Question for the vets: Fear of regain

Do you live with fear of regain? Does this constant fear go away eventually? Do you ever stop feeling like you are a fraud and destined to regain?

So, I'm by no means a Vet... just a newbie with a little time under her loose skin (ha).

I've been at my goal weight since about June or so... I am in constant fear of everything you mentioned above... I'm a fraud, I'm obsessed with food, and normies don't act like that, right? I sometimes look at the scale and still read it wrong (138 will register in my head as 178, or 208... it's crazy).

From what I've learned from the Vets, this is all 'normal' for us 'less than normal' folks - whatever normal is, anyway...

I don't think there are very many people with the confidence that they will never regain their weight... but maybe that's something that would happen to ANY individual that has lost a lot of weight... I don't know. I have lost a good amount in the past, swore I'd never gain it back, but I wasn't afraid... and I gained it back... maybe now that I'm afraid of regain, maybe that's the difference?

I'm curious to see some responses, but questions like this have been asked in the past, and it appears the fear is real... for a long long time anyway...

I am trying to turn the fear into just a constant 'eye' on things... to be successful at anything takes a lot of hard work and vigilance... this is nothing different than the top flutist practicing every day... we are practicing our work every day. That's nothing to fear, just something to commit to.

On the subject of reading the scale wrong, I mentally make note of my weight before I record it in the morning. Inevitably I think 2?? instead of 1?? This morning I thought "263.8" instead of "163.8"... It's not until I start to type it that I know to correct myself.

Yes to this! i often have to correct myself when i record my weekly weigh-in.

Me three on that. My husband always corrects me when I step off the scale and I'm like...I'm 163 instead of 136. Or something like that.

Strangely, I'm the opposite: though I'm still well in the 200s, I always read that number as beginning with a 1 instead of a 2.

For me it was not the fear of regain, and some of that is healthy and keeps us accountable to our own self..

My issue was recognizing the loss and looking for cothes in the wrong section and sizes. I am picky about the fit of my clothes, if I am not they show way too much skin. My response has to be to find a style i like and take 2 or three sizes in to try on to find the one which I like the fit of better.

I also try to dress part of the time in front of a mirror. I need to remind myself how far I have come. and simply seeing my entire body reflected in a mirror does that for me...( I used to not fit all in a door mirror).. during my times of fast weight loss I did as much exercise as I tolerated and also wore a panty girdle.(not an instant fix)..it seemed to reduce the bagginess.(wore it for 7 years).with the exercise for toning the skin and muscles underneath. I still have some problem areas for baggy skin, but PS is not an option for me, until it becomes a medical necessity. Hope these comments are able to help you on your journey and continue to think outside the box for solutions to the problems we all face.

I think it's really important to understand that the most successful vets out there, who've lost a lot and maintain it all, keep a laser focus on their habits after hitting the maintenance phase. I know of several posters here who have 5+ year streaks on MFP, because that's what it takes for us to stay at a healthy weight.

Fear of regain is good. The people who lose it are likely the same ~40% of patients with significant regain after surgery.

I'm not a vet. I'm not at my final goal. After my dad died I gained about 20 pounds. But, even with all of that, I still don't live in fear of regain. Why? Because I know that I can do this. I have a track record of success. I lost the weight after my dad died. I've continued losing weight. I know I'll reach my goal. I know I'll maintain my weight where I want it to be. I know these things because of everything I've done, everything I've changed, and everything I've accomplished in the last 4 years.

I assume that the mental work I've done throughout this entire process has some impact on my confidence.

I assume that I will gain weight occasionally throughout the rest of my life. But I don't fear that because I also know that I'll be able to lose it.

To me, living my life in fear of regain would be like living life in fear of.. tripping. Like, it's something that's going to happen, and it's something I'll recover from.

(Go figure, though, I still have major imposter syndrome when it comes to college even though I've maintained a 4.0 since I started back in 2015.)