PCOS (or Polycystic ovary syndrome) affects an average of 6% to 10% of women. People who suffer from this condition experience multiple symptoms like insulin resistance, irregular cycles, and infertility. Luckily, people can reverse these symptoms with weight loss.
Living with PCOS
One of the best ways to encourage long-term, effective weight loss is with The Lap-Band® Program. People living with PCOS can experience multiple complications if left untreated. Here are some of the most common: Read more
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.
Welcome to 2021! Is 2021 the year you’re going to make your health a priority? The beginning of the year is the time when many people refocus their health goals and start weight-loss plans. Even if you desire to lose weight, there can be setbacks. You may even fear losing weight! Let’s discuss the reasons you may be fearing weight-loss and how you can overcome them.
Fear of Intense Emotions
Losing weight can be an incredibly emotional process, especially because many people tie their self-confidence to their weight. The start of a weight-loss journey may consist of analyzing why you gained weight in the first place, and it can be a tough pill to swallow. During this psychological process, you’ll also address the fears holding you back from losing weight.
Fear of the Unknown
Starting a new journey can be scary for many reasons, one of them being that you don’t know where the journey will take you. Fearing the unknown on your weight-loss journey is common. You may not know if you’ll succeed or what will happen on the journey. Fearing that you will not be able to lose the weight is reason enough for many to not even begin the weight-loss process. You may fear what you will look like once you lose weight—if you will have scars or loose skin. You may even fear that once you lose weight, you still will not be happy. Not knowing your final results can be uncomfortable, and change is scary.
Fear of Changing Relationships
Many people wonder how their relationships will change once they lose weight—whether it be romantic relationships, friendships, or family dynamics. Our appearance and sense of self can play a role in how we fit into a relationship and if that changes, you may fear that the relationship will change as well.
Losing weight can be a confidence-booster and encourage you to step outside of your comfort zone. Embracing new experiences, like dating, could ignite some fear within you. You may hold onto excessive weight as a sort of security blanket.
Overcoming Your Fears
To understanding what is holding you back, make a list of your weight-loss fears in a journal. Now, create some goals that will help you overcome those fears. Use a journal to track your emotions as you go through the weight-loss process. Track the habits that are helping you work through your fears and the ones that are holding you back.
Make small, attainable weight-loss goals. Large goals can be too intimidating and scary. It is also important to remember to love yourself at every size and to not tie your happiness to your size.
If you’re looking for a support system or you need some additional resources, visit Illinois Bariatric Center here.
The season of cheer is here! The holiday season, while full of joy, can also be a major source of stress for a lot of people. There are temptations around every corner, from calorie-laden drinks like eggnog, to savory side dishes like stuffing, to irresistible festive cookies. It can be tough to stay on track with health and wellness goals during the holidays, but we have a few tips to help you stay on track.
Plan your Meals
Holiday meals can be a huge source of temptation. Feel good about what you are eating by bringing your own healthy dishes to holiday parties that fit the nutrition recommendations from your doctor or dietitian. Load up your plate with vegetables first, then take small bites of the other dishes you’d like to try. Be mindful of dishes that may seem healthy but aren’t, like buttery vegetables or sugary cranberry sauce. Be sure you are drinking plenty of water, which will not only help you digest effectively, but will help promote feelings of fullness.
Be Mindful
Being mindful about eating can go a long way. Instead of indulging on all the sweets at the table, be mindful about choosing your favorite treat and enjoying just a few bites. Avoid going to parties starving, as that may make you want to demolish the snack table before the meal even begins. Chew your food slowly and set your fork down between bites. Enjoy the flavors of the foods you’re eating and give your brain time to listen to hunger cues so you can stop eating when you are full.
Instead of getting hung up on the things you “can’t” eat, absorb yourself in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the season—from your mother’s laugh, to the bright lights adorning all the houses on the block.
Plan your Exercise
Between the bake sales, virtual holiday events, and shopping for the perfect gift, it can be difficult to find the time to exercise. In order to ensure you are getting the weekly recommended amount of exercise in, you may need to schedule it out day by day. If you know you have a holiday event after work, set your alarm a little early to get a quick workout in. If you’re shopping at the mall, do a couple extra laps around the shops. It’s all about being mindful and fitting in exercise where you can. Don’t forget to bring your walking shoes to holiday dinners! Instead of hanging out at the table after dinner, grazing on leftovers, tie up your laces and recruit family to join you for a brisk walk.
From all of the staff at The Illinois Bariatric Center,
We hope our amazing bariatric community is staying safe and healthy! We are here for you all and want to support you throughout your journey in anyway we can! Please message us with any questions, concerns, goals, bad news, good news, etc you may have or want to share – we are here to help YOU!
We are still open for appointments, if you are feeling a little off track or would like to come in to meet with any of our providers message us or call 866-622-9222 and we will get you set up! Thank you all for your continued patience during this time!
