Plateau? Get Over It!

[Alex Brecher 10,498]

All people meet it at some point in their weight loss journey. It might come after you experience complications from surgery, or when you travel for vacation, or when you are unusually stressed at work. It might even come when you least expect it, when your diet and weight loss have been going smoothly for months. “It” is the dreaded plateau.

How Do You Know When You Hit a Plateau?

Simply enough, a plateau is when you stop losing weight even though you want to. It’s not just a day or two without weight loss. It’s a period of a few weeks or more when you keep trying to lose weight, but the scale does not budge. You think you are doing everything you can and should be doing to lose weight, but still you do not see results. That is a plateau. It can be frustrating and discouraging and seem to be unfair.

Stay Positive

Plateaus can be maddening, but the absolute worst thing you can do during a plateau is to give up. If you decide that your diet is not worth the effort, you are almost certainly going to gain weight. Going back to your old, pre-surgery diet habits, taking oversized portions, and eating high-fat, high-sugary foods will not just make you gain weight. These bad habits can erase your health gains. Worse, they could cause some of the weight loss surgery complications that you already know about, such as the following:

• Stretching of the sleeve in vertical sleeve gastrectomy
  
• Dumping syndrome in gastric bypass
  
• Esophagitis with the adjustable gastric band (lap-band)
  
• Feeling nauseous or having diarrhea
  

Another reason to stay positive is to keep up your motivation to continue all of the other healthy behaviors in your lifestyle. Don’t fall into the trap of “all-or-nothing,” in which you decide to give up all of your healthy efforts just because your weight loss isn’t quite what you want it to be. These include:

• Taking your daily Vitamin and mineral supplements
  
• Getting enough Protein and fluids each day
  
• Following your regularly exercise routine
  

It Could Be Worse

And it will be worse if you give up. It may sound strange, but you can stay positive by thinking about how much better your weight is now than where it could be if you gave up trying. If your careful diet is not leading to the weight loss you had hoped for, it is still preventing weight gain. If you give up, you will gain weight, and probably be pretty disappointed in yourself.

Measure Success in Other Ways

Another way to stay positive is to stop focusing on the scale. Find other ways to measure your progress. Tracking your body measurements, for example, can let you know that you are shrinking and building muscle even if your total weight is not decreasing right now.

Tracking behaviors instead of measurements is another strategy. For example, you assess your success according to whether you eat well, such as hitting your protein goals or sticking to your planned menu. Other successful behaviors to be proud of yourself for are planning and preparing meals ahead of time and making sure you drink enough fluids at times other than meal times.

Be Honest and Go Back to the Basics

“Why me?”

That’s a natural question when you hit a plateau, but most people don’t ask it seriously. However, if you think seriously about what is causing the plateau and how you can fix it, this question can actually help you break through the barrier and get back to losing weight.

In many cases, you can figure out “why me” by asking yourself these questions.

• “Am I logging every single bite that goes into my mouth?”
  
• “Am I following the meal plan my nutritionist or surgeon gave me?”
  
• “Am I measuring – not eyeballing – all of the foods I eat?”
  
• “Am I exercising as much as I am supposed to be?”
  
• “Am I getting in my protein each day?”
  
• “Have I been too busy or preoccupied to plan my meals and Snacks in advance?”
  

If you answer these questions honestly, you might discover that you have slipped up and are not keeping up your good habits quite as well as you thought you had. Go back to the basics of meal planning and nutritious eating, and you are almost sure to see the scale move again within weeks.

You’re in Charge!

Plateaus are frustrating and nobody wants to experience them at some point, but almost everyone does. These steps can help you when you notice that you are in a plateau.

• Stay positive and keep up your healthy behaviors.
  
• Focus on other measures of success besides the scale.
  
• Assess your diet honestly.
  
• Make any necessary changes.
  

You can get over your plateau, and you will be stronger for it! Just be patient and do what you know is right for your health.

[Mikee57 699]

thanks Alex for this sound advice...appreciated

[HealthyNewMe 1,935]

Alex, I have always had an ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality throughout my life..... only where weight loss, dieting, and exercise was concerned. Thus, I had never been able to MAINTAIN a weight loss. As soon as I would lose, and hit my first plateau, I would start to gain. But, my decision to give up daily and weekly weigh-ins has changed me. I don't see the stalls or plateaus as much, so I don't throw in the towel, so to speak. It was very liberating for ME. Plateaus in the past, would put me over the edge, and in the end, always resulted in weight GAIN, because I couldn't handle them. Enjoyed your article. It made me realize again that the road to weight loss and getting fit is NOT a straight path, but a road with twists, turns, and even plateaus along the way!

[2muchfun 8,927]

I mean no disrespect to anyone who has hit there own plateau but for me, when I hit a plateau, I always know why I'm not losing and it's directly related to the type and amount of foods going in my mouth.

Sometimes if I set a midterm(not final goal weight) monthly or personal goal weight to achieve, once I hit that midterm/personal goal, I Celebrate, with food. Not mass quantities of food, but I fall off the wagon just far enough to gain a few and then plateau for weeks.

Thanks for the post Alex, I'll remember this.

tmf

[dylanmiles23 2,198]

All people meet it at some point in their weight loss journey. It might come after you experience complications from surgery, or when you travel for vacation, or when you are unusually stressed at work. It might even come when you least expect it, when your diet and weight loss have been going smoothly for months. “It” is the dreaded plateau. How Do You Know When You Hit a Plateau? Simply enough, a plateau is when you stop losing weight even though you want to. It’s not just a day or two without weight loss. It’s a period of a few weeks or more when you keep trying to lose weight, but the scale does not budge. You think you are doing everything you can and should be doing to lose weight, but still you do not see results. That is a plateau. It can be frustrating and discouraging and seem to be unfair. Stay Positive Plateaus can be maddening, but the absolute worst thing you can do during a plateau is to give up. If you decide that your diet is not worth the effort, you are almost certainly going to gain weight. Going back to your old, pre-surgery diet habits, taking oversized portions, and eating high-fat, high-sugary foods will not just make you gain weight. These bad habits can erase your health gains. Worse, they could cause some of the weight loss surgery complications that you already know about, such as the following:Stretching of the sleeve in vertical sleeve gastrectomyDumping syndrome in gastric bypassEsophagitis with the adjustable gastric band (lap-band)Feeling nauseous or having diarrheaAnother reason to stay positive is to keep up your motivation to continue all of the other healthy behaviors in your lifestyle. Don’t fall into the trap of “all-or-nothing,” in which you decide to give up all of your healthy efforts just because your weight loss isn’t quite what you want it to be. These include:Taking your daily Vitamin and mineral supplementsGetting enough Protein and fluids each dayFollowing your regularly exercise routineIt Could Be Worse And it will be worse if you give up. It may sound strange, but you can stay positive by thinking about how much better your weight is now than where it could be if you gave up trying. If your careful diet is not leading to the weight loss you had hoped for, it is still preventing weight gain. If you give up, you will gain weight, and probably be pretty disappointed in yourself. Measure Success in Other Ways Another way to stay positive is to stop focusing on the scale. Find other ways to measure your progress. Tracking your body measurements, for example, can let you know that you are shrinking and building muscle even if your total weight is not decreasing right now. Tracking behaviors instead of measurements is another strategy. For example, you assess your success according to whether you eat well, such as hitting your protein goals or sticking to your planned menu. Other successful behaviors to be proud of yourself for are planning and preparing meals ahead of time and making sure you drink enough fluids at times other than meal times. Be Honest and Go Back to the Basics “Why me?” That’s a natural question when you hit a plateau, but most people don’t ask it seriously. However, if you think seriously about what is causing the plateau and how you can fix it, this question can actually help you break through the barrier and get back to losing weight. In many cases, you can figure out “why me” by asking yourself these questions.“Am I logging every single bite that goes into my mouth?”“Am I following the meal plan my nutritionist or surgeon gave me?”“Am I measuring – not eyeballing – all of the foods I eat?”“Am I exercising as much as I am supposed to be?”“Am I getting in my protein each day?”“Have I been too busy or preoccupied to plan my meals and Snacks in advance?”If you answer these questions honestly, you might discover that you have slipped up and are not keeping up your good habits quite as well as you thought you had. Go back to the basics of meal planning and nutritious eating, and you are almost sure to see the scale move again within weeks. You’re in Charge! Plateaus are frustrating and nobody wants to experience them at some point, but almost everyone does. These steps can help you when you notice that you are in a plateau.Stay positive and keep up your healthy behaviors.Focus on other measures of success besides the scale.Assess your diet honestly.Make any necessary changes.You can get over your plateau, and you will be stronger for it! Just be patient and do what you know is right for your health. Click here to view the article

Thank you. I have been at a plateau for 6-10 months. I am not perfect but I am not giving up. Every day I say today will be perfect again then I eat something bad again. I have to get strong.

[JustWatchMe 7,117]

Others have recently recommended switching up your routine. If you exercise at a certain time of day, temporarily change the time, or the type of exercise. Or switch your meals around a bit, staying within the guidelines. I tend to get into food and exercise ruts. It's actually my way of staying on track, because when things are too interesting, I may overindulge. But I see how my "bored" body could land in a plateau due to the same old, same old, every day. Like HealthyNewMe, my past habit was to give up at the first stall or gain. No more. I'm learning so much about how the body works from this forum. Thanks for the great article.

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Good post. Should be required reading before we can post a topic.

[Teachamy 1,042]

Alex, I have always had an ALL-OR-NOTHING mentality throughout my life..... only where weight loss, dieting, and exercise was concerned. Thus, I had never been able to MAINTAIN a weight loss. As soon as I would lose, and hit my first plateau, I would start to gain. But, my decision to give up daily and weekly weigh-ins has changed me. I don't see the stalls or plateaus as much, so I don't throw in the towel, so to speak. It was very liberating for ME. Plateaus in the past, would put me over the edge, and in the end, always resulted in weight GAIN, because I couldn't handle them. Enjoyed your article. It made me realize again that the road to weight loss and getting fit is NOT a straight path, but a road with twists, turns, and even plateaus along the way!

Couldn't have said it better myself! Our perspective is a lot alike!

[Ask How Well 4]

Thank you Alex . You have help me to stay positive and take a look at myself to make the necessary changes in my life.Thank you again.

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

nice one alex

when (stalls or no weight loss happens) one must merely keep on doing what they are doing....by that i mean eating healthier/cleaner and exercising..sure change it if it works for you because by continuing .....the results will show ...maybe not on the scale just yet but def by clothes getting looser, better mobility and better lifestyle living..

setbacks happen

its how we deal with it...one so called bad meal wont make one gain 20 pounds and one so called healthy meal wont make one lose 20 pounds...its day in and day out and keep on going...

thanks for sharing alex

[marciajones 1]

I am encouranged by your success, I had lap band surgery two years ago and so far only lost 20 pounds, although I gave up red meats, sugary soda,and sweets. I can't seem to get under 210 pounds

[2muchfun 8,927]

I am encouranged by your success, I had lap band surgery two years ago and so far only lost 20 pounds, although I gave up red meats, sugary soda,and sweets. I can't seem to get under 210 pounds

I recommend you have a consult with a bariatric nutritionist?