Keeping a weight loss lost
Edina: I mean what you two don't seem to realise is that inside of me, inside of me, there is a thin person just screaming to get out.Mother: Just the one, dear?
- Absolutely Fabulous Episode 1.2, "Fat"
For us Eddies of the world, nutritionist Leslie Beck's article "How to Keep Off the Pounds You've Shed" is a good news/bad news report. (The Globe and Mail, in its inscrutable Canadian way, will at some point paywall access.)
I don't aspire to be thin, just within a healthy weight range, where I reside at the top. (If you are wondering if you're in the healthy range, as defined either by body-fat percentage or waist-to-hip ratio, the site healthyforms.com provides great tools.) Some achieve this by genetic good fortune, others by effort.
Many women deal with what's called "suitcase weight", the ten or twenty pounds they gain and lose, gain and lose.
Many women deal with what's called "suitcase weight", the ten or twenty pounds they gain and lose, gain and lose.
The fall-on-a-cake-knife bad news about weight loss from Beck:
- Failure to maintain weight loss is due to alterations in hormone levels which happen for at least a year after losing weight.
- These hormones slow metabolism and increase hunger, so post-loss, you will be hungrier and prone to gaining back what you lost, or even more.
The good news:
- The study was conducted on subjects who were on a very low calorie diet; the results may not be as marked for those undertaking more modest calorie restrictions. (I wonder how they recruited subjects, who only got 500-550 calories a day via Optifast.)
- Another study suggests you may be better off on a diet that combines protein and low-glycemic index (GI) carbs.
As Beck says, it's healthier and less painful to keep pounds from piling on than to lose them and keep them lost.
As for the role of exercise in weight loss, it doesn't help much, as the article "Phys Ed: Why Doesn't Exercise Lead to Weight Loss?" by Tara Parker-Pope in The New York Times explains. But there is good news within this bitter pill, too.
First, there are all the other significant benefits of exercise, the same ones naturally thin people get.
Second, she quotes Dan Carey, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology:“'If you work out at an easy intensity, you will burn a higher percentage of fat calories' than if you work out a higher intensity, so you should draw down some of the padding you’ve accumulated on the hips or elsewhere—if you don’t replace all of the calories afterward." That's the tough part. It's so easy to make an immediate withdrawal from the caloric bank account (After all, I earned it!) and then also float myself a little loan on the Exercise Equity Line of Credit.
For an observation about women and their weight through a cultural lens, see "New York Skinny vs Paris Skinny" by Garance Doré, who has gained weight after moving from France to New York, but also is feeling oppressed by the American standard of thinness (at least among her copines.)
Comments
I particularly appreciate the reminder that some intense exercise is required to burn some of the trouble spots.
Have a great weekend
Helen
Bourbon & Pearls: I always say "the only time I am not hungry is when I am eating". In my 20s, before we knew much about them, I took diet pills and still have faint longing for how "well" they worked... one of the ill-considered acts of my youth.
Chicatanyage: A common "gift" of the menopausal years. I found that my body shifted, and stayed shifted but that I finally returned to normal sleep patterns.
What a constant battle it is. And yes, simple carbs are the enemy.
I was in the danger zone of the BMI and decided to try to get a handle on this post menopausal hormonal situation. I have reduced the amount I eat, not so much what I eat and so far I am happier and feeling more energy. I will never be stick insect thin but rather on the plumper side of the norm.
I appreciate your timely post, you are a fountain of knowledge Duchesse and that's why I keep on coming back to see what gems you have to offer us.
Cheers!
kathy peck: The more muscle you build, the higher your resting metabolic rate, so weight training is also helpful.
hostess: Walking is wonderful exercise, though Beck's piece suggests not so effective for weight loss. But the other benefits put it on the top of my list, too.
LPC: Unfair, relentless, unalterable. Some bodies also have to deal with genetic predisposition.
Minimalist Magpie: As a WW Lifetime Member, I applaud you! IMO maintenance is harder than losing, b/c losing is fun, applause for those milestones and the pride in nearing a goal.
It's a different approach and one which has been enormously helpful for me. I'm not as hungry, the menopausal fat around my waist and on my thighs is gone...well, some of it is back in my face, thank you. I sleep better and my bones don't creak. I have done it since August and am converted :)!
Judy: Have been following articles on the paleo diet (under various names) for some time. For me life is too short to *entirely* give up dairy and grains. But an emphasis on whole foods, vastly reduced sugars- can do that. Am not a nutritionist, so just listen to Paleo Diet friends. Some feel terrific eating this way and others do not.
Thanks for contributing your experience, will interest all of us.
It's very discouraging to say the least. I do exercise and while it makes me feel better, it certainly doesn't do anything for losing weight. I've always been a slow loser, but menopause has made it seem almost impossible.
What's changed? About 45 minutes of brisk walking (to do errands and meet friends, not at a gym) every day, and a lot more fiber in the form of fruit, veg, pulses (lentils - yum!) and whole grains. Another benefit is that my gut is a lot happier with me than when I was eating "white stuff" regularly.
Nancy K: Have long said we get only so many smooth cruises downward, and after each significant loss our bodies seems to adapt (as the recent study notes) to our diligence by making it harder. I try to see a silver lining: WW made me a responsible (well most of the time) eater for life.
Rubi: Dropping refined or processed foods has to be a good thing. Wonder too if the sheer effort of the move has contributed? I too lost weight during the most intense months of our move.
What was hard for me was dropping to fewer points as I lost weight. My leader was terrific, encouraged me to retain points from my previous level if I needed to and told me not to give up the snacks.
Many women gain some back (it is a lifetime project- did it 18 yrs ago!) but as this leader said, "No shame. You now have the tools and no one needs to go to bed hungry."
I never had to worry about what I ate and am having a hard time with "mindful" eating. I don't do well with hunger. My blood sugar drops and I find that I can't focus or think about anything but food. I usually am happiest when I eat freqquently throughout the day. It really makes me sad when I hear/read responses like Bourbon's who claim that they go through life in a state of constant hunger. I don't want that!
So, I'm still struggling with all of this... Reading everyone's responses helps!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111132215.htm
We lose and gain weight differently, so comparing myself to someone else is not very useful. The key is finding what I can eat that satisfies hunger longest. I mostly stay away from high calorie/low nutrient foods and accept a higher weight (top of range for my age) as long as my cholesterol level and other important indicators are fine. My brother is diabetic, a condition exacerbated by weight; I do not want that to happen.
Thank you so much for sharing that link.
I'm loving 'MyFitnessPal' a website that's like online Weight Watchers but free! You log all your food and exercise and it works out your calories. And there's a social aspect if you like.
Cheers,
Eleanorjane.
Eleanorjane: Thanks for this link- a free resource is great. After quite an indulgent weekend, I wish the norm were self-serve for dinner parties!