I had lost my inner peace and happiness, a reason to smile so-to-speak. I don’t mean that I walked around never cracking a smile. Obviously there were good days and social situations in which I chatted away and laughed along. By losing a reason to smile, I mean losing confidence in life and in myself. […]
The good news is there are several ways to enjoy the holidays without gaining weight. And we will cover that in depth in this article. First, let’s take a moment to dissect your internal dialogue regarding holiday eating: You’ve been enjoying steady weight loss since your bariatric surgery. But now you’re afraid you won’t be […]
Publisher’s note: In part 2, Nicky Bicksler shares her bariatric success story — massive weight loss, plus ending an abusive relationship and emotional eating. Read part 1. After facing years of abuse for my weight and being in an emotionally and financially abusive marriage, I reached a point in my life where I was severely […]
The holidays are upon us! And surviving holiday gatherings as a bariatric surgery patient can be incredibly challenging. Food is everywhere and, of course, most of it is unhealthy. Navigating all of the parties, family functions, and office goodies can feel overwhelming. Most people tend to worry about weight gain this time of year, and […]
Publisher’s note: Binge eating disorder, massive weight gain, and stress from emotional trauma and abuse are common in people with obesity. Here, Nicky Bicksler shares her story of triumph over those forces. In Her Own Words I weighed 428.4 pounds at my heaviest. I was pre-diabetic, with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), […]
In 2018, keto was the most googled diet, and two of Amazon’s top 10 best-sellers in nutrition happen to be keto-focused. The Keto diet also is trending on social media and continues to get endorsement from celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow and the Kardashians. It’s obvious the Keto diet is highly popular, but is it right […]
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 […]
Eating foods found on a low-carb Mediterranean diet can boost your metabolism and aid weight loss. That’s because a higher metabolism burns more calories. And that makes it easier to get rid of unwanted body fat. Low calorie intake can hit the brakes on weight loss. The body can go into “starvation mode” if we […]
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 […]
It seems a common-sense deduction that too much sitting causes obesity. But now we have reliable science to that back-up. Science also shows that too much sitting increases the risks for metabolic syndrome (aka belly fat) and diabetes type 2. Both metabolic syndrome and diabetes type 2 are obesity-related illnesses. So it is obvious that […]
Living with obesity is a difficult experience. And finding obesity help is a world-wide need. The World Health Organization (WHO) considers anyone with a BMI over 30 to be obese and a BMI over 40 to be severely obese. That’s about 13% of the world’s total population according to WHO. Consequently, it’s important that we […]
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 […]
Losing weight can be a long and difficult process. Not losing weight is even more difficult. It is frustrating because we feel like we’re giving it our “all” but not seeing the results! I know because I’ve been through it! So if you’re like me and feel like you’re doing everything right but still not […]
Do You Use Tech for Good Health or Bad Habits? If you think modern society is generally unhealthy, then you’re probably correct. Studies show that we’re much less healthy today than we were in times past. Our ancestors used their bodies much more than we do — they’d run, hunt, and essentially use all muscles […]
Back pain is a common problem that interferes with a our work and personal lives. While often associated with obesity, chronic back pain is not due to one single reason most of the time. According to the National Institutes of Health, chronic back pain may be due to degenerative processes of the spine axis, various […]
Home is our sanctuary. Or it should be. In the past I used to get home from the office and de-stress with food. Some folks replace stress eating with alcohol after bariatric surgery. But I love to come home now and know that I will relax and unwind naturally, without turning to food or alcohol. […]
