BariAftercare: The Podcast

Every single one of us is guilty of using some pretty common forms of Stinkin’ Thinkin’ at times. Psychologists use fancier word to describe Stinkin’ Thinkin’… we call them Cognitive Distortions. Thinking Traps are also words to describe negative thoughts because they often leave us feeling TRAPPED on a hamster wheel of negative thoughts that spin out and result in negative feelings and ultimately result in unhealthy behaviors. I h...

Did you know that we recyle something like 90% of our thoughts over and over, day after day AND that about 85% of those recycling thoughts are NEGATIVE thoughts? That’s what some research says! And I happen to believe that… even if we’re not aware of all those automatic negative thoughts on the hamster wheel of our mind. We need to change this to make room for and to create new, healthier neuropathways that keep us engaged in a non...

In this week’s episode will teach you skills for ditching self-defeating attitudes and behaviors and for overcoming a victim mentality, which we talked about last week! Learning to be more resilient when setbacks threaten to derail your progress and learning to increase your “I think I can, I think I can” attitude, or self-efficacy, will not only help you prevent emotional eating and avoid self-sabotaging eating behaviors, these sk...

Now, THAT’s a vague episode title! And it’s vague on purpose! None of us want to admit to … well, our less than healthy behaviors. Yet the truth is, we all engage in behaviors we would be mortified if others were to witness. The topic of this episode describes a type of behavior and mindset I would bet every one of us has engaged in at some points in time. For a percentage of people, this becomes a way of life. Others can see it cl...

Do you ever wonder why you do some of the things you do? And also… why you might not do other things you want to do or plan to do? If you’re human…  I’m gonna guess you have wondered those exact same things… maybe on daily basis! Our behaviors are linked to all sorts of things going on in our brains. Listen in as Dr. Joan Brugman helps us better understand the connection between our brains and our behavior!

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BariAfterare: w...

There are all sorts of ways people choose to lose weight… surgical weight loss procedures, GLP 1’s, Weight Watchers, Noom, and all sorts of various diets such as the Mediteranian Diet, the KETO diet, or tragically, some version of the cabbage soup diet. Here’s the deal… no matter how a person loses weight, they all experience many of the same things after losing weight… and I’m NOT just talking about physical changes. Yes, clearly ...

There’s little in life I find more inspiring than when a person takes a difficult situation and creates something amazing out of it! Rob DiMedio is one of those people! Rob, a post-op who chronicled his journey on social media, has taken his passion for health and created a business called Busy Bariatrics. Due to Rob’s passion for taking charge of his health, Busy Bariatrics has gotten VERY BUSY! If you already know Rob, you’ll lov...

Food… a red herring? As in… a fish? Nope!  So what does that mean… food… a red herring? You think I’m gonna tell you here, in the intro? Not a chance! But when you listen to the entire episode, you’ll learn why Dr. Anita A. Johnson, author of Eating in The Light of The Moon, wrote an entire chapter on this topic.  Also, as you listen to this episode, based almost entirely on that one chapter in Dr. Johnson’s book, I hope you will m...

You’ve heard the Serenity Prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot chance, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Turns out the founders of AA did NOT create this thinking. It originated many years BC… before the birth of Christ! The ideas used in the Serenity Prayer come from an ancient Greek Philosophy known as Stoicism. Using the tenets of this philosophy, focusing on wh...

People usually have certain expectations when they begin a weight loss experience, whether that means having a surgical intervention, taking medications or participating in a structured program. For many people, some of their expectations are met; some are not. What I find particularly interesting as people lose weight are the things they learn about themselves that they hadn’t anticipated. In this episode, I’ll be talking to Sandr...

So many people considering bariatric surgery are confused as to the reason anyone would have to have a pre-surgical psychological evaluation? Why would they need to be cleared by a psychologist just to have weight loss surgery? As today’s guest host, Dr. Joan Brugman, a psychologist who, like myself, conducts many bariatric pre-surgical evaluations, explains to people, “Having bariatric surgery is not like having your tonsils taken...

What does the story of a young child participating in swim meets have to do with fear of failure… or fear of regain? Listen in and gain a different perspective on fear of failure. I’ll talk about how fear of regain can lead you right to that place you most want to avoid! And, of course, I’ll give you some tips on how to lead yourself away from fear of failure and fear of regain while empowering yourself to create the healthy life y...

Today I have three guests, all members of the BariAftercare program, joining me to talk about their fears of success following significant weight loss. Each of my guests is at a different place in their post-op journey and each is experiencing unique concerns related to their weight loss success. It’s likely that each person who experiences significant weight loss has some worries about the changes they will experience in life as t...

I’m introducing a funky new word to your bariatric journey tonight when I ask you to keep your DRISHTI in mind as you move through your years of creating your healthy lifestyle. You need consistent effort, ongoing preparation and a lot of patience to prevent falling back into the dreaded DIET mentality, which can suck you far, far away from your life of growth and healthy living! Let’s get started and learn -or maybe relearn some t...

Boundaries can be physical… like fences, or gates at the top or bottom of stairs to keep toddlers and pets from going up or down. Boundaries can also be emotional and are established by using communication skills. Physical and emotional boundaries are often used to keep us safe. Emotional boundaries are essential in healthy relationships. Yet many people are reluctant to set boundaries with others. It’s difficult, it can be scary a...

If you have lost a significant amount of weight and remain preoccupied with the scale, if you allow the scale to determine your mood, if you are overly obsessed with a goal weight, or are struggling to overcome emotional eating… OR if you said you wanted to lose weight to improve your health or to prevent health problems, or because you wanted to be able to enjoy participating in activities with those you love and to live longer do...

I get all passionate in this episode and do quite a bit of self-disclosing. Why? Because I believe with everything that I am that improving your relationship with yourself is the ONLY way you will be able to follow through the behavioral changes that are necessary for keeping weight off long-term or for remaining free from any long-term unhealthy behavior a person has engaged in to the point it has caused problems in their life. Ou...

Relationships of all kinds can be complicated. And they change over time! Friendships change over time, your relationship with your spouse or partner may be good for years, and then flail, and then get better again! Your relationship with money or social media can change at different stages of life. Your relationship with food may also change over time – or perhaps you have always had a difficult, or unhealthy relationship with foo...

How did I get here? I’m guessing you didn’t grow up wanting to have the disease of obesity as part of your adult life! And if you have comorbid health issues associated with your obesity, I’m pretty certain you ask yourself the question, how DID I get here? Well, the chronic disease of obesity is a complicated one. Some of the things that lead to obesity you have had no control over… your genetics, what you were fed as a child, if ...