My Story: Weight Loss yo-yo

Hi all!  I'm a new member on this forum and this is my first post, but I've been reading posts for several months now.  I thought it might be helpful to share some of my weight related issues, and see if any of you can offer some advice.

I am currently a 19 year old, 6' male.  At present, my weight is 179.7 lb.  Here's my story, from the beginning:

Four years ago, I decided that I was overweight.  My height then was (guessing) 5' 9''.  I stepped on my bathroom scale and I weighed about 200 lb.  Combine this with difficulty finding a peer group at school... and I was freaking out.  I decided to start dieting... albeit at the time, I didn't know how to diet properly.  

I proceeded to go on a crash diet and cardio program.  At the time, I also did not know about calorie counting ... I was likely eating far less than I thought.  For the next few months I combined a low calorie diet (perhaps 1200-1300/day, I wasn't counting effectively) with about 30-60 minutes of intense cardio per day.  I started to lose weight very quickly... and in a period of several months, I had lost about 40-50 lb.  It was at this time my doctor started to get very worried about me... and I stopped the diet.  I also realized that I have the ability to change my mass VERY quickly.

During the rest of high school I did not concern myself too much about my weight (it was normal, why worry?).  Last summer before I headed to college I stepped on the scale, and found that I was ~180 lb.  Since I was about 6' then  and it was a healthy bmi - I wasn't overly concerned.  During the first semester of college I don't suspect my weight changed very much... I was physically active and not eating too much.  Second semester was when problems ensued.  A girl I was interested in had repeatedly told me that I looked "skinny" and I internalized that thought.  Combine this with school (I am in a very rigorous program) and extra curricular commitmments...things went sour.  

I started having two protein shakes a day... and eating a LOT.. trying to bulk up in muscle.  I combined this with weight lifitng 5 days a week.  This attempt failed... rather than gaining muscle, I gained fat.  When I stepped on the scale at the end of my first year at college, to my horror, I weighed 200.8 lb - aproximately +20 lb from a year earlier.  

It was then that I truly realized how quickly my weight yo-yo's.  I am now (trying) to commit myself to losing weight... and keeping it off.

During the summer I've been adhering to a Doctor approved diet regime of 1600 calories/day (low in sat/trans fat, sodium, simple sugars etc), and 1 hour of walking/day (I will regain access to a gym in Sept when I return to college).

I have currently lost 21.1 lb on this regime, and my current weight is 179.7 lb.  I plan to continue this diet/exercise plan for the next 2 months, in hopes of reaching a weight of 160 lb (a BMI of 22, "ideal" for my height/gender).  At that time I plan to increase my caloric intake to a "maintain" level and increase my time in the gym lifting weights... in hopes of gaining 10-15 lb of muscle during the 4-5 months after September, in hopes of hitting a final weight of 175 lb.

My primary concerns right now are:

1.)  My stomach.  After losing the most recent 20 lb, I have seen very little change in my stomach's size.  I have a normal bmi, but a borderline obese waist measurement.  I have never been content with my stomach... and hope to decrease my body fat percentage to a point where I can have greater definition.

2.)  Weight yo-yoing.  I know that my body cannot afford to gain/lose 20lb+ every year.  It's not healthy.  I am now terrified of gaining fat.... because I know that if I don't monitor my body weight... I will gain VERY quickly.  I plan to weigh myself frequently during the next year at school - perhaps this will keep the fat gain under control?

...

To those of you who made it to the end of this post, thank you!  The primary question I'd like to ask you - what is the best way to stay at a healthy body weight, preventing this yearly weight yo-yo from continuing?

Thanks!

Original Post by mark126:

To those of you who made it to the end of this post, thank you!  The primary question I'd like to ask you - what is the best way to stay at a healthy body weight, preventing this yearly weight yo-yo from continuing?

Thanks!

There are several things to keep an eye on.  The first is to eat better food.... Rather than simply focusing on calories or whether something is low-fat or low-sodium try to make your diet one that is based on good quality wholefoods such as plenty of vegetables and fruit, lean meat/fish, wholegrains etc.  The reason for this is that nutritious food is more satisfying in smaller quantities.  It is very tough to overeat something bulky like broccoli, for example.  Nutritious, unprocessed foods also mean less fluid retention.... and when someone is very slim but has a flabby middle, quite often that's fluid rather than fat.  If you don't want to be condemned to a life of hopping on scales every five minutes, eating better food and getting into a good eating habit is the way forward

Second is to eat the right amount of food... http://www.bcm.edu/cnrc/bodycomp/bmiz2.html  Entering your stats into this link you'll find that a 160lb, 6" tall 19 year-old male who is active for an hour or more a day needs 3460 - 4040 cals a day to maintain his weight.  In that light, your 1600 calorie diet is a dangerously low crash-diet.  Another big reason for your body-shape problems is that you will have been using muscle to make up the energy shortfall rather than spare fat.   This leads to the body looking like a popped balloon... rather saggy and deflated rather than 'lean'.   The other big downside of crash dieting and severe calorie restriction is that it messes up the metabolism.  The combination of a slow metabolism and reversion to normal food quantities is why people who crash-diet usually yo-yo right back to their original weight... and add a few more pounds for good measure.

I hate to go against doctors' advice but I would suggest you try to increase your intake to about 2500 as soon as possible.  You may gain a little weight short-term, but you'll feel healthier as you'll have much more energy and you'll be a lot less malnourished.   When you get to your target weight you need to increase from 2500 to 3500 in stages... still going with 'better food'.

Finally, exercise.  An hour a day of something active is perfect.  Once you're back in the gym you can work on strengthening exercises as well.  But you need the right amount of food in order to go from 'muscle wastage' to 'muscle toning'.  If you wanted to 'muscle build' you'd need to be taking in an excess of calories.

I am a 21 y.o. guy who lost 115 lbs by crash dieting (eating once a day for a few months) and have since yo-yoed around between like 160 and the low 130's since January 2007....I know how it is....I am in the 140's now, but it seems my weight still goes up and down from time to time and it drives me nuts

just get to a weight you are comfortable at and try to eat more or less in a fixed pattern....TRUST ME I know how much it sucks...you can PM me if you want to talk more since I can totally relate to you

In response to the first comment:

Thanks for your opinion, I really appreciate it.

I guess I missed this in my post.... I'm eating VERY healthy food.  About 85%+ of my diet is composed of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, and 1% milk.

My main point of disagreement is on how many calories you think I should be taking in.  I think that 3700-4000 is a very high estimate.... on all the websites I've looked at less than 3000 seemed to be my maintain level... Mayo clinic website even suggested I eat 1400 calories/day.  Also.... my family has a history of obesity, and I tend to gain weight without trying.  With that said, I think I'll stick to my doctor apporved diet plan for now, and increase my caloric intake when I return to school in a month.

I realize that I'll need to take in an excess of calories to gain muscle... but that's what backfired on me a few months ago.  I took in a LOT of calories while exercising... and I gained fat rather than muscle :S.

You asked how to stop your weight yo-yo-ing and I gave you an honest and accurate answer.  Keep crash dieting (even if it's under doctor's orders) and you'll be back at your old weight a few months later every time.  There's a phenomena which is colloquially known as 'dieting yourself fat'... which describes that process of losing weight fast, gaining it back and gaining a few extra lbs on top.   People who crash diet and suppress their metabolism always find they 'gain weight without trying' afterwards.  That's why it's so counter-productive.

Even if your maintenance level is 3000 then the optimum weight-loss intake is 2300.  Quite close to the 2500 I suggested.

I expect you're not going to take my advice but I wanted to give you another shot. 

Gi-jane's advice is spot on.

while I am not at ALL condoning crash dieting or undereating in ANY WAY (want to emphasize that lol)...I can understand where he is comming from. I know that if I ate 2500 cals a day not only would I not lose or even maintain my weight...I would gain....I did crash diet several years ago and had a bout with an ED but I am not in starvation mode or anything either....from time to time I lose weight at what I eat (high 1,000's) and my doctor says my metabolism isn't shot.... (I am also 21 5'7'' low 140's)

but again, I jog 4-8 miles a day and eat in the high 1,000's and my weight doesn't move...I go over that, it goes up....

I'm just saying while the BMR is a good average, it is just that, and AVERAGE there could be other factors uique to him (i.e. genetic) that could skew that average....everyone's body is different....