How many times have you lost the weight? page 2

[Drumroll]

I lost all of my weight on a CW way of eating, but almost immediately after I did, I found primal, so I never had time to gain it all back. Or I am sure I would have!

Primal gave me the ability to maintain the loss I had already experienced before coming to it.

[zoebird]

I gained weight from 19-21 due to pituitary tumor/hormones, and I lost that weight in at age 22. (between 21/22).

I maintained that weight until I was 31/32 -- when I became pregnant (i don't think this counts). Without any additional effort, after hormones normalized, I was back down to my normal weight (which I'd gotten down to at age 21/22), and have stayed there ever since.

Unless I plan another round of pregnancy/breastfeeding, I am planning/working to stay around this weight.

[Shelli]

Gah. Too many times. First was when I was about 17. Then again at about 23 because my abusive ex-husband was obsessed with my weight and thought ALL women should weigh no more than 130 pounds. I am 5'9", large-framed and my BONES probably weight 130! So that worked well. Then after two babies and hormonal weirdness and a bad divorce, I went from 275 to 238. My poor body loves 238. Went from 238 to 199 (for about one afternoon) ten years ago. Two years ago, from 238 to 219. Back up to 238. Now I'm here and learning just how hard it is to budge the pudge off a 48 year olds' butt.

[Bron]

When I was 26 or 27, I stopped eating all fat. I did only weight bearing exercises and became my ideal size. I was very strong for my size (tiny body frame).

That's it. First pregnancy when I was 29, then one every 2 years or so until I was 38 (4 kids). Steadily put on weight since turning 40. Found primal Aug 2011 and haven't looked back (I do put on a bit of weight on holidays, but I go back to work next week so it will come off soon)

[YogaBare]

Can I ask - how many calories a day do people eat that makes them put the weight back on, and what kinds of food?

Also, I think most people have a number they want the scales to tell them. Do you know why your number is your number?

Even though I've probably never been fat, I've been "fat" in my head for 14 years.

When I was 17 I fell in love for the first time and couldn't eat for probably a month. I probably dropped 7 lbs - which isn't a lot, but I was already pretty thin, and when I got back to school I weighed 108 lbs (I'm 5'8). Everyone made a huge deal over my "figure", I got approached by a modelling agency, and coupled with being in love, I think that waif-like weight got tied up in my head with happiness, and for the next 14 years I have fought to be that weight again, thinking that's where happiness was.

I became vegetarian cos' I thought it would help me lose more weight. I counted calories. I starved myself. I started binging and started putting on weight.

Three times over the last 14 years I have gotten back to that "ideal" weight - when I was 24 (starvation, maintained it with low carb), 28 (calorie restriction), and 29 (veganism) . I maintained it for a year at 24, six months at 28, and only three months at 29. Usually I fluctuated between 112 lbs and 135 lbs. The heaviest I was was when I was 27 - I weighed 145 lbs, and I dropped to 110 in a few months.

I've always put the weight back on through binging. Exercise doesn't seem to have much effect on my weight.

Thankfully Primal taught me not to fear fat, to eat meat again, and to eat food with as little processing as possible. But believe it or not, it was not a diet, but the debates on this forum that have helped me the most. I realised that I have so many food phobias and that I will never have a stable weight until I deal with those. I gave myself the freedom to eat everything and I accepted that I was going to put on weight while this happened. I'm still operating on teh principle of eating real foods, but if I really want something I'm not depriving myself anymore. I have given up dieting, and am not allowed to weigh myself. I think I'm slowly finding what works for me, and I hope over the next few months I'll go to my "natural" weight.

[AMonkey]

I lost about 20 pounds of fat before changing my diet. I put about 10 pounds back on within a year. On a diet again to lose those last 10 pounds again.

[magnolia1973]

You don't want to know.

I went from 300 to 250 once. Then 250 to 220 once. Then bounced between 190 and 220 about a zillion times. The weird thing was 190-220 I wore the same clothes. This time, from 215 to 175, I have lost 3 sizes.

Now I am around 175.

[spuggygirl]

I don't think I've ever lost 'the weight' although I've lost some weight loads of times and a lot of weight once.

I was in my late twenties before my weight ballooned to over 15 stone (at 5'6). I lost a stone or so and put it back on, several times during my late twenties and early thirties.

I started diets and didn't get beyond a week more times than I can remember.

In my mid thirties I lost 4.5 stone and got down to around 11 stone - but was kind of skinny fat, no waist, still flabby midsection, only ever did cardio. Most of the weight went back on...up to around 14 stone.

In 2009 I decided to stop dieting and address my issues with food. I lost around a stone which stayed off but more importantly I learned to eat real food and to eat so that I didn't need to binge.

In late 2011 I did a diet trial that included giving up grains. Lost 10lbs that stayed off and led me to a paleo/primal diet. Initially maintained for close to a year before I started tweaking and losing again - now another 16 or so lbs down.

This is the first time in my entire life that I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that 'the weight' is all going to go. My shape is so completely different to how it has been on other diets. Instead of 'skinny' I'm becoming 'lean' and can see the makings of an actually quite athletic figure - the figure I've always wanted but never thought I could have. For the first time ever, I really believe - I know it will happen, and soon. And the stupid thing is that it feels so good - no deprivation, no calorie counting, no making myself miserable.

Don't you just love it!

[primalrob]

Can I ask - how many calories a day do people eat that makes them put the weight back on, and what kinds of food?

whenever i gained weight back, i had no idea how many calories i would be eating. i was like an addict. in fact, given the kind of binging i used to do, i wouldn't dispute an addict diagnosis at all. and the food was always the very SAD things that people point to when talking about weight gain: pizza, ice cream, cookies, chips, chips, chips. comfort foods were my things, and usually ones that we easy to hold and eat, rather than eat from a plate.

[quelsen]

until HCG never.
recorded data
birth 7#
age 7 84#
age 10 130#
age 16 225#
age 18 310#
age 26 365#
age 34 480#
age 38 506#

up to that point nothing i tried worked. from age 10 to age 38 i cycled thru vegan, vegetarian, atkins induction, and a homemade diet which was designed to force the krebs cycle to engage all the time ( LOL what I didnt know back them was epic) 800kcal daily which was a ratio of Protein to spare muscle wasting and a breakfast of slice of bread (ezekiel) with 2oz of cheese (mozzarella) to "jump start" my metabolism in the morning.

finally god had mercy on me and gave my HCG.
age 39 410#
age 40 330#

My lowest weight was within 3 pounds of my 18yo weight, but i have my 42inch SeanJean "skinny" jeans that i can actually get in and wear for a couple of hours without pain. THAT is 6 inches less than my orignial 310 weight so it balances out.

i think i notice that winter puts on weight for me regardless of how i eat, i only have one winter and part of this one to compare, but i pay attention. next year will give me more data still but for the most part i think i have this down.