I decided to make a post here as people like me are relatively rare, I think. Everyone else I know who has lost weight (especially a large amount quickly) has gained it back within a few years.
I'm 30 and lost the weight when I was 23-24. I was fat because I constantly ate takeaways, snacked all the time and drank a lot. Initially I lost 120 lbs, but I lost another 30 over the next 3 years just from being healthy, active and having my skin removed.
I'm male and I went from 309 to 152. I'm 6'0". I've weighed between 148-153 for the last 3 years.
I was prompted to reflect on my weight loss after I gained 5lbs for the first time in all these years. I was depressed about the death of someone close to me and started exercising less and snacking more. I snapped out of it last week and I'm now back to my normal habits.
Here is what works for me.
• I still count calories. Not obsessively, because I have a very good idea of what foods contains what (my brain is a pretty efficient calculator after counting them for 7 years) but just to get a somewhat accurate picture of what I've eaten over the day. It forces you to notice if you pick up any new habits (i.e snacking more, larger portion sizes). I have a loose calorie goal – if I go over my calories a few days in a row, I will restrict calories to make up for it.
• Low alcohol consumption. I used to be a big drinker which made me eat even more. Now I drink once a month if that and I very rarely get drunk. I also track calories when I drink.
• Track my weight. This goes along with the calorie thing. I don't weigh myself daily anymore but probably 2 or 3 times a week, just to make sure I'm on the right track. It's automatic now and my weight usually stays within the same ~3lb range.
• Eat slowly. I used to be a very fast eater. Now I chew slowly and savour every bite. It comes naturally after a while. If I finish a meal and think I'm still hungry, I wait 20 minutes to see if I actually am, and usually I'm not.
• Exercise. This is key for me. Weight loss is a LIFESTYLE change, not just a temporary thing. If you want to keep that weight off you have to overhaul your whole lifestyle. I go to the gym 3 times a week and go for a run about 5-6 times a week. You have to find things you actually enjoy. Exercising should not be a chore. The running is automatic to me now, and I feel restless and bad if I miss too many runs.
• Maintain an actual healthy diet. You can't stick with keto/paleo/juice cleanse forever. Use the time while you lose weight to learn how to cook. If you can't cook, staying skinny is going to be a lot more difficult than it needs to be. Find some recipes you actually like and learn them. (Also, this is controversial but it helped me to stop eating so much meat, dairy and processed food. Yes you can lose weight on them, but you need more fruit and vegetables to maintain good health. Save meat and dairy for once/twice a week or ditch it altogether. Also veg is a good way of getting a lot of volume without the calories)
• junk food should only be eaten in extreme moderation. And no, once a day is not moderation, that's how you get fat. Moderation is once a week, if that. I can't eat a whole pizza anymore and I have to accept that as an unjust fact of life. I also feel terrible after eating junk now, physically and mentally, I can't even remember the last time I got fast food. After a while it becomes easier. It's also a lot easier to avoid processed junk if you stick to a plant based diet, imo.
• Stop forgiving yourself so easily. I see this mentality a lot here. "it's okay if you've been in a plateau for two months" "it's okay that you've cheated on your diet every day for the last week". "It's okay that you gained 18lbs on holiday, it's just water weight". No it isn't okay, and it's not all water weight. Yes forgive yourself for minor things, but if you have the mentality that it's "okay" to overeat you will quickly just gain it back. When you overeat, especially at maintenance, you have to restrict after. Otherwise those excess calories add up over time and you will gain weight, simple maths!
• Have the skin removed, if you need it. It gives you another bit of motivation to never gain weight, and it will massively increase your confidence. You won't have to deal with folds of skin rubbing together when you exercise either.
That's all I can think of right now. If you've maintained a large weight loss for many years it would be interesting to hear if you do it similarly. If you agree/disagree with any of these let me know.
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