What Happens When You Gain It All Back?

Studies show that up to 80% of people who lose a significant amount of weight end up regaining it within a year or two. 

This highlights a harsh reality: losing weight is challenging, but keeping it off can be even harder. Weight regain is common due to a complex interplay of factors. These include biological changes that slow metabolism after weight loss, the challenge of maintaining new habits long-term, life events that disrupt routines, and unrealistic expectations about the weight loss and maintenance process. 

But the common struggle of weight regain can also be your path to lasting change. 

Jonathan’s Story: A Second Chance at Sustainable Weight Loss

Enter Jonathan. 

We take great pride in leaving our clients better than we found them, including more effective habits, routines, workouts, and diets. And, on the surface, that seemed to be the case with Jonathan. He worked with us, lost nearly 20 pounds, and then graduated to a healthier life.

Or, so we thought. 

In January of 2022, Jonathan returned. That weight he lost had come back. Jonathan was frustrated, and we were hurt because we didn’t complete the job.

“I came back to Born Fitness a second time around after having a lot of success with the team in 2020, losing 15 to 20 lbs and then gaining that back over the course of about a year and half. I had really started to believe this narrative that I had failed, that I couldn’t get back to where I was, and that I had lost the ability to take control of my physical health and appearance.”

Everything in our approach is designed to help people build the skills that allow them to adapt to variations in life. It’s not enough for us to help our clients get results — we want everyone to keep their results and know how to react and thrive when everything isn’t perfect or easy.

So, for round two, we focused more on helping Jonathan be where he wanted but without the weight coming back. 

Focusing on Sustainability in Weight Loss. 

This time, we keyed in not just on what was working for him but what was sustainable. It’s the backbone of our approach, but — sometimes, when you’re seeing results — it’s easy to stop and question if the right habits are being built. It helps you ask, “Are we building this for weight loss, or are we building this for real life?” 

Or, more importantly, it helps to speak with clients to understand “What do you think it will take for you to be healthy now and in the future?”

Jonathan had all the tools, but he started to doubt that he could do it again. His perspective might feel familiar to some of you:

“A lot of my fears and lack of confidence stemmed from unrealistic expectations about what will and won’t work for transforming my body and meeting my goals. 

Eventually, I got tired and as I put weight back on, I started to stop trusting my knowledge of what would work for me. In fact, I was expecting this time around to have to make even bigger changes and adjustments to hit my goals after putting that weight back on.”

You’re taught to believe that great results are the byproduct of extreme sacrifices and behaviors. While the most extreme results (think becoming a professional athlete or competing in a bodybuilding competition) require more sacrifice, the incredible results most people desire don’t require drastic changes.

The Power of Mindset Shift in Weight Loss. 

As Jonathan discovered the second time around, a simple mindset shift can unlock incredible results and life-changing healthy behaviors: 

“I’ve come to embrace the fact that making progress was really more about:

1. Going back to the basics
2. Making several small (but key) changes in my diet
3. Being willing to experiment with things that worked for me (so they would stick!)
4. Giving things proper time to see results (to include the inevitable ups and downs)”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves, Jonathan. 

Your Journey to Sustainable Weight Loss Starts Here. 

If you want help shifting your mindset and finding the type of changes that deliver results and work with your lifestyle, we’d love to help. Apply to our online coaching program here. 

B.J. holds a B.S. in Health and Human Performance and multiple certifications, including Precision Nutrition Level 1 and BioForce Certified Conditioning Coach. Over his 14-year coaching career, he’s been fortunate enough to coach a wide range of clients. From online clients looking to get in great shape to CEO Nate Checketts (Rhone) and CEO Marcelo Claure (Softbank), and professional skateboarder Sean Malto. Before beginning his training career, he was a sports science lab research assistant.