For those that have lost a lot of weight and have been able to keep the weight off.?

Question

I am over 50yrs old and all my life I have battled with being over weight. I would loose the weight and in a short time I would have the weight back on and more. I am now on a diet and loosing weight , to do so I have cut way down on food intake and more exercise. When I get to the weight I want or even keep the lbs. off I have already lost, how do I adjust my eating to keep it off. What have you done to keep your weight off? Please help!

Answer 1

you're on the right track if you are exercising more. eat less alone will help you lose weight initially but when you try to go back to normal eating, you'll gain it all back. here's why:

let's say you normally eat 2000 calories/day. this is what your body expects to get. if you decide to go on a diet and only eat 1500 calories a day, your body will still be thinking that it is getting 2000 calories per day. so, for awhile, your body will be burning more than you are eating. but, eventually, your body will adapt to your 1500 calories/day intake. that's why a lot of people that just diet reach a plateau. you haven't changed your diet at all but the weight doesn't come off anymore...because your body is now expecting 1500 calories/day. if you start eating more than 1500 calories/day, the weight will go right back on.

hope you understood that...=] the only real way to keep weight off is to exercise. it boosts your metabolism so that you can actually eat normally and sometimes more and still lose weight. just so you know, when you exercise, your body needs more nutrients to recover. so it's not a good idea to exercise and not eat. your body will break itself down if you do this.

Answer 2

Obviously my results would be different being that i'm 30 years younger. However about a year ago i started this diet system called the "trim body system" and lost 20 lbs in roughly 2 weeks. I've since kept the weight off. The reason I haven't lost more since its because my goal wasn't to become freakishly tiny lol...but anyways, the key to the whole system was exercise daily for 15 minutes, 5 minutes of 3 types of exercise. AND the eating right part. Which they actually planned out, had product available that matched it and provided something like 100 different recipes for food that fit the diet. And by diet i don't mean like slim fast or eat tiny tiny portions and starve yourself...cuz that doesn't work for me, i like my food :) But anyways, the system works, its great, i love it and i know a ton of people that have used it too. Pretty much anyone that's used it properly or close to properly has lost the weight they wanted.
I don't have the information at the desk with me as i'm at a friend's house, but if you want more info send an email my way and i'll hook ya up. [e-mail]

Answer 3

Once you reach your goal weight, realize that what you are doing is making a lifestyle change...you can increase your calorie intake somewhat (so you don't keep losing) but not so much that you start to gain the pounds again...and keep exercising!

The key to maintenance is not to reach your goal, then go back to your "old habits". Realize that watching what you eat, and exercising is now a part of your life permanently. Plus, exercise will keep your metabolism up, so you'll burn more calories and thus can afford to eat a bit more without gaining.

If you step on the scales and see you're up a pound or two, don't panic...just go back to into "diet mode" until the scale gives you a number you are happy with...then work on maintaining that weight...it's okay to "fudge" or "splurge" once in a while...just make it an occasional treat and not a regular practice.

I can relate to where you are...I'm 41 and have been up and down since I was a teen...am currently working to maintain my weight, after spending last Fall/Winter losing 35 lbs...it's a struggle at times, but it's worth it...good luck!

Answer 4

firstly, cutting way back on food is your first mistake. if you do not understand how to eat healthy and correctly to lose weight, make an appt with a nutritionist who can get you on the right track. to lose weight, i would say you need about 1500 calories a day and to maintain weight about 2000 calories a day. you should be eating a rainbow of fruits, vegies, berries, and whole wheat/whole grain foods along with some lean protein and soy products. eating in moderation is key and you should be eating 3 moderate meals a day with 3 snacks. eating throughout the day will help keep your metabolism revving. also, drink green tea and water along with sugar free and light juices. you need to keep healthy and get all of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need. also, you need to be exercising at least 30 minutes 5 days a week and be sure to include weight lifting or resistance training at least 3 days out of those 5 and increase your time and reps every 2-3 weeks. always stay active and eat healthy. indulge once inawhile but only one serving or 3 bites of a dessert or treat. stick to it. don't give up. invest in a pedometer and aim for at least 10,000 steps a day. this will help keep you on track.

Answer 5

What happens all to often when we diet is we withhold food to lose the weight. When we've reached our desired goal, we resume normal eating patterns. What has happened when you limit your intake is this, your body's metabolism slows down as it isn't getting the same amount of fuel to run off of. Metabolism is how the body burns calories. Now, when you've reached your goal and resume your normal eating pattern, your metabolism hasn't had time to resume to where it was burning at and is still burning slower, therefore you pack the pounds back on.
You should institute some kind of regular exercise regime during and after reaching your goal to maintain your metabolism to keep and maintain your weight.

Answer 6

I am 48 years old myself. I used a program called Shapeworks, and I lost 95 lbs in 8 months. I have kept it off for over 4 years now. It works. Here is the website I went to: www.loseweightnow.com/tfward

Answer 7

Homeopathic Treatment for Excessive Fat and Weight :-
PHYTOLACCA BERRY's Mother Tincture is perhaps the safest and sure fire way of loosing excessive fat around abdomen. With Phytolacca Berry once you loose the excessive fat and weight you don't get it back because you body takes care of itself after that and keeps you from gathering up excessive fat. It is prescribed after having a baby too, to get the tummy to loose its flab and to make it flatter and tighter. And after loosing weight with this you don't get flabby it tightens up the flab and skin along with helping your body to shed the excessive accumulation of fat around the girth
The dosage is 15 to 20 drops of the tincture in half a cup of hot water thrice a day half hour before or after meals.
Avoid Chocolates, Coffee, Mints, Red Meat and Carbonated and Alcoholic drinks while taking Homeopathic Medicines. You have to take it for at least 30 to 45 days after that you start to feel the results.
To the best of my knowledge its the safest and the most sure fire way of loosing fat and weight and keeping it of for keeps. Excellent remedy for Obese people who cant seem to shed weight despite trying.
Homeopathic Remedies can be found at all Major Herbal Stores or could be bought on line, In most of the world Homeopathic remedies are quite cheap and easy to find and they do not need a prescription.
Take care and God Bless !

Answer 8

Alright. I plan on being a nutritionist later on in life and i know some stuff now.

So first off I'm a 18yr male 6'3'' and Weigh 204lbs(perfect for me) with a very active life. Weight lifting,Karate, and have a cleaning summer job. Do research i burn about 3500-4000 calories a day. Im trying to gain muscle weight so i am eating about 4000-4500 calories a day.

Now lets say a person to maintain there wieght has to take in 3000 calories a days. If this person wants to gain weight they should eat 500-800 calories over there normal maintenence caloric intake. So they would be eating 3500-3800. To stay the same wieght they would eat 3000. Now to lose weight they would want to eat 500 cals under there maintenence calories intake. So around 2500 calories. Your calories should not be eaten in 3 meals but 5 or 6 meals. Eating every 3hours.

Now that i have explained basic calories intake i will expand on food choices.

For Protein, You should be eating 1-2 g for ever pound of body weight. I weight 204 so i aim for 250 or more. If you weight 150 you should eat in between 150 and 300 g of protein.You should eat this amount to prevent muscle loss. Even investing in a whey protein supplement would be great..

Carbohydrates. Dieters worst enemy or best friend? I say Best friend. You just need to know which carbs are the best for you. Throughout the day you generally want Whole grains, bran, wheat pasta, brown rice, and fibrous greens. Also know as complex carbs or a.k.a. Long lasting energy. At first you may not like them, but they will grow on you in the end. No matter(Gaining weight, lossing or staying the same) what these are the carbs you should be eating. Remeber 1 g carb= 4 cals so if something has 5 fiber=20 cals subtrat that from your daily calorie totals. For fiber is never digested in your body and comes out whole. if you eat 35 g fiber thats alot of calories you can subtract.

Simple carbs. White bread, fruit, White sugar, other sugars, enriched wheat flour, bleached wheat flour, high fuctose corn syrup, etc. The only one i recomend is the Fruit and other sugars(Mainly dextrose). Fruit is obviously great for you, full of antioxidants,which can get rid of free radicals(Bad stuff). Promote regularity (Solid waste removal). Vitamins and minerals and all that good stuff. Now Dextrose should only be eaten after a workout. It will provide and insulin spike and cause nutrients to move to your muscles faster. About 25-30 g would be sufficient for losing weight. Don't forget to eat a fast digest protein with the dextrose,such as a Whey protein supplement mixed in water or some tuna or chicken.

Fats. Now alot of people think that eat fat is bad. Well its not. Eating the right kind of fats is neccesary to life. Eat fat or die(Just kidding), But it is very important. You shouldnt take in alot of foods that have alot of saturated fat in it or foods that ingredients read Hydrogenated (Insert name) oil. That means trans fat whcih is bad and shouldnt be in the body. I suggest low in sat fat and more Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Also under 50 g of good fat for losing weight. I suggest a flaxseed oil pill or a Omega3-6-9 pill or fish oil pills.

Vitamins and minerals---- plain and simple just take a Multi-vitamin every morning. With food intake that should be enough.

Recap.: 1-2g protein per lb of body weight.
More complex carbs, less simple carbs.
Good fats(Flaxseed pills, fish oils, Omega3-6-9 pills, olive oil). Eat low in saturated fat.

VERY IMPORTANT- Now if you need to cheat which i recommend. Make it a cheat meal and not a cheat day. Some diets are all about the cheat day which is wrong. A cheat meal is a better idea. Once a week one meal you can eat what ever you want.

Now you say you can lose the weight but you gain it back. Well its quite simple to keep it off. You should find an online site to help you calculate your calorie intake to not lose weight, but not gain weight. So say your is 2500 and you are now trying to lose weight with a calorie intake of 2000 to lose weight. You should slowly add 100 cals a week until your back at 2500. Once your at 2500 you have to keep eating good and limiting the bad foods. You must keep the exercise up. You can't just stop exercising when your down to the weight you want.

Conclusion. Keep up the good work and i wish you luck with keeping the weight off.

Hope i helped,
Zinko

P.S. Drink around a gallon of water a day. I drink 1.5 to 2 gallons.

Answer 9

You stick to a good eating habit and continue exercising.