Bariatric surgery can be an effective way to lose weight, particularly if other options haven’t enabled you to achieve your goals. However, any type of weight loss has an impact on your mental health. Fortunately, many clinicians ensure their patients have access to emotional support and counseling prior to and following bariatric surgery. Of course, […]
Bariatric Women’s Support is another of my favorite Facebook WLS groups. Why? Well, BWS is well-run and its just for women who’ve had or want weight-loss surgery (WLS). Plus they offer a number of services that other WLS online support groups do not. Let’s take a closer look at Bariatric Women’s Support: Bariatric Women’s Support […]
When you reach the end of your weight loss journey and realize just how much it’s improved your life, you may want to share that with everyone you meet so they can be as happy and healthy as you are. And if you want to take it a step further, you might consider changing careers […]
Connect with patients just like you 24/7 in a Facebook bariatric support group. Online bariatric support groups can be used to receive support, celebrate physical and emotional accomplishments, provide anecdotal accounts of the “bariatric lifestyle” for preoperative patients, and comment on challenges with mental health and experiences of weight bias, according to a study published on ScienceDirect. And […]
In part one of my question and answer session with Susan Harrow Rago, MS, RD, LDN, much of the discussion was on nutritional counseling for weight loss. In this second segment of our Q&A, Susan Rago shares her weight loss tips on eating healthy to lose weight in the real world where time, money, and […]
Nutritional counseling with a registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) will identify how many calories to eat per day to lose weight steadily and safely through a planned healthy, nutritious diet designed specifically for your lifestyle and healthcare needs. Also, a registered dietician nutritionist can treat any chronic obesity-related diseases with medical nutrition therapy. I am therefore […]
Permanent weight loss is not a guarantee of bariatric surgery. You must do the work to not slip back into ingrained behaviors, habits, and ways of relating to food, as well as physical inactivity. In this 3-part interview with Lori Rosenthal, a bariatric dietician, we examine some of the healthy behaviors necessary and pitfalls to […]
A reader of My Bariatric Life recently contacted us to voice her concerns about the difficulty of establishing a bariatric support network. Her concerns are well-founded and not unusual. Many bariatric patients struggle to find the balance needed to address their personal recovery needs in the post-weight loss surgery world. Many bariatric patients also meet […]
A familiar face and a kind word can sometimes make all the difference. Family support after bariatric surgery is not only a wise choice for the patient, but the family itself might feel hurt if support is not asked for. After all, the purpose of family is to nourish the best interest of all who […]
There are a number of issues that bariatric patients will need to address before and after obesity surgery. Prior to weight loss surgery, there will be an evaluation to determine the patient’s overall physical condition and to assess whether the individual is an appropriate candidate for bariatric surgery. Bariatric patients will not only establish an intimate relationship […]
My experience with my bariatric surgeon’s support group is that it was useful in preparing me pre-surgery and for a short-term post-op in managing my new anatomy. However, it did little to educate me on how to maintain permanent weight loss. My surgeon told me, “I do the surgery. The rest is up to you.” So, […]
