Fear of regaining weight

Just read a post on a list serv from another dietitian about some clients who have lost and regained weight so many times that they are "afraid" to try again. Very interesting. I think I understand their fear. How many times can you try? How many times can you do the same thing, even if it's a different regimen, and end up gaining the weight back? It's discouraging. It's frustrating. It's disheartening. And it's embarrassing.
It might feel great when people start noticing that you've lost weight. But they're also going to notice when you've regained. That's when I want to put a bag over my head or hide in the house. Failed again. When it's happened enough times, you sort of expect it. So why try again?
There are some who say that eventually, if you keep trying, you will succeed. That is, they say that the statistics for "failure" (losing and regaining) are not as dire as they seem. It may take many tries before success (meaning, maintaining weight loss) but the belief is that eventually if you keep trying, you will lose and maintain the loss.
Then there's the research that says that each time you regain, you are "fatter" (meaning you've lost some muscle each time you diet but when you regain, you regain only fat making you "fatter" than before even if your weight is the same as your starting weight). Well, that's pretty scary. Why would I want to keep trying to lose weight when the cards are stacked against me for maintaining and then ending up fatter than when I started?
Let's not think about losing weight. Let's think about living a healthier life. Let's think about eating more vegetables (not so sure right now about eating more fruits.....), more whole grains, less fat. Let's keep moving as much as we can as vigorously as we can. Let's get enough sleep. Let's find ways to relax and enjoy life whether it's reading a book, contemplating the clouds or taking a yoga class.
Because eating better, exercising and relaxing will surely improve health even if weight loss is not realized. And that just might be enough.