Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 21:42     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You can definitely lose it. Whether you can keep it off for more than a few years is an open question. DCUM is full of people who swear they know a ton of people who lost 40 lbs permanently through diet and exercise alone, but I am always very skeptical of those posts because those anecdotes don’t track years and years of rigorous population studies.


That’s fair. But have you ever considered many people have zero interest in being studied or sharing that kind of health information in a way that it would be recorded for a study? I didn’t and I have zero interest in that. I already have people saying garbage non stop about my weight loss years later. It’s exhausting.


The studies that track weight loss aren’t about what people like. Typically they come out of large longitudinal studies. And there are approximately fifty years worth of them.

All I’m saying is that I side-eye the fact that DCUM seems to have a very high number of extreme statistical outliers, and that makes me inherently skeptical of everything else they say.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 21:39     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Yes. I’ve done this twice — and kept the weight off for 5+ years each time. What it took for me was making changes that were consistent, over a very long period of time.

Each time, I gained the weight back during times of severe stress, when I couldn’t make eating well a priority, and couldn’t build exercise into my daily life.

Wishing you well with this, OP.

Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 21:31     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Of course you can. Eat less and walk as much as possible.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 20:25     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:You can definitely lose it. Whether you can keep it off for more than a few years is an open question. DCUM is full of people who swear they know a ton of people who lost 40 lbs permanently through diet and exercise alone, but I am always very skeptical of those posts because those anecdotes don’t track years and years of rigorous population studies.


Right. The studies show most don't keep it off. Not that nobody does.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 20:24     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is your height and weight? At your age, I think you can still do it without medication, but agree you should change your thinking on timing. The longer it takes, the better for keeping it off.


I’m 5”3 and 165-170. Used to yo-yo between 120-135/140. I work full time and have two little kids so you can imagine my “diet and lifestyle” which I am looking to truly overhaul.


This seems like a reasonable goal. Just take it slow and try to make small changes that you can see being permanent. I lost 50 pounds in my early 20's and kept it off until having kids in my mid/late-30's. Gained a ton of wright during each pregnancy and did not lose much in between the two. Have been obese (though often just barely) ever since and youngest is 11! I occasionally lose 15-20 pounds but then it creeps back up. I am afraid I probably need meds.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 19:47     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:You can definitely lose it. Whether you can keep it off for more than a few years is an open question. DCUM is full of people who swear they know a ton of people who lost 40 lbs permanently through diet and exercise alone, but I am always very skeptical of those posts because those anecdotes don’t track years and years of rigorous population studies.


That’s fair. But have you ever considered many people have zero interest in being studied or sharing that kind of health information in a way that it would be recorded for a study? I didn’t and I have zero interest in that. I already have people saying garbage non stop about my weight loss years later. It’s exhausting.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 19:38     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:You can definitely lose it. Whether you can keep it off for more than a few years is an open question. DCUM is full of people who swear they know a ton of people who lost 40 lbs permanently through diet and exercise alone, but I am always very skeptical of those posts because those anecdotes don’t track years and years of rigorous population studies.


You sound like so much fun to hang out with.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 19:08     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
You can definitely lose it. Whether you can keep it off for more than a few years is an open question. DCUM is full of people who swear they know a ton of people who lost 40 lbs permanently through diet and exercise alone, but I am always very skeptical of those posts because those anecdotes don’t track years and years of rigorous population studies.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 17:50     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
It's possible and you should try. If it doesn't work you can try the meds.

I lost with clean eating and moderate exercise. I was eating a lot of fast food and didn't work out at all. I cleaned up my diet and workout for 30 minutes 6 days a week. Two days I lift weights. I kept it off for 10 years then gained 13 pounds last year due to illness. I have 3 pounds left to lose.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 17:32     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
OP yes, you can.
I am 54 with some serious long term health issues and I lost 30lbs between March and Oct last year and I've kept it off.
I doubled the distance I was walking daily from 2 miles to 4 miles (brisk, high energy walking, not a saunter) and I cut my calories from free-range eating to 1200-1500 per day.
Initially I totally cut out sugar and cake / chocolate / alcohol etc but I have been able to allow the occasional treat since the majority has fallen off and so long as I keep within the calorie range for the day.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 16:04     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
It’s definitely possible - here’s a source of inspiration: http://www.nwcr.ws/default.htm
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:13     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:It’s absolutely possible. I lost 60 lbs in just over a year through calorie counting and moderate exercise 4x/week. I’ve maintained it for 13 years so far.

There are plenty of people who do this and keep it off. Most diets do not fail because of mysterious biological factors. They fail because people over-restrict and can’t maintain the diet; also, they do not make long term changes needed to adopt healthy habits and more intuitive eating.

I recommend Lose it app. Set to 1 lb/week and it will give you a fairly generous calorie budget, probably more than you think you should have. For example, I lost weight on 1900-2000 calories per day and without restricting any food groups. It is better to eat the most calories you can while still gradually losing weight - otherwise your hunger will go into overdrive and backfire.

Lastly, you’ll feel awesome after losing even 10 lbs. don’t focus on the big number, just focus on milestones.


Thank you for these suggestions!
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 15:13     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:What is your height and weight? At your age, I think you can still do it without medication, but agree you should change your thinking on timing. The longer it takes, the better for keeping it off.


I’m 5”3 and 165-170. Used to yo-yo between 120-135/140. I work full time and have two little kids so you can imagine my “diet and lifestyle” which I am looking to truly overhaul.


I was you - same exact stats. I gained a ton with my pregnancies, did not shed weight easily. When my son was a toddler I was finally able to shed the last 25 pounds pretty easily. Since time is hard to come by for exercise, you really really have to focus on controlling your diet. I ate mostly vegetables and drank water and didn’t drink alcohol or have sugar. It wasn’t that fun but it was effective. Able to maintain with a more “normal” diet, but do have to focus on portion control (as we all do as we get even marginally older).


Thank you for your response, helpful to hear from someone who’s been in similar shoes.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 14:43     Subject: Re:Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Sure, I’ve done it a few times. Weight loss is pretty easy, the problem is it’s nearly impossible to maintain.

Not true. If OP wasn't overweight until a few years ago, she can absolutely lose it and keep it off. It's when you struggle your whole life and become an adult overweight, then your physiology changes and makes it harder.


This is mostly true. Depends entirely on how OP got there beyond the pregnancies and what is happening to keep the weight on.

Everybody is different, but the defeatist attitude of a lot of people on this forum is exhausting.


It is a little ridiculous. There are many reasons diets fail, but I know so many people who have lost significant weight and kept it off. It’s not impossible by any means.
Anonymous
Post 01/26/2023 14:40     Subject: Can I lose 30-40 lbs (or more) without medication?
It’s absolutely possible. I lost 60 lbs in just over a year through calorie counting and moderate exercise 4x/week. I’ve maintained it for 13 years so far.

There are plenty of people who do this and keep it off. Most diets do not fail because of mysterious biological factors. They fail because people over-restrict and can’t maintain the diet; also, they do not make long term changes needed to adopt healthy habits and more intuitive eating.

I recommend Lose it app. Set to 1 lb/week and it will give you a fairly generous calorie budget, probably more than you think you should have. For example, I lost weight on 1900-2000 calories per day and without restricting any food groups. It is better to eat the most calories you can while still gradually losing weight - otherwise your hunger will go into overdrive and backfire.

Lastly, you’ll feel awesome after losing even 10 lbs. don’t focus on the big number, just focus on milestones.