6 simple tips to beat a weight loss stall

Are you experiencing a weight loss stall? Initially, the weight fell off you after surgery and now you’re watching the scales every day and seeing the number stay the same. It’s been a week, a month, maybe more – so what do you do?

First things first… Don’t beat yourself up!

Weight loss stalls happen to most people after surgery. They are often your body’s way of adjusting to the changes you’ve put it through in terms of calorie-restriction and hormonal changes. Your body often needs time to catch up to what you’ve changed so don’t stress. Work your way through the following tips to check if it’s really a stall and what you can do about it.

1. Has your weight loss actually stallled?

Don’t just use the scale as a way of measuring progress – if you weigh every day you’ll get a lot of daily “noise” to do with things like your hydration levels or if you’ve gone to the loo or not. A better option is not to weigh so regularly – weekly at a minimum is best, monthly is even better if you feel comfortable with that.

Check other things than the number on the scale, too. Are your clothes fitting differently? Is your shape changing? If you’re exercising you may be building muscle. Also, how you feel is very important. Do you feel healthier, more confident, more energetic? Do you have control over food now, rather than food having control over you? Then you are more successful than scales are letting on!!

2. Check your habits

Have some of those old habits like grazing snuck back into your day? Use the habits checklist for weight loss at the end of this post to check in with the habits that work best for long term success.

3. Are you eating enough or too much?

Get your journal back out and track what you are eating for a few days. Most people after a sleeve eat between 800 and 1200 calories per day. If you’re eating more than this, you may need to bring it down a little (depending on your size and exercise levels) and if you’re eating less than this you may need to bring it up (your body ‘holds on’ to everything it can if it thinks it’s in starvation!) Tracking not only helps you check the amount of food you’re eating but also helps with mindfulness and can help you identify some of those habits you perhaps weren’t aware of. Try the Easy Diet Diary app if you’re in Australia as it’s the most accurate.

4. Mix it up

Your body is very clever and it adjusts quickly to a routine. So, if you’ve been doing the same thing with your diet and exercise for a while, it might be time for a change. Go back to basics with your diet – make sure you’re getting at least 60g of protein daily and are making half your meals vegetables. It is easy to gravitate back to comfort foods and snacking behaviors when your defenses are down.    

Also, mix up your exercise routine. Try something different! Walk a new route, try to up the intensity, duration or try a new type of exercise like a class. If you only do cardio, you should incorporate some strength work, even if it’s some body weight exercises at home.

5. Rest and chill.

Check your sleep. Are you getting enough? Adequate sleep and managing day-to-day stress are crucial for weight loss. Lack of sleep and stressful days increase your cortisol levels which in turn increase fat storage and drive appetite. Try going to bed a little earlier, sneaking in a nap or taking a few moments to yourself each day to help.

6. Seek support

If you’re worried, rather than thinking you’re a failure and stressing about (see the point about stress above), see your team – that’s what they’re there for! They can check everything, reassure you that you’re on the right track as well as help you to make the changes mentioned above in a way that will work for you. You can see me too if you like.

Join a support group. There are many support groups online, but of course, I’m going to say you should join ours! The Living With A Sleeve Community is amazing with lots of people to help you along every step of the way.