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00:11
Hey team, Mikki here. You're listening to Mini Mikkipedia on a Monday, and I wanna talk about weight regain. I love talking about helping people successfully lose the weight, but if you look at the statistics around weight regain, particularly in the literature, it can be pretty terrible. Like, up to 80% of weight can be regained within five years. And if anyone knows about the biggest loser study, where...

00:38
people lost truckloads of weight. I think the mean weight loss might have been like, I don't know, 48 kilos or something. Over the course of the next five years, people had on average regained 70% of that weight, which is pretty damaging, not just to, well, first of all, the metabolic consequences of that is not great. But then of course, importantly, how they felt about it and that sort of emotional pieces is terrible as well.

01:06
Let's just have a brief run through of the factors related to weight regain so we're aware of what they are because when you've got awareness around these things you can then pivot and make decisions that allow you to change what you're doing if things aren't tracking in the right direction. Now a little bit of weight regain is super common and it's no issue actually and often your sort of long term weight might resettle one to two kilos above.

01:34
where you ended your weight loss phase with. However, if you are someone that has lost a decent amount of weight, then that is no big deal, actually. And it's probably easier for you to maintain than at your sort of lowest given weight. However, what you don't wanna do is completely avoid the scales. That's one of the first things. It's really easy to think that...

01:58
post weight loss phase that you don't have to worry about the scales anymore, you've lost your weight, you're super happy with how things have gone and you can just live life as is because maybe prior to going on your diet you weren't much of a person who used the scales anyway. However, something that happens quite a lot is that people start to ignore, or not ignore, maybe they do, they recognize that their behavior is changing somewhat and things are starting to feel a little different in them.

02:27
but they're too scared to jump on the scales to have a look. Like that number will define them as a person. Instead of giving them valuable information, that will then allow them to pivot a little bit in their behaviors and start reversing some of that weight regain. Look, you get used to, when you weigh yourself regularly, you get used to seeing fluctuations. And it's recognizing what is a fluctuation and what is actually a gain in weight. And that's something which is super helpful.

02:55
not only obviously when you're losing weight, but when you're maintaining your weight as well. So one of the factors that has been shown to be related to weight regain is this sort of gravitophobia and that fear of the scales. So as much as you can, you wanna sort of stay in touch with this or with measurements if that's the way that you do it to ensure that if things start sliding one way that you're able to recalibrate and get back on track. Now,

03:23
In addition to that sort of self monitoring piece, actually prioritizing other behaviors around tracking that take a little bit more time and effort. And that is tracking your food and keeping a track on your exercise. Now those of us who train consistently and may be hooked up to Garmin or Strava or Training Peaks, this is no issue. The training is just recorded anyway. However, if this is new to you and you haven't been much of an exerciser in the past or really tracked it, then it can easy to

03:52
forget the gym sessions that we missed because we were held back late at work, or how often we pushed the snooze button in a given month because we didn't get to bed early enough, and so we didn't make it to the gym. Or we may have shifted something in our non-exercise activity like just the walking, the incidental activity that we do. So trying to keep a track on that to make sure that it's maintained I think can also be really valuable, and not only I think, this is what we see in the literature as well.

04:22
So if it's too burdensome to track and weigh your food every day, I totally get it. For some people it's no big deal, which is awesome. But for those people who find it a challenge and they haven't managed to prioritize it, then even doing it for a week once a month can be so helpful to ensure that your portion size sizes are staying in check and what you think you're eating, you're actually eating. And the same thing goes with exercise as well.

04:51
Another factor which is really important with this sort of weight regain is when people put their own needs last. So they think about everyone else and then they take care of themselves. When you're losing weight, it's really easy to make that a priority in your head and also ensure that you've got what you need because you've got this sort of focus and this goal in your mind.

05:21
that goal is gone. You've already reached your goal weight, you're really happy, but we don't look at that weight maintenance phase as still needing to prioritize ourselves and prioritize the behaviors that allowed us to get to that goal weight in the first place. With this, it's things like spending all of your time in the weekend being a taxi driver for the kids or doing all this preparation for other people's weeks in advance to make

05:51
all these people and of course you want to catch up with them but what you recognise is that you also wanted to spend time food prepping and planning and stuff like that but you didn't get that opportunity to. Or it's doing all of these things and then feeling a little bit brassed off that no one else did it and it was up to you and now you don't have time to go to the gym in a weekend or you don't have time to plan your meals up for the week. So you have to put your own needs ahead of other people.

06:17
in order to be the best version of yourself. And I think that we all know this, because when you don't, you get grumpy, you get tired, you feel terrible, and you take it out on those who love you. So maybe it still takes having the conversation with people to say, hey, I really need to do this in order to continue to feel really good, or however you wanna have that conversation. Because the end of the day, the people who are around you that love you, they want you to feel as good as you can. So maybe they don't know that they need

06:47
to be the ones to be taking people to sort of weekend sports. So you've got time to prep your lunches or sharing the load in another way so you can go to the gym. So sometimes we expect people to be mind readers and they're not. So have those types of conversations. And also social pressures also sort of fall into this as well. And if you think about say the morning tea shout for someone's birthday, and then there was a delicious cake that was baked and everyone's having a piece.

07:17
And there's this expectation that you should also have a piece. Even if, for example, you've just eaten breakfast, you didn't really want cake, actually, you don't like the way that it makes you feel, or actually, having cake, you don't even really like the taste anymore. In part because it's not worth it to you because your goals and the way you wanna eat, that's more important. But it's difficult to sort of say that in a way that we think it's not going to offend other people. So...

07:45
you know, six times out of 10, we're going to eat the cake and not really want it. And then just feel a bit rubbish because we did. Of course, again, having conversations with people who know in advance of what your goals are, mean that they're aware that, you know, this cake isn't, I'm using it as an example, obviously, but you know, you're really happy not to have the cake and they're probably going to also be really happy for you because they're your friends and they want, they love that you're feeling so much better. And they wouldn't want to ruin that for you.

08:15
Of course, some people get a bit shirty though, and for whatever reason, they see you not having cake as some sort of judgment on the fact that they are. That kind of thinking is absolutely on them, and it's not about you. It is almost always about the person who might be making the snide comment or giving you that look that is always gonna be about them and not about you. But it is really difficult to see that in that situation. So potentially, if you ask someone who's...

08:44
is super polite, maybe you take the piece of cake and you thank them for it and you explain you've just had breakfast and you'll enjoy it after lunch or something like that. If that's the sort of best solution for you and you feel good about doing that, absolutely do that. There's nothing wrong with that. And then maybe you do enjoy a couple of bites of it after lunch or half a piece of cake or even the entire piece of cake. But what I don't want you to do is feel that you have to struggle and sort of eat it when you're not hungry.

09:14
and it doesn't make you feel very good. And then over time, the more we do things like that, the more that weight regain is likely inevitable. And maybe what it is is that you just take it home and then you end up giving it to someone else at your house who really loves cake, you know? Like that's another thing to consider. What I want to, the other thing that I'll mention in that morning t-shirt scenario, like if everyone's bringing a plate, then that actually just makes it super simple. Cause you could just bring something you want to eat, make sure it's sort of included as part of your breakfast, or maybe it's a...

09:43
part of your lunch and then it's all accounted for and then that's one way around that so you still feel really good. Now emotional eating is a huge topic and the role that it plays in that weight regain piece is that when you are losing weight it can be really motivating to see your progress and oftentimes our willpower and even the process of losing weight allows us to experience less of that emotional eating because we've got bigger things that we want to achieve in that moment.

10:12
However, if we don't do the inner work around emotional eating throughout that fat loss phase and beyond, then over time, that is something that has never been addressed and can still feature. So it's super important to engage in resources that help you find other coping mechanisms outside of food. So that's not the first thing you go to when you're stressed or angry or happy or tired or bored.

10:39
And this is one of the known factors for weight regain, and that is an area that a lot of people need to work on. So maybe it is writing in a journal, maybe it is going for a walk, maybe if you're someone who eats when you're stressed, maybe instead you jump on a spin bike that you've got in your garage and you do a Tabata for like 10 minutes or something. But importantly, you find these coping mechanisms that aren't about food, and over time you can rewrite the script that food is your panacea.

11:10
And absolutely this is not a quick fix. And those tips that I gave you are certainly not sufficient to help someone overcome emotional eating for good. But I think I mentioned this a couple of podcasts ago is that even tracking your food for a day and writing down the situation you're eating and how you were feeling at the time and how hungry you were otherwise, or when you're going into the meal and how full you were otherwise, like that's the important stuff that you can keep a record on.

11:37
so you can be aware of that emotional eating piece. And if it is something that you struggle with and you recognize it, then you need to prioritize time to engage in the resources that'll help you overcome that. But also give yourself grace when it happens, because these are things that cannot be solved overnight or in two weeks or four weeks or maybe even two years. But over time, you can make progress. And the more you progress here, the easier it is to maintain that weight loss.

12:07
because you're not eating for emotional reasons. Now food waste is another one that a lot of people bring up. It's one of the reasons they are unable to maintain the weight they lose. And some of it is at home. So their kids haven't eaten what's on their plate and the parents are just mind sweeping the rest of the food so it's not going in the bin. Or you're at a cafe and you order scrambled eggs and it comes with toast. And despite your best intention not to eat the toast,

12:35
you end up eating the toast because it's there on your plate. And I mean, the obvious solution in that latter example is to ask for them not to put the toast on your plate. I mean, isn't it? But people, we're not very good at doing that, are we? So just be mindful that's definitely a strategy that you want to employ. So just make sure that if you're ordering out, that you get exactly what you want and nothing that you don't. Because if it's in front of you, the temptation is just too great.

13:04
I mean, I think kids eating, in my experience, can be super unpredictable. And they might love something one week and hate it the next. So when it comes to leftovers, if you can box up the food on your kids' plate, so you can serve it to them later, that would be amazing. You could put it in a compost bin and then use it as a fertilizer for growing more food in your garden or your friend's garden. My friend Amy told me that's what she does with her friend. And I just think that's such a great, great idea.

13:34
If there is food that's left over because you're intending to have it for another meal, once you dish up your own dinner, put the leftovers away before sitting down to eat. It is just too easy to sort of pick at scraps, etc. and leftovers whilst we are clearing up after dinner, and which can lead to some several hundred calories that you're not even aware of. So getting rid of that temptation in the first instance is a really good idea.

14:04
which I want to talk about are related to, first of all, the fat loss phase. So it's a little bit retrospective, I know, but if you engage in a diet that is super restrictive, I mean, there has to be restriction when you diet. There's no way around it, but it shouldn't be about deprivation. And if you are white-knuckling something for eight weeks for the promise of fat loss and you will get it, yet you don't allow yourself any of those foods that you love, then it can make it pretty

14:32
hard to maintain that weight loss because we can feel deprived. Like at the end of that weight loss phase, if you haven't had chocolate for like 12 weeks and you bloody love chocolate, then it can, when temptation comes your way, can make it really difficult to say no and control yourself around foods like that. So ideally in any fat loss plan, there will be an element of acceptability for these foods. Now,

14:58
If these foods just trigger your appetite to the point where you overeat them every single time, then yes, that is something that you need to moderate and manage, and maybe it's not the best choice for you. But there will be other foods that you love that don't align with your health goals, yet don't trigger you to eat and eat and eat. And so knowing those foods, your buffer foods that you really enjoy.

15:22
incorporate them and make them work as part of your fat loss plan so you don't have eight or twelve weeks of absolute restriction and deprivation to just go all in post-diet phase, which is, as we know, one of the reasons why people regain their weight. And then in addition to that, being really mindful about how you eat is important. But look, everyone overeats at some point, right? Like if you overeat at one meal though, it is no big deal.

15:52
What you don't want to do is over restrict the next day, particularly if alcohol is involved in the meal where you leave feeling really stuffed, full of alcohol, full of food and just feel terrible. The last thing you want to do is to be overly restrictive in those next couple of days because our blood sugar is dysregulated, our sleep's probably really poor because of the alcohol and the extra food, our mood will be low because that's what alcohol does and we just feel a bit rubbish because of what we'd done the night before.

16:21
In the face of all of that stress, what your body doesn't need is further stress with over-restriction. So get back to business as usual the next day. Honestly, the damage overall is going to be minimal. And then just next time, try not to overeat. Obviously, if you overeat every single meal, then that is going to have implications for long-term weight loss success. But that doesn't often happen. What happens more so is that people...

16:50
yo-yo between binging and then over restriction. And this is their diet. They're all in for three days of the week and then they're all off for four of them. And regardless of whether you initially are like, oh, I'm not seeing much weight gain here, weight gain will happen. And it happens, it creeps up over time. And then suddenly you're five kilos heavier than what you were and you're wondering what on earth happened because you are restricting all the time. So trying to find some middle ground there I think is really important.

17:19
do go into a meal and you've overeaten over drink, just get back to it the next day. Get back to what you usually do. And then finally, two sort of physiological reasons that people might regain weight. One of them is that metabolic adaptation piece. So there are people who have a lower than predicted basal metabolic rate, which is a large part of our energy expenditure post that diet phase. And this is thought to be some sort of genetic difference.

17:47
whereby they are more of that thrifty genotype. So it just takes less energy to maintain their weight than you would expect. In this scenario, this is what makes exercise so important because you need to make sure, I mean, and look, you're not gonna know this unless you actually have some sort of DNA test for something maybe like the FTO gene, for example, but making sure your exercise is on point and continues to be on point,

18:16
in that maintenance phase makes that weight regain piece more minimal than it would otherwise be because that's something that you can't really get away from. But if you are someone who recognizes that when you lose weight you really struggle to maintain the weight that you've lost, then maybe you've got that thrifty genotype. There isn't a lot of data actually around this, but there is something called the fibroblast growth factor receptor one pathway, FGFR1.

18:45
which has been implicated in the regulation of our body weight set point actually. Those are major factors in weight regain and of course they're not the only ones and everyone's really individual as to which one might impact them. But given that the weight regain is a common theme in this whole weight loss space, the more we're aware of these factors and we can have workarounds on them and continue to focus on them, the better we are. And look, it does, I know, sound like, God, I just did all this.

19:14
work losing weight and I have to do even more work and it certainly can be like that or feel like that. However, it doesn't have to be because remember over time all of the stuff that we initially have to be disciplined in, it just becomes habit and you just develop these new habits but that takes time as all good things do. So hopefully that was helpful. DM me if you've got anything that you want me to cover on a mini micropedia on a Monday and I will do my best to accommodate that. Have a great week.

19:44
catch me on Facebook at Miki Willardyn Nutrition, over on Instagram and Twitter at Miki Willardyn, or head to my website to book a consultation, MikiWillardyn.com. See you later.