Confused re VLCD

[Wobbly71]

I Have posted this on lighterlife as well!!

Hiya everyone

I have tried lighterlife before (twice) and lasted about 5 weeks at the most then gave up, needless to say I have put back on what I lost and more. For the last few years I have tried to do cambridge diet n and off but failed.

Decided to give lighterlife another go so rang my local counsellor and went this morning to rejoin a group. The group started 2 weeks ago.

There were 6 of us in the group -
2 of them were new ladies the other 4 of us had tried before, lost weight, gave up and gained more than we had lost in the first place, one lady had lost and regained 6 stone!!!

This has made me think is it that easy to maintain the loss when loosing it on a VLCD... I know there are plenty of success stories but I wonder what percentage of people actually keep the weight of for years after!

Not sure wether to bother putting myself through this again.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

Thanks x x

 

[Starlight]

Whether you regain the weight has NOTHING to do with how you lose it, its to do with what you do when you 'come off' your diet. No matter what diet youre on if you go back to old habits youre going to put the weight back on. Its not the fault of the diet.

If you look around Minis youll see loads of people whove lost on a VLCD and kept it off and youll find lots of people whove lost weight on something like WW or SW and put it back on.

If someone regains the weight they lost, its not the fault of the diet they were on, its down to them

 

[assj]

i have to agree with starlight, no matter what you do to lose weight, it is easy for anyone to fall back into old habits and regain it all plus more, you have to be pretty strict with yourself and say your never going togo back there, i think many people think when they get to goal they can go and eat the same as they were before they started, unfortunately it just doesnt work that way.
good luck with what you decide to do
xxx

 

[KD]

There very complex reasons why people put the weight back, but it has little to do with the diet that lost the weight in the first place (as others have said).

Having said that, there slightly more chance of keeping it off if you lose the weight quickly, believe it or not...but that's what current research is saying and yes, I know this goes totally against the 'myths' that circulate dieting clubs, internet and peoples belief systems. You have to find it in the unless you more reliable published research papers. A place people avoid.

I managed to put on 6 stone after finishing with a more traditional, slower loss diet. I spent years going to the Annual Reunion Let's Try it Again meets at these slimming clubs each January.

When you think about it, the vast majority of people who do VLCDs have done at least one of the slower weight loss diet (often many, many more). If keeping the weight off was so successful after these diets, one would wonder why they are ending up bigger than ever and having to do a VLCD in the first place.

But as I say, it's very complex. Not just absent mindedly forgetting what we should eat when we get to goal, but also interference with many hormones, which will drive people to eat more after they've dieted (regardless of diet)

This is the first time I've managed to keep the weight off. 8 stone for 5 years. And after 38 years of annual diets This was after doing Cambridge. I can't say that Cambridge was necessarily the reason for my success this time, any more than why I was unsuccessful before after the diets. Just decided that I HAD to maintain this time.

The amount of people who maintain for 5 years is depressing....but that figure is similar across the diets, and as I say, there's actually more research indicating that the faster the loss, the more likelihood of keeping it off. Not enough difference to get too excited about though

 

[chocolatecat]

I agree that it hasn't anything to do with the diet but I think... IMHO that if you have tried lighterlife and failed twice before, what's different about you this time that means you will stick at it?

I'll tell you what I have done. I started calorie counting a year and a half ago and it lasted a couple of weeks... then I tried the Cambridge Diet - 3 days! I tried calorie counting again and failed miserably after 3 weeks! Cambridge Diet again and lasted only 4 days that time.

I didn't bother trying again after that and this summer decided to try something completely different - low fat and exercise! I was unmotivated and didn't think I'd manage but then found myself wanting to do more exercise and so I joined a Rosemary Conley diet & fitness class and then the gym.

I don't know how I'll get on in months to come - all I know is that I have managed regular exercise and low fat eating for a month now and although I have only lost less than half a stone, I have lost 9 inches all over and feel a whole lot more healthier and more motivated to stick at it than ever. I just need to tighten up my diet and I'll get there. I have changed my entire lifestyle and will not go back to the way I used to eat and live.

I guess all I'm trying to say is that you have to get your head in gear before you will be able to stick with anything be it VLCD or healthy eating and exercise. Get yourself on a plan that you enjoy following and the motivation will follow! And remember that although a quick fix is good for a lot of people, it might not work for you - it certainly didn't for me as much as I wanted it to!

Good luck and let us know what you decide to do xx