This is a huge change in your life and all change is hard. So make the time to emotionally prepare for weight loss surgery. Here, we look at a few things you can do as a starting point. Set realistic expectations Weight loss surgery does not yield immediate results. In fact, the accumulated fluid from […]
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 […]
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), […]
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 […]
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 […]
Head hunger is eating out of habit without giving thought to whether or not you are actually hungry. It can also be an attempt to self-sooth. The concept is unfamiliar to many people and many more do not distinguish between head hunger and physical hunger. Head hunger is more associated with those who have problems controlling […]
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 […]
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 […]
I attended the School of Metaphysics a few years ago. When a person hears the term metaphysics, she might imagine a Harry Potter setting with students flying around a dining hall on brooms. Realistically, metaphysics is the study of how thinking occurs, what it causes, and how to master consciousness. I use metaphysical concentration in my program […]
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 […]
Emotional eating is an attempt to erase discomfort with food. Many people use food to relieve stress only to find that it is not much of a solution. The relief it provides is short-lived and before you know it the issue is back. We are at the point where we started but with the additional […]
Hemingway coined the term “grace under pressure.” Grace under pressure does not mean freedom from stress. It is the ability to deal with stress. Many struggle to cope when they feel anxious or stressed. They seek relief through habitual and unhealthy behaviors. Emotional eating is one such behavior. Causes of Emotional Eating Knowing what we […]
Although most people with binge eating disorder (BED) are overweight or obese, binge eating differs from overeating. There is a greater concern regarding shape and weight with BED and a greater psychiatric comorbidity than there is with overeating. As such, there are different treatment approaches to BED than to obesity alone. What is Binge Eating […]
