statistically how many people succeed in losing weight?

[kiang]

from an article i read a long time ago

I remember that if 100 smokers line up and all set their mind to quit smoking for the rest of their life PERIOD!
statistic tells that around 50 people will smoke within the first day.
another 25 will smoke in the second day.
around 20-23 ppl will smoke in a couple of month.
only 1-2 ppl will make it through.

furthermore, on average people will have to attempt 7 times before they can finally quit for good

i wonder if anyone ever heard about statistic of people trying to lose weight. what percentage of the people can do so once they say they want to lose weight?
wondering if it is the same with quitting cigarette or is it harder. what do you guys think?
Thank you
Kiang

[feelin-great]

I would think it would be pretty similar. I started smoking when I was 16 (peer pressure) and finally quit when I was 26. I had tried in the past but never made it more than a day. Then one day I just made up mind and quit cold turkey. It has now been 6 years since I had a cigarette

The same thing goes with losing weight. I have lost weight in the past and gained it right back. I have also tried to lose weight but gave up within a couple of days/weeks. I think it comes down to making up your mind and sticking with it. It is a mental game and you have to be ready mentally to do something like that.

[cassiegose]

I agree with Brent. Many people say they want to lose weight and make healthy lifestyle changes... Many people will put forth some effort and make a half hearted attempt at losing weight, however in opinion MOST of these people don't actually TRULY want to make the necessary changes badly enough. If they did, they would do what was necessary to achieve their goals. This weight loss stuff isn't easy. Its actually freaking HARD. For some it is the hardest thing they'll ever do in their life. In order to suceed at weight loss the will to suceed must be greater than all of the temptations that distract people from meeting their goals. To succeed a person has to want to lose the weight more than they want to eat that cookie. They have to want to succeed badly enough that they are willing to go to the gym instead of sitting on the couch. They have to want to succeed badly enough to cause them to fill their shopping carts with fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats instead of potato chips, hamburger helper, and twinkies. As I said, its not easy work, its hard, it sucks sometimes, there will be setbacks.. however in the end when you do succeed it is SO WORTH IT.

Another reason why so many people fail when it comes to weight loss is because MOST people who try actually expect to fail. They've failed in the past, they know friends who have failed, they walk around and see that *MOST* of society is overweight.... so they assume that this weight loss stuff is impossible and as a result they FAIL. If a person goes into something assuming that they won't succeed how can they possibly have success? In the end for alot of people it simply comes down to a lack of confidence.

While this weight loss business is hard I wish people could see how truly fantastic it is when they meet their goals. When a person begins their weight loss journey I wish there was a way to show them how WONDERFUL they are going to feel when they do lose the weight. I wish there was a way to put them in their newly transformed body for a day and let them experience how different they will feel when they are no longer carrying around all that extra fat. I wish they could feel the confidence, energy, triumph, and sheer joy that comes with successfully changing their bodies and their lifestyles. I wish that they could see how these changes are reflected in every other avenue of their life, creating even more positive changes. I think if people truly knew how great success feels they would realize that while weight loss is a difficult task, in the end it is SO SO SO worth it! In the end, NOTHING TASTES AS GOOD AS BEING FIT FEELS!

Ok I'm done now. Sorry about the little tangent there. I'm a wee bit passionate about this stuff.

[Boss Man]

Many people fail at weight loss if they start doing it on January 1st. worst of all if they say oops mant to start on the 1st but actually started on the 4th.

Some say In October, November time, I'll start in January. When asked why, well I don't think there's any point now, it's close to Christmas and I want to be able to enjoy Christmas not worry about it, plus I've got all that planning to do.

So therefore plan to go to the Gym and plan to learn somehow, about having better food.

If you're serious about it, you'd want it yesterday, then rationalise after doing it for a while, it doesn't happen that quickly, but resolve to do it as quickly but also as sensibly as possible.

The vast majority of people looking for a specific start dae, will balls up massively, by going to a Gym for about 3-5 weeks, thne stopping, making lame excuses why they couldn't keep going and slip back to slovenly ways again. Then at some point in the future, cow about why they're still fat.

I don't like the gym, it's boring, I can't go all the time, I just haven't got the willpower to keep going like that. I didn't lose anything. I guess I'll be like this forever, sigh, then shove a Chocolate Eclair in their metaphorical cakehole .

Main reason is, many probably went there, didn't ask for advice on how to do it properly, then continued to eat sloppily, so after 3-5 weeks of pissy to no fat losses, they quit.

Then inevitably some people will get sucked into questionable or even worthless fads, like Atkins or Maple syrup diet.

Maple Syrup Diet? I mean what next, something called the Lemon Butter Diet? You just suck 6 Lemon halves a day, having a Lemon half every 2.5-3 hours, that has Peanut Butter spread on it?

Not meaning to rant, but seriously. No seriously

[kiang]

Thank you for all replies.

Boss Man
haha i feel the same way about it too! that really made me laugh coz you pointed out of a nature of people - procrastination! i am just curious on how to change the nature of people. maybe they don't see it as important and urgent. in short, there is no reason why they should get out of their comfort zone now. Have you written any topic on this before? i'd like to read. It's nice to read your comments.

feelin-great
1- Do you think that quitting cigarette cold-turkey has better odd than gradually cutting them down?
2- Oh,I see you tried to lose weight in the past and gained it back, what made you succeed this time?
i was an ex-smoker too but i was never addicted it even i smoke a pack/day. i quited it anytime i want. mind said "i am never addicted". but with losing weight, it took 6-7 years until i eventually succeeded ! very tired but probably the most rewarding prize one can give oneself.

brentyboy
i think the statistic showed that the road ahead is hard if people want to attempt. sorry for wording "set their mind". let's say "they want to"

cassiegose
very useful sharing! thank you.
unfortunately, people cannot see wonderful transformation unless they reach them. i wish too if there is a way it'd be easier for them to make up their mind to change. Most of the time, they wait until they hit the rock bottom. i find it strange that whatever you say is totally right. Have you succeed in helping, motivating someone to lose fat? dad is 5 feet tall and 70 kg! i tried many ways for him to lose weight, taking him to see a doctor, so and so. guess what happen Nothing works (i want to help him.If you can refer me to any links, website, topics, i'd appreciate.)Surprisingly he thinks he is not fat. i think most fat people don't realize at least how fat they and bad health consequence it can have on their life i will look for some topics "how to help someone to lose weight".

[feelin-great]

feelin-great
1- Do you think that quitting cigarette cold-turkey has better odd than gradually cutting them down?
2- Oh,I see you tried to lose weight in the past and gained it back, what made you succeed this time?
i was an ex-smoker too but i was never addicted it even i smoke a pack/day. i quited it anytime i want. mind said "i am never addicted". but with losing weight, it took 6-7 years until i eventually succeeded ! very tired but probably the most rewarding prize one can give oneself.

1- I think cold turkey was better for me. It is like others said - it was a mindset. Once I made up mind once and for all I realized that no matter what got in way I was going to quit smoking. attitude before that was more like "I'll try to quit and see how it goes." Once I made up mind I just did it. Yeah, it was hard, but I lived I was a 1-2 pack a day smoker.

2- In the past I lost weight by going on diets. Then when I got to goal weight I went off the diet. I didn't change anything, I went right back to what I had been doing. I told myself I would stop eating so much once I was at goal weight, but it never happened. This time I have changed whole lifestyle - I eat HEALTHY, I don't diet. And I workout. I think I was successful this time because I put whole self into it, instead of trying a quick with a diet.

[cassiegose]

But this is all changing as I type, watch your statistics. THis financial crises is just the tip of the iceberg and bullets are going to fly over food within 10 years. Then we'll see what the stats show. When you have to be quicker than your neighbor to get food, suddenly things are gonna change. WHen you have to fight to get out of the parking lot with your groceries, see what the stats show then. Scary times.

wtf am i talking about here? i need a break...

Ummmm...What?

[cassiegose]

cassiegose
very useful sharing! thank you.
unfortunately, people cannot see wonderful transformation unless they reach them. i wish too if there is a way it'd be easier for them to make up their mind to change. Most of the time, they wait until they hit the rock bottom. i find it strange that whatever you say is totally right. Have you succeed in helping, motivating someone to lose fat? dad is 5 feet tall and 70 kg! i tried many ways for him to lose weight, taking him to see a doctor, so and so. guess what happen Nothing works (i want to help him.If you can refer me to any links, website, topics, i'd appreciate.)Surprisingly he thinks he is not fat. i think most fat people don't realize at least how fat they and bad health consequence it can have on their life i will look for some topics "how to help someone to lose weight".

You could always refer your dad to this site.

[Boss Man]

I actually wrote something along the lines of what you're referring to.

It was on site that I still run and does not require registration to read.

Resolutions Topic

[fit-fanatic-2025]

I actually wrote something along the lines of what you're referring to.

It was on site that I still run and does not require registration to read.

Resolutions Topic

Nice site Boss! I know in your profile it says you are administrator of the steel muscle site but hadn't seen it til now.

[Boss Man]

I used to link to it, but PHPBB3 has no signature settings enabled I think.

[kiang]

feelin-great
I eat HEALTHY, I don't diet. And I workout. I think I was successful this time because I put whole self into it, instead of trying a quick with a diet.

Oh, i see finally it's the determination

Hi Bossman, what is your site, anyone knows??

[Boss Man]

Check the blue link in last post that says Resolutions Topic, you'll find it.

[cassiegose]

cassiegose
very useful sharing! thank you.
unfortunately, people cannot see wonderful transformation unless they reach them. i wish too if there is a way it'd be easier for them to make up their mind to change. Most of the time, they wait until they hit the rock bottom. i find it strange that whatever you say is totally right. Have you succeed in helping, motivating someone to lose fat? dad is 5 feet tall and 70 kg! i tried many ways for him to lose weight, taking him to see a doctor, so and so. guess what happen Nothing works (i want to help him.If you can refer me to any links, website, topics, i'd appreciate.)Surprisingly he thinks he is not fat. i think most fat people don't realize at least how fat they and bad health consequence it can have on their life i will look for some topics "how to help someone to lose weight".

You could always refer your dad to this site.

I was talking to dad about the skewed BMI scales. His response was "Hell by that scale, I'm obese." *crickets*

So was that his way of saying that hes actually healthy and the scales are all scewed? I could see dad saying that. "I'm not overweight, the scales are just scewed". Sure dad. Hows yours doing these days anyways?

[cassiegose]

he's lost about half the weight he gained between thanksgiving and march. So it's a start. He's on a month long fishing expedition and he's visiting with the grandbabies so happy as a clam I would imagine (:

Wow thats GREAT news! Sounds like hes on the right track!