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95% of us will regain our lost pounds within five years.

It’s a harsh statistic but, the fact is, I was part of that statistic several times in my life, until the 140 pounds I lost in 2017-2018.

My first maintenance challenge came at the six-month point when I had a surgery with a major complication and a scary hematoma. It turns out that episode was practice for a bigger challenge.

In September of 2021, the entire forest burned down around my home, burning my main stomping grounds and thousand-year-old trees I cherished. I didn’t imagine a challenge could be bigger than that, but then I suffered a severe head injury in July 2024 and I am still recovering as I write this email (laboredly).

That injury was nine months ago and I am up 17 pounds in those months. I have not been able to be as active, but my cortisol levels have also been abnormally high leading to additional hunger and metabolic issues.

With that combination of challenges, I could easily be up a hundred pounds. Gaining ten pounds a month is really very easy. Not gaining weight when you’re laying on the couch and in pain is actually pretty hard.

It’s not super-human: I built structures

The reason for my maintenance success all these years and for my squeaking through these last nine months is because I have structures I put in place to help me through these times.

The most simple and effective structure I have is that my eating follows the very distinct Ridiculously Big Salad and Skillet approach. I know when I veer away from it and I know that when I do, I am likely to gain weight. If I stop paying attention in general, I will definitely gain weight.

During the forest fire and these past nine months, I have leaned into my eating framework.

We all need formulaic meal models that support our health and that we can implement on bad days. The Bear books excel on this point: https://thebearshop.life/products/three-pack-print-book-collection

I do a lot of other things around here that have supported my long-term health: I don’t keep foods in the pantry that cause me to over-eat, I don’t go grocery shopping on a bad day. There are dozens (hundreds?) of things we can do to improve our odds during these bad seasons.

If you’re not already working on this, today is the day to put some of these structures in place. Put some in place and then add more.

I have done this for years. When you see me beating these maintenance statistics, it isn’t a fluke and it isn’t because I am some sort of super human. I implemented a plan and you can too.

Ask me about it in tomorrow’s LIVE video.

Ask me anything (LIVE)

Ask me anything in tomorrow’s LIVE video. I’ll announce the winners of our spring challenge and I’ll give you an update on my case, 9 am Pacific, noon Eastern, right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JejH1lzG2L0

That’s it!

I appreciate you.

P.S. Get strategic about your meals if you haven’t. The popular meal framework here at Eat Like a Bear will help with that. Grab the three-pack collection from the Bear Shop for more: https://thebearshop.life/products/three-pack-print-book-collection

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