Plateaus After Weight Loss Surgery
If you’re one of the unusual people who haven’t experienced a weight loss plateau during your weight loss journey, consider yourself lucky. For the rest of us, hitting a plateau at least once between your starting weight and your goal is part of the process. Even patients of our Connecticut weight loss surgery center can experience a plateau. Often, a weight that just won’t budge can be linked back to little habits that are undermining your efforts. Other times, a plateau can be caused by an imbalance in a fitness plan. While frustrating, overcoming a plateau is possible!
What is a Plateau?
A weight-loss plateau is typically considered to be stalled weight loss even though you are still practicing your healthy eating and exercise habits. Nearly everyone who is following a weight loss program will experience a plateau at least once during their weight loss journey.
Do Bariatric Patient’s Experience Plateaus?
Even weight loss patients who are making great strides to a healthier body weight may experience a plateau along the way. Most patients who have had gastric band (lap-band) will lose about 2 pounds a week over the course of three years. Sleeve Gastrectomy and Gastric Bypass patients tend to lose weight more rapidly during the first 6 months and then will notice a slightly slower weight loss during the following 6 months. Eventually, their weight loss will stabilize at 18 months post-operation. If you’ve experienced a plateau it may be a signal to change your strategy.
How Can I Kick Off a Weight Loss Plateau?
- Start Journaling- A bite here and a sip there can add up to real calories over the day. If you don’t track what you eat it’s easy to underplay what you’ve been eating over the day.
- Get More Sleep- Think starving your body of sleep is no big deal? Not so! Lack of sleep can lead to food cravings and can also reduce your ability to burn calories.
- Eat More Protein- If you’ve got your portions under control, but you’ve been gravitating to more carb-focused meals, get back to eating higher-protein meals. Sometimes higher-protein diets can bump up the calorie burning.
- Circuit Train- If you’re getting too comfortable with your exercise routine maybe it’s time to push yourself more. With your physician’s permission, alternating high and moderate bursts of intensity during exercise can dramatically change how your body burns calories.
- See Your Physician or Clinical Team– They can give suggestions to improve your diet after they assess your current fitness and eating habits. If you have had the Lap-Band surgery at Griffin it may be time to adjust your band.
Remember, the number on the scale is not the only measure of weight loss. Lost inches can also indicate a reduction of body fat even when the number on the scale won’t budge. If you’ve been struggling with a plateau, reach out to our Bariatric Care Specialist Kim Fisher or attend one of our free weight loss surgery support groups to share ideas and learn from people just like you. If you are interested in learning more about bariatric surgery in Connecticut please attend a free weight loss surgery seminar or call us at 888-657-9252.
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