The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau And the New You

The Dreaded Weight Loss Plateau And the New You

As you lose weight, you get to that plateau where you no longer lose weight. Dr Smith said this is not a bad thing. Though we really want to go past that weight loss and keep losing. We stop at that plateau. Dr Smith said that your body will only lose so much weight then it goes into a starvation mode. This is when you hit that plateau. Your body will get past this and let you lose weight again when your body decides it is not starving. If you look up weight loss plateau on the Internet, it tells you that you must change your diet and exercise more. This does help on certain plateaus, but when I hit my plateau during the bariatric weight loss surgery, I would be on that plateau for weeks at a time. I would lose 10 to 15 pounds sometimes up to 20 then I would plateau for four to six weeks. This is when Dr Smith said that my body went into the starvation mode and would plateau.

When I was on this plateau, I would crawl on the scales and look to see if I had lost any weight. The amount of weight loss would be the same. I would get disappointed and tell myself that I will start losing again. But that feeling of dread would creep over me with each week that passed. When the plateau was over, I would feel a great joy. My heart would lift, and I was ready to start losing again. When I hit the 75-pound mark I plateaued for six weeks. I didn't know if I would ever start losing again, but after the six weeks, I lost another 15 pounds. Then I plateaued for two months. I worked out almost every day at the hospital in the pool for 1 ½ to 2 hours, plus the work that I did at home. The weight never went down. I fought every day to get that weight to move. I would get the disappointed feeling, and I would think to myself, will I never lose again. Then I would drop a pound or two then back to that plateau. It would soon creep up after 10 pounds.

After losing the 100 pounds, I plateau after every five pounds. I will plateau for two to three weeks. It is harder to lose the weight then when I had first started. Dr Smith said on my appointment August 1st that I am probably getting close to my total weight loss, and that I will no longer lose any more weight. I am turning all my fat into muscle now, and that is why the scales does not go down any further. I asked Dr Smith why, when I had first come into the program my goal weight to reach was 150 pounds. Now 150 was no longer in the picture. Dr Smith said the reason why, is the people who sit on the couch or in the chair are the ones that need to reach 150 pounds. They are not turning their fat into muscle. With all the working out that I do, between the Nu-Step, the pool, the weights, and working on remodeling a house that caught fire, I am turning all my fat to muscle. She also said the excess stretched skin accounts for some of the weight.

I know my belly is very stretched, and I fight that every day when I get dressed. I must fight the stretched arms, because if the sleeves are tight, I can't wear them. So, when I get dressed every day, I fight the urge to cry. Because I could wear smaller clothes if I didn't have the stretched arms and the stretched belly. But then I look in the mirror and tell myself to look how far I have come. I have lost 140 pounds I have went from 26 W pants down to 15-16 that are too big now. Also went from a 5X top down to a large/extra-large. I am wearing the jeans I wore in high school and they are too big. I also can wear some of the tops that were my favorite from that era.

Then I look in the mirror again and see the new me. My hair is shorter, my face is thinner, my neck is thinner, and I look so much better. Then I say to myself, this is the new me, the beautiful new me. The new me, that I have fought to lose the weight and tone. I have become a better person because I am so much happier. I am no longer in so much pain from the excess weight pulling on my body.

So, as anybody is on their weight loss journey, several things will happen. They start losing the weight, plateau is in the future, the skin starts getting saggy, and the person underneath starts to come out. That person was hiding underneath all that fat and stretched skin. So now I can see the new me, the person that was there from the day I was born, and not that person that was so fat and heavy.

So, if you have the question, do I need to lose weight? Look at the picture when you were born, the pictures as you aged, and see if that person is there today. That person is probably there but is it is underneath all that weight. Yes, everyone is beautiful, but when you lose the weight in your face and your neck, you begin to see the refined person that you should be. Not what you were. So, as you lose weight watch your face, see your expressions are a lot clearer, and your eyes twinkle more. The look that you had when you were younger is there staring at you in the mirror.

So, journey with me, as I continue to lose the weight, and see if we can't find that person that we are happy with. I am very happy with the new me now. I can look in the mirror now and see the changes that I have made. We all must fight to get over each obstacle. But with each plateau and each step closer to our goal, we will see a different person.

Now is the time that we must learn to love the new self. We also must be happy with the results of our goals that we have achieved. I am very happy with the results and hope I do keep losing the weight. If I don’t lose any more weight, then I am happy with what I have achieved. I am happy with the new me. God bless each and everyone of you on your weight loss journey.