There are as many ways to try to lose weight as there are types of flowers – or so it often seems. There’s been the low-carb craze, the high-carb craze, the liquid diets, the cabbage soup diet, and the Beverly Hills diet to name just a few.

Because I’ve been in the weight-loss arena for a lot of years, between my decade of obesity and my almost 14 years of weight maintenance, I’ve seen a lot of diets come and go in popularity. One thing has always remained constant in my mind. It has seemed that no matter what type of diet the person I was speaking with tried, it tended to boil down to caloric intake.

Recently, a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that calories are the final frontier in weight management.

I found this interesting, because it really has been what I privately thought for years. Yes, people lose weight with the South Beach Diet. Yes, they lose weight balancing fat calories. Yes, they lose weight eating a high-carb diet. But the key ingredient seems to be calorie control.

The study found “no differences in weight loss or the reduction of fat between four diets with different proportions of fat, carbohydrates and protein,” according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. Instead it was “diet adherence” that made the difference in whether the participants were successful with losing weight.

Why Does it Matter?

At the end of the day, you’ve got to eat in a way that is sustainable for you, helps you feel good physically, and allows you to lose weight at a reasonable pace. Within those three areas, I think that the sustainability factor is of great importance. Can you sustain the method by which you are losing weight once you reach your goal weight?

If you are eating low-carb, can you transition to maintenance and keep up that lifestyle? If you are following a very low-fat diet like the Ornish Diet, can you keep your fat calories that low for the long-term? Asking yourself these questions is part of learning what weight loss method will work for you.

I can’t tell you the number of people I’ve met who did cut their calories to a weight loss level, but were absolutely unable to sustain their plan long enough to get to their initial goal weight, much less move into weight maintenance. Believe me – it’s a big number.

As you work on losing weight or maintaining your weight, remember that at the end of the day, it’s about calories, sustainability, and being able to stay at a healthy weight once you get there.

Does seeing this study that says the source of the calories doesn’t matter surprise you? What do you think? Diane

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There was an article last month published in the New York Times entitled “The Fat Trap.” The author of the article, Tara Parker-Pope, detailed a study by physician Proietto which found some pretty depressing statistics for those of us determined to not only lose weight, but maintain our weight loss.

The author sums up the study, which found hormonal reasons for weight regain, with this statement:

While there is truth to this guidance, it fails to take into account that the human body continues to fight against weight loss long after dieting has stopped. This translates into a sobering reality: once we become fat, most of us, despite our best efforts, will probably stay fat.

The author also struggles with her own weight, admitting to being about 60 pounds overweight right now.  The article mentions the National Weight Control Registry, of which I am a member. She indicates that those people in the registry who consistently maintain a weight loss eat far fewer calories and exercise more minutes per week than those people who never had to lose weight.

One of my fellow weight maintainers, Lynn Haraldson, indicates when interviewed for the article that “People don’t like hearing that it’s (weight maintenance) not easy.” She and others interviewed for the article detail the diligence with which they watch their calories, exercise regularly, and weigh frequently. I admire their honesty and commitment to maintaining their weight.

This article left me pretty depressed because I felt like the end result of the article was the message that if you lose your weight, you will very likely not maintain your weight unless you become a superwoman or man of extraordinary diligence, ultimate focus, and unfailing resolve.

I know that statistically myself, and other long-term maintainers are the exception, not the rule. In our ever increasing society where people of a regular size are in the minotiry, I wonder if part of the reason people have trouble maintianing a healthy weight is that society accepts and makes it very easy to be overweight. The abundance of fast food, the unhealthy processed food that promises quick satisfaction but little nutrition, and the reluctance of some food manufacturers to make changes just contributes to the obesity crisis.

My Rebuttal

I wanted to offer you encouragement and a slight rebuttal to this article. Not every person who maintains a large or small weight loss has to turn into a person who never stops thinking about their weight, and feels like it is a burden. I’m one of those people who finds it a joy to maintain my weight.

Why?

Because I’d much rather exercises consistently, pay attention to the fat, portion size, and calories in my food, and weigh every day than struggle to get out of bed in the morning, find it difficult to tie my shoes, or be so overweight that I can’t fit into normal chairs. Not to mention the health benefits that come with maintaining a healthy weight. Normal blood pressure, ease of movement, little joint pain, good cholesterol levels, and not having my doctor tsk tsk me every time I see her are just a few of those benefits.

If you read this article and left feeling like you should just throw your hands in the air – don’t. Instead, focus on the joy that will come when you get to your healthy weight, and the joy that you will feel every morning when you get out of bed and are able  to exercise and live your life the way you want to – without being hindered by your weight.

How do you feel about weight maintenance – impossibility or a joy to look forward to?  Diane

If you missed my blog about Making Real Changes in your life to achieve great weight loss or maintenance, please check it out on the Attune blog.

Here are some realities I’ve discovered through about 25 years of fighting with obesity and learning to live in weight maintenance.

Obesity is not fun. The realities of struggling with lowered energy levels, the inability the fit into clothes or cars properly, the sad realities of medical problems such as high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and joint problems beat me up throughout the years.

Weight maintenance is not a temporary moment in time, but rather a permanent moment in time.

Weight loss is less about “talking about it” and more about “doing it.”

Weight maintenance is all about doing the right things — most of the time.

Obesity caused me to shrink from life at times, leaving me with fewer friends then I really wanted.

Weight maintenance gives me freedom from constantly worrying that people only “see” my weight rather than my personality.

I tell you all of these things to give you something to think about this week. Weight loss, obesity and most of the associated downsides can be temporary if you turn your life around now. I’d encourage you to examine whether you are standing in your own way from getting where you want to be. Banish your excuses, make a newly renewed commitment to achieving your goals, and share your passion with someone you care about.

What’s a reality you’ve discovered about weight loss and weight maintenance?  Diane