Why do people regain

[Medowsweet 52]

There is a study saying people tend to gain a lot of weight back by 5 years.

And other studies say that most people gain at least -some- weight back at some point.

Why is this?

You would think that if it was old bad habits returning then the longer you have had the new healthy habits the more sticking power they would have (not less).

Is it the body fighting the weight loss like they mentioned in the biggest loser article?

Do you adjust to the low levels of ghrelin and so a tiny amount starts making you feel hungry again?

This concept is scary to me...

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,899]

Possibly due to what you mentioned.

I wonder if most of the people that regain, do so because of old habits creeping back in. That is eating more high caloric food, eating a little more than they should at a meal, eating/snacking on too many slider foods, not exercising, etc..

Edited May 5, 2016 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[sleevenv 483]

I haven't regained since I've only been in maintenance a few months, but my old habits and relationship with food are still there. It's truly a mental thing. I get hungry, but not that ravenous hangry kind of hunger I use to get. Food still tastes good and I still like it. For me, I have to stay the course 80% of the time and allow myself small treats or I feel deprived and am likely to go in a carb fest.

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I hit goal in Feb 2013 after losing 150# (surgery was Dec 2011) I was morbidly obese or overweight most of my life. This morning I am 4# over goal...I have to work at this pretty constantly. I am very active and avoid fast food and crappy food generally but I do indulge too.

So, here is the scoop. The surgery is still there as a tool even years later BUT it's probably 80-90percent on YOU at that point. Given the decades of obesity, it's no wonder my body is always"wanting" to regain.

I am ever diligent that my 4# over doesn't turn into 40 or 140....right? I stay ON IT. I view obesity as a disease that I have in remission but will never be cured of. I have a level of determination that is sharee by quite a few die hards on these forums and frankly that FOCUS is one of the reasons I am still here on BP. I can't ever forget that I am not just a normal trim woman. I am someone who can easily regain. It is also one of the reasons I got skin removal...it is like tossing those 3X sweatpants cuz I ain't EVER going there again.

[Sophie74656 1,572]

I can only speak for myself...while I have developed some different attitudes towards food, after being overweight for 30 years my brain is wired a certain way and I don't think that will ever change. I will always be a person who loves food and wants to eat and wants to eat a lot

[Miss Mac 6,261]

Ii absolutely agree with the Biggest Losers survey. Let me explain it with Miss Mac's science of yo-yo dieting:

You weigh too much, so you lose some weight - Water, fat, and unfortunately some muscle.

Oops, you gain it back, but this time it's fat coming back. Your body now has a higher percentage of fat than what you started with even though you weigh the same.

So, darnit, you have to lose weight again, Water, fat, and muscle.

But, you are a yo-yo dieter and gain all of that back, but once again it's fat coming back, and now your body has an even higher percent of fat even though it weighs the same.

Back and forth, you lose and regain in disproportionate amounts of fat to muscle and end up with a BMI and metabolism that are all whacked out.

We all know that the more muscle you have, the better your metabolism is, but each time we lose and regain, it gets harder and harder to find a balance that works for us.

My biggest battles are physical disabilities and salt. Anytime I gain a couple of pounds overnight, it takes me a month to lose them. It is not fair, but I will never give up trying.

[pr_pitbullgrl 1,039]

i dunno man. im still bout 15lbs away from goal but i can't imagine EVER going back to my old ways. to me its just not possible. i can't eat what i used to eat at all and i'm super committed. even if i get lazy i think i'd ramp back up to stay where i'm at (or where i will be). but how can you regain when you can't eat?? i don't get that at all.

[Recycled 2,182]

I used to say to people that I could eat 1/2 pound of food and gain a pound.

The biggest loser thing is nothing new to me. I kinda knew it all along. And if you apply it over a lifetime.....well, think about it........

You start off losing a bunch of weight real quick......so according to the new findings, your metabolism slows down...permanently ..then, of course you gain it all back.

However, now you have that permanently slowed down metabolism working against you.......making you gain more with less food.< /p>

A couple of years later, you go on another diet and lose alot of weight again....also really fast.....and further slow your already slow metabolism..........and yo and yo and yo....... get the idea now.

Every time you lose you slow you metabolism down further. It's a exponentially increasing formula for failure and weight gain.

So do I give up.?? No. My only shot is to obtain some restriction to limit food intake which will involuntarily counteract the bad habits, which developed over a lifetime of yo- yo dieting and gaining, mostly as a result of the metabolism thingy.

Hey.....whatever it is....it is. It's all history now and whatever I gotta do to keep it off.....I'll suffer through it .

Besides......with the help of my sleeve restriction, I still believe my brain is in charge and I can defeat that metabolism thingy. Or at best keep it in check.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@@Medowsweet

It is such a complicated topic. The people I know that have regained, regained because they started enjoying life so much, they stopped following the plan.

People naturally gain weight with age.

Some regain isn't an issue, 100% and then some regain is an issue.

Not everyone that has surgery is suited for it. A lot of people have unsupportive environments (spouses, co-workers, friends, family). They haven't done the mental work to lose weight and maintain a loss, which is why once they heal, they don't lose anymore, or they start gaining. Unwilling/unable to make lasting lifestyle changes.

I have never seen a comprehensive study about regain. They just look at numbers and never do in depth surveys or interviews.

The most obvious is, are people still weighing themselves? If you weigh yourself every day or even weekly, how do you regain 30-50lbs? Why don't you make changes at 10lbs? The reasons are probably because of some of the things I listed above.

Surgery is just a tool, it is only part of it. Most of it is mental, and unfortunately, you do need some will power post-op because head hunger is really real.

[VSGAnn2014 12,992]

My shrink works with a number of bariatric patients and has seen many people go through this process. Almost a year and a half ago I asked him, "What issues do you see patients struggling with who regain weight? And by that I don't mean that they're eating too much. I'm really asking what's going on inside them that leads them to regain?"

After thinking a moment, he said: "What I mostly see is that they're struggling to find new reasons and new motivations to focus on their weight and fitness.

"After they hit their goal weights, many of the rewards they got while losing weight go away. They're no longer motivated by seeing the scale move down. After a while, their family and friends get used to what they look like and stop commenting on their weight loss or weight. Even people who were their strongest supporters during the weight loss phase no longer offer supportive comments. And when this positive reinforcement disappears, that has a negative effect on the patients.

"So then they must find new goals and new motivations to maintain their weight and to be fit. And for some folks that's not easy."

So that's one shrink's brief observations about the cause of WLS patients' weight regain.

[JamieLogical 8,684]

I feel like most people seem to experience some sort of bounce back once their real life sets in and their WLS is no longer "THE THING" that is constantly top-of-mind for them. The get caught up in just living day-to-day, maybe go back to eating more convenience foods, maybe start allowing themselves more "treats" once they are at goal and it's easy to regain a few pounds before they catch it.

I also notice, at least based on the highly unscientific sample on these forums, that it seems like people who never reach their goal in the first place tend to regain more. I think in that case it's a sense of "failure" and "giving up" that lead them to return to their old comforts and habits.

[becomingmandikaye 262]

Possibly due to what you mentioned.

I wonder if most of the people that regain, do so because of old habits creeping back in. That is eating more high caloric food, eating a little more than they should at a meal, eating/snacking on too many slider foods, not exercising, etc..

I've seen the term "slider food" several times around the forum, but I don't know what it means. It makes me think of mini burgers! What is it?

[Sophie74656 1,572]

Possibly due to what you mentioned.

I wonder if most of the people that regain, do so because of old habits creeping back in. That is eating more high caloric food, eating a little more than they should at a meal, eating/snacking on too many slider foods, not exercising, etc..

I've seen the term "slider food" several times around the forum, but I don't know what it means. It makes me think of mini burgers! What is it?

Slider food is something that you can eat without feeling restriction. It's usually different for everyone.

For me it's popcorn. i can eat a ton of it and never get my full feeling

[CowgirlJane 14,259]

I do not intend to sound snarky...my comments are genuine. Your surgery was less than a year ago. 3-4 years from now you will very likely be able to imagine regain. The first say 6-18 months truly are the honeymoon period. I would say it was about 3 years post op when I realized that I could eat more, I was hungry more and frankly..just wanted to eat more! It seems crazy when you are in your first few years post op, but I am quite confident I could find those lost 150# without too much difficulty, unfortunately.

I had a friend say something like"since you have maintained so long, you won't regain" -that is dangerous thinking for me. I dont fret but I am diligent, like that diabetic that has the disease in remission...I know obesity can"strike" me again.

i dunno man. im still bout 15lbs away from goal but i can't imagine EVER going back to my old ways. to me its just not possible. i can't eat what i used to eat at all and i'm super committed. even if i get lazy i think i'd ramp back up to stay where i'm at (or where i will be). but how can you regain when you can't eat?? i don't get that at all.

[Babbs 14,680]

i dunno man. im still bout 15lbs away from goal but i can't imagine EVER going back to my old ways. to me its just not possible. i can't eat what i used to eat at all and i'm super committed. even if i get lazy i think i'd ramp back up to stay where i'm at (or where i will be). but how can you regain when you can't eat?? i don't get that at all.

You're still very early out. Heck, at 21 months out I am too. There are so many challenges that come up the further out we get. I don't know if it's a mental thing after hearing about the changes that happen at 18 months, but I'll be damned if at 18 months I could suddenly eat SO MUCH MORE and became super hungry. I could go up a pound or 2 and lose it within a few days before. Now I have put on about 2.5 pounds and it's not coming off doing the same things I did before.

It's really quite alarming.