Help! I’ve Plateaued and I Can’t Get Down!
Almost daily I get these desperate cries for help from those who have hit a plateau in their weight loss and think something major has gone awry with the universe. Just like Chicken Little, they squawk that the sky must be falling because the number on the scale isn’t.
Once again, we have become so focused on ourselves and inexplicably convinced that we are different from everyone else that we assume the worst. Did the pouch break? Did the doctor do the procedure wrong? Have I done something wrong? Am I going to be fat again? I was losing two pounds a day, and now I am only losing two pounds a week. Something terrible is happening to me!
Sounds familiar, huh? I said it multiple times throughout my weight loss, and now hear it from almost every WLS post-op I know. If you too find yourself in this midst of this predicament, you are suffering from an extremely serious medical and psychological ailment known in the medical field as over-dramatis-maximous. In layman’s terms: Relax. Don’t overdramatize the situation. The biology here is very straightforward most of the time. Follow these simple steps, and watch things start happening again.
1. Check in with your doctor - I am not your mother, nor your doctor. Make sure you are ALWAYS staying in touch with his office and support group if any. You are NOT qualified to do this on your own unless you live in an igloo at the South Pole. Seriously, never follow anything any of us non-experts say that contradict what the doctor or you personal beliefs say. The doctor has the final medical say, as far as I am concerned.
2. Relax - If everything checks out okay with the doctor, then you need to chill out. Your body is trying to play catch-up with the major changes it has been through. You have been pretty hard on it. If you are good to your new body, it will be good to you, I promise. It is only your brain that doesn’t like exercise, not your body. Your body really appreciates the times you take it out to play rather than just sitting there stuffing it with a bunch of food and feelings.
When was the last time you treated yourself to a massage? If you are not comfortable yet with something like this, run a hot bath and put in a quart of milk and a few drops of baby oil. Light a candle, and just lie there being thankful that you were given a second chance with the weight loss surgery, and for the fact that you are on a cool new journey. Do NOT start nitpicking at your body. It is what it is today, and will be different tomorrow.
3. Go back to the basics - Many people ask me how long they have to eat the small portions. I even get asked, “When can I eat the way I used to?” This just goes to show how wacky we can be. Sounds to me like a junkie who has suffered through detox and been clean for months, asking when he can start shooting just a little bit of heroine again.
Every doctor prescribes a little bit different eating plan for us posties. Mine was three bites of food per meal, three times a day. These bites were to be separated by three minutes each. I was also told, nothing to drink 30 minutes before, during, and after the meal. This ensures that you don’t try to just wash the food down. (If you find it too hard to swallow, then you’re either not chewing enough or your bites are too big.)
Next basic step: Get your exercise in. This is really the tough one for most of us. We have so many excuses about a lack of time or fitness equipment and so forth. I know, I do the same thing. Here is the deal though: If you want to re-kick start your weight loss, there is nothing better than to increase you level of physical activity. To those of you who are already exercising, it may be time to up the pace a bit and push a little harder.
Lastly, increase the water input. Iced tea and coffee don’t count—caffeine is a diuretic and sucks water out of your system. For those of you in the same boat as me, a scotch and water doesn’t count either. Eight big glasses of H2O a day, plain and simple. Learn to love it and trust me, your body and skin will love you back.
4. Refocus - Somewhere along the line, we put on a pair of glasses that are out of focus. We are conditioned to focus on getting our reward or accomplishing a goal. Don’t get me wrong; having goals is a very good thing, but we have concentrate more on the process rather than the goal itself. I can sit at home watching the Springer show and thinking about all of the money I could really use to do this or that. But, sitting on the couch doesn’t earn me a thing other than a squishy butt.
The only way to harvest the fruits of our results is to labor in the field. Learn to trust the process and the miracles of God’s part by just doing the work in the field and the fruit of your labor will be delivered. In the same way, the reading of the scale will NEVER be the consistent reinforcement that you need. Learn to just work the food program, do your exercise, and drink plenty of water. It works. It’s just not that complicated.
Keep in mind that this is not and never really was merely weight problem. The weight is a symptom or result, not the cause. As I continually have to remind myself, the problem is that big gray lump between my ears. I can NEVER think my way into right acting, rather I have to act my way into right thinking. Do what you are supposed to do, no cheating… Your brain and feelings will catch up.
You have come a long way. I haven’t given up on you yet, so it is way too early in the game for you to give up on yourself.
Remember, you are not alone in this. We will get you to the next stop on this incredible journey. We need you there, so you can help the next postie.
