Sometime, during the phase of rapid weight loss after gastric bypass surgery, many patients will discover their weight reduction is stalled. Talk about discouraging. The daily ritual of weighing and celebrating another pound eliminated has turned into depressing torture because the level just won’t move- the feared plateau is here. One reason for the plateau is physiological.
The body reacting to the restrictive caloric intake sends out a sign to start burning up less stored fuel. Quite simply, the metabolic process (the speed at which your body burns energy) is reduced as the body attempts to save fuel in reaction to a state of famine. The body is hanging on for dear life to its beloved fat.
There are things we can do to handle down the feared plateau. The foremost is to avoid defeating on ourselves or regretting your choice for WLS up. Simply accept a plateau is an area of the natural span of weight loss that too shall pass. Plateaus can last two to four weeks.
Try to be patient and consider your body is merely taking a rest from the effort of slimming down. Avoid snacking through the plateau. Old diet plan that caused weight problems may resurface once we comfort our disappointment with extra snack foods or make unhealthy food choices. Stay away from this type of self-sabotage.
Keep at heart, a plateau is a hard time emotionally. I could recall the feeling, “I really didn’t deserve to lose all of this weight anyway, so I might as well eat this or that.” Stay away from the self-pity trap. Re-examine your commitment to healthy exercise and eating. Sometimes a plateau can be busted simply by returning to the basic principles of living after gastric bypass. One nurse-dietician suggests a return to pure protein for 48-hours. Which means eating only eggs, low-fat parmesan cheese, rooster, tuna, turkey, etc. – nothing processed.
- Improvement in rest apnea
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- A copy of your doctor’s preauthorization request letter
- Pushup 2 sets x max repetitions
The research behind this is the intake of 100 % pure amino acids (proteins) will improve metabolism and power the body to burn stored fat. Another real way to feel proactive in plateau busting is to kick-up the exercise program. Add an extra half-mile to a walk or an extra set of repetitions to the strength-training program.
Any little change will capture your body off guard and it just may react by falling a pound or two. And of course continue steadily to drink clear liquids, specifically water, to eliminate the physical body of toxins and excess fat. Now, Think about the plateau that lasts longer than four weeks so you still have lots of weight to reduce?
These are referred to as “Counterfeit Plateaus” in the health community. Most counterfeit plateaus derive from miscalculations or forgetfulness on the part of the dieter. For example, maybe we are forgetting to avoid starchy carbs or processed snacks. Maybe we are eating a little dinner and one hour later eating another tiny dinner? Perhaps we’ve fallen right out of the habit of exercise. Little slip-ups or forgetfulness may become quite costly if we ignore it too long without correcting the behavior.