I just answered the question you asked me. Statistics show us that only 5% of ppl who lose weight without surgery maintain the loss.

And just so you know,I am allowed to post on any thread on any forum on this board. You don't make the rules.

I hope you are as successful as you want to be, it is no skin off my nose one way or the other.

Did you happen to notice how dead this forum is? There just aren't that many ppl being successful at non wls methods.

Of course ppl can regain,after wls,but more do not than do. Just the opposite of ppl who lose with Non surgical methods.

You know two personally who gained. I see thousands on this board every day who have not gained.

why are you so defensive that I want to watch your progress? We all watch and applaud everyone's successes and sympathizw when they are less successful on the other forums.why not on this one?

I lost 12 pounds on a week. The important thing is not how much you lose in any given time frame. The important thing is how long and if you maintain the loss. That is what I am looking for.

I lost 122# in 15 months ,8 years ago. I have maintained that loss for the 8 year time frame.

I gained some when I had bleeding ulcers, but realist that gain as well.

Since this particular thread is about non-surgical issues I figured, since I've had some success (80 pounds in 12.5 months) that I'd share a few things I've learned along the way. I have learned that knowing one's BMR (Base Metabolic rate) is one of the two critical numbers to know in order to lose weight. The BMR is the number of calories you would burn on a daily basis if you did nothing more than lay in bed 24 hours per day. This number varies by age, height, and current weight There is one online BMR calculator that seems to be reasonably accurate, at least in my case, and it can be found here http://www.exercise4weightloss.com/bmr-calculator.html. Why is this critical? Every 500 calories that one ingests BELOW that BMR number represents one pound lost. Obviously, the second critical number to know is how many calories you are consuming. Just as keeping a budget helps you control spending, knowing what you are putting in your mouth helps you control you weight better. At the weight loss clinic I attend, we use the myfitnesspal.com diary. It tracks calories and other critical nutrients to help you lose weight. More later.

Holly, As I said earlier. I'm glad your surgery has worked, but your solution is no more the only way than what I'm doing. There are many variables that go into successful weight loss, and each of us has our own motivation. I realize that I am a different case than most at our clinic in that just about every other patient at our clinic is there on a doctor's orders, however, I asked my doctor to put me in the program, hence I have an internal motivation that may be lacking in others.

Most weight loss programs include drinking meal replacement shakes, multiple supplements, and other low calorie meals. They may be high protein, or high carb diets, but what happens as soon as those people reach their weight and then begin eating three normal meals per day? The weight goes right back on. I however, can eat anything I desire, including the occasional Snickers bar or potato chips as my diet is based on the USDA recommended 2000 calorie diet and it's accompanying nutrients. We use myfitnesspal.com to track out intake and have it checked each month by a registered dietician *****views our food diary and helps us make changes to our intake as needed. I can, and often do, enjoy my Mint M&M's or maybe even enjoy an occasional DQ Peanut Buster Parfait. I check the Nutrition information charts before going to a restaurant and preplan what I'm going to eat before I even go.

The exercise program is designed by a young lady with a Kinesiology degree as well as her having two professional "Trainer" certifications, and she designs our exercise program for each individual's needs and goals. I do exercises that others do not do and the same can be said for others. She changes our exercises about every 5 weeks or so and because of her program I am physically stronger than I have ever been. Her guidance has also helped educate me that calorie counting isn't what really matters, What really matters is calorie intake versus BMR (Base Metabolic Rate). In short I've learned how to make the numbers work in my favor.

Why are there so many obese people? simple, I've tired many different programs just as it sounds like you have, and my experience those programs versus what I'm currently doing is simple, those other programs are designed to fail because they aren't real. My dad went through one hospital's program and lost about 60 pounds, only to put most of it back on a couple of years later. Why? Because he was only eating two meals per day and exercising on top of that and that isn't sustainable and isn't even healthy.

Have a good one, Holly.

Holly, It might help you to understand that I have lost 83 pounds in the last year on my program. Now you may say, that's not much, but research teaches us that a 1-2 pound weight loss per week is sustainable and healthy. It may be just me but I think that puts me in a unique place to present my views. Good evening.