Hi Jakiefriks9,
Just wanted to say hi. I am not an expert but I have been thinking a lot about your post. I think that those of us who have been overweight most of our life, often have to look at our overeating as a chronic disease that does need ongoing management, to stop it from making our health worse, or even killing us.

I was able to get down to the lower end of my healthy weight range, with a combination of cutting out sugar and doing 5:2. However, I still need to be mindful everyday. After nearly four years I still have to avoid sugar and keep doing 5:2 as maintenance, and I still have binge eating days and times when I am completely frustrated.

I also have a chronic illness (ME/CFS) so I can see that commonalities: that there is no end of managing symptoms, that there are ups and downs, that trying to pretend I don’t have the illness just makes things worse.

But with both conditions I can be very grateful for the things that I have found do help. I have developed good habits that stand me in good stead when things get rough.

I have a good friend who has had weight loss surgery, first stomach stapling, which was terrible, and now the sheath, which is working well. However, like me, she has to work every day to eat well. There are many ways she could undo the good her surgery has done for her health. She often starts gaining weight again and has to work hard to get it off. What I am saying, is that the weight loss surgery might be a good solution for you, but it won’t mean everything is fixed, and that you won’t need to look after your weight any more. The opposite.

But don’t be defeated. We are a lot better off than many people who need to struggle so hard to deal with health and other issues that make life hard and death close. Concentrate on your long term health. Use what you have learnt from those hundreds of diets and programs you have been on. be kind to yourself. Keep working on those good, lifelong habits. Whatever makes you overeat (stress, childhood problems, bad habits) does need a life time of analysis and response, but hopefully the blowouts become further apart, and smaller, and the good days start being the majority.

5:2 might suit you best because its aim is to be easy and sustainable. Feast days happen, there are five days a week to work on ‘normal’ eating, and if you have a binge day, there is a fresh day tomorrow. Fast800 is a good book to read and reread.

Best wishes to you. Hopefully you can stop obsessing about calories and more focusing on delicious, nutritious meals, and enjoy a couple of light eating days each week to get rid of excess weight and for all the other health benefits.

All power to you.

jakiefriks9
I had been obese since childhood until my early 50s when I finally got the excess weight off. I had also tried every diet before then. I most used a Fast800 program to get the weight off – this is a challenging program but I had over 50kg to lose (110 pounds), so such a drastic response may not be what you ned. I’ve been using 5:2 to help maintain my new weight for the last 5 years weight and to also deal with any gains before they get too big. I agree with Cinque’s comments, if you’ve had a lifelong issue with weight you can become less stressed about it but it does still need to be managed. I also know several people who have had bariatric surgery and while all initially had fast weight loss, none have had a good long term outcome.
I used some counselling sessions initially to work though the behaviour patterns, self-talk and triggers that had always made it difficult for me to lose weight and keep it off. While I lost the weight without the support of a dietitian, I have been seeing a dietitian over the last 5 years to help with maintenance and to help me deal with any issues around my eating patterns that are a struggle. I only see her twice a year these days but it is still helpful.

I find 5:2 very manageable as a long term solution as I’m essentially only dieting 2 days a week. I hope you can find an approach to eating to get your health back that you find sustainable.

Keliye,

No it won’t. Exercise is very important but, unless you’re doing silly amounts, it has a minimal impact on weight loss.