Everyday Systems

LSW = Lowest Sustainable Weight

It is old (from 2003-2004), but I think it has important information, especially the list at the bottom.

http://www.skyhighway.com/~turtleway/Ar ... tions.html

thanks for sharing, great article!

I second that! Very enlightening, interesting and useful. Thanks very much !

I've been reading old messages and run into my 2011 self. Still a good article, and I thought I would quote the most important part here:

Maintenance - Most weight loss programs hold out maintenance as a sort of magic land where the dieter will be able to go back to eating "more normally". In fact, especially after a substantial weight loss, this is not often the case. As a minister friend once said, "how you OBtain something is how you must MAINtain it". Realistically, maintaining a weight loss requires the same effort (or more), with a similar diet and exercise program as weight loss. ... This is why concentrating on finding a "diet for life" is crucial.

Great article! Thanks for sharing. A few things that stood out to me: people with a lot of weight to lose should take weight loss breaks. For people under260, one pound a week is too fast. I love the name of the article, too. The turtle way. Haha

Yes this is a very helpful article..thanks for bringing it up again SpiritSong
I've written down this quote as a reminder.."how you OBtain something is how you must. MAINtain it".. couldn't be more NoS compatible!

This was encouraging:

Scientific reviews of the literature suggest that a 10% reduction in weight taking approximately 6 months should be the maximum rate of initial weight loss.

I've felt my loss on NoS so far was a good rate, maintainable, sustainable, not at all painful (barely noticeable!)--but sometimes all the thoughts that culture feeds us creep in and make me wonder if I should be trying harder to lose faster. I try to keep reminding myself--I didn't put all this weight on overnight, so I shouldn't expect to take it all off overnight either. I'm hoping to take off about 60 pounds in 2-3 years, and have also been prepping myself for plateaus should I hit them--I don't want to throw all this work out the window because of a plateau, and feel I should be mentally prepared to keep focusing on habit and let numbers do what they will.

In general, slow weight loss, including plateaus and stalls, help the body adjust to the change and lessen the chances of triggering counter-reactions.

Exactly! Just the other day, my mom and I went through the check-out aisle, and she read the headline off of some magazine touting a plan to lose some huge number (I want to say 30 lbs. in a month--maybe it wasn't that much, but it was way more than the "1-2 lbs. a week" you usually hear, and was also more than the "lose 10 lbs. fast" you sometimes hear). Crazy!


The following surprises me:

Realistically, maintaining a weight loss requires the same effort (or more), with a similar diet and exercise program as weight loss. In fact, most people need MORE exercise to maintain the weight loss than they did to lose it. This is why concentrating on finding a "diet for life" is crucial.

I expect it to take the same effort and same exercise. That it would take more effort or exercise doesn't really make logical sense to me. I wonder if that's true for No-S.

I expect it to take the same effort and same exercise. That it would take more effort or exercise doesn't really make logical sense to me. I wonder if that's true for No-S.

I wonder if that is maybe for people who achieved a weight loss goal that is below what the body can naturally maintain. Then you end up having to count your calories and burn a lot of calories through exercise to "fight off" the set point where your body can relax.