A review in JAMA finds that many people seeking surgery for morbid obesity also have psychiatric issues. In this article, we address which psychiatric issues can delay bariatric surgery. For example, depression and eating disorders are common in people seeking weight loss. How serious a concern are they to your bariatric surgery program? Hospitalization […]
Hello again! Last month we discussed what to expect in your bariatric presurgical psychological evaluation. In the next couple of articles, we’re going to talk about what these evaluations are really looking for and why. Today we’re focusing on depression before bariatric surgery. Depression and obesity often go hand-in-hand, according to this data brief by […]
When I thought about writing an article on the purpose of the bariatric surgery psychological evaluation, I realized that I won’t be able to give you many “hard facts” about these evaluations. Unfortunately, there are no strict guidelines in the field of bariatric surgery on how to conduct these assessments. This lack of guidelines leads […]
Deciding to make it your mission to lose weight is an important life-changing goal that can help you for the better. However, before you embark on your quest believing only good things will come from your weight loss, it’s actually imperative to consider the ripple effects of what weight loss can mean for your self-image, […]
Nobody cheers in joy at the prospect of bariatric surgery, even the least invasive one. Emotionally, a weight loss surgery can feel like an invasion of your privacy. Besides, it can be difficult to accept that you need to give control over your body to another individual. At least that’s how I felt when I […]
Back in 2003 before going under the knife for my gastric bypass, I believed obesity surgery was supposed to fix the flaws which make it tough for me to look in the mirror. Losing weight, whether organically or surgically, is after all an excellent way to boost our confidence and feel like an attractive person […]
Dealing with obesity is a tough process, and you could well reach the stage where you need to consider weight-loss surgery. This is a big step in the life of any obese person because it signals the opportunity for a new beginning. Sometimes natural weight loss just doesn’t work, and this is when it becomes […]
You have taken a massive step and decided that enough is enough. You are going to deal with your weight issues once and for all and this is an amazing step to have taken – well done! Now your next step should be to prepare your family for your bariatric surgery. But this is an […]
You may be considering bariatric surgery as a solution to morbid obesity. In addition to massive weight loss, there are a few important but less-documented benefits of weight loss surgery that I’d like you to be aware of! Benefit of Weight Loss Surgery Weight loss surgery is never a quick fix or the easy option. For most […]
Preparing a health-filled pre-op bariatric diet shopping list before my gastric bypass was not easy for me. After a lifetime of being a processed food junkie, I did not understand what were the most healthful choices for my bariatric life. It was much more challenging than I expected. So, to simplify bariatric food shopping for you, we’ve […]
Preparing for the Bariatric Diet Phase 1 Preparing a health-filled bariatric diet phase 1 shopping list for my gastric bypass was not easy for me. It took a long time to learn the most healthful choices for my bariatric life. It was much more challenging than I expected. So, to simplify bariatric food shopping for you, […]
Eating Disorders and Bariatric Surgery Many people seeking bariatric surgery have eating disorders. While studies do not show eating disorders to be an accurate predictor for weight loss surgery outcomes, studies do show that people who have eating disorders either lose less weight or regain more weight after bariatric surgery than those who do not […]
Self-Perception and Obesity Obesity is both an emotional and physical condition. It promotes apprehension and personal doubt that can spark self-analysis about weight gain and how it came to be. Obese people can also be hyper-critical about who they are and pass judgments that violate their own best interest. Emotions often overrule rationale and shred […]
It can be overwhelming when we are past the soft foods stage and beginning to eat “normal” foods on the Bariatric Diet. And its okay to initially feel helpless — after all, virtually “everything” we did in the past with regard to food was wrong. Now we are laying a new foundation that will support […]
How do you personally define bariatric surgery success? If asked what are your long-term weight loss goals, you would probably give positive, upbeat responses. It would be a shock to hear that your intention is to gain back every pound you lost over the course of the next 5 years. But it happens. I recall […]
Many people are living longer, staying healthier, and living more productive lives owing to bariatric weight loss from the surgery and lifestyle changes. Often times people have the bariatric surgery and a weight loss goal in mind. But there is a crucial component between the bariatric surgery and the goal weight that is often overlooked, or […]
Thoughts on self #forgiveness:
#MyBariatricLife #bariatrics #bariatric #inspiration
I feel the bad things we do, or have done, or the bad decisions we have taken, could not have been done differently by the person we were. Nobody takes a bad decision knowing the consequences will be very hard to live with. We do what we do mostly in self-defense and based on our own self-image. A thief is really saying to himself 'I steal because I am a thief'. An abuser is saying to himself 'I abuse because I am an abuser'. People with self-respect and self-love could not imagine stealing or abusing. It would be unimaginable to them. When we don't love ourselves, if we think of ourselves as a thief or an abuser, that is exactly how we will behave. Sadly, that cycle always starts when people are treated badly, or are shown a bad example, when they are very young. Through guilt we force ourselves to live and relive our past. Our past remains our present, and becomes our future. Self forgiveness is the only way of renewing our hearts and minds, giving us the self-respect that makes the idea of behaving badly unimaginable to us. And self- forgiveness is something that only we can give to ourselves. But once we have, we can respect and love the people around us, because our self-image of who we are, is changed. Once we respect ourselves, we are naturally respectful to the people around us. So the more we forgive ourselves, the better we become as people. How simple is that :-) So do something wonderful today and every day. Forgive yourself and become the wonderful person you are, that is, when you and only you realize it.
