Why do so Many People Regain Weight?

It is rather depressing to know that most people who lose weight usually gain some, if not all, of the weight they lost back within a couple of years. You obviously want to believe that you're going to be one of the few who manages to keep the weight off, but there are always doubts lurking in the back of your mind. At least when you're losing weight you have something to keep your mind fixated on. You may have a particular dress you would like to fit into for a wedding or you may want to get down to a certain weight before going on holiday.

Once you are trying to maintain your weight, though; there is no such incentive. You don't get the same boost of stepping on the scales each week to discover that your healthy eating and exercise routine has helped you to lose a pound or two. Indeed, you may try to keep track of your weight for a few weeks or months after reaching your goal weight, but, eventually, you may decide to avoid the scales, even though this usually proves to be a big mistake. If you don't know how much you weigh it is much easier to go back to your old eating and exercise habits, since you are oblivious to the impact it is having on your weight.

Of course, you can generally tell that you're gaining weight, as your clothes start to get tighter, but you don't know just how bad the situation is. The trouble is that it doesn't matter how exactly you lost the weight – you could have gone on a crash diet or simply followed a healthy eating plan – your inclination is always going to be to revert back to your former habits. It takes a long time to make something into a habit, and once it is established it is even harder to get rid of. If you're used to eating at certain times during the day or after experiencing particular emotions, then this is what comes naturally to you.

Unfortunately, if you have the type of habits which leave you consuming too many calories, the inevitable result is weight gain. You may be able to lose weight when losing weight is your main obsession; when you're giving it your full attention and planning every single thing you eat and making yourself exercise. The difficult part is when you're at your goal; everyone has stopped praising you for your weight loss and you come down to earth with a bump. You realise that to keep the weight off you're going to have to constantly watch what you eat and make an effort to exercise.

However, the chances are that life will get in the way or you will grow tired of calorie counting and exercise, so that, in the end, you simply give up. Consequently, you become one of the failed dieters, and like so many of them you may find that your weight constantly yo-yos up and down, rather than ever stabilising and remaining within a healthy range. Thus, to achieve weight-loss success you have to be just as determined to maintain a healthy weight as you were when you were actually losing the weight in the first place.

Is it Possible to Lose Weight Without Gaining it Back?

It must be possible to lose weight without gaining it all back again, otherwise what is the point? If you believed that you were going to pile on the pounds after coming off a diet, you probably wouldn't go on a diet in the first place. Yet, this is the experience many people face. They lose weight whilst they are following a diet, but then stop following the diet and gradually start regaining all the weight they lost. The likelihood of failure increases if you go on a crash diet and lose weight quickly, but it seems that some people never learn.

The trouble is that you know it can be difficult to stick to a calorie-controlled diet and so you want to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. Being able to see the results keeps you motivated for awhile, but eventually you get bored of eating the same old food and as your weight loss slows down you don't see the point of carrying on with it. You go back to eating junk food and filling your plate high with food at meal times so that your calorie consumption increases and you gain weight as a result.

Although it may be possible to lose weight without gaining it all back again, you have to be prepared to change your eating habits. Dieting may help you to lose weight, but it doesn't get you ready for what you need to do to keep the weight off, as the emphasis is on reducing your calorie intake significantly. You are obviously able to lose weight if you stick to a diet, but you will probably be missing out on vital nutrients since diets are generally so restrictive. Consequently, you can't stick to a diet forever and eventually you just go back to eating what you're used to.

Unfortunately, the chances are it was your former eating habits that caused your problems in the first place. You therefore have to work on changing your habits, so that not only do you lose weight, but you are also able to keep that weight off. You need to get used to reducing your portion sizes, eating less junk food and more fruits and vegetables, whilst also increasing the amount of exercise you do. It is only by learning to get the balance right between the calories you put into your body and the number of calories your body expends that you can control your weight.

Overall, then, if you want to lose weight without gaining it all back again you have to re-train yourself to eat the right way and to get more active. If you simply go back to how you used to eat and give up on exercise, the chances are you will pile on the pounds again, which is clearly what you don't want.

Why do so Many People Regain the Weight they Lost?

It can be difficult to stay in the right frame of mind when losing weight, because it seems to take a long time to get where you want to be. The temptation is always there to just give up trying to lose weight, as then you will be able to eat whatever you feel like without worrying about how many calories you’re consuming. However, it is this kind of attitude that leads people to regain the weight they managed to lose. They want to be able to eat anything and everything, which obviously makes weight maintenance more challenging.

Losing too much weight
One of the reasons that people regain the weight they lost is that they shed too much weight in the first place. Not everyone is designed to be super skinny and so it may be just too difficult to maintain such a low weight. You may decide to use the Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine how much weight to lose, but if you have a large frame you may end up looking too skinny.

When people around you are constantly telling you that you’re too skinny, you may find yourself becoming more relaxed about your eating and exercise habits so that you put on a few pounds. This can become a problem if you end up putting on too much weight again.


Losing weight too quickly
Everyone wants to be able to lose lots of weight quickly, but to do this usually requires you to go on a very low calorie diet. When you decide to follow the latest fad diet you run the risk of malnourishment, because the chances are you won’t be getting the wide range of nutrients you need.

You may lose large amounts of weight in the beginning, but it may not necessarily be fat that you’re losing, but rather water and muscle. Eventually, your body will adjust to being given fewer calories and your weight loss will slow down, which is often when you are inclined to give up. Instead of eating healthily you simply go back to your former eating habits and pile on the pounds once more.


Negative attitude
If you have lost and gained weight a number of times in the past, it is not surprising if you don’t have much self-belief. Even when you’re actually losing weight, you may become preoccupied with the thought that you’re only going to gain it all back again. As a consequence, you might simply sabotage your own efforts, so that once you have reached your goal weight you give up trying to control your weight because it much easier to sit around eating rather than taking the steps needed to maintain a healthy weight.

It doesn’t have to be that way
Although yo-yo dieting is something that many people experience, it is entirely possible to lose weight and keep the weight off. However, to do this successfully you have to adopt healthy lifestyle habits that will ensure you never have to go on a diet ever again.