finally some good news

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Fitness/Story?id=3251242&page=1 two-thirds keep it off!

Whoooooooooo Hoooooooooooooooooo!! Thank you Andy!!! And in there it says that it's pretty simple, which we know is both completely true and completely understated, but it's a very basic article.  I am very happy to see that.  Not that I needed validation from some news source but it definitely makes me see that there are studies being done, and the prognosis is no longer doomsday. Okay, double dog dare ya to put this on the Main Board.!!!

Thanks for sharing the article Andy, it's something that so many of us need to see.  We are just bombarded with information and stats that say it's nearly impossible to lose weight and keep it off without WLS.  I would like to recommend an excellent book that deals with the subject.  "Thin for Life" by Anne Fletcher.  Anne Fletcher is a nurse and clinical nutritionist who set out to prove that people can lose weight and keep it off.  She knew that it could be done, and that many people had done it, so she set out to find these people.  Once she started looking for them she said she was surprised by just how many success stories she found (people who had lost signicant amounts of weight and kept it off for three years or more).  She extensively interviewed all of these people and wrote a book outlining what she  found out.  In her book she puts certain myths to rest such as (1) If you have been overweight since childhood, you're doomed for life, (2) It's hard to lose weight after age 40, (3) You have to eat like a bird to lose weight and (4), you have to become an exercise fiend to lose weight and keep it off.  It is an excellent book and I would recommend it.  Who better to ask the question, "can I really lose weight (especially a lot of it) and keep it off" then people who have done just that.  In "Thin for Life" they tell you just how that did it.

I saw that study, too.  I am underwhelmed that it is 1300 people that were studied for a period of time.  I'm thinking I too would be more likely to keep it off if I knew researchers would be checking in with me. Also note that people who lost 10-15% of body weight were the ones successful. What that says to me is that if you had more to lose than that amount, it's not as easy.  The group of people here in this forum are the most likely to do what is needed for the long term success. The folks here are up for the accountability, the changing of habits - all that it takes. All of us get it that this is going to take a consistent strategy to succeed.  No matter what weight a person is, all these habits are necessary to be in the best shape as is possible, even if that person never gets to weight chart goals.  I wish the prognosis for the masses out there were better!

Neecee, I think that the prognosis for the masses would be better if the masses were more accountable for their actions.  We as a society have come to expect something for nothing and quick fixes.  The fact of the matter is that for anyone to succeed with permanent weight loss they have to take control and do the work.  You're right, I think a lot of people in this forum have come to the realization, even if it has taken us a long time to get there) that there is really no side stepping it, you have got to change your lifestyle if  you want permanent results.

you got it...it is a constant thing that we must monitor.  I am grateful for my research into WLS.  That led me to the bariatric doc in town who I see with new eyes now. I think that it has finally sunk in for me that obesity is a chronic disease.  With or without wls, all these steps that we do are a requirement...for the rest of our lives. So, we had all better get used to it and find a way to deal.

Andy, Thanks so much for this story!  I'm not so worried about being one of the "95 percent" who gains everything back! I joined NWCR last year -- even though it's lots of paperwork, I'm happy to have been accepted!

Okay, for the uninformed, what's NWCR

national weight control registry - which is a giant longitudinal research program. you have to have lost at least 30 lbs and kept it off for at least 1 or 2 years, i think, i can't totally remember. you enter into the database and then different reseachers use the data set to do different projects.

Oh, okay, thanks Andy for the answer -- sounds interesting.