January/February weight management challenge

[goldfinch]

I am currently not in the weight management challenge although weight management is a huge challenge for me. I just wanted to say I have really enjoyed reading the conversation so far. I am surprised at how many people have to weigh every bit they take, it makes me believe that is were I am going wrong. I lose weight and then gain it all back because I don't think I have to count, weigh, measure anymore. I guess I need to realize it is a life time of counting calories or a life time of being fat. The chose is mine.

I learned a lot reading about the people who are on the National Weight Control Registry. The people who are on this registry have lost at least 30 pounds and have kept it off for at least one year. A number of kept it off for years. I am hoping to join some day and provide data.

There is variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off. Most report continuing to maintain a low calorie, low fat diet and doing high levels of activity.

78% eat breakfast every day.
75% weigh themselves at least once a week.
62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.
90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.


http://www.nwcr.ws/

Here is some information they have culled out on those who regain weight:

Risk factors for weight regain included more recent weight losses (less than 2 years vs. 2 years or more), larger weight losses (greater than 30% of maximum weight vs. less than 30%), and higher levels of depression, dietary disinhibition, and binge eating levels at entry into the registry. Over the year of follow-up, gainers reported greater decreases in energy expenditure and greater increases in percentage of calories from fat. Gainers also reported greater decreases in restraint and increases in hunger, dietary disinhibition, and binge eating. This study suggests that several years of successful weight maintenance increase the probability of future weight maintenance and that weight regain is due at least in part to failure to maintain behavior changes.

I keep wondering about the fat calories because my diet is much fattier than it was before I started losing weight. I got fat eating a vegetarian diet that was pretty low fat. It is hard to know from this information if carbs also increased with the fat or was it fat alone that increased.