#1 - To the OP - here is the deal. Biologically our bodies are DESIGNED to MAINTAIN fat stores. Dating back to when we were cavemen, we never knew when there was going to be a period of famine, so during times of feast they would eat as much as possible and when calories were restricted the body would take steps to retain the fat stores. When talking to other groups I like to prove I am a big nerd by comparing it to Star Trek's Enterprise. Let's say there is an energy drain. The first thing is that they are going to start shutting down systems and trying to be more efficient with the power that they do have. (Metabolism slows considerably) The computer will continually issue warnings that it needs more energy (ghrelin levels change so that you are always hungry and telling you you always need food). And finally, when energy does start coming back it takes a long time for the computer to say that energy levels are back to full. (leptin levels in the body change so that you can eat and eat and eat and never feel full) It has taken me a few years but I've found ways to counteract each of these things. To get the metabolism back up I worked with a doctor to GAIN 15 pounds back; by tricking my body into thinking the famine was over and to turn all the systems back on. It was a high carb, high fat, no sugar diet the doctor gave me.. and after two months and 15 pounds later, I was able to go back to my regular diet. Also on the metabolism side, I really recommend that people do as much weight training as cardio. Muscle is calorie burning tissue. So I have been lifting weights four times a week adding muscle mass to also increase metabolism. And I've played with my diet consistently so that I'm quite low carb, VERY high protein (1g/pound/day), medium fat. So egg whites+yogurt for breakfast, steamed vegetables+cottage cheese at lunch, grilled veggies+soup+teriyaki tofu for supper. The high protein meals are keeping me satiated through the day. I still have no "full" feeling. It's completely gone. That sensor is totally busted. So I have to be careful when portioning out my meals.
#2 - Take a look at the writings of Dr. Sharma from the University of Calgary (drsharma.ca) or Dr. Freedhoff from the University of Ottawa (weighty matters.ca). These guys are THE obesity experts in Canada. And they will echo exactly what the article above says. But it isn't about throwing up your hands and saying "well, let's just give up". It's about managing expectations and shifting the focus towards being the healthiest the person can be. I was discussing this article with someone yesterday and I said it's not moving the goalposts, it's replacing them entirely. The goal shouldn't be losing 40 pounds, it should be about exercising every day, eating as nutritious and clean a diet that you can, and becoming a healthier you. If the scale doesn't move don't worry about it. If the exercise and eating better helps you lose the weight and keep it off, bonus. So you will NEVER, EVER see Dr. Sharma or Dr. Freedhoff tell their patients to give up and eat all the Dairy Queen foods they want. They tell them to be the healthiest person they can be. As much as they hate my guts, I support the HAES community (HAES = "Healthy At Every Size"). They promote that overweight and obese people should be exercising more, eating good foods, but not worrying about their weight per se. Which I think is awesome. It's all part of changing the goal posts entirely. And I am glad to see obesity experts such as those cited in the article here, Sharma, Freedhoff.... all moving in this general direction. I just fear that society is still going to continue shaming fat people even when they are putting in the efforts to be healthy.
#3) That 5% figure is horribly, horribly INFLATED. Clinically, the scientific community had decided that weight loss success is defined as losing 10% of your body mass and keeping it off for 1 year. So a 300 pound man losing 30 pounds and keeping it off for a year is a "success". Most people reading the article probably would think success would be a 300 pound man getting down to a normal BMI reading. It's not. The odds of a 350 pound man getting down to 185 and staying there are INCREDIBLY small. We're talking a fraction of 1%.
#4) Actually, SebC, losing weight is actually quite easy. It's my opinion that the reason many people choose to stay overweight is because:
1) They are not yet at the point where the pain of staying the same outweighs the pain of change. If you have a good job, a loving family, a beautiful home, two kids and a dog... you've got a pretty darn good life. Why change anything? I heard one guys success story last year where he said "After my third heart attack I figured I had to do something about my weight". Sometimes it takes a LOT for people, particularly MEN, to get motivated to lose the weight because they don't like change. They like their meat and potatoes and they like watching the hockey game with Lays potato chips and a few beer. The pain of staying the same HAS to outweigh the pain of staying the same.
2) You need to have hope that you can get healthier. Some people just don't think that it is possible. That they are too far gone. That they have done so much damage to their body that they can't fix it. I spent almost two decades of my life in this phase. I had not seen anyone in my entire life that had been 350 pounds become a healthy, athletic person. But it is EVEN HARDER for people that have tried and failed before. And with each failed attempt, it gets even harder to try again.
I do believe there are a LOT of pitfalls to losing weight. Particularly with all the snake oil that is on the market. But I think if someone puts their mind to it they can take off the weight. But as the article suggests, the almost IMPOSSIBLE part is keeping the weight off. More research needs to be done on regulating these hormone levels and into improving metabolisms that have shut down. People have to be educated that weight training is ABSOLUTELY essential to keeping off the weight. But this information just isn't out there. According to Dr. Freedhoff there are 63,000 books on losing weight on Amazon. Know how many there are on maintaining weight loss after losing the weight? I've found 5. Five. That's it. I've read them all. So I have read every single book that I could find on Amazon about maintaining weight loss. That's just sad. What has been absolutely invaluable to me was going on the internet and networking with other maintainers and learning tips and tricks from them.
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BTW - I signed my first autograph last week.
I was featured on my organization's magazine (distribution = 200,000) and I've been busy signing them. I apparently have no concept of autograph etiquette. "Wait! Don't sign across your face!" Also I have learned to always keep a sharpie on me as regular pens don't work on magazine covers and I don't want people to go away disappointed.
Magazine cover:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16687118/Don.jpg
Me in my old pants (picture taken 3 days ago):
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...8/IMG_0068.jpg
My friend Bergen who is part of my maintainers network (she's down 150) read just the title of the article and said "F#$& that.... I don't care if it is almost impossible... I'm not going back". Pretty much my attitude as well. I think I would rather die than go back to 350. That's a horrible statement to make and could well be considered fat shaming in it's own right. But my life at 350 pounds was miserable and I hated that existence and never, EVER want to go back there. Bergen and I have settled on "Keeping the weight off is extremely, extremely hard. Being over 300 pounds was even harder."