So you’ve followed all in the instructions, you’ve dropped a significant number of pounds, and you’re feeling very happy with your decisiont to pursue a medical weight loss plan… But then you notice something upsetting. After reaching your goal weight, you notice the number on the scale beginning to climb again.
What’s happening? Are you going to lose all of your progress? Probably not, especially since you noticed this happening right away. But you do need to figure out what’s happening and take steps to address it, if necessary. In most cases, rebound weight gain happens for one of the following three reasons.
Your metabolism changed. When your body loses a significant amount of weight – even if you needed to lose that weight for health reasons – it tends to respond as though you’re living through some sort of natural disaster like a famine. This makes sense as a preservation mechanism, but it can be frustrating when you want to lose weight!
Stick to your eating plan, and know that your body will adjust to its new composition in time. And continue to meet your water intake goals, because dehydration can slow metabolism too.
You didn’t make permanent changes. If you go back to your old eating habits or activity levels after you’ve reached your goal weight, you can count on at least some of the shed pounds returning. Remember that a medical weight loss plan should include permanent changes to your lifestyle, in order to keep unwanted weight off for good.
There is an underlying condition. Most of us don’t become overweight for no reason. If there’s a medical reason or a habit that caused the weight gain, then failing to address it will almost guaranteed that the lost weight will return. Let’s schedule a checkup to review your health, and we can talk about other factors that can trigger regain of weight.
On that note, a physician’s guidance is really the best way to maintaing your results. Working with a medical weight loss doctor on a regular basis can help you lose the weight plus keep it off for good.
