If you are looking to get back on track with your diet, you may want to look at some reasons for weight gain. These reasons are for both after losing weight on your own or from bariatric surgery. Some of these reasons are:
**Eating or drinking the wrong things
**Reverted back to old way of eating
**Don’t or never did have a plan
**Stopped Exercising
**Stopped Tracking
**Watch the scale too much
**Overeating during meals
**Drinking within 30 minutes of your meals (before or after)
**Haven’t figured out “why” you sabotage yourself yet
My surgeon warned me that this could happen. And does for as many as 30% of patients that get bariatric surgery.
The weight gain can start anywhere from 6 months to several years after surgery and can be just a small amount of weight to all the original weight lost.
And one of the main reasons for the regain is stomach stretching because of poor diet or lifestyle choices.
**Eating or Drinking the Wrong Things
If you had surgery, I’m sure you were given a plan for several weeks before and after surgery. Pull those plans back out and start again. The plan will give your options for what to eat or drink
**Reverted Back to Old Ways
This is one sure fire way to begin gaining weight again. When you had weight loss surgery or you lost a lot of weight on your own, sometimes you begin to think that you can just go back to your old way of eating. You think you have control, but this is not true. You need to find an agreeable way to eat that you can stick with long term.
**Don’t or Never Did Have a Plan
When you have any type of bariatric surgery, you are given plans to follow for your eating. Maybe you stopped following the plan or you lost the weight on your own, without any type of plan.
A plan gives you something to follow. Diet plans have been proven to work. So, go back to your plan or try different ones.
The trick is to find a plan or create your own that fits into your lifestyle without feeling like the changes are too big or don’t work.
I tend to find a plan I like and do a few tweaks to it to fit and work for me. Because I know if it’s too hard, too fussy or too much work, I won’t stick with it. Simple with lots of choices works best for me.
And don’t forget to plan and prepare what you will eat ahead of time. This goes a long way in being able to stick to the eating plan you choose.
**Stopped Exercising
I know this happens to me. Life gets in the way, or you become too busy and don’t workout for a day or two and before you know it weeks or even months have gone by. Sound familiar?
Not working out can definitely put you off track with your diet.
**Stopped Tracking
When you begin to go off track with your diet and you begin to gain your weight back, start tracking again as this is your way to accountability. You stopped it, so the weight begins to creep back on. Do the tracking for another two to three weeks and see if you can determine what is throwing you off track. Tracking can help you figure out where you are going wrong and what you are doing right.
**Watch the Scale Too Much
This happens to me, so let me explain. I jump on the scale first thing in the morning and see I’ve lost some pounds. So what happens the rest of the day? I think I don’t have to be as good as I would have if I had seen a weight gain of a few pounds that morning on the scale.
So don’t get on the scale every day or even every week if this is what you tend to do. Instead, try to pay attention to how your clothes feel, then step on the scale to see what is happening.
**Overeating During Meals
The only way I get around this is by putting the correct portions on my plate to begin with and that’s all I eat. And if I’m truthful, I’m full and know that’s where I need to stop. I also use a smaller plate than our normal dinner size plates. These two strategies definitely help me.
**Drinking Within 30 Minutes of Your Meals (before or after)
This is a downfall for me. I’m always carrying around some kind of drink for myself, so I tend to forget to cut myself off before a meal. And on top of that, I’ve always drank during meals, which is a no-no after weight loss surgery. I have to work on this one.
**Haven’t Figured Out “Why” You Keep Falling of Track With Your Diet
Many of us don’t stop to figure out why we overeat to begin with. I know I didn’t. And I believe I won’t really keep all the weight off or lose the remaining amount I’d like to, until I figure out the why.
Many of our beliefs are subconscious and have been embedded in our brains for a long time. These beliefs are what help us function, survive and thrive in our lives.
Some of these beliefs are good for us while others fight against us and cause us to fail when we only follow these particular beliefs.
Unfortunately, it is the beliefs you’re not aware of that cause the problems. These beliefs can stop you from making positive changes in your life.
So why can’t we stick to our weight loss goals, but instead sabotage ourselves? Why is it so hard to achieve the weight lose goals we set for ourselves?
Thoughts When Thinking About Losing Weight
If you really want to stop falling off the wagon with your diet and keep the weight off, you need to look at the thoughts that go through your mind…
1) When you set your goals to lose weight
For instance: “Food is my comfort when I’m stressed, sad, bored or feeling out of control”.
2) When you start to question those goals
“I’ve always been fat so it must mean I’m meant to be fat”.
3) Why you end up putting your goals to the side.
“I have tried EVERYTHING and nothing is going to help me lose weight”.
Figure Out the “Why”
I truly believe that the only way I will continue to lose weight and keep it off is getting past some of the self-talk that goes through my brain. I can be very hard on myself and since I can’t seem to work through these beliefs on my own, I’m looking for outside support.
This is true for me because if I’m really honest with myself my beliefs run deep and are from way back. And I know I can talk myself out of anything, hence I’m going to get outside help.
I figure the only way to start getting back on track with my weight loss goals, is to understand why I keep failing in the first place.
If you are stuck like me with not losing the weight regain and not confident in your ability to change or finding that you’re still resisting change, ask for help.
Look for a professional or support groups for weight loss surgery or weight loss in general. Family and friends can also be sources you can tap into to overcome your fears and help with motivation. This could help you from falling off track with your diet again and again.
Take all the time you need to talk until your confidence in your ability to change and your desire to change becomes strong enough to conquer the discomforts and/or doubts making a change will bring to your life. When your desire to lose weight is greater than the discomforts, or you have a plan to overcome obstacles, you’ll be on your way to your goal.
The Stages of Change
** Readiness to Change
Change won’t happen until you are really ready to commit to what it takes to make real change in your life. And that goes for anything, not just losing weight.
For many, change is scary. It takes a lot of work and when you can’t be sure of the outcome—it’s scary. So many people stay where they are more comfortable, even if change could bring about the weight loss they are looking for or make their lives better.
According to the Loma Linda University, School of Medicine, there are five stages to change:
1) Denial That Something is Holding You Back
In this stage, people defend why they are doing what they do because they don’t feel there is a problem. As long as denial is in your mind, you will keep getting off track with your diet.
2) Becoming Aware of the Problem
Awareness of a problem becomes apparent but going back and forth with the pros and cons about a change that may be needed. Acceptance of needing to change brings you closer to changing your life. What you are struggling with at this point in time could be a good place to start.
3) Getting Ready or Planning the Change
The decision to change is finally made, so the research and planning of how to make change(s) starts.
4) Taking Action To Stop Falling Off Track With Your Diet
Motivation kicks in and uses a lot of willpower, but relapse is definitely a risk. The realization of needing help sinks in. Support is found, behavior gets analyzed and self-confidence grows.
5) Maintaining The Change
The new changes are maintained until they become the new normal habits. This is done by avoiding temptations that would cause a relapse. New ways are constantly being formulated and used to keep the new habits front and center until they are no longer “new” habits, but just are.
Tips To Get Back On Track
**Re-work Your Plan
The really important thing to remember for losing weight gain is to choose or make a plan that will work for you. The easier your plan is and the more it blends naturally into your lifestyle, the bigger chance you have of actually succeeding. Then you should begin to see your weight come off
**Get Moving
It’s not a good idea to start a workout routine that calls for you to work until you are too sore to move for days afterwards.
Getting back in the gym after a long break can go right or wrong really quickly so, please take it easy.
Practice getting back in the rhythm of things, but don’t aim for soreness, and take those necessary rest days.
You may be tempted to intentionally aim to feel sore because you think it’s a sign of a great workout.
Not only will you not be able to walk or move afterwards or for days to come, but this will make you not want to workout after this. GO HARD or GO HOME!! Not!! This is just not a good idea.
Sore Doesn’t Mean An Effective Workout
Seriously, being sore does not mean you had an effective workout. If anything, you’re seriously setting yourself up for nothing good.
You’ll be so sore the next couple days that it’ll hurt to walk, use the bathroom, drive, laugh, sheesh almost doing anything, and that includes going back to the gym the next day which only defeats the purpose. Your workouts will end before you have a chance to really get started. This could be a potential for falling off track with your diet.
Instead, give yourself the best chance at success. Start simple with something like walking. The going goal for walking is taking 10,000 steps each day. Break that down even further if you have to. Try starting with 5,000 steps and work your way up to 10,000. Starting slow doesn’t call for a complete overhaul of your life. Instead, you may only need to schedule a time to get a 30-minute walk in each day. Easy and you won’t be sore afterwards.
**Start With One Thing, Do Not Try To Change All At Once
If you start out gung-ho and try adding all these ideas to your plate, you are likely to fail. It’s too many changes to try and make at the same time. Take one or two tips/changes and work on them until they have come part of your life.
**Get Some Accountability—Start Tracking
I admit to hating keeping track of everything I put in my mouth, but I know how much this helps in a weight loss journey. After doing this for some time you will be able to see patterns that may need to be changed or refined.
Commit to tracking for two to three weeks, then do a review and see of you can see any patterns that you are making that are keeping you from reaching your goal. You may have to make some tweaks to get better weight loss results.
Final Thoughts
Falling off track with your diet can be very easy to do. And change does not happen overnight so be patient with yourself. Take one day at a time, just like any other addict is instructed to do. (Yes, I believe some of us are addicted to food)
Try and remember that most change turns out to be a good thing. Stepping out of our comfort zone can feel scary at first. Keep moving toward your new goal of making changes to lose weight and keep it off with the different habits you are creating.
Believe it or not, this is the difference between those that lose weight and keep it off and those that don’t lose or lose but keep gaining it back.
Whatever plan or way of eating you choose must become your normal. The way you’ve been eating needs to be thrown out the window to never be seen again.
I’d love to hear if you got any great ideas for keeping the lost weight from creeping back on again. Leave me a comment below and we’ll share these ideas with everyone.
Stay Awesome!
Cher
Relevant Reading:
Ten Easy Tips to Improve Your Health
If you enjoyed my post, pin it so you’ll have it for later, then share it—It would help me increase my readership and is a wonderful compliment!!
