The best treatment plan for obesity is one that adjusts as your body transforms. In theory it should be obvious. The treatment plan that led you to lose the first 50 pounds will not necessarily be the same plan which causes you to lose the next 50.

As you lose weight, your body composition starts to change. Both the amount of body fat and muscle mass alter as a result of weight-loss. These changes cause the body to have new macro nutrient needs. For example, if someone loses a bunch of lean mass, then their protein intake should increase. Protein provides the building blocks for muscles to function effectively. Anyways, the point is your protein requirements increase if you are losing lean mass.

Another time macro-nutrients should change is during a weight-loss plateau. A plateau is only possible after a significant reduction in weight. Once the weight-loss stops prematurely, people often must adjust their treatment plan. The first thing we recommend to overcoming a plateau is reducing carbohydrate intake. Just because consuming 50 grams of carbs a day helped you lose weight yesterday, doesn’t mean it’s going to work today.

In fact it is inevitable that all Mindful Living patients will eventually reach a plateau. We foreshadow this by telling patients ahead of time that it will come. In addition to warning them about the plateau we also set up a plan to overcome it with them. The first step in doing so is maintaining an accurate and in-depth food journal. This allows the Mindful Living team to become carb detectives.

The easiest thing to remove during a plateau are “restricted” meal replacements. These are protein bars and other meal replacements with at least 8 net carbs in them. Patients are meant to use these “restricted” items once a day as a sweet protein packed treat or dessert. Removing this one item is often enough to help get folks back to losing weight consistently week after week.

Regardless of if you are losing lean mass, hitting a plateau, or anything in between, your weight-loss plan should be dynamic. It should adjust as your body goes through changes. Be patient with yourself as making these adjustments can often be challenging. They also usually take immense amounts of patience. Just remember there is no rush when you are seeking to live a Mindful Life.
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