Breaking Through My First Post-Op Plateau

Losing 50 pounds was my first big goal in my weight loss journey, and I achieved it with  pretty consistent weight loss. But once I hit 50, I had my first plateau. I even gained 2 pounds! *Gasp!* I blame part of it on travel…I’ve been traveling like a maniac the last few weeks. First we went to southern California for Easter weekend to stay at my in-law’s beach condo in Ventura County. Last weekend I joined my husband on a long layover in Dallas.

Let me tell you – it’s HARD to eat the way you need to when you’re traveling, especially airline travel. I can’t take the foods I would like to pack through airport security, and the stores within the airports don’t sell them. I was subjected to taking protein powder for shakes, nuts, and other dry items. Also when traveling, I tend to eat out at a lot of restaurants. I typically share a meal (or even a kid’s meal) with my husband or daughter. Those are my most likely reasons for the weight gain and plateau.

The good news is that I got right back on track as soon as I got home on Sunday, and I was pleasantly surprised that the scale showed I not only lost the 2 pounds I’d gained, but I was down a bit more. I weighed in at 318.5, which is a total of 54.8 pounds lost. Another good thing about traveling is that I’m much more physically active than usual. Between walking down airport concourses, sightseeing and shopping, my stamina seems to last a lot longer. With all of the flight bumps and cancellations coming back from Dallas, I’m sure I walked at least 3 miles in airports on Sunday.

A happy non-scale victory I did have while traveling was being able to fasten the airplane seatbelt without an extender. This is a HUGE victory for me, because I do travel so much and I have felt so much shame in asking a flight attendant for an extender. I also could put my tray table down about 95% of the way (which before I’d just avoid it because it was nowhere near flat). When I travel with my husband or daughter, I often put the airplane armrest up so it’s not digging into my thighs. This time I tried to put down the armrests…they’re not as bad as before, but I think they will soon be a problem of the past.

This week I’m amping up my physical activity so I can be ready for the Color Me Rad 5k on the 28th. I probably could use some new running shoes, but I don’t want them to get all gross and stained from the rainbow powder. I’ve been sticking closer to my diet guidelines and avoiding eating out this week. Lately I’ve had a daily craving for tomato soup, so I get my comfort food fix that way.