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All posts by: Beth Reeser

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Overcoming the Weight Loss Plateau for Bariatric Patients

When undergoing a weight loss journey, many patients find that they eventually hit an abrupt period of slowing down or stopping altogether. This can be incredibly frustrating, especially if you are continuing to follow your diet plan, exercise routine, and consulting with your doctor. Weight loss plateaus are common, even for patients that undergo bariatric surgery.

It might be surprising to know, but weight loss plateaus sometimes have nothing to do with your activities and eating habits. The delay on your weight loss journey might even be necessary to lasting, healthy weight loss success.

Why do we plateau during weight loss?

A weight-loss plateau is a period of stalling or even weight gain after you begin your weight loss journey. Sometimes, weight loss patients will plateau because they give up on healthy habits. It’s is very important to keep up with your new routine. You’ll only continue to lose weight if you stick to your plan.

Our body’s natural response

As your body adapts to dramatic weight loss, it may feel the need to defend itself against losing any more weight. After you undergo gastric weight loss surgery, the body’s natural defense system will work to maintain steady health when it is put under stress. The dramatic weight loss that’s involved in Laparoscopic weight loss surgery may result in the body working to maintain fat and energy stores.

The set point theory

No weight loss journey is completely linear. Some scientists believe that a temporary plateau is necessary for lasting, healthy weight loss. This might be best understood with a process called “set point”. Our bodies naturally want to remain around what it determines is a healthy weight. We may fluctuate by a few pounds more or less, but our bodies naturally seek to return to what it determines is our ideal weight. This set point, however, can change over time. If you gradually gain weight over time, your body goes from thinking your set point is much higher than it should be.

It’s estimated that the average person has a set point of 5-10% of our body weight can be gained or lost without much resistance. Beyond that. Our body naturally seeks to return to its perceived natural state. This is why after significant weight loss your body seems to hit a wall. It’s also why it’s important to make lasting, lifestyle changes like the Lap-Band Program instead of short-term weight loss fads that don’t provide lasting results.

How to get past the plateau

Each weight loss journey is different. On average, a plateau might last a couple of weeks to up to a few months, but it does not always mean that your new lifestyle changes stopped working. It’s important to give your body time to rest, relax, and get used to its new normal without stopping any of your new habits. Stay patient, keep up your new healthy diet, and talk to your doctor.

Your weight loss journey might not always be a straight path. For more tips on staying motivated and keeping on track, visit our Living Banded blog page.

Bariatric Surgery Myths Debunked

It should come as no surprise that there are many myths about bariatric surgery. Medical procedures can often incite fear from people even if they’ve never experienced them. With enough misinformation, you can even render a very safe procedure like bariatric surgery into something completely different. In this blog, we’d like to explore some of these bariatric surgery myths and debunk them.  

Bariatric Surgery Myth: Pregnancy

One of the common myths about bariatric surgery is that you will be unable to get pregnant after bariatric surgery. This stems from a common misunderstanding. For the first two years after surgery, patients are cautioned to avoid getting pregnant. This is because patients need to be focused on weight loss. During pregnancy, the opposite is true. Expecting mothers need a higher caloric intake to maintain a healthy pregnancy. But this does not affect your ability to get pregnant. In fact, losing weight is very beneficial for fertility in both men and women.

Bariatric Surgery Myth: Skin Removal

Another myth about bariatric surgery has surfaced regarding skin removal surgery. The myth states that skin removal is required after weight loss surgery. This is in fact a myth. The real answer is much less satisfying. 

The reality is that it depends heavily on your circumstances. Some people do not require skin removal. The amount of weight lost, the age of the patient, level of abdominal exercise, and genetics all play a part in skin elasticity. But because of how often patients have the procedure, a myth has developed surrounding skin removal. 

Bariatric Surgery Myth: Safety and Side Effects

The most common myth we hear from concerned patients regards their own safety. Even though bariatric surgery is one of the safest procedures, one of the common bariatric surgery myths is that the process is dangerous and leads to many side effects. 

This isn’t true. Bariatric surgery, especially with recent advancements in technology is one of the safest procedures a person can have. There can be some side effects after the procedure, but they are rare and vary depending on a person’s circumstances. 

Separating Fact and Fiction

It’s easy to believe myths. They are often frightening, especially for people considering bariatric surgery. But the reality is that many of these are not true. We encourage you to talk to a doctor about any concerns you have so your worries can be addressed. Even if you have special circumstances, a talented team of medical professionals can work with you to accomplish your goals. For any questions, feel free to contact us now. 

Bariatric Surgery Recovery

Before you can get to the lifechanging weight loss, improved confidence, and increase in energy that happens after weight-loss surgery, you have to go through the bariatric-recovery process. What does the bariatric-recovery process look like? Read more

Why Has My Weight-Loss Plateaued?

Are you struggling with a weight-loss plateau? If your weight loss has slowed, but your diet and exercise routine has not changed, it can feel incredibly frustrating. The important thing to remember is that a weight-loss plateau isn’t uncommon; in fact, it happens to many people. Despite knowing this, it can still be frustrating when it happens. Learn more about why it happens so that you can prevent yourself from sliding back into unhealthy habits.

What is it?

When you initially adopt a weight-loss plan and begin lowering your caloric intake and increasing your activity level, it isn’t uncommon to see a rapid drop in weight. This is because the body begins releasing glycogen that has been stored in the body. The body receives energy by burning the glycogen, which means that much of the weight loss that initially occurs is water weight. However, as you continue with your weight-loss plan, you will begin to lose both muscle and fat. Muscle keeps your metabolism up, so as you continue to lose weight, you may also notice that your metabolism continues to slow. This can eventually lead to a weight-loss plateau. While the initial decrease in calories and increased physical activity may have initially led to weight loss, once you reach a plateau, these methods will only aid in the maintenance of your weight loss. Therefore, if you wish to continue losing weight, you’ll need to switch things up again.

How do I overcome it?

If you are happy with your weight loss, you may be happy to continue with your lifestyle changes and continue in the plateau/maintenance phase. However, if you have yet to reach your weight-loss goals, it may be time to try one of the following:

  • Cut your calories further (decide on a healthy range with your doctor)
  • Change your workout routine (increase the intensity or duration)
  • Focus on building muscle to help you burn more calories

Before you try one of the above strategies, you may want to take a second look at your habits. Have you loosened the reins a bit? You may find that you have begun to eat an extra snack here or there or you have started to decrease the intensity of your workouts.

It’s important to remember that, even if you are facing a weight-loss plateau, that doesn’t mean you should stop what you are doing and revert to old, unhealthy habits. Speak with your doctor about more strategies to overcome your plateau.