"If you've dieted down to 150 lbs, you're always going to have to put in more work than someone who was just always 150 lbs" YES THIS THIS THIS. This is the thing that not enough people talk about. Very few people realize this. Especially people who track calories and food on apps. The apps will give you a calorie range based on your weight but their algorithms assume you were always that weight (even if the app is literally watching you lose weight, it doesn't seem to matter). I used to be 262 lbs, now I'm 130 lbs. If I eat like a friend who was always 130 lbs, I will GAIN weight. It is ESSENTIAL to understand this. This is the key that I think I finally get now that I never understood in years past. Thank you for saying this. This leads so many of us to beat ourselves up and to fail at this stuff!
@@Ladyloubug9 I don't know, but I think probably it is permanent. We can never go back in time. Our bodies developed additional fat cells which we will always have, no matter how lean we get, the cells are "empty" but present, that likely plays a role in this. I try to think of it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage: I don't need as much food to survive as other people, it's a superpower! I try to see it as a positive because ... "this is what you get for letting yourself get fat in the past" is indeed very discouraging.
@@mockingbirdnightingale7169 That's not entirely true, our number of fat cells remains rather constant after adolescence, regardless of gaining weight or not. But they do differ in size as you said
"Weight loss is not useful unless it can be maintained." That really stuck out to me when you said it. I having a difficult recovery day today... but that little innocuous sentence really helped. So thanks.
This is really helpful and laid out in a clear and nonjudgmental way. Thank you for breaking it down! I saw a dietician once who said the most successful and sustainable changes her clients had made were additive, not reductionist, as in adding in more fruits and veggies, more fiber, more sleep, ect.
I've been on my weight loss journey for over 2 years now. I have lost 30 pounds, and I can definitely tell the difference in how I am eating (in general, more fruits and veggies) and how I am feeling (less joint pain!). At 200 lbs I still have another 20-30 pounds to go, but I was able to roughly maintain my weight loss the entirety of 2022 even through a foot injury that limited my mobility for months. Making those small lifestyle changes (like easing out of my reliance on soda) makes a huge difference. (And so does having empathy and kindness for yourself.)
My body’s preferred weight range is about 165. 9 years ago I was 135, but I worked out for hours a day and thought half a donut once a month was a splurge. So much mental space went to scheduling my workouts and questioning if I should eat something. Which stressed my body out so much, I developed acid reflux and would be in bed throwing up for days. When I was throwing up, I’d cry to my mom that I was going to gain all the weight back, and that I needed to get back to the gym. It took years to unlearn that that point in my life was not healthy, and the fact it was so hard to stay 135 showed me my body doesn’t want to be that. After a lot of therapy, introspection, and abbey sharp videos; I eat fairly balanced and healthy (while enjoying life), and I workout 3-5 times a week, with walks every single day. I trained for a marathon in 2021 and half marathon in 2022, and I stayed 165. If I didn’t lose weight, even after all that running, something’s are just meant to be 🤷🏼♀️
omg that’s my comfort weight too!! it’s nice to read your story! i have a similar one but the opposite i was 200lbs for years due to cycle dieting and an unhealthy relationship with food but now i eat as i feel comfortable and try to make every meal and snack a hcc! thank you abbey!
That's my comfort weight as well or about 3 or 2 pounds less. Stayed that weight all year with regular exercise and mostly healthy eating. I still look pretty good though so happy with it Also it sounds like you may have had anorexia previously just like me? I had anorexia many years ago for 3 years and was much lower and was extremely underweight. I am very happy with how I feel and look now. Healthy and strong.😊
Thank you for this Abbey. I know weight loss is not your main focus, but I think it's helpful for you to talk about it for those that are interested, rather than the often VERY problematic info we are likely to get from other creators. So again, THANK YOU!
Agreed wholeheartedly w/ your appreciation for her visiting the subject of weight loss. I gained almost 45 lbs of stress & emotional eating weight due to a breakup, quarantine, & gender dysphoria all hitting at once. The last two years have been rough. And I just want to get back to where my body was comfortable. Maybe my "set point" is higher than it was in my 20s, but... I was at a stable weight for nearly 15 yrs. This current size is an anomaly, one I'd like to mindfully alleviate so I can feel physically/mentally healthy again.
SO GLAD you acknowledged the problem with the 95% statistic. I started my fitness journey in 2020 with sustainable lifestyle changes and slowly lost 60lbs, and so far it has been quite easy to maintain because I made sustainable changes. I'm SO grateful for choosing to lose weight the way I did, it took longer to see results but was so worth it!
Appreciate this!! As someone that actually is truly fat, and does need to lose weight for MY OWN comfortability and ability to do activities (e.g. weight limits for many activities, small airplane seats, etc.), I really need educational videos on doing this in a balanced way as someone that was able to maintain and then let all of it go in 2020 and is finally working my way back to it a maintainable fitness level, moderation, more intuitive eating with recognition that I am at a negatively impacting my life weight in 2023.
I've lost over 100 lbs twice, and the first time, I regained it. It was devastating. I can't even describe how disappointed in myself I was. I feel a lot more prepared this time around. For one thing, I got weight loss surgery to try to handle the hunger aspect. For another, I completely changed my mindset around exercise, so whereas in the past I used to beat myself up for missing a workout, now I NEVER do that. Now I'm very chill about it. I do what I want, when I want, which adds up to FAR more exercise than when I used to pressure myself. I had to go to extremes to get to a healthy weight, but I have no regrets. I'm so glad I did. Keeping the weight off is a major part of my life and will be forever, because my health depends on it. It's difficult but not a negative thing. I actually really enjoy it.
Thank you, Abbey. For the first time, I feel like I'm actually on the right track to living a healthier life instead of obsessing over the number on the scale and calorie counts, and I really wouldn't be in this place without your channel. Thank you for your work and your videos!
You have helped me ENORMOUSLY in maintaining my ED recovery. Thank you for helping keep me in check. Not specific to this or any video, but all of them. Thank you for what you do ❤️❤️❤️
This is so well timed. I'm starting to try and lose weight after many years of battling with EDs and being uncomfortable in my body. I've been worried about whether I even have a chance. Thank you so much for your insight.
After playing the 'up and down' game, at age 50, I finally figured it out. I lost over 40 pounds and have kept it off since 2006. My father figured it out at age 80! I have continued to lose more weight over the years and have gone up and down a few pounds, too. I don't believe in diets. I got rid of my magical thinking and realized I had to make a permanent lifestyle change. It has to be a 100% commitment. So it's possible to lose weight and keep it off, but the change is in your brain.
I was a stable weight all my adult life until I gained 15% of my bodyweight very quickly after weaning my third son and it stayed for 5 years until I realized I needed to be proactive to lose it. I lost it and have kept it off now for 12 years. Two things are crucial for that maintenance: 1) most important is exercise (my appetite stays fairly constant whether or not I exercise, so I put on weight if I am inactive). 2) I weigh myself first thing in the morning and then I can nip in the bud any gains that are not just normal fluctuations by cutting back a bit on the chocolate and cake. It's much easier to stay stable.
I gained some weight back at the end of the summer and freaked out a little. I realised it was because I had been drinking a lot more than normal and living my best summer social life! It’s super reassuring to hear you talk about it in a neutral, normalising, long term kinda way. I took my original weight loss slowly, thinking I was healthy, but from using lifesum calorie counting I ended up developing an ED , luckily I noticed it 9months in bc I had to stay at someone’s house for a few months and was no longer in control of my food. But the thoughts remain and are a constant struggle, especially as many I didn’t even realise were actually disordered but ‘healthy and balanced’. My advice to everyone now is don’t even try, just eat veg based and lift weights not just cardio :)
Before I got pregnant I weighed between 180 to 190 after i had my daughter I weighed 235. I did keto got down to 160 stopped keto and returned to a more balanced diet and I'm at 165.
As someone who is very frustrated with their body and the effects of yoyo diets I really really appreciate this video. My resolution is to break up with dieting once and for all and learn to listen to my body and what it needs to be healthy and not worry about size and weight.
Thank you for making this video Abby, as a personal victim of Noom, it has taken me a lot of work to repair my relationship with food and to regain the self-worth that their program pounded out of me. I am grateful that you are out here pointing out the actual science.
I weigh 106.4 right now from just not eating to lose weight from like 160 because i thought i had a big stomach I wasnt able to stop losing weight and now i cant seem to gain weight but this channel has helped me realize my mom was right and i did have a problem with food im hoping to see a dietician soon
I went from 200 lbs to 145 lbs on slim fast in the late 90s. I maintained it 2 years. Went very slowly back up to 180 lbs over 12 years. After that, I did Atkins (the next popular trend of course!) and then yes...keto and lost 60 lbs. My goal was to lose more weight than planned to counter the weight gain after getting off of keto to return to atkins and end up at my goal weight (yes I tried to outsmart it 😅) I !maintained it 5 years with ease until Covid... Gained back 30 lbs. I'm in the process now of losing some of that covid weight, I am determined to beat the odds of science. I refuse my set point, period. My set point is unhealthy! I have the blood work to prove it! I felt great on Atkins; good energy, good sleep, best blood work of my life! I'd rather deal with ghremlin than cholesterol and high blood pressure!! I do not plan on doing keto ever again though...
I lost 100 lbs over the course of 2017-2020 and have intentionally maintained since. I decided I’d like to push to get down to less body fat by about 30-40 lbs. it took slow and sustained habit change and finding things I could do without resentment and overcoming BED and all or nothing thinking, mindset and acceptance that I could change and the way I live my life, I just needed to give myself grace and acceptance and patience for the process. I used various ways of tracking my food and progress, started heavy strength training and learned to meet myself where I was at. My mindset, community support (online groups I found with a common goal who were understanding and supportive and not spouting unnecessary, non scientific nonsense). I basically changed my entire life in a ton of ways very, very slowly. I learned a ton from Lyle McDonald, Layne Norton, Alan Aragon, Heather Robertson Jordan Syatt and Susan Neibergall.
Thanks Abbey. I lost about 40lbs back in 2020-2021 and i gained about half of it back and i'm trying to give myself grace. It's just hard because there's so much misinformation out there and i'm someone who is very short and naturally curvier and it's rare I ever see anyone who looks like me in the fitness sphere, and i have a small appetite, so sometimes even "1500 calories a day to lose weight" is hard for me to hit, but I do daily walks which has helped in the past tremendously with weight loss. I never reached my "goal weight" and aesthetically, i would like to (And i'm trying!) but i'm also just very happy that I found a healthier way of living than I did before.
I had lost track of this channel for some time . I’m not sure if it was the content or just me not being in the right place to understand the content. I’ve rediscovered Abbey and I am loving the channel again! 🥰
Ok so I dieted a lot….i limited my intake to 500 calories …..now I am suffering from anaemia (my Hb is 8.4)and many problems….eating normally would make me gain weight and without eating I go around fainting everywhere….. I am so stressed right now I don’t wanna gain weight and face all those bullying stuff again… But I think I am dying … My family is so scared of my fainting problem….but I can’t explain this to them….eating medicines alone won’t suffice……. Pls help me on this….. And the biggest struggle is also my studies …I can’t take out extra time from my study hours for gym ….. Pls help me ….
As someone who’s yo-yo dieted for years I can tell you a huge reason why diets fail. #1 is that they go on very strict diets that are impossible to maintain #2 people stop tracking/ dieting when they lose the weight and have no idea what eating in maintenance for them is. Slow sustainable weight loss and then maintaining a balanced lifestyle is key.
I am finally an intuitive eater and lost weight almost effortlessly after binging and restricting (extreme dieting) for years and the change had nothing to do with finding the right foods/methods and everything to do with mental health. I love this video but I'd just like to add that if your personal life is in shambles, nothing is ever going to work.
I lost 40 pounds in 2019, then gained it all back during Covid :/ back then I lost it by doing low carb and IT fasting. Now I’m trying to do it a better way a refrain from that but it is tough 😅 thanks for all this info, it was very helpful! ❤
Thank you so much Abbey! I just came across your channel this morning and am so pleased with your content. I have been on this weight roller coaster since I was a teenager. 50,60,80-100 pound losses and regains several times through fad diets and restriction :( Now I am at my heaviest weight but would like to become pregnant. I am worried about a healthy pregnancy being at this high weight but do not want to go down the nightmare path of dieting again.
From personal experience I agree with all of that.. my go to weight loss strategy is to move regulary (even for 20 min) and portion control Portion control is probably the best way to mindful eating if you do it wisely ... do not "starve" or deprive yourself, just enjoy everything in moderation After a couple weeks your body will adapt to a more reasonable portions and feel satiated.. and it becomes a lifestyle rather than a diet I tried that 6 years ago, lost 22 kg and haven't gained the weight back sense .. my weight fluctuates of course based on my eating and movement habits .. but I remain in my happy place and lose the access just by going back to my "normal"
Thank you for being my safe place. I started restricting some foods because I was afraid of gaining weight but watching your videos (knowing it’s okay to eat these foods without feeling guilty and knowing how to balance them has helped 🫶Thank You Abbey ❤
I think the noom statistic you mention that only 1% of people remain using it, is fairly innocuous. When i started losing the weight i had to, I used to track my nutrition on Chronometer and over time it made me get an idea how to create balance and what foods and portions im happy at in the end, i stopped using it and deleted it off my phone entirely without having had gained any of the weight back so it might be a case of dont need it anymore
I am also on Noom and it's teaching me portion control something I never had in my life so I agree with you this is something that I can carry through my lifetime and stay at a healthy weight I believe in Noom longterm progress🎉 I will also delete it once I get to my goal weight and keep it off in their maintenance program for 6 months. I'm kind of bummed that she poo-pooed noom😢
Seems like the hardest part maintaining weight loss is not returning to the lifestyle of your higher weight. Our eating and movement habits are formed in childhood, maintenance is like becoming a fluent speaker of second language.
Low carb and intermittent fasting. Dropped 100 pounds in ~16 months. BMI from 39 to 23. Kept it off for almost 2 years now. I have to keep an eye on myself and if I creep up I have to reevaluate my diet, but I’ve never gone up more than 7-8 pounds and I’ve gotten it off pretty quickly. It’s not impossible! I had a LOT of good excuses for being heavy too.
@@SnowMushroom I’m not as rigid as I was initially. I aim for 18/6, but if I’m physically hungry I’ll relax it to 16/8. I’m also not totally dogmatic about keto macros, but I was early on…and it worked. Now I just try to keep my carbs low (20-40g), eat only when hungry/stop when full, focus on whole food, drink lots of water and allow for things like holidays and celebrations without going off the rails or beating myself up. I’m in the maintenance phase now and presumably forever.
I was hoping you'd go into more detail about losing weight vs losing fat - and how to recomp properly (losing fat and gaining muscle). I'm curious how to lose fat while at least maintaining muscle, and if counting calories and/or macros to be in a deficit is really the "best" (most scientific and easiest to track) way to do so? I've been gaining a lot of muscle and fat since I started going to the gym 2 years ago, but I'm hoping to start losing fat now while maintaining my muscle!
I’d love to hear Abbey’s thoughts on this too - also eating to put on muscle (besides the obvious just eat a lot of protein). I feel like she’s talked about it as a side note in her WIEID videos but a whole video on it would be so interesting.
You basically need to do a cut, by reducing your calories but keeping your protein up. You will always lose a little muscle in a cut but keeping your protein up will help a lot. Once you have hit your goal you gradually take your calories back to maintenance. Look up Jordan Syatt. He has lots of excellent information you might find helpful.
Uhhhhh I just lost 35lbs over the past year and the past 2 months I've noticed my appetite increase a lot. It's so hard because I do struggle with emotional eating. I'm now on a journey to study myself and what my body is telling me, and prioritizing having healthy options available for me rather than junk food. Here's to breaking negative eating habits long-term!
Hey Abby I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to want to become a dietitian myself 🥰 I'm in my last year at Diet school in Germany and it's pretty tough not gonna lie.. but I hope I'll make it 🥲 P.s. another classmate of mine watches you as well 😍
Research is also pretty clear on simple carbs, red meat, dairy, sugar, and highly processed food relating to several health problems, particularly to do with weight. And yes, returning to the way of eating that gave you a problem in the first place will, of course, bring those problems back. It's odd, but I think a big issue is not only how little time we have to cook, but how few people can really cook beyond basic, simple foods. When you're a good cook, you can work with different ingredients, and make lots of different types of food. It's much easier to control your diet, and to vary it in fun ways. If you know what you're doing, it takes less of your time checking, testing, etc. Changing one's diet tends to mean leaving the most convenient and affordable way to meet one's tastes. It's a hell of a lot easier to make different types of tasty food out of new to you ingredients if you have enough skill in the kitchen to freestyle.
I just wish I'd been taught healthy lifestyle habits from a young age so I could have possibly avoided all the weight gain in the first place. I gained weight binge-eating, weight I never would have gained otherwise. So you're basically saying I'm going to have to work harder to remain at a healthy weight once I've lost it, than I would have if I'd always been at a healthy weight? It's basically life long punishment for struggling with an eating disorder as well as not having all the proper information when I was younger.
I lost 80lbs, and put 15 back on. I've lost 5 of those 15. 70lbs is still a huge success. I'm still a weight that allows me to be more active and feel better in my skin. The recent numbers are a guess, as I'm not going to stress about the scale again for a few more weeks because a little gain around the holidays can cause stress, so giving myself time to get back into my usual habits will make me feel better about myself
I have thought about weight loss recently after struggling for years with yo-yo dieting. It's clear to me that it doesn't "work" unless someone actively engages in it even after losing weight. Sounds like a life long process which is discouraging and disconcerting. I am starting to realize intuitive eating is a better option for someone who has engaged in orthorexic behavious.
Gravitostat theory has been useful to me. I find once I get my BMI down to 25 or so, intense hunger made it hard to go any lower. What’s helped is wearing a weighted vest for much of the day. Now my BMI is under 24.5, and I will add more weight to the weighted vest as I lose weight. It’s really made it much easier to control my hunger. Another thing that helps is having high volume low calorie foods for snacks and side dishes. A big thing is increasing my protein intake combined with cardio and resistance training.
Always love your interpretation of this peer reviewed evidence ❤ I started dieting again. I took an intuitive eating break after years of yoyoing and increasingly gaining weight. And I really needed it to reset my metabolism and psyche. I joined a program with a support group, one on one guidance, balanced nutrition, a moderate caloric deficit, strength based daily workouts. I have no doubt it’ll work especially now that I take semgalutide and Vyvanse. My ADHD never allowed me to feel satiety and I exacerbated by extreme dieting and exercise. Positive media like your channel play a critical role in having realistic expectations of myself and enjoying the balanced process of improving my lifestyle choices instead of hatefully punishing myself for being fat. You can’t sustain yourself on self disgust but you can certainly keep pushing yourself with self love.
I'm a binge eater who's been fighting 25 pounds since the pandemic. Zepbound finally helped me to take it off and I'm quitting the drug in three weeks. I fear weight gain but also know that I'm feeling much better about food since the end of the pandemic. I hope I can keep the weight off with proper food choices.
Sucks that now when I'm over 40, I have to eat less than 1500 cals a day to lose weight. I've tried eating 1800 cals a day, I gain. I've tried 1600 cals, I gain. I'm over 175 lbs. It's crazy.
I tried noom and it constantly said I was over calories (allotted me about 1600 a day) and it made my anxiety worse. I quit using it after 1 week. I have a history of restrict and binge and I constantly felt like I was going to binge. Now I am constantly looking at ways to add to my food to curb my hunger and yea.
I feel curious about why my body’s “preferred weight range” or set point isn’t necessarily at the healthiest point for it to survive. I get that our bodies are geared for survival at every level. So why would it “prefer” to be unhealthily fat?
Your body adapts to the number (primarily set in puberty) and size (fullness) of fat cells. It attempts to return to that range once you have significant deviation. It sees anything below that range as potential starvation. You are born with a genetic setpoint, but it can be modified by environment over a long period of time. While we can modify our setpoint higher it's debated as to whether it can be modified lower without medical intervention. My personal experience (Class 3 Obesity followed by 40 years of normalized weight) is that the hunger ques get better over time, but their will always be an "echo" of that higher setpoint. If you don't eat thoughtfully (Eat to 80% full and make smart choices the majority of the time) it will still have a tendency to encourage over eating and a return to a higher bodyweight. It just becomes more manageable. I suspect it is somewhat like an alcoholic in recovery, the desire is always there, it just becomes less pronounced and more manageable with time. In my case the amount I can eat without weight gain improved over time, but the boundary seems pretty hard (ie most people can eat a little over maintenance without gaining weight, I can't) and my maintenance amount is at the lower end of typical for my bodyweight.
Thanks for sharing another great video. I'm in my 2nd year of maintaining over 50 lb weight loss, all the things you mentioned play a part in that, the two biggest being education about nutrition and options for food choices and sleep, I wasn't getting nearly enough sleep. I learned a great deal from your videos and when people ask about my diet I tell them I don't diet, I now eat more balanced meals that have fat, carbs and protein, and I tell them to grab a notebook and check out your videos, and create their own "diet", that's primarily what I did. Thank again for all you do!
Ok, this is actually very educated, gentle and wise approach, and thank you for that, especially in this "new year new you" time 🙂 Only thing that might be worth mentioning, and I missed in the video, was about a starting point and goals around that weight loss that people might have. I mean, there really are people who's health do benefit from losing some weight, but then there are those, who are perfectly slim and fit, but they just want "the thigh gap", or "flatter stomach", and no balanced and truly healthy lifestyle would help them achieve that, so they always turn to extreme dieting... I know too many people with anorexia, to say that NOT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO LOSE WEIGHT, NEEDS TO LOSE WEIGHT.
also want to say for anybody struggling with maintenance to look into reverse dieting. it really does help to raise metabolism back up if your body has adapted to a lower intake
From what I have seen personally, it's easier to maintain the weight loss if the gain was recent. Like for someone who is already accustomed to a healthy lifestyle but some recent changes resulted in the weight gain.
Great video Abbey! I wish everyone would realize that diets don't work!! Just listen to your body and let it trust you. When I started eating what I really want, that's when I actually lost some weight!! Sending lots of love to you always Abbey! 🥰❤💕 Happy New Year!! 🎉
Thanks for the video! I’m a biologist and a colleague mentioned the other day that long-term weight loss is nearly impossible. That didn’t sit right with me, since I lost & kept off 15% of my body weight in 2017. Hearing this balanced review from a clinician (and double-checked by a researcher!) is super super appreciated and helpful-thanks again! :)
I'd love to hear about how pregnancy and postpartum affect this. Pre baby I was 150 without restriction. Now I've been 180 for a while. I am very physically active. Did my body's weigh range change? I'm sure you can't answer this for me specifically but I'd be interested to hear research. And for comments- I have an ED history so please don't give me tips on weight loss.
Well, I think I'm both in the 95% of people who fail to maintain weight loss, but am also a success story. Most of my family is morbidly obese. My sibling gains about 10 pounds a year and there's no end in sight. I also gain 10 pounds every year or two, but then I diet for a few months and get back to my starting weight. Basically every time my pants get tight I just stop snacking and drinking. The result is that my sibling has just crossed the threshold into morbid obesity, while my bmi is low normal. Isn't this a health success? I don't think the goal should be zero fluctuation for the rest of our lives, like we need to feel like giant failures every time we bloat on our periods and the scale goes up two pounds.
Thank you for posting this video! Especially with all your links to the papers you cite. I'm doing my master's thesis on weight cycling, and all of these articles are so helpful! Helping a future anti-diet RD (:
Tbh I think people want to lose weight for the wrong reasons. My reasons for wanting to lose weight was not so that I can look good in a bikini but so that my back can stop hurting and so that I live a healthier life to around as long as possible for my daughter. My main motivation was seeing how many obese people died from COVID-19. Not only that but God forbid I end up in the emergency room and I need a team of 20 to lift me.
I think it’s very important to note that a growing number of people have an emotional attachment to food and I truly believe this is the real cause of weight gain (beyond a genetic set point).
I have lost a significant amount of weight in 9 months (without surgery) I gained it back and now the psychological impact that has on me 5 yrs later is crazy lmao
Is there a way of estimating your natural set point? Im comfortable in the fact im naturally supposed to be in a heavier body, but Im definately in a heavier body than I am supposed to be in.
Thank you for this video Abby, and just in time for New Year's Resolutions! It was shocking to see that the 95% failure statistic is so old and so antiquated!
I was 210 when I graduated high-school. After a few years of sports I hit 155 and felt I was to small. I also moved back to the city and on my journey to gain weight I hit 220. Now I'm doing keto and my goal is 170 them add muscle. Doesn't make sense to me I have done so much extra to remain a healthy weight but I'll manage it.
The fact is, once I got down to 70kg from 120kg, if I didn’t keep a consistent log of what I was eating, I would gain it all back overtime. It’s a lifestyle change for life if you wanna stay healthy.
Thank you, Abbey, as I embark on a month of no dairy to see if this will clear up some skin issues, this video will help me to pay attention to these other factors. I would like to lose some weight, but I will not concentrate on losing until after this month - too much to pay attention to all at once.
CICO, that's why. Because it's virtually impossible to calculate just how much calories you are actually taking in and because companies are incentivized to mark calories down lower than they actually are, it forces people to severely undereat in order to get results and throw nutritional value into the wind. This means when they start eating more again they just put the fat and water back on because they never resolved the issue in the first place.
I’d appreciate a more thorough discussion of the look back study in a future video since it’s often cited as proof of long term weight loss. But I’ve read the study and it appeared to require some pretty extreme interventions ie low calories and replacing one or more meals with meal replacement shakes. Also, my understanding is while the study showed “maintenance” of 2-5% of weight loss at 8 years, this was only after participants lost around 10% in the first year, meaning they gained most of the weight they lost back, which would be discouraging to most people. Also the study focused on people with type 2 diabetes but never really discussed whether or not the weight loss improved the participants’ diabetes.
I feel everyone's journey will be different & I believe in having a small daily deficit for weight loss. I've dropped 50 lbs in past three yrs from weight gain from being locked in during CV with an average (200) cal deficit while my goal is (250) What each person needs to find is their best daily activity to do in steps or miles vs their food intake. I walk 4 miles, ride a bike 10 miles or mow my lawn 6 days a week. I'm in the same cal burn area. I give myself 80/20 missing my goal 20% each month with my misses usually coming from a low activity day as food consumption stays at the same level. This might be for that ice cream birthday cake at a party, happy hour, a special dinner or just becouse I'm hungry that could last for a few days. I just go with the flow.
I hit send by accident. Just to finish on activities vs weight loss. I lost the most weight averaging 5.1k in steps or about 3.2 miles losing (15.9) lbs in a month. I also avg walking 11.1k gaining 2 lbs in a month so more is not better as you just want to consume more food for the energy burned. While I need to do an activity for an hour to get my steps in others like to move all day for the same end number. Theirs no right or wrong just do what works best for you & your schedule. Last walking 4 mile was key for me, I made it a habit & watching the scale kept me in line. The more I tracked the more I learned so as the video says it is complicated but it can be fun if you turn it into a game. I hope this might help someone. 🍀 Good luck!
She won’t. People have been asking her for forever. Abbey won’t shut up about her qualifications as a RD but refuses to actually practice science properly.
i lost over 20kg (about 40lb) with a strict keto/atkins for 3 months and milder version for another 6months... then I duno what I did after that! (generally avoided refined carbs).... and I kept off that weight for nearly 4 years, until I got some kinda bad news, and started to put on weight... i would call that success...
Honest question: Say you lose 10, 50 pounds, whatever amount, and you're doing all the things to keep it off for years, even if it takes effort like Abbey said; is there a point at which the new weight does become more "natural" or easier to maintain? In other words, does your body eventually adjust after a certain number of years? I know Abbey did say near the end of the video that someone who diets to 150, for example, will "always" need to work more to stay at that weight. I'm just curious if that changes at all over time, even if it's a very long time. It seems logical to think that your body would eventually adjust to not having a lot of extra weight, unless you are underweight. Of course the comments section is not for expert advice, just wondering out loud if anyone has learned about this.
Only personal anecdote- I lost 20 kg down from the obese range to a healthy range weight. Maintained with some slight fluctuations for nearly 17 years (half my life haha). Can honestly say my stomach has shrunk- to gain that weight back would actually be hard to eat the volumes of food I used to consume and the amounts of sugar I used to drink. On the other hand, I know that there's definitely a level of calorie reduction that would be totally uncomfortable and unsustainable for me! So hopefully that's helpful!
It’s called your new set point weight. Set point can be adjusted up and down. The reason ‘diets don’t work’ is because people go too hard and too aggressive, therefore shocking their bodies. This can happen to people with eating disorders or yo yo dieters.
I developed anorexia and then bulimia when I was in my teens. It started with a simple diet to lose a few pounds. Since then I have struggled to maintain my weight at a healthy level. I was doing better though for several years and then gained about 15 lbs due to comfort eating and binging during a bad depression. I decided to go on a diet to lose the weight and ended up relapsing pretty bad with anorexia. I lost the weight but by the time I was back at the goal weight I was in such a bad place that I kept losing weight. I have now lost an additional 17 lbs and am truly struggling to eat. I wonder about addressing the dangers of weight loss triggering eating disorders? I know I can't be alone in this struggle. Now I wonder if I can ever diet without risking a relapse like this.
Do you have a video to help identify and work towards being within your set weight range? I feel like I am above mine and I want to use a healthy approach to identify if my intuition is correct, what to change, or know if I am not above and work towards coping with that.
It seriously makes me so sad to read these comments and see so many people struggling. Losing weight really isn't complicated at all. It just takes consistency, the ability to cook healthy balanced meals, and if you have foods you literally can't stop eating once you start, just find a way to make a healthier version of them. Also, tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day. If you feel like you've gotten off track with your goals today, just wake up tomorrow and act like it didn't happen. That's the legit way to create a healthier lifestyle over time. If I had my way, I would legit make diet programs, diet pills, and diet concoctions of any sort illegal. They aren't healthy or sustainable, lead to binges, and are truly a scam.
I'm stuck between 140-150, my new goal is not to get below that necessarily but just build muscle and lose fat to stay close to the same just healthier
hey abbey! i’ve been loving your videos for years. i’m wondering if you have any recommendations for creators that give good nutrition advice specifically for sport nutrition/training? thanks!!
I really liked the investigation into the whole 95% of diets fail statistic. I would be very very interested in more research into that group of people who successfully kept off over 10% of their body weight. When we copy with those people do, just eating more veggies, more movement, and overall balance would there even be a percentage fail? Do 95% of diets fail because 95% of people aren't using the right approach? As someone who is overweight (might even technically be obese idk I don't weigh myself. I had a baby 3 months ago I'm not ready lol) I obviously want to lose weight, and I know I would probably be healthier but it pisses me off that people are told to lose weight and then at the same time told diets will fail. Like what gives 🤣
Are there any types of disordered eating you would associate with "I used to work at a grocery store (or any store really)?" I've had not good weight gains associated with times I've worked in stores. There was a lot of after shift over buying of hyperpalatable foods, working hours not friendly to circadian rhythm, eating at times not friendly to circadian rhythm, and general being out of sync with my non store working friends.
That 1959 study isn't even statistically significant.... 6 people, ultimately?? I've heard that statistic over and over myself. I'm really thinking that there needs to be some updating for the studies. Especially since it was that long ago - the food industry and how we relate to it have changed so significantly that it seems like that old study is just that: old and outdated.
Will never not be here for Abbey dunking on noom. Such a scam. Thanks for all you do to battle the evils of diet culture, it's helped me so much in my own food/body journey
"If you've dieted down to 150 lbs, you're always going to have to put in more work than someone who was just always 150 lbs" YES THIS THIS THIS. This is the thing that not enough people talk about. Very few people realize this. Especially people who track calories and food on apps. The apps will give you a calorie range based on your weight but their algorithms assume you were always that weight (even if the app is literally watching you lose weight, it doesn't seem to matter). I used to be 262 lbs, now I'm 130 lbs. If I eat like a friend who was always 130 lbs, I will GAIN weight. It is ESSENTIAL to understand this. This is the key that I think I finally get now that I never understood in years past. Thank you for saying this. This leads so many of us to beat ourselves up and to fail at this stuff!
I have heard this before but have always wondered if it can ever change with time? Kinda discouraging.
@@Ladyloubug9 I don't know, but I think probably it is permanent. We can never go back in time. Our bodies developed additional fat cells which we will always have, no matter how lean we get, the cells are "empty" but present, that likely plays a role in this. I try to think of it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage: I don't need as much food to survive as other people, it's a superpower! I try to see it as a positive because ... "this is what you get for letting yourself get fat in the past" is indeed very discouraging.
@@mockingbirdnightingale7169 That's not entirely true, our number of fat cells remains rather constant after adolescence, regardless of gaining weight or not. But they do differ in size as you said
@@tyoldix3329 I don't think it's just about number of fat cells. Hormonal changes probably play a role.
@@mockingbirdnightingale7169 yes true, of course a lot of other factors play a role :) just wanted to clarify there are no 'additional' fat cells
"Weight loss is not useful unless it can be maintained." That really stuck out to me when you said it. I having a difficult recovery day today... but that little innocuous sentence really helped. So thanks.
I’m glad it resonated 🥰
This is really helpful and laid out in a clear and nonjudgmental way. Thank you for breaking it down! I saw a dietician once who said the most successful and sustainable changes her clients had made were additive, not reductionist, as in adding in more fruits and veggies, more fiber, more sleep, ect.
Thanks for watching!❤
I'm with you on the veggies and sleep Rosie, but electroconvulsive therapy seems a bit much.
I've been on my weight loss journey for over 2 years now. I have lost 30 pounds, and I can definitely tell the difference in how I am eating (in general, more fruits and veggies) and how I am feeling (less joint pain!). At 200 lbs I still have another 20-30 pounds to go, but I was able to roughly maintain my weight loss the entirety of 2022 even through a foot injury that limited my mobility for months. Making those small lifestyle changes (like easing out of my reliance on soda) makes a huge difference. (And so does having empathy and kindness for yourself.)
Love your message about being kind to yourself
My body’s preferred weight range is about 165. 9 years ago I was 135, but I worked out for hours a day and thought half a donut once a month was a splurge. So much mental space went to scheduling my workouts and questioning if I should eat something. Which stressed my body out so much, I developed acid reflux and would be in bed throwing up for days. When I was throwing up, I’d cry to my mom that I was going to gain all the weight back, and that I needed to get back to the gym. It took years to unlearn that that point in my life was not healthy, and the fact it was so hard to stay 135 showed me my body doesn’t want to be that. After a lot of therapy, introspection, and abbey sharp videos; I eat fairly balanced and healthy (while enjoying life), and I workout 3-5 times a week, with walks every single day. I trained for a marathon in 2021 and half marathon in 2022, and I stayed 165. If I didn’t lose weight, even after all that running, something’s are just meant to be 🤷🏼♀️
I’m so glad the videos were helpful and you found a balance that works for you!
omg that’s my comfort weight too!! it’s nice to read your story! i have a similar one but the opposite i was 200lbs for years due to cycle dieting and an unhealthy relationship with food but now i eat as i feel comfortable and try to make every meal and snack a hcc! thank you abbey!
That's my comfort weight as well or about 3 or 2 pounds less. Stayed that weight all year with regular exercise and mostly healthy eating. I still look pretty good though so happy with it
Also it sounds like you may have had anorexia previously just like me? I had anorexia many years ago for 3 years and was much lower and was extremely underweight. I am very happy with how I feel and look now. Healthy and strong.😊
Thank you for this Abbey. I know weight loss is not your main focus, but I think it's helpful for you to talk about it for those that are interested, rather than the often VERY problematic info we are likely to get from other creators. So again, THANK YOU!
Of course! I’m glad it was helpful❤
Agreed wholeheartedly w/ your appreciation for her visiting the subject of weight loss. I gained almost 45 lbs of stress & emotional eating weight due to a breakup, quarantine, & gender dysphoria all hitting at once. The last two years have been rough. And I just want to get back to where my body was comfortable. Maybe my "set point" is higher than it was in my 20s, but... I was at a stable weight for nearly 15 yrs. This current size is an anomaly, one I'd like to mindfully alleviate so I can feel physically/mentally healthy again.
SO GLAD you acknowledged the problem with the 95% statistic. I started my fitness journey in 2020 with sustainable lifestyle changes and slowly lost 60lbs, and so far it has been quite easy to maintain because I made sustainable changes. I'm SO grateful for choosing to lose weight the way I did, it took longer to see results but was so worth it!
Appreciate this!! As someone that actually is truly fat, and does need to lose weight for MY OWN comfortability and ability to do activities (e.g. weight limits for many activities, small airplane seats, etc.), I really need educational videos on doing this in a balanced way as someone that was able to maintain and then let all of it go in 2020 and is finally working my way back to it a maintainable fitness level, moderation, more intuitive eating with recognition that I am at a negatively impacting my life weight in 2023.
I've lost over 100 lbs twice, and the first time, I regained it. It was devastating. I can't even describe how disappointed in myself I was. I feel a lot more prepared this time around. For one thing, I got weight loss surgery to try to handle the hunger aspect. For another, I completely changed my mindset around exercise, so whereas in the past I used to beat myself up for missing a workout, now I NEVER do that. Now I'm very chill about it. I do what I want, when I want, which adds up to FAR more exercise than when I used to pressure myself. I had to go to extremes to get to a healthy weight, but I have no regrets. I'm so glad I did. Keeping the weight off is a major part of my life and will be forever, because my health depends on it. It's difficult but not a negative thing. I actually really enjoy it.
I’ve lost 135 lb from 325 to 190, and now I’m at 208, eating normally and the weight keeps going up like crazy😢
I burned 50 pounds in 1 year and gained back 40 withing 4 month f*** . It feels like the weight that i loosed was just a dream😢.
Thank you, Abbey. For the first time, I feel like I'm actually on the right track to living a healthier life instead of obsessing over the number on the scale and calorie counts, and I really wouldn't be in this place without your channel. Thank you for your work and your videos!
So happy to hear this🥰
You have helped me ENORMOUSLY in maintaining my ED recovery. Thank you for helping keep me in check. Not specific to this or any video, but all of them. Thank you for what you do ❤️❤️❤️
This is so well timed. I'm starting to try and lose weight after many years of battling with EDs and being uncomfortable in my body. I've been worried about whether I even have a chance. Thank you so much for your insight.
After playing the 'up and down' game, at age 50, I finally figured it out. I lost over 40 pounds and have kept it off since 2006. My father figured it out at age 80! I have continued to lose more weight over the years and have gone up and down a few pounds, too. I don't believe in diets. I got rid of my magical thinking and realized I had to make a permanent lifestyle change. It has to be a 100% commitment. So it's possible to lose weight and keep it off, but the change is in your brain.
Thanks for sharing your journey!
I need to laminate this comment.
Me too lol@@celebritytarotreading3545
I was a stable weight all my adult life until I gained 15% of my bodyweight very quickly after weaning my third son and it stayed for 5 years until I realized I needed to be proactive to lose it. I lost it and have kept it off now for 12 years.
Two things are crucial for that maintenance:
1) most important is exercise (my appetite stays fairly constant whether or not I exercise, so I put on weight if I am inactive).
2) I weigh myself first thing in the morning and then I can nip in the bud any gains that are not just normal fluctuations by cutting back a bit on the chocolate and cake. It's much easier to stay stable.
I gained some weight back at the end of the summer and freaked out a little. I realised it was because I had been drinking a lot more than normal and living my best summer social life! It’s super reassuring to hear you talk about it in a neutral, normalising, long term kinda way. I took my original weight loss slowly, thinking I was healthy, but from using lifesum calorie counting I ended up developing an ED , luckily I noticed it 9months in bc I had to stay at someone’s house for a few months and was no longer in control of my food. But the thoughts remain and are a constant struggle, especially as many I didn’t even realise were actually disordered but ‘healthy and balanced’. My advice to everyone now is don’t even try, just eat veg based and lift weights not just cardio :)
u go
Great message!
We love an evidence-based, no nonsense report on meeting and maintaining goals in a healthy way to start the new year right! Happy new year, Abbey!
Before I got pregnant I weighed between 180 to 190 after i had my daughter I weighed 235. I did keto got down to 160 stopped keto and returned to a more balanced diet and I'm at 165.
As someone who is very frustrated with their body and the effects of yoyo diets I really really appreciate this video. My resolution is to break up with dieting once and for all and learn to listen to my body and what it needs to be healthy and not worry about size and weight.
Love this goal, you got it❤
I just finished an excellent book, More Than a Body by Lexie Kite. I would highly recommend reading it.
Thank you for making this video Abby, as a personal victim of Noom, it has taken me a lot of work to repair my relationship with food and to regain the self-worth that their program pounded out of me. I am grateful that you are out here pointing out the actual science.
I weigh 106.4 right now from just not eating to lose weight from like 160 because i thought i had a big stomach I wasnt able to stop losing weight and now i cant seem to gain weight but this channel has helped me realize my mom was right and i did have a problem with food im hoping to see a dietician soon
I went from 200 lbs to 145 lbs on slim fast in the late 90s. I maintained it 2 years. Went very slowly back up to 180 lbs over 12 years. After that, I did Atkins (the next popular trend of course!) and then yes...keto and lost 60 lbs. My goal was to lose more weight than planned to counter the weight gain after getting off of keto to return to atkins and end up at my goal weight (yes I tried to outsmart it 😅) I !maintained it 5 years with ease until Covid... Gained back 30 lbs. I'm in the process now of losing some of that covid weight, I am determined to beat the odds of science. I refuse my set point, period. My set point is unhealthy! I have the blood work to prove it! I felt great on Atkins; good energy, good sleep, best blood work of my life! I'd rather deal with ghremlin than cholesterol and high blood pressure!! I do not plan on doing keto ever again though...
What was your takeaway from keto that you wouldn't do it again? I've never done it and not interested... genuinely curious as I know it's so popular.
It’s the way I felt after loosing the weight that drove me. I feel so much more confident and I started eating like an adult.
Diet is a lifestyle not a temporary fix.
Thanks for your insights, Abbey!
Sustainability always!
I lost 100 lbs over the course of 2017-2020 and have intentionally maintained since. I decided I’d like to push to get down to less body fat by about 30-40 lbs. it took slow and sustained habit change and finding things I could do without resentment and overcoming BED and all or nothing thinking, mindset and acceptance that I could change and the way I live my life, I just needed to give myself grace and acceptance and patience for the process. I used various ways of tracking my food and progress, started heavy strength training and learned to meet myself where I was at. My mindset, community support (online groups I found with a common goal who were understanding and supportive and not spouting unnecessary, non scientific nonsense). I basically changed my entire life in a ton of ways very, very slowly. I learned a ton from Lyle McDonald, Layne Norton, Alan Aragon, Heather Robertson Jordan Syatt and Susan Neibergall.
Thanks Abbey. I lost about 40lbs back in 2020-2021 and i gained about half of it back and i'm trying to give myself grace. It's just hard because there's so much misinformation out there and i'm someone who is very short and naturally curvier and it's rare I ever see anyone who looks like me in the fitness sphere, and i have a small appetite, so sometimes even "1500 calories a day to lose weight" is hard for me to hit, but I do daily walks which has helped in the past tremendously with weight loss. I never reached my "goal weight" and aesthetically, i would like to (And i'm trying!) but i'm also just very happy that I found a healthier way of living than I did before.
You are so me.... Can you please tell me , if you lost any after gaining it again
@@sha_-82 Hi! Yes, i've down to 137. I sarted the year a 160
I had lost track of this channel for some time . I’m not sure if it was the content or just me not being in the right place to understand the content. I’ve rediscovered Abbey and I am loving the channel again! 🥰
Ok so I dieted a lot….i limited my intake to 500 calories …..now I am suffering from anaemia (my Hb is 8.4)and many problems….eating normally would make me gain weight and without eating I go around fainting everywhere…..
I am so stressed right now
I don’t wanna gain weight and face all those bullying stuff again…
But I think I am dying … My family is so scared of my fainting problem….but I can’t explain this to them….eating medicines alone won’t suffice…….
Pls help me on this…..
And the biggest struggle is also my studies …I can’t take out extra time from my study hours for gym …..
Pls help me ….
As someone who’s yo-yo dieted for years I can tell you a huge reason why diets fail.
#1 is that they go on very strict diets that are impossible to maintain
#2 people stop tracking/ dieting when they lose the weight and have no idea what eating in maintenance for them is.
Slow sustainable weight loss and then maintaining a balanced lifestyle is key.
I am finally an intuitive eater and lost weight almost effortlessly after binging and restricting (extreme dieting) for years and the change had nothing to do with finding the right foods/methods and everything to do with mental health. I love this video but I'd just like to add that if your personal life is in shambles, nothing is ever going to work.
I lost 40 pounds in 2019, then gained it all back during Covid :/ back then I lost it by doing low carb and IT fasting. Now I’m trying to do it a better way a refrain from that but it is tough 😅 thanks for all this info, it was very helpful! ❤
Thank you so much Abbey! I just came across your channel this morning and am so pleased with your content. I have been on this weight roller coaster since I was a teenager. 50,60,80-100 pound losses and regains several times through fad diets and restriction :( Now I am at my heaviest weight but would like to become pregnant. I am worried about a healthy pregnancy being at this high weight but do not want to go down the nightmare path of dieting again.
From personal experience I agree with all of that.. my go to weight loss strategy is to move regulary (even for 20 min) and portion control
Portion control is probably the best way to mindful eating if you do it wisely ... do not "starve" or deprive yourself, just enjoy everything in moderation
After a couple weeks your body will adapt to a more reasonable portions and feel satiated.. and it becomes a lifestyle rather than a diet
I tried that 6 years ago, lost 22 kg and haven't gained the weight back sense .. my weight fluctuates of course based on my eating and movement habits .. but I remain in my happy place and lose the access just by going back to my "normal"
Thank you for being my safe place. I started restricting some foods because I was afraid of gaining weight but watching your videos (knowing it’s okay to eat these foods without feeling guilty and knowing how to balance them has helped 🫶Thank You Abbey ❤
I think the noom statistic you mention that only 1% of people remain using it, is fairly innocuous.
When i started losing the weight i had to, I used to track my nutrition on Chronometer and over time it made me get an idea how to create balance and what foods and portions im happy at
in the end, i stopped using it and deleted it off my phone entirely without having had gained any of the weight back
so it might be a case of dont need it anymore
I am also on Noom and it's teaching me portion control something I never had in my life so I agree with you this is something that I can carry through my lifetime and stay at a healthy weight I believe in Noom longterm progress🎉 I will also delete it once I get to my goal weight and keep it off in their maintenance program for 6 months. I'm kind of bummed that she poo-pooed noom😢
Seems like the hardest part maintaining weight loss is not returning to the lifestyle of your higher weight. Our eating and movement habits are formed in childhood, maintenance is like becoming a fluent speaker of second language.
Low carb and intermittent fasting. Dropped 100 pounds in ~16 months. BMI from 39 to 23. Kept it off for almost 2 years now. I have to keep an eye on myself and if I creep up I have to reevaluate my diet, but I’ve never gone up more than 7-8 pounds and I’ve gotten it off pretty quickly. It’s not impossible! I had a LOT of good excuses for being heavy too.
What’s your IF schedule?
@@SnowMushroom I’m not as rigid as I was initially. I aim for 18/6, but if I’m physically hungry I’ll relax it to 16/8. I’m also not totally dogmatic about keto macros, but I was early on…and it worked. Now I just try to keep my carbs low (20-40g), eat only when hungry/stop when full, focus on whole food, drink lots of water and allow for things like holidays and celebrations without going off the rails or beating myself up. I’m in the maintenance phase now and presumably forever.
Me, 3 years after losing about 140 pounds. Keeping it off is a struggle every single day, and something I will always have to work on until I die
I was hoping you'd go into more detail about losing weight vs losing fat - and how to recomp properly (losing fat and gaining muscle). I'm curious how to lose fat while at least maintaining muscle, and if counting calories and/or macros to be in a deficit is really the "best" (most scientific and easiest to track) way to do so? I've been gaining a lot of muscle and fat since I started going to the gym 2 years ago, but I'm hoping to start losing fat now while maintaining my muscle!
That sounds like a topic for another video. A great topic too!
I’d love to hear Abbey’s thoughts on this too - also eating to put on muscle (besides the obvious just eat a lot of protein). I feel like she’s talked about it as a side note in her WIEID videos but a whole video on it would be so interesting.
This is a great video addressing this by Justine Ercole. She really is amazing:
ua-cam.com/video/vcTqBiJbPHk/v-deo.html
I would also love a video from Abby on this topic - how it works and whether or not it's even possible?
You basically need to do a cut, by reducing your calories but keeping your protein up. You will always lose a little muscle in a cut but keeping your protein up will help a lot. Once you have hit your goal you gradually take your calories back to maintenance. Look up Jordan Syatt. He has lots of excellent information you might find helpful.
Good Tuesday morning Abbey. I'm happy to report that I'm definitely back on track. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year!!
Uhhhhh I just lost 35lbs over the past year and the past 2 months I've noticed my appetite increase a lot. It's so hard because I do struggle with emotional eating. I'm now on a journey to study myself and what my body is telling me, and prioritizing having healthy options available for me rather than junk food. Here's to breaking negative eating habits long-term!
Hey Abby I just wanted to say thank you for inspiring me to want to become a dietitian myself 🥰
I'm in my last year at Diet school in Germany and it's pretty tough not gonna lie.. but I hope I'll make it 🥲
P.s. another classmate of mine watches you as well 😍
That’s amazing! Good luck
Research is also pretty clear on simple carbs, red meat, dairy, sugar, and highly processed food relating to several health problems, particularly to do with weight. And yes, returning to the way of eating that gave you a problem in the first place will, of course, bring those problems back.
It's odd, but I think a big issue is not only how little time we have to cook, but how few people can really cook beyond basic, simple foods. When you're a good cook, you can work with different ingredients, and make lots of different types of food. It's much easier to control your diet, and to vary it in fun ways. If you know what you're doing, it takes less of your time checking, testing, etc. Changing one's diet tends to mean leaving the most convenient and affordable way to meet one's tastes. It's a hell of a lot easier to make different types of tasty food out of new to you ingredients if you have enough skill in the kitchen to freestyle.
I just wish I'd been taught healthy lifestyle habits from a young age so I could have possibly avoided all the weight gain in the first place. I gained weight binge-eating, weight I never would have gained otherwise. So you're basically saying I'm going to have to work harder to remain at a healthy weight once I've lost it, than I would have if I'd always been at a healthy weight? It's basically life long punishment for struggling with an eating disorder as well as not having all the proper information when I was younger.
So true. Your videos should be on national TV 👍🏻👍🏻
I lost 80lbs, and put 15 back on. I've lost 5 of those 15. 70lbs is still a huge success. I'm still a weight that allows me to be more active and feel better in my skin. The recent numbers are a guess, as I'm not going to stress about the scale again for a few more weeks because a little gain around the holidays can cause stress, so giving myself time to get back into my usual habits will make me feel better about myself
I have thought about weight loss recently after struggling for years with yo-yo dieting. It's clear to me that it doesn't "work" unless someone actively engages in it even after losing weight. Sounds like a life long process which is discouraging and disconcerting. I am starting to realize intuitive eating is a better option for someone who has engaged in orthorexic behavious.
Gravitostat theory has been useful to me. I find once I get my BMI down to 25 or so, intense hunger made it hard to go any lower. What’s helped is wearing a weighted vest for much of the day. Now my BMI is under 24.5, and I will add more weight to the weighted vest as I lose weight. It’s really made it much easier to control my hunger.
Another thing that helps is having high volume low calorie foods for snacks and side dishes. A big thing is increasing my protein intake combined with cardio and resistance training.
Always love your interpretation of this peer reviewed evidence ❤ I started dieting again. I took an intuitive eating break after years of yoyoing and increasingly gaining weight. And I really needed it to reset my metabolism and psyche. I joined a program with a support group, one on one guidance, balanced nutrition, a moderate caloric deficit, strength based daily workouts. I have no doubt it’ll work especially now that I take semgalutide and Vyvanse. My ADHD never allowed me to feel satiety and I exacerbated by extreme dieting and exercise. Positive media like your channel play a critical role in having realistic expectations of myself and enjoying the balanced process of improving my lifestyle choices instead of hatefully punishing myself for being fat. You can’t sustain yourself on self disgust but you can certainly keep pushing yourself with self love.
I just love that you are talking about the need for longterm stats!! AGREED!!
I'm a binge eater who's been fighting 25 pounds since the pandemic. Zepbound finally helped me to take it off and I'm quitting the drug in three weeks. I fear weight gain but also know that I'm feeling much better about food since the end of the pandemic. I hope I can keep the weight off with proper food choices.
Sucks that now when I'm over 40, I have to eat less than 1500 cals a day to lose weight. I've tried eating 1800 cals a day, I gain. I've tried 1600 cals, I gain. I'm over 175 lbs. It's crazy.
I tried noom and it constantly said I was over calories (allotted me about 1600 a day) and it made my anxiety worse. I quit using it after 1 week. I have a history of restrict and binge and I constantly felt like I was going to binge. Now I am constantly looking at ways to add to my food to curb my hunger and yea.
I feel curious about why my body’s “preferred weight range” or set point isn’t necessarily at the healthiest point for it to survive. I get that our bodies are geared for survival at every level. So why would it “prefer” to be unhealthily fat?
Your body adapts to the number (primarily set in puberty) and size (fullness) of fat cells. It attempts to return to that range once you have significant deviation. It sees anything below that range as potential starvation. You are born with a genetic setpoint, but it can be modified by environment over a long period of time.
While we can modify our setpoint higher it's debated as to whether it can be modified lower without medical intervention.
My personal experience (Class 3 Obesity followed by 40 years of normalized weight) is that the hunger ques get better over time, but their will always be an "echo" of that higher setpoint. If you don't eat thoughtfully (Eat to 80% full and make smart choices the majority of the time) it will still have a tendency to encourage over eating and a return to a higher bodyweight. It just becomes more manageable. I suspect it is somewhat like an alcoholic in recovery, the desire is always there, it just becomes less pronounced and more manageable with time. In my case the amount I can eat without weight gain improved over time, but the boundary seems pretty hard (ie most people can eat a little over maintenance without gaining weight, I can't) and my maintenance amount is at the lower end of typical for my bodyweight.
Loved this video as i yo-yo back up and could not figure out what i did wrong. It makes sense
🙌🏾
Thanks for sharing another great video. I'm in my 2nd year of maintaining over 50 lb weight loss, all the things you mentioned play a part in that, the two biggest being education about nutrition and options for food choices and sleep, I wasn't getting nearly enough sleep. I learned a great deal from your videos and when people ask about my diet I tell them I don't diet, I now eat more balanced meals that have fat, carbs and protein, and I tell them to grab a notebook and check out your videos, and create their own "diet", that's primarily what I did. Thank again for all you do!
Ok, this is actually very educated, gentle and wise approach, and thank you for that, especially in this "new year new you" time 🙂
Only thing that might be worth mentioning, and I missed in the video, was about a starting point and goals around that weight loss that people might have. I mean, there really are people who's health do benefit from losing some weight, but then there are those, who are perfectly slim and fit, but they just want "the thigh gap", or "flatter stomach", and no balanced and truly healthy lifestyle would help them achieve that, so they always turn to extreme dieting... I know too many people with anorexia, to say that NOT EVERYONE WHO WANTS TO LOSE WEIGHT, NEEDS TO LOSE WEIGHT.
also want to say for anybody struggling with maintenance to look into reverse dieting. it really does help to raise metabolism back up if your body has adapted to a lower intake
From what I have seen personally, it's easier to maintain the weight loss if the gain was recent. Like for someone who is already accustomed to a healthy lifestyle but some recent changes resulted in the weight gain.
Great video Abbey! I wish everyone would realize that diets don't work!! Just listen to your body and let it trust you. When I started eating what I really want, that's when I actually lost some weight!! Sending lots of love to you always Abbey! 🥰❤💕 Happy New Year!! 🎉
Keeping in shape is an every day battle, and I don’t believe those who say otherwise.
Thanks for the video! I’m a biologist and a colleague mentioned the other day that long-term weight loss is nearly impossible. That didn’t sit right with me, since I lost & kept off 15% of my body weight in 2017.
Hearing this balanced review from a clinician (and double-checked by a researcher!) is super super appreciated and helpful-thanks again! :)
I'd love to hear about how pregnancy and postpartum affect this. Pre baby I was 150 without restriction. Now I've been 180 for a while. I am very physically active. Did my body's weigh range change?
I'm sure you can't answer this for me specifically but I'd be interested to hear research.
And for comments- I have an ED history so please don't give me tips on weight loss.
if i’m not mistaken she has actually talked about this in a previous video
@@angelxbunny I'll have to take another look. Thank you :)
Well, I think I'm both in the 95% of people who fail to maintain weight loss, but am also a success story. Most of my family is morbidly obese. My sibling gains about 10 pounds a year and there's no end in sight. I also gain 10 pounds every year or two, but then I diet for a few months and get back to my starting weight. Basically every time my pants get tight I just stop snacking and drinking. The result is that my sibling has just crossed the threshold into morbid obesity, while my bmi is low normal. Isn't this a health success? I don't think the goal should be zero fluctuation for the rest of our lives, like we need to feel like giant failures every time we bloat on our periods and the scale goes up two pounds.
Thank you for posting this video! Especially with all your links to the papers you cite. I'm doing my master's thesis on weight cycling, and all of these articles are so helpful! Helping a future anti-diet RD (:
Tbh I think people want to lose weight for the wrong reasons. My reasons for wanting to lose weight was not so that I can look good in a bikini but so that my back can stop hurting and so that I live a healthier life to around as long as possible for my daughter. My main motivation was seeing how many obese people died from COVID-19. Not only that but God forbid I end up in the emergency room and I need a team of 20 to lift me.
I think it’s very important to note that a growing number of people have an emotional attachment to food and I truly believe this is the real cause of weight gain (beyond a genetic set point).
I have lost a significant amount of weight in 9 months (without surgery) I gained it back and now the psychological impact that has on me 5 yrs later is crazy lmao
Please make more videos about weight loss and how intuitive eating fits or doesn’t fit with this lifestyle change.
Is there a way of estimating your natural set point? Im comfortable in the fact im naturally supposed to be in a heavier body, but Im definately in a heavier body than I am supposed to be in.
Thank you for this video Abby, and just in time for New Year's Resolutions! It was shocking to see that the 95% failure statistic is so old and so antiquated!
I love your videos Abbey. Thank you.
This was very interesting, am was amazed that the diet study they all quote is so old and poorly carried out 😮
Great video! Really hit home with your comment about lack of support for weight maintenance.
I was 210 when I graduated high-school. After a few years of sports I hit 155 and felt I was to small. I also moved back to the city and on my journey to gain weight I hit 220. Now I'm doing keto and my goal is 170 them add muscle. Doesn't make sense to me I have done so much extra to remain a healthy weight but I'll manage it.
The fact is, once I got down to 70kg from 120kg, if I didn’t keep a consistent log of what I was eating, I would gain it all back overtime. It’s a lifestyle change for life if you wanna stay healthy.
Thank you, Abbey, as I embark on a month of no dairy to see if this will clear up some skin issues, this video will help me to pay attention to these other factors. I would like to lose some weight, but I will not concentrate on losing until after this month - too much to pay attention to all at once.
CICO, that's why. Because it's virtually impossible to calculate just how much calories you are actually taking in and because companies are incentivized to mark calories down lower than they actually are, it forces people to severely undereat in order to get results and throw nutritional value into the wind.
This means when they start eating more again they just put the fat and water back on because they never resolved the issue in the first place.
I’d appreciate a more thorough discussion of the look back study in a future video since it’s often cited as proof of long term weight loss. But I’ve read the study and it appeared to require some pretty extreme interventions ie low calories and replacing one or more meals with meal replacement shakes. Also, my understanding is while the study showed “maintenance” of 2-5% of weight loss at 8 years, this was only after participants lost around 10% in the first year, meaning they gained most of the weight they lost back, which would be discouraging to most people. Also the study focused on people with type 2 diabetes but never really discussed whether or not the weight loss improved the participants’ diabetes.
Thank you Abbey! I’m trying to actually get healthy:) always appreciate the help:)
I feel everyone's journey will be different & I believe in having a small daily deficit for weight loss. I've dropped 50 lbs in past three yrs from weight gain from being locked in during CV with an average (200) cal deficit while my goal is (250) What each person needs to find is their best daily activity to do in steps or miles vs their food intake. I walk 4 miles, ride a bike 10 miles or mow my lawn 6 days a week. I'm in the same cal burn area. I give myself 80/20 missing my goal 20% each month with my misses usually coming from a low activity day as food consumption stays at the same level. This might be for that ice cream birthday cake at a party, happy hour, a special dinner or just becouse I'm hungry that could last for a few days. I just go with the flow.
I hit send by accident. Just to finish on activities vs weight loss. I lost the most weight averaging 5.1k in steps or about 3.2 miles losing (15.9) lbs in a month. I also avg walking 11.1k gaining 2 lbs in a month so more is not better as you just want to consume more food for the energy burned. While I need to do an activity for an hour to get my steps in others like to move all day for the same end number. Theirs no right or wrong just do what works best for you & your schedule. Last walking 4 mile was key for me, I made it a habit & watching the scale kept me in line. The more I tracked the more I learned so as the video says it is complicated but it can be fun if you turn it into a game. I hope this might help someone. 🍀 Good luck!
Hi Abbey, can you please label your sources? It's really hard to look for a specific source you've listed when they're all unlabeled.
She won’t. People have been asking her for forever. Abbey won’t shut up about her qualifications as a RD but refuses to actually practice science properly.
So grateful for your videos- thank you!!!
i lost over 20kg (about 40lb) with a strict keto/atkins for 3 months and milder version for another 6months... then I duno what I did after that! (generally avoided refined carbs).... and I kept off that weight for nearly 4 years, until I got some kinda bad news, and started to put on weight... i would call that success...
Honest question: Say you lose 10, 50 pounds, whatever amount, and you're doing all the things to keep it off for years, even if it takes effort like Abbey said; is there a point at which the new weight does become more "natural" or easier to maintain? In other words, does your body eventually adjust after a certain number of years? I know Abbey did say near the end of the video that someone who diets to 150, for example, will "always" need to work more to stay at that weight. I'm just curious if that changes at all over time, even if it's a very long time. It seems logical to think that your body would eventually adjust to not having a lot of extra weight, unless you are underweight. Of course the comments section is not for expert advice, just wondering out loud if anyone has learned about this.
Only personal anecdote- I lost 20 kg down from the obese range to a healthy range weight. Maintained with some slight fluctuations for nearly 17 years (half my life haha). Can honestly say my stomach has shrunk- to gain that weight back would actually be hard to eat the volumes of food I used to consume and the amounts of sugar I used to drink. On the other hand, I know that there's definitely a level of calorie reduction that would be totally uncomfortable and unsustainable for me! So hopefully that's helpful!
It’s called your new set point weight. Set point can be adjusted up and down. The reason ‘diets don’t work’ is because people go too hard and too aggressive, therefore shocking their bodies. This can happen to people with eating disorders or yo yo dieters.
if u change your lifestyle to match the goal weight, you can keep it. weight changes because of lifestyle changes
If all the cells in your body renew every seven or eight years maby your setpoint alters to if you keep your new weight for eight years?
I developed anorexia and then bulimia when I was in my teens. It started with a simple diet to lose a few pounds. Since then I have struggled to maintain my weight at a healthy level. I was doing better though for several years and then gained about 15 lbs due to comfort eating and binging during a bad depression. I decided to go on a diet to lose the weight and ended up relapsing pretty bad with anorexia. I lost the weight but by the time I was back at the goal weight I was in such a bad place that I kept losing weight. I have now lost an additional 17 lbs and am truly struggling to eat. I wonder about addressing the dangers of weight loss triggering eating disorders? I know I can't be alone in this struggle. Now I wonder if I can ever diet without risking a relapse like this.
Im trying to lose weight for good and it’s so hard😢
It’s impossible for me I count everything. It used to be so easy not too long ago
You’re one of those lucky people who eats more than 2000 calories then…not all of us are so lucky
Abbey--have you ever looked into epigenetics and the impact on weight/health? I would love to see a deep dive from you :)
This was exactly the video I needed. Trying to lose post baby weight and also not launch backwards into another ED 😬
I love your glowy makeup!
Still no response to Data Male’s UA-cam video?
Thanks for another great video. I'd love to know your thoughts on 2 meal a day and intermittent fasting,
I have a couple videos on intermittent fasting! ua-cam.com/video/FehWy4UuyNU/v-deo.html
@@AbbeysKitchen Thanks, I'll look those up.
Do you have a video to help identify and work towards being within your set weight range? I feel like I am above mine and I want to use a healthy approach to identify if my intuition is correct, what to change, or know if I am not above and work towards coping with that.
It seriously makes me so sad to read these comments and see so many people struggling. Losing weight really isn't complicated at all. It just takes consistency, the ability to cook healthy balanced meals, and if you have foods you literally can't stop eating once you start, just find a way to make a healthier version of them. Also, tomorrow is ALWAYS a new day. If you feel like you've gotten off track with your goals today, just wake up tomorrow and act like it didn't happen. That's the legit way to create a healthier lifestyle over time. If I had my way, I would legit make diet programs, diet pills, and diet concoctions of any sort illegal. They aren't healthy or sustainable, lead to binges, and are truly a scam.
I'm stuck between 140-150, my new goal is not to get below that necessarily but just build muscle and lose fat to stay close to the same just healthier
hey abbey! i’ve been loving your videos for years. i’m wondering if you have any recommendations for creators that give good nutrition advice specifically for sport nutrition/training? thanks!!
I really liked the investigation into the whole 95% of diets fail statistic. I would be very very interested in more research into that group of people who successfully kept off over 10% of their body weight. When we copy with those people do, just eating more veggies, more movement, and overall balance would there even be a percentage fail? Do 95% of diets fail because 95% of people aren't using the right approach? As someone who is overweight (might even technically be obese idk I don't weigh myself. I had a baby 3 months ago I'm not ready lol) I obviously want to lose weight, and I know I would probably be healthier but it pisses me off that people are told to lose weight and then at the same time told diets will fail. Like what gives 🤣
Are there any types of disordered eating you would associate with "I used to work at a grocery store (or any store really)?" I've had not good weight gains associated with times I've worked in stores. There was a lot of after shift over buying of hyperpalatable foods, working hours not friendly to circadian rhythm, eating at times not friendly to circadian rhythm, and general being out of sync with my non store working friends.
That 1959 study isn't even statistically significant.... 6 people, ultimately?? I've heard that statistic over and over myself. I'm really thinking that there needs to be some updating for the studies. Especially since it was that long ago - the food industry and how we relate to it have changed so significantly that it seems like that old study is just that: old and outdated.
Will never not be here for Abbey dunking on noom. Such a scam. Thanks for all you do to battle the evils of diet culture, it's helped me so much in my own food/body journey