Maintain, not gain

Anybody can lose weight. What really matters in the battle of the bulge — okay, full-out war as our metabolism slows — is keeping the weight off. Time and again, evidence shows we’re not very good at it: According to the latest research, up to 66 per cent of us regain what we lose (and then some) within two to five years post-diet.

“Change is difficult,” says Yoni Freedhoff, medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute, a weight management centre in Ottawa. “People have this nasty habit of thinking they need to lose weight one way and then keep it off another way. That method is really flawed.” In fact, most doctors advise slow weight loss (we’re talking over years) through healthy, portion-controlled eating and regular exercise. The longer it takes you to lose it, so the thinking goes, the longer those healthy habits have to become ingrained. It can take about 18 months for a new behaviour to really gel, adds Freedhoff. (See also: What's it's like to lose 150 pounds.)

Turns out we’ve got a lot more to go on than perseverance alone. We interviewed six women who have successfully lost weight and kept it off. Each one found her own winning strategy.

“I keep a food diary.”

Cynthia Field-Rose, 53, Ottawa
Lost 30 pounds
Three years and counting

Keeping tabs on caloric intake was crucial to Field-Rose. Before using this strategy, the speech pathologist hit her “goal weight” only once or twice during her thirties and forties. Even now she keeps a daily calorie log, which she believes has made all the difference in maintaining the loss. “At first, it was time-consuming,” says Field-Rose. But with the help of calorie counting books, she says it got easier. “Part of it is accountability. It’s so easy to deny how much you’re eating. It just helps keep things organized better for me.”

Why it works Freedhoff is a fan of self-monitoring activities. “Otherwise, it’s as though you’re shopping without looking at the price,” he says. “Sometimes you might guess right, but more often than not, you’ll end up spending more than you planned.” To determine how many calories you should consume, he suggests consulting a website such as fitday.com or dailyplate.com. And don’t get too caught up in the details: Just write down what you eat and roughly how many calories it contains.

When you’re maintaining, Freedhoff encourages daily weigh-ins to avoid surprising spikes (which can be demoralizing, and therefore harder to battle). Aim to maintain within two to three pounds. (The opposite is true if you are still in lose-weight as opposed to maintain-weight mode — dieters are more likely to stay motivated by losses that are more noticeable between once-a-week weigh-ins). Field-Rose says that daily weigh-ins help her track the natural fluctuations of her body so she’s not hitting the panic button over a few pounds, and, ultimately, eroding confidence.

Another tip? Make it a team effort...

“Friends keep me motivated.”

Diana Krecsy, 44, Calgary
Lost 45 pounds
One year and counting

Charlotte Comrie, 55, Charlottetown
Lost 23 pounds
One year and counting

The two provincial heads of a major charity, co-workers and friends, were surprised at a national meeting last year to discover each other had lost significant amounts of weight. Krecsy found herself doubly inspired to keep up her own slim-down journey. “Seeing Charlotte keeps me motivated. She looks happier,” says Krecsy. The two occasionally check in on each other’s weight maintenance progress by email. And the quarterly face-to-face meetings provide just enough friendly competition to keep them both where they want to be. Says Comrie: “Certainly, from my perspective, I don’t want to gain anything before the meeting. And it’s a little incentive for me thinking Diana will be there.”

Why it works “I tell my clients not to be complacent with success,” says Ramona Josephson, a Vancouver dietitian. Often, after people shed the pounds, they lose the motivation and that’s precisely when they need to seek out support, she says, whether it’s through one-on-one coaching, online programs or friends. “A buddy is a built-in support system,” she says. “A buddy can encourage you when you feel down; help you to stay on track when life gets in the way; motivate you to succeed when you feel overwhelmed.” No weight maintenance buddy? A 2008 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that Internet-based weight-loss and maintenance programs are helpful for not only shedding pounds, but also preventing weight gain. Go to ediet.com or sparkpeople.com.

“I don’t deny myself anything.”

Lynn Gillman, 50, Ottawa
Lost 65 pounds
One year and counting

Gillman recently shed 65 of the 80 pounds she put on over the past decade. And what helps the busy account manager at a high-tech company keep the weight off is granting herself certain “allowances,” such as dinners out on the town. “This is the first time in my life I’ve been able to lose weight and keep it off, and I’ve been on diets since my twenties,” says Gillman. “I didn’t feel it was hard this time because I don’t deny myself anything. I’ve done Atkins. I did Suzanne Somers. I know that as soon as I deprive myself, I go crazy and all I do is focus on food.”

Why it works “Having an unrealistic approach to weight loss is not going to help in the long run,” says Freedhoff. “The best goal you can have is to reach your best weight, which is whatever weight you reach living a healthy life you can enjoy.” For example, one of the biggest reasons why we give in to temptation or cravings, he explains, is poor hunger management. “It’s not a willpower thing, it’s a hunger thing. Hunger will beat everybody up.”
Gillman’s liberated perspective on weight maintenance doesn’t require her to make an unlikely sacrifice and give up a favourite way to socialize with friends, either. She simply chooses restaurants that offer healthier or flexible menu items, asks questions about how the food is prepared before she orders, and eats only half of what’s on her plate.

“I hired a trainer.”

Dawn Denyar, 49, Kentville, N.S.
Lost 26 pounds
One year and counting

In her late forties, Denyar began to deeply resent her up-and-down affair with the scale. “I kept thinking, I want to take care of myself; my kids are grown; I have arthritis in my knees; and I don’t want to feel crappy when I’m 50,” says the personal banking officer. “I finally said to myself, ‘I can’t do this alone. Diet alone isn’t working.’” So just over a year ago she hired a personal trainer, began exercising regularly and cut back on her portion sizes. The result: Twenty-six pounds have vanished. Even better, her knees don’t hurt nearly as much. Having a helper to work through plateaus, keep her motivated and help inject variety into her exercise routine has made all the difference. Most surprising to Denyar: “It’s been the easiest year of my life.

Why it works Seeking outside help could be just the boost you need. A recent study by the University of Kansas Medical Center published in the International Journal of Obesity showed that weight-loss maintenance can be adversely affected by how difficult you think it’s going to be. In other words, the lower your expectations about how much work is involved, the better the long-term outcome. Denyar adds that thanks to her trainer, “keeping it off doesn’t feel like work. I can keep doing this for the rest of my life.”

“I learned to love the journey.”

Gabriella Minnes Brandes, 53, Vancouver
Lost 55 pounds
Five years and counting

Minnes Brandes mourned the loss of her mother for one year before she decided to address her lifelong weight issues. Two years of therapy combined with diet and exercise gradually melted away 20 pounds. In 2006, she hired a dietitian, and lost another 35 pounds. She maintains her weight now by exercising at least one hour every day, often more, with a variety of activities including hitting a gym, taking fitness classes and running. “I love it. And I used to hate exercise. No, I really, really hated exercise.” The difference? Minnes Brandes eventually realized that she gets out of fitness exactly what she puts into it — a degree of control the University of British Columbia faculty of education teacher wasn’t going to get from her students (another subsequent realization).

More important, Minnes Brandes acknowledged early on that her decision to deal with her weight was central to how she wanted to tackle her life. In the past, Minnes Brandes “freaked out” every time she hit a plateau (usually after 15 pounds) and gave up. But now, being in control of her body and mind is simply part of the journey. “I don’t see myself as maintaining now. I see myself as living now. It’s a different perspective. I suppose it’s how normal people are with their weight. I don’t see me reaching anything other than loving the journey.”

Why it works There’s no real surprise here. As Freedhoff says, “You better like the way you’re losing it, or it’s not going to stay off.”

Feeling inspired? Check out our Boot camp fitness slideshow, find out which foods can help your hot flashes, or share your own story about your weight or fitness goals in our View from her section.