Ep 43: Weight Regain | 3 Steps to Getting Back on Track After Weight Loss Surgery
This post is a companion to Episode 43 of the Bariatric Nutrition Coach Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Weight regain after bariatric surgery is common, it's expected, and it's not a sign that you've failed. After surgery, your metabolic rate drops in response to significant weight loss — meaning your body needs fewer calories to maintain weight than it did before. When old habits creep back in, even gradually, weight regain can happen relatively easily. But here's what matters: there are clear steps to turn it around.
Step 1: Observe and Reflect
Before jumping into action mode, stop. With compassion — not judgment — ask yourself: what's changed? What habits have slipped? What old patterns have come back? What was I doing three months ago when things were on track?
This is not about blame. It's about learning. The more you understand your patterns and triggers, the better equipped you'll be to catch yourself drifting earlier next time. Journaling is a powerful tool here — pen on paper, just observing.
Step 2: Do Some Simple Tracking
A few days of pen-on-paper tracking — what you're eating, when, and roughly how much protein — brings immediate awareness. Often, just the act of tracking causes habits to naturally fall back into place. You start noticing the skipped meals, the liquid calories, the protein that's dropped. You don't need to do this every day forever; just a few focused days to reconnect with where you're at.
Step 3: Move Your Body
Not as punishment. Not to burn calories. Moving your body when you're in a negative mindset around weight regain is one of the most powerful things you can do to shift your headspace. It reduces stress, improves sleep, helps manage negative thoughts, and puts you back in a more positive space where self-care feels possible.
Find something that puts a smile on your face and start there. Three steps — not ten. That's intentional.
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