It’s official – Oprah is human. That explains how it was possible for her to regain 40 pounds. Today on her show, Oprah will share how she fell off the wagon like so many others before her. In fact, 80-90% of dieters regain the weight they lose! While there’s an endless amount of information about how to shed those pounds, unfortunately there’s not much out there about how to maintain that weight loss. Frustrated by that void, obesity specialist, Barbara Berkeley, M.D., wrote a new book to help post-dieters succeed – Refuse to Regain!: 12 Tough Rules to Maintain the Body You’ve Earned! What does it take? Dr. Berkeley shares a few of her tried and true tips with FatFighterTV.
Losing the weight
First, it’s important to look at the weight loss journey. Whichever diet you chose, you probably follow it to the letter because you want it to work, right? And often, it does. But what happens once you reach your goal weight?
“Most diet books and most diet programs don’t place much of an emphasis on maintenance,” says Barbara Berkeley, MD. “People have just got the idea that once they’ve lost weight, if they go back to what they were doing before – sort of moderately – they’ll be fine. But in fact, they have to enact the same kind of plan they enacted to lose the weight. And what makes it more difficult is they have to permanently enact that if they’re going to keep the weight off. So of course, it’s a much more difficult task.”
It’s like training for a marathon
Dr. Berkeley has worked with overweight and obese patients for 20 years, helping them to control their ideal weight permanently. And her website, Refuse to Regain is an online support system for weight maintainers. This paragraph from her site is so powerful and so true:
No one has ever explained that learning how to maintain a weight loss is like training to run a marathon. Unlike the sprint of weight loss, maintenance is a long distance event which requires a different kind of knowledge and spirit.
Tools to maintain
So, what do you need for this long distance (forever) event? Here are a few tips Dr. Berkeley shared with FFTV:
- Develop a plan. You need to find something that works for you. Any plan that’s out there should be modified to meet your specific needs.
- Write down your plan and follow it with complete and utter conviction at least for the first three to six months of maintenance until you’ve figured out what’s going to work for you.
- Weigh yourself every day. Consider yourself a scientist in your first year of maintenance, meaning that you’re going to use your scale to tell you what foods do to you. You’re going to look every day. If you’ve added something back, you’re going to see if you’ve had a response to that. You’re going to see what actually is causing you to fall off the wagon or crave things or gain weight.
The book goes into much more detail on these tips and a lot more – all are part of the 12 Tough Rules to Maintain the Body You’ve Earned.
As Dr. Berkeley puts it, “It’s a book for people who are looking to interrupt the cycle of gain and loss at whatever point they are in that cycle.”
Finally, some much-needed attention to a topic too often ignored. Thanks, Dr. Berkeley!
Can anyone out there relate? Share with me where you are right now in that cycle – are you trying to lose weight? Or trying to maintain it? What’s the hardest thing for you?
Just for commenting, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win Refuse to Regain! for free!
A few contest details: It ends at midnight EST this Friday, January 9… you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter… and a random number generator will pick the winner.
I’m trying to lose weight right now.
I am trying to lose weight right now, too.
I lost almost 16 lbs last year and put all but 2.8 of it back on over the holidays! I talk about CHANGING my LIFE but when will I do it??? And if I succeed, will I KEEP it all off??? I need to get this book, obviously.
I lost 150 pounds, and maintained for a long time, but then, life got in the way, and it’s been a struggle to keep it on track. I find maintenance so much harder than the actual weight loss. Thanks for the tips. I’m anxious to read the book.
I’m down 35 lb from my all-time high but would like to drop another 15 to be at the weight I was when I got married. I’ve done it all gradually and on my own by eating more sensibly but I seem to be stuck at a plateau now. Help! I need the book for motivation.
CPA Mom,
The holidays are the toughest, aren’t they? But now it’s a new year – a fresh start. You can do it!
And you go, Just Kelly and Dawn!
girliefriend,
Life always gets in the way, doesn’t it? You should definitely visit Dr. Berkeley’s website – Refuse to Regain. Keep me posted on how things go.
Good for you, herblady! Sounds like you’re on the right track… but I’m sorry you hit a plateau. I have hit a few of those and they absolutely stink. I hope yours passes soon.
I just wanted to say thank you to FatFighter and hello to those of you who continue to try to lose or maintain weight. While these are both tough tasks, they are truly noble goals. I admire anyone who is out there trying to improve their physical health. Keep looking for the tricky strategies that will work for you. I hope that my book will provide some help!
I have been dying to read this book but have been unable to find it in any library anywhere. It sounds like it’s exactly what I need to help me to be successful with this weight loss burden!!! I would love to win this book!
Gina
Losing weight can be easy. Keeping it off is hard. I need all the help I can get!
This is what I need as well. Lost 62lbs and kept most of it off for 6+ yrs, but eventually put it all back on plus 10lbs. Last 2 years, lost 30lbs and then lost my job. Have put back on about 15lbs over the holidays. They’re the toughest time. Life happens, and I need help to eat healthy and not snack. Good luck to all of us in this new year and fresh start!
I cannot wait to read this book. I find its advice very wise!
Mara
http://24stepstogo.blogspot.com/
mumcat,
So sorry to hear you lost your job – hope things are better now. And yes, the holidays are so hard, aren’t they? But you’re right – 2009 is a fresh start. You can do it!
I am now trying to help my dd & dh lose some weight. Also I really need a good, healthy way to maintain my weight as I relieve believe stress has helped maintain my own weight loss. Thanks for the giveaway!
I lost weight slowly and I think that was a good thing in the long run because I was learning what worked for me. We are creatures of habit and it takes some work to form all the healthy habits that produce a slim, trim figure. I agree that it is like training for a marathon because it is definitely long term. The most important thing is not to quit when you get a craving, not to quit even if you give into a craving, not to quit when you’re doing good and not to quit when you’re sliding. Don’t quit.
LissaL,
Yes, you definitely need a healthy way to maintain your weight – stress is not good!
Nicely put, Shannon -
We are all human and bound to slip here and there. But we just gotta keep going.
Where am I in the cycle? I am about to try to lose some weight I gained over the holidays. I am still trying to figure out how I’m going to go about it this time since I try a different diet whenever I gain some weight. Finding out how to really maintain the body I’ve earned would be great so I don’t go back and forth dieting.
i would love to win!
I gain, I lose and I never know exactly when I lose control. It is a yo yo pattern of mine from way back. I’ll just wake up one day and realize I have lost control over my eating. I would love to know how to keep it off without having to be on guard every meal. Is there a way?
I can totally relate – I’ve been yo you dieting for years – I’m back up 25 pounds and here I go again – Thanks for the info – I’m definately adding this book to my must reads!
sarvacj – let me know how you like th book. The Refuse to Regain website has a lot of great info, too!