Why Am I Not Losing Weight After Weight Loss Surgery?
The weeks or months after weight loss surgery can lead to tremendous weight loss. It can be motivating and lead to enormous gains in health and energy. Chronic health conditions and joint pain can diminish, and you may find yourself leading a more active life.
Sooner or later, though, many bariatric surgery patients hit what is known as a stall or plateau. This is when you stop losing weight or begin to experience a regain of some or all of the weight you worked so hard to lose. Stalls are frustrating and infuriating, but there are many strategies for getting over them. These are some reasons why you may not be losing weight after weight loss surgery, and what you can do about them.
Wrong Foods
After weight loss surgery, most meals might have had a bit of cooked vegetable plus some protein, such as egg white, skinless chicken breast, or extra lean ground turkey. Is that still what you are eating, or have other foods crept in? Also, are you drinking water, or are sugary beverages back on the menu?
If you are craving something that is high in carbohydrates such as sugar or starch, you might want to check the BariatricPal Store for a high-protein or low-carb or keto-friendly option. Brownies, pasta, bread, cereal, and chips, not to mention hot chocolate and smoothies, are just some of the available high-protein, low-carb choices that can keep you on your diet so weight loss can speed up.
Proper Portions
Right after surgery, were you measuring everything you ate? Are you still doing so, or have you started “eyeballing” or estimating portion sizes? It is possible that you are taking a bit more food than you think at each meal and snack, leading to excess calories and a reversal of weight loss. Food Scales, Measuring Cups and Spoons, Portion Control Rings, and BariatricPal Perfect Portion Plates make measuring easy.
Not Exercising
Exercising itself is not as effective as causing weight loss as limiting calories, but it can help for a few reasons. First, it does burn calories, and any calorie you burn is a good calorie! Exercise can also have these advantages for losing weight.
- Motivates you to eat right since you can feel your body more when you exercise.
- Improves mindset and mood which can make it easier to make healthy food choices the rest of the day.
- Increases confidence so you believe you can follow through with your weight loss plan.
If you have fallen off of the physical activity bandwagon - or if you never got on it in the first place - now may be the time to get active, as long as your doctor approves.
Monitoring
Holding yourself accountable can get the scale moving again. This can include logging meals and weighing yourself regularly. A tool such as a Smart Scale can remember your weight so you can see progress, and it can also tell you your body fat and muscle mass to motivate your healthy behaviors.
As frustrating as it is if you are not continuing to lose weight after weight loss surgery, there is usually an answer. The BariatricPal Store has foods and tools to get you back on track so you can hit your health and weight loss goals!
