Breaking Through Weight Loss Stalls and Plateaus
After having bariatric surgery, the last thing you want to hear is that I was stalled for FOUR months during my final weight loss stretch. But if you have been around here for a bit, you know that I am an honest person. There is no magical way to get through a stall or a plateau. But I was actually pretty shocked at what worked for me. When I hit my first stall, my initial reaction was to cut back on calories, intake, and to restrict. That is what we are all used to, right? Calories in < calories out. Easy math. THIS IS NOT WHAT WORKED FOR ME.
The biggest thing that helped me was changing things up right when I noticed my weight loss was stalled.
Weight loss plateaus
Activity/Exercise
I began exercising about five months after having gastric bypass surgery. If you are not able to exercise, JUST MOVE MORE. Even if this means walking around the mall or Target. If you are stalled, change up your exercise and activity level. Try out something new and different. If you are not going to the gym, go on a walk outside and incorporate a few hills to add resistance. I bought a bike and started biking. When I first began exercising I started with the elliptical and then once I had lost around 100 pounds, I started jogging and I fell in love with it. I began incorporating weight training and when I stalled, I changed it up and started doing hiking. I WAS CONSTANTLY CHANGING STUFF. This is not going to magically fix your stall. They are inevitable but change is necessary to shock your body and break the stall. It is so good to try new things. You may really find something that you enjoy that will surprise you. Another very overlooked area of exercise is weight training. When I started building lean muscle and working with weights, I dropped a few pounds. Having muscle tissue burns more calories, even at rest compared to body fat. And you are toning at the same time.One of the biggest things that I did with exercise and I was reluctant to do this was TAKE A WEEK OFF. I was scared that if I did this, I would not go back. But, I found that I missed it when I was not going. I also felt very refreshed and recharged when I returned to exercise.
weight loss stalls
Food/Intake
The above photo was actually taken in March of 2019 in the midst of my final weight loss stall. I was pushing through my final 15-20 pounds and I was not positive if it was going to come off. I was actually happy with losing 160-165 pounds and super happy with the weight I was at. I was comfy in a size 12 pants and a size Large (sometimes Medium) top. Now I am usually I size 10-12 pants and a Medium top. I will say- the first year, I WAS OVER THE TOP STRICT. My surgeon, dietician, psychologist all told me that I was not eating enough carbs at times and told me I could add more. I am an all or nothing person and was scared I would go overboard.I actually began adding in more HEALTHY carbs and more variety to my diet. I began making this a lifestyle and "living." I HAD GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY TO LIVE. Not to live a life full of constant restriction and a life of "FOOD JAIL." Now with that being said, I primarily eat higher protein, moderate fat, lower carb. The times that I eat treats is at work. I am a part time hospice nurse and we have treats there all the time. That is when I eat snacks/treats. I do not usually bring "unhealthy" snacks in my home because I will eat them. HAHA.So I began adding a little more healthy carbs and treats to my eating plan. Having whole grain English muffins with peanut butter on days that I worked out. Making oatmeal a few times a week. Instead of just eggs and turkey sausage, I would have a slice of whole wheat toast with it. I did not do this every single meal, but I started adding in healthy carbs that my body needed. And it helped my stall. Not all at once did it fix my stall, but slowly it did. This is actually when I started to experiment with recipes and how all of these recipes came about that I share here!After a week of adding HEALTHY carbs, I would switch and add more LEAN protein, then more LOW CARB veggies the next week. I did this for four months on a rotation. Constantly changing things up. All of the things I rotated were nutritious but I still rotated treats in there. Because I had this surgery to live. If I constantly restricted (like I did for over two decades of my life- I would have failed).SOMETIMES EATING MORE IS THE KEY. Think about this- our bodies have just gone through this MASSIVE change. BARIATRIC SURGERY. We have lost TONS of weight. Some of us hundreds of pounds. WE ARE GOING TO STALL. Sometimes for months. But if you stay on track and stay the course, it will come off. Eventually your body is going to reach its set point, where it wants to stay forever. That is where I am now. And on the BMI chart I am still considered overweight. AND THAT IS OKAY. I am the healthiest I have ever been.I have a rule that I still use to this day. I am sure most of you have heard of it. The 80/20 rule. I try and stick with more of the 90/10 rule because I am a person of extremes and test the limits. I try and eat good, move my body, follow the "rules" 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, I live and enjoy some treats within some limits of course. I do deserve it and so do you.You will notice a lot of my recipes have foods that contain carbs in them. When I am creating my recipes I try and focus on three things. Healthy, easy, and affordable. They are for anyone trying to achieve better health. You can omit anything or add anything you want.
Sleep/Water
weight loss stalls
Another very overlooked area is sleep. There are many times during my four month weight loss stall that I was not getting near enough sleep. This is when I was working full time as a nurse, saying no to NOTHING, working a few other jobs, trying to solve every one else's problems in the world, working out five days a week, meal prepping, and EXHAUSTED. Once I committed to getting a solid 7-8 hours of sleep a night, this really did make a difference I think. I know it is not possible for everyone. There are new moms out there and people who can not get restful sleep. But it can help if you are able.Water intake is another crucial thing that can be difficult for us bariatric patients. I know for myself, I am not near as thirsty after having gastric bypass. Our little baby bellies can't hold near as much water as our old bellies. When I was in my first year after surgery I set a timer throughout the day to make sure that I was getting in enough water. If you are sick and tired of water, try adding in HEALTHY flavorings to spice up your water. Or add fresh squeezed lemon.
To sum it up, weight loss stalls for anyone are super discouraging but they are going to be part of anyones journey. They will come but I promise you if you stick with it and keep on track- they will pass. I have been through my fair share of them and I made it through and SO WILL YOU!!!
Thank you so much for reading and thank you for being here! I think my favorite thing about this new life is sharing my journey with you all. I want to know what you want to see next! Email me, message me, comment below or get ahold of me on any of my social links below! I AM HERE FOR YOU! WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER AND TOGETHER WE ARE ALL BETTER!
xoxo Maddie ♥