foods but please don’t misunderstand…..my journey is still something I work on every….single…day.

If you still think this is utterly ridiculous, file it away for later. My favorite quote:

There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to investigation.

It means don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.

And just in case you might have missed this before… I’ll leave you with an oldie but goodie.. .

[Nellarifixmom 5]

I love this post, and the McDonald's sign! Thank you.

[LL112 63]

and there i was bargaining with myself to have a piece of office cake just now, and make today my cheat day of the week. Forgetting that, I've already had a cheat item on monday....such great reminder.

[gmanbat 5,889]

Wonderful!

Don't mess with your own brain. Don't lie to yourself. Build a solid wall and don't make holes in it.

This is war!

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

Great article, Yvonne!

[lsereno 2,525]

Gretchen Rubin's (The Happiness Project) take on abstinence is to put it with a positive spin For example, now I'm free from french fries, not I can't ever eat a french fry:

http://www.gretchenrubin.com/happiness_project/2013/01/want-to-be-free-from-french-fries-or-why-abstaining-may-be-easier-than-you-think/

Thanks for a thought provoking article. Great news to see you are at goal these many years later. You're my hero.

Lynda

[LumpySpacePrincess 594]

Very interesting article. I should add, though, that some of these points (never "cheating" or getting on the scale every day) would not really be helpful to those of us with diagnosed eating disorders. I know when I get on the scale every day, it becomes an instrument of punishment for myself. Many of us are like this, and I have found (as have others) that getting on the scale only twice per month is much more rewarding and less stressful.

I don't like the idea of there being "cheat" food. Sure some food is considered healthier than other foods, but to say it is "cheating" is implying we are somehow bad or wrong for wanting/eating these foods. Taking away the negative attributes attached to food actually allows us to look at it as just another piece of food, not a forbidden fruit, and we actually will want less of it. I know for those of us with Binge Eating Disorder, telling us we can't have one thing will just lead to a sense of deprivation so we end up panicking and eating five times a normal amount of something else, and eventually getting around to eating the item we were told not to on top of it. Some of us also take notions like "don't eat a cheeseburger" and apply it to every aspect of the food. "Ok, I can't have the cheeseburger so I can't have beef, cheese, or bread in anything else." This leads to over-restriction which cycles back to bingeing.

Exercise is another hard one for many of us with BED or exercise bulimia. You tell me to walk the equivalent of four miles per day (easily done if you're not sitting around all day), and my brain says "Ok, four miles? I'll RUN five PLUS do weights and cycling." A few summers ago I was exercising six hours per day for eight months straight until I burnt out. When I stopped I went right back to bingeing because I felt like I'd failed. So with the daily scale attendance, plus the restrictive eating and prohibitive exercise regime, it was just a recipe for disaster.

So I do think this list is good for many people, but those of us with eating disorders might want to look at how each point will affect us in the long-run.

[BariatricGirl 220]

I totally agree. I was (and am) diagnosed with an eating disorder. I have learned to retrain my brain over time. I gave the scale so much power...so much power....until I worked really hard at changing my relationship with it, with food, with almost everything. I certainly wasn't at this place even 6 years ago. We all have to find what works for us and if getting on the scale destroys you it can certainly be something to focus on. I finally reached the point where getting on the scale was just a number to an equation and I was responsible for the feedback I was receiving. Before I avoided it and suffered even more because I imagined it to be far worse than it was. Once I started weighing every day, my weight hasn't fluctuated more than 5 pounds in years because I can catch what I'm doing. I'd rather work on a few pounds than ten pounds.

Regarding cheating: I don't actually use that term because I don't eat food anymore that has no nutritional value and/or might wake up those cravings that have long been quieted. Some people Celebrate a cheat day and if you can stick to that day and not go overboard, that's awesome. Again 100% is easy and it's that 99% that can get some of us in trouble. Since I wrote that blog post I've gotten the M&M story 8 more times. We are all different but thinking can be rewired or even progress can be made to get to a place where we don't react the same way we did a few years ago.

Regarding exercise: I had to look it up because I didn't even know how many steps equaled a mile. I attempt to hit a goal for steps per day and I have learned to do my best. You could say no one should wear a pedometer because they will have to beat those numbers. For that very reason my apps that report my steps are only seen by me. I know if I see I'm below my friends that I will try to do way better and not for the right reasons.

The list was generated by hundreds of people who report to this registry and have kept their weight off for a long time. It's simply data compiled to see what things were "alike". I don't often talk about my abstinence from certain foods but it came up in the list. I also receive hundreds of emails from people who lose their way after doing so well for some time because they fell back into old habits. Old eating habits, old thinking habits. Every day I try my best to wake up grateful for all that I have instead of coveting things I don't have. It's about progress too....and certainly not perfection. Deep rooted disorders can be tough to change but for many change is achievable even if it takes a long time. Thank you and everyone for their comments. I appreciate your kindness and mostly your respectful way of expressing yourself.

[NancyintheNorth 112]

Loved the article - thanks so much!

[NancyintheNorth 112]

So I've been studying this article and others via google, and I wonder - what is cheating?

Is that eating anything (I mean anything) that is 'bad' for you?

Is it a piece of cake, or 2 Cookies?

Is this an absolute? Never/ever?

For myself I think that I'll have to abstain from certain trigger foods, but I don't know that for sure as of yet.

[Teachamy 1,042]

I think getting on a scale everyday during the weigh loss stage can leave many of us saddened and obsessive if we don't see a loss. Once we are at the stage where we are maintaining normal weight--I can understand the benefit.

[BariatricGirl 220]

Sorry I'm new...I messed up the quote part. This is it below.

So I've been studying this article and others via google, and I wonder - what is cheating?

Is that eating anything (I mean anything) that is 'bad' for you?

Is it a piece of cake, or 2 Cookies?

Is this an absolute? Never/ever?

For myself I think that I'll have to abstain from certain trigger foods, but I don't know that for sure as of yet.

Hey NancyintheNorth,

I looked to see where you were in your journey and it's early on so I would say this article would probably mean more to you down the road....but it's so much easier if you retrain your eating habits from the time of surgery. Once you get further out you will learn what foods are your triggers like what you eat when you aren't hungry but you are upset and want to numb out. Many people do not want to label food as good or bad and I totally understand that. They don't want you to feel even more shame than we already do because shame is SO TOXIC. What I'm trying to avoid is the shame you feel IF you have a great deal of regain. I'm going to post another article about regain that might help round out this subject matter.

For instance the M&M story. Some post-ops have gone 2, 3, 4 years or longer without a single one. And like I pointed out....no one died, they were happy but when they opened Pandora's box they couldn't put the toothpaste back in the tube. Early on in my "recovery" I would have thought it was ridiculous not to have a taste here and there but FOR ME I found out how much easier it was to not have any. (Quarter Pounder story) I haven't had cake, pie, candy, or any sugary type deserts in 13 years and I don't miss them at all. I purposely eat to put fuel in my body. I cannot afford to have "sex in a plate" anymore. It's like putting gas in my car. There's nothing exciting about it. It's just fuel. The reason I do that is because I was not able to stop at one "anything". It's just like some people can have one glass of wine and even leave some in the glass but others cannot.

If you start the change now you'll be so well prepared when the honeymoon phase is over because I've seen so many that get to the end and didn't change anything and ended up asking me "what on earth do I do now?" I could write for days about this but the regain article that I'll post today will go into those phases that I'm talking about. I so hope this made some sense. It's so great to go into this educated. Most of us only get one chance at this surgery and with a little education you can make every single type of surgery work.

[BariatricGirl 220]

Teachamy you are absolutely correct. Weighing every day is definitely not a good idea until you are into maintenance. Many do it because they want to know and can't believe their eyes. Since my surgery was so long ago I had that exact thing happen. I was about 2 months out and I didn't lose a single pound for 6 weeks! There was no one to talk to....I'd never even heard of a plateau. When I started losing again it seemed to fall off 5 pounds at a time. I really feel for those who ask "how much did you lose at 3 months?". Everyone is different and surgery types are different so you just have to have faith that if you are following your surgeon's program, you'll be just fine. Thank you for asking this question so I could be clear about the message in the article.

I think getting on a scale everyday during the weigh loss stage can leave many of us saddened and obsessive if we don't see a loss. Once we are at the stage where we are maintaining normal weight--I can understand the benefit.

[Iambeautiful 100]

I found your post very helpful. I am only two weeks and a few days post op. I am doing good on soft food and it's so amazing that when i go out that i have no desire to go to a fast food place. I can relate with the occasional 'cheating' thing. Before I had surgery, I would often justify myself and reward myself for being good on my diet with allowing myself a favorite food or meal. But then I found myself craving it then on my strict days and would find myself giving in to the cravings again. I used to visit a fast food place like McDonalds almost everyday after I'd take my son to school and usually it was just for a coffee and sometimes a Breakfast sandwich. NOw when I go out the fast food places are not even a choice for me now.... not even for a coffee. I make my coffee at home now and not tempted to have any thing bad with it. I feel so free since the surgery.... I plan on using this tool to my advantage. I haven't even thought of an M&M and doubt if I could even eat one if I wanted to. I won't start when i can eat solid foods.... that's for sure after reading this. A food aholic can never eat 'just one' of the junk food crack....... At least I can't for sure. The photo at the end of your article had me cracking up. I could see my name being on there too...... We miss you.......hahaha

[fit2Bme2014 38]

Thanks for the tips. I am not somebody who can stop at just one. Sweets are like crack to me. Looking forward to surgery the first week of April.