On 2007 January 21st I weighed 223.8 pounds.
On 2008 January 21st I weighed 178 pounds.
On 2009 January 19th I weighed 181.22 pounds.
In other words, I more or less maintained the weight loss I wrote about in Stick a fork in me I’m done for one year.
I don’t have statistics handy, but I’ve seen many articles over the years to the effect that only a very small percentage of people stay slimmed down after they lose excess weight. The figures get even more dim after 5 years.
Knowing this, I decided to keep adding serial goals to my weight control program even after I achieved my goal weight of 178 lbs. The first of these goals was to maintain my weight loss for 1 year, which would make me eligible to join the National Weight Control Registry. I sent away for my application two days ago!
My next goal is to go from 181.22 lbs back down to 178 lbs.
After that, my goal is to maintain 178 lbs for another year in increments of monthly goals. My ultimate goal is to maintain the weight loss for a full 5 years.
To help myself along I decided to open up this new category on my blog for periodic reports on my maintenance efforts. Stick a fork in me I’m done will answer all of your questions about my initial weight loss. No gimmicks, just regular tracking.
BTW, I had a frozen vegan lasagna and tofu knish tonight for dinner. Combined, just under a slim 500 calories, but very filling and satisfying. Life can be sweet! 🙂
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Congratulations!
Just one thing unclear. when you say “My ultimate goal is to maintain the weight loss for a full 5 years.” what does this mean, as far as what your thinking is on year 6 and beyond?
It means I’ll decide when I get there. I may want to do something else, like lift weights and gain weight at that point.
“lean” mass weight gain is sometimes the right thing, i hear you, good luck and again congrats !
While there’s very dramatic weight loss at the beginning of a veg/vegan diet change i have found my weight to remain fairly consistent after adjusting. I’ve been at the same weight for the last 4 years with an almost entirely vegan diet.
Jessica;
I was already a vegan for a long time before, during and after the weight gain. I gained the weight because I couldn’t exercise for several years and I ate too much.
Vegan diets tend to be higher in bulk ( foods with fiber and water ) so people feel full while eating less calories. So, some people lose a little weight when they switch to a vegan diet. Then people discover vegan junk food and vegan processed foods.
There have been studies that even people who are educated about food values will underestimate how much they eat.
That was true for me and keeping a calorie log made all of the difference. I didn’t make any changes in my exercise routine. Just writing down how much I ate put me in touch with how much I was really eating. Being made and kept aware of that, I was able to make a small and comfortable adjustment to how much I ate. That allowed me to comfortably and slowly lose 1 pound a week.