Book Review: Thin for Life

I just finished reading Thin for Life by Anne M. Fletcher.  Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I recommend it to anyone wanting some encouragement about maintaining their weight loss. 

This book describes people who have maintained a weight loss, describes how they do it, and discusses why these people may not show up in studies.  There is so much negativity out there about how it's "impossible" to keep weight off.  This is contrary to my own experience and that of people I know.  According to the fat acceptance circles, you lose weight, and then you gain even more back, and continue a viscious cycle.  I've yo-yo'd a little over the past 9 years, but each time the string gets shorter.  My husband has kept about 40 pounds off fo the past 9 years.  He'd like to be 180, sometimes gets up to 200, and is generally about 190.  (He's a tall, broad-shouldered and devastatingly handsome man.) 

Anyway, this book is very encouraging.  There were several things that were particularly helpful to me.  The first was that it's okay not to be in love with the way you look in a bathing suit at your goal weight.  It's really okay.  I needed to hear that so badly.  When I got to my goal 2 years ago and didn't have that washboard stomach, I felt like I wasn't done, even though I was within my BMI range for my height, even though I had a healthy amount of muscle, and even though I felt great.  (The tummy didn't go away, by the way, when I continued past my goal.)  I will get to 125 and just keep doing cardio, strength, and work on my core, but I give myself permission to be happy with my weight even if I don't look like someone on TV or in a magazine.  (As my husband reminded me, even those people don't actually look like that.) 

Another thing that was interesting to read was that maintainers eat very similarly to how they ate while they were losing weight.  So, when I go to maintain, I've decided I should keep my calories the same, but have a glass of wine once a day, a sugar free coffee drink, or perhaps another small treat.  This is really helpful. 

Third, it's essential to have a "line in the sand."  I originally was gonig to make it 125, but I've decided to make it 127, although I may change my mind and lower it depending on how my weight loss goes.  If I get up to 127, I have to cut back a little on food, and step up my exercise.  This is so I don't end up with 15 extra pounds to lose, like I did this time.  This is what maintainers do, and what people who have never been overweight do.  They cut back or exercise more when they see the scale creeping up, or their clothes get tight. 

There are a lot more useful ideas in the book, but those were the ones that were particularly helpful to me.  The one thing I didn't like was the emphasis on low-fat eating.  For those of us with insulin resistence, I believe studies have shown that a low-carb approach can be more helpful.  It seems like recent research has shown some people do better with one approach or the other. 

Overall, this is a very useful and motivating book.