Sometimes people stop losing weight after bariatric surgery, which is very typical. If you are one of them and still want to lose weight by overcoming this stall, you have come to the right place. Bariatric surgery is a major surgical procedure. It has several common and rare complications; however, a weight-loss stall is not one of them.
It is a very normal condition. You have to introspect and look for the things that you are doing incorrectly. If you want to know the 7 ways to beat a weight-loss stall after bariatric surgery, continue to read further for more details.
What is A Weight-Loss Stall?
Weight loss stall is also called the plateau. It is the condition when you have reached the optimum stage of weight loss, and you can’t lose after this condition with your current practices. The human body is adaptive, and it will do its best to maintain the equilibrium, which is called homeostasis.
Due to this equilibrium, your body becomes adaptive to the food you take and the activities you do, so you will not lose weight with these further. This plateauing effect is a motivation killer, but some ways to overcome this weight loss stall.
Ways To Beat Weight-Loss Stall
- Re-commit to Tracking your Food:
Immediate after weight loss surgery, patients are more aware and stricter about their diet and food portion. Still, as they recover from surgery and lose significant weight, they become careless about these small things. So, it may be possible that you do not measure your food portions as you did before, and you are eating more than before.
If you want to track your food, you should develop a habit of writing down everything you drink and eat. If you write down on the paper, you will see things differently, and you will become more conscious about your food intake.
So, if you hit a weight-loss stall, your body is getting more energy than before. So, you need to track it now. For this, you can also use the bariatric app for tracking your daily food intake.
- Alter Macro-Nutrient Intake – Flexible Dieting
When you change your diet and routine, your body will start to lose weight again. So, if you want to beat the stall, you need to change what you eat. For example, if you eat a moderate diet with high carbs, you should try fewer carbs but more protein. You don’t need to dig deeper into super technical things.
It is expected that a bariatric patient should consume a minimum of 60g protein per day, but if you start lifting weights, you need to increase your protein consumption. You should prefer natural protein over supplements and powders. Your body requires more calories to break down the whole food, so you will also burn calories when you eat real food.
In the case of protein bars or protein shakes, it’s too easy to absorb protein from these for the body. So, don’t overly dependent on such items. If you are eating carbs at breakfast, you can change it to a protein snack. You should also change your food preferences like you can eat a handful of nuts instead of a fruit snack or eat high protein like tuna or chicken breast instead of carbs.
- Zig-Zag Calorie Intake
A zig-zag calorie is an excellent way of altering your calorie intake. You will have a fixed calorie table for a week that helps you to track down and measure your calories for the day. It allows you to decide what can and can’t eat throughout the day. In this Zig-zag calorie intake, you don’t have to eat fixed calories each day. Your calorie consumption will change each day.
For example; you can plan the zig-zag calorie intake like this;
- Monday 800 calories
- Tuesday 1100 calories
- Wednesday 700 calories
- Thursday 1000 calories
- Friday 900 calories
- Saturday 1200 calories
- Sunday 700 calories
In this pattern, you will get enough flexibility and allows you to beat the weight loss stall.
- Change Meal Frequency:
If you are eating fix three meals a day, you should try a Mediterranean way of eating. It would help if you took 5 to 6 smaller high protein meals per day with equivalent internal in between. This 5-6 meals per day is a popular technique for bodybuilders. When you take several meals per day, it helps burn more calories resulting in weight loss.
If you are working and can’t change your habit of eating three meals per day, you can add snacks between these meals and reduce the food intake in the three meals. It is not advisable to skip breakfast. You have to eat high protein breakfast every morning. You can’t miss your meals and wait for good results; it’s not possible. You need to start writing in a food diary.
- Change your Exercise Routine:
If you haven’t exercised regularly, you have to start it now, and if you are already doing it, you should change your exercise routine. When your body adapts your exercise routine, then it will not be beneficial for weight loss. It will not burn any extra calories. You should try by adding some difficult and challenging tasks for you to try swimming or cycling.
You can also try Zumba or aerobics. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is beneficial for weight loss. Though it sounds very technical, you need to understand the basic principle of this training and then spend your time in practical training.
- Strength Training:
Many patients are still following an essential and very comfortable exercise called walking. This repetitive routine of exercising is not enough for weight loss. You need to add some resistance to this. If you are not doing this, now it’s time. You should implement it before it’s too late.
You should activate your muscles and build strength to increase lean mass and boost your metabolic rate. You can start going to the gym and get help from a certified trainer to make your exercise regime. You should begin to weight lifting. If you have a busy routine and can’t go to the gym, you can buy some dumbbells at home and start exercising daily.
- Get enough sleep:
It is essential to get enough sleep. If you are not getting enough, it will direly affect your body. It may result in weight gain or weight loss stall. You will be likely to feel more food cravings. That is why it is essential to have a sound sleep at night. An adult human should take 6 to 7 hours of sleep at night, and for senior citizens, it is 8 to 20 hours.
Conclusion: I know that Weight loss stall is a frustrating phase, and many people are struggling from this stage. However, if you are not well planned and don’t have a good routine, you can’t beat this stall. Hopefully, these 7 Ways help you to Beat a Weight Loss Stall After Bariatric Surgery. Comment below if you have any questions.
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