Dealing with Weight Loss Plateaus after Bariatric Surgery

Posted: Feb 13 in Lifestyle and Activity by Staff

Have you been consistently losing weight, but suddenly you can’t seem to make any more progress? Reaching a weight loss plateau is common after bariatric surgery. It’s entirely normal, and no matter how hard you try or how well you follow diet and exercise guidelines, it can happen. The important thing to remember is that it’s manageable, and with the right techniques, you can get back to achieving your weight loss goals.

Causes of Weight Loss Plateauing

There are plenty of different things that can be causing your weight loss to plateau. Here are a few common causes:

• Your body may just be adjusting to all of the changes after surgery. This is common during the first six weeks post-surgery.
• Skipping meals can cause you to snack more throughout the day. Your meals should be planned out ahead of time, with all of your daily nutrients accounted for.
• Slowing down on an exercise routine can affect your weight loss. This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes life just gets in the way and physical activity becomes hard to maintain. Try to keep to a workout routine. Walking is a great, easy way to get daily activity in after weight loss surgery.
• Special occasions sometimes pop up more often than we think, and they can be a reason to indulge in foods that you wouldn’t otherwise eat.
• Having unhealthy foods in the pantry. These can be tempting, but eating sugary snacks just fills you up with excess calories. After weight loss surgery, your stomach can only hold so much, and you need to reserve that space for important nutrients.

Bariatric surgery is a tool to help you lose weight, but you still have to put in the hard work to get the best results. Plateaus will happen, but you’ll be able to move past them by understanding what triggers any of the bad habits and addressing that.