Dear Dr. Garner,
I give up. I know that I am overweight, but it is impossible to keep the pounds off. Time after time, I go on every different kind of diet from cookies to grapefruit and the story is the same: I lose 20 pounds only to gain them back in the next few months.
My husband says I lack willpower, but I’m usually focused and can stick to things, no matter how unpleasant they are.
I heard you talking about this problem on TV last week, but caught only the end of the interview. Could you please tell me what I am doing wrong?
Weight Regain, Time after Time in Wyckoff Heights
Dear Time after Time,
Millions of people diet each year, only to find that the weight lost returns soon after the diet is discontinued. This happens to 95% of dieters.
A recent study demonstrated a strong association of appetite and weight gain with body chemicals known as hormones.
Some hormones make you hungry, and others make you feel as though your stomach is full.
In this study, 50 participants were given a strict diet to follow for three months.
The average weight lost was 30 pounds. At the end of one year, most of the dieters had gained back a good deal of the weight they had lost. This was in spite of the fact that they were placed on maintenance diets and had appropriate counseling.
Blood tests were analyzed and it was discovered that the hormones responsible for making someone feel hunger had risen after the diet. The increased appetite caused weight gain.
These results are very interesting, and may be helpful in the long-term approach to weight loss. Perhaps medication can be developed to block the hormones that cause increased appetite.
For some, the most appropriate treatment may be weight loss surgery, which is reserved for people 50-100 pounds overweight. This surgery has been shown to be very effective for long-term weight loss, as well as curing associated diseases, such as diabetes.
I think that it is unfair to state that someone has no willpower because he or she cannot maintain weight loss. There clearly are strong factors in our biology that cause us to lose and gain weight. Nevertheless, it doesn’t do us any good to “blame it on the hormones.”
Diet is not rocket science. It is essentially the combination of the calories one takes in with food versus the number of calories that one expends with exercise and bodily functions. If we take in more calories than we expend, we will gain weight. It is as simple as that.
Some strategies to lose weight are as follows:
1. Each person must develop a plan with his or her doctor to determine the best way to lose weight and keep the pounds off. A safe target is one pound a week, which equates to decreasing your calories by 500 a day.
2. Moderation is important. Studies show that vigorous exercise can lead to an increased appetite and increased weight. Instead of killing yourself at the gym with power workouts, one would be better suited to do moderate exercise such as walking 30 minutes for five days a week.
3. Motivation is important. You are not just losing weight to make yourself look or feel better. It will also help you to live longer and be healthy for your children, family, and friends.
I wish you luck in your diet, and hope that this gives your husband some insight into the difficulties that all dieters have.
Look at diet as a marathon, not a sprint. The commitment to lose weight is not just for weeks or months, but should last a lifetime. As Frank Sinatra sings in “That’s Life,” “Each time I find myself laying flat on my face, I just pick myself up and get back in the race.” Don’t give up.[hr] Dr. Steven Garner is a Fidelis Care provider who is affiliated with New York Methodist Hospital, Park Slope. He also hosts “Ask the Doctor” on The NET, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Channel 97 Time Warner and Channel 30 Cablevision.