BariAftercare: The Podcast

One day I’m going to turn this episode into an ebook… I’ve had that in the back of my mind for years now, actually! So here you go – a sneak peek at the ebook that will one day be available to one and all! For now, listen to this lighthearted but really relevant comparison between what goes into having bariatric surgery and what goes into having a wedding! While it’s a fun and rather funny comparison, the serious message is that pl...

Getting used to the bariatric lifestyle following surgery can be like a full time job! There are bariatric specific vitamins to take at certain times of the day, there’s a lot of water to be consumed, more than a lot of protein to take in, movement goals to squeeze into the day, and so much more! It can be overwhelming for sure! As soon as it seems you’ve gotten into a good routine, the honeymoon bliss takes over and the surgery do...

BariAftercare’s movement contributor, Kelsey, who is a personal trainer and Burn Boot Camp instructor, met a post-op who is shaking things up in the best way, not only at the gym but in her life as a mom, a teacher, and through her posts on social media! In this episode, Amy highlights the fact that each of us is born to shine in this world! Listen as Amy shares how she made the choice to create a life rich in non-scale victories, ...

The Butterfly Effect. You may or may not have heard of this, but the butterfly is commonly recognized in the world of bariatrics to represent the transformation people go through as they modify their bodies through significant weight loss. The transformation of a butterfly is sometimes thought of as being symbolic of rebirth and personal growth. Transformation is thought to represent self-discovery and the ability to change and evo...

This week I conclude this two-part series on establishing and utilizing a sense of personal power that will facilitate you in defining and reaching your goals, not only related to your bariatric adventure, but your life beyond bariatrics, as well! Having a healthy sense of personal power is an attitude, a way of approaching all areas of your life, with confidence and a can-do, will-do attitude. Learn what some professionals have to...

As part of the full online BariAftercare program, we have a word of the week that corresponds to our word of the year, which is accountability. One of the words we recently discussed is the word POWER. This word has a lot of definitions, which I hadn’t thought about until I actually looked on dictionary.com. For our purposes, we are talking about PERSONAL POWER, which is the ability you have within yourself to create the life you w...

In this episode I pick up where we left off last week, only in this episode I provide a number of five to ten-minute practical exercises you can use to help ensure your long-term success as a post-op. These exercises are ones the author of Mental Toughness for Young Adults suggests for kids so if they are easy enough for kids…. You and I can certainly manage them! AND these exercises are directly related to skills post-ops can use ...

This episode has been so much fun to record! I have been reading a book called Mental Toughness for Young Athletes to two of my grandsons. As I’ve been reading it aloud to them, I’ve found myself regularly saying, “I need to share this with my bariatric patients!” And so I did! In this episode, I share the beginning of the information that the authors have prepared for young kids to develop some mental and emotional toughness to ge...

We have some terms to define in today’s podcast episode. More specifically, we need to explore what the words perception and perspective are… and what they have to do with increasing the likelihood that you maintain your weight loss and live a healthier quality of life. Once we have talked about the difference between perception and perspective, we’ll discuss how, by being able to identify both, you’ll be able to decide if by tweak...

What a fancy word… Self-Efficacy! What the heck does it mean? What’s the connection between self-efficacy, habits and your long-term success after bariatric surgery? You’ll have to listen to this week’s episode to get the answers to those questions! But trust me… self-efficacy is well-researched and is important in reaching your long-term goals of maintaining weight loss, improving your health and getting on with living out your dr...

So many people ask about how they can find a bariatric therapist to work with! Well – in this episode you are going to get the answer to that question! In addition, you’ll learn more about Ashlyn Douglass-Barnes, creator and founder of the Find A Bariatric Therapist program. You likely already know Ashlyn! She herself is a bariatric therapist and is also a bariatric post-op of many years! Ashlynn is popular on Instagram as @ashlync...

What does it look like on a daily basis to take responsibility in order to create the life you imagine… the life you can create… the life you want to live? In this episode you’ll be given a phrase that has helped guide my behavior and helped me make responsible choices for the past 35 years. Being able to respond in healthy ways… otherwise known as being responsible, is one powerful way to reach your goals and create the life you w...

It’s that time of year when lots of us are re-igniting that New Year’s resolution to work out more… because the weather is getting better every day! Tune in and listen to one of my favorite podcast guests and one of your favorite bariatric men, Rob Demedio, as he gives you some words of wisdom, encouragement and enthusiasm. AND… he’s going to help you reach your physical fitness goals by inviting you to join him at the Busy Bariatr...

Welcome to Part II of the book review… the book being Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can by Caroline Myss. In the last episode we got deep into ways people consciously or subconsciously interfere with their own healing. In this episode we’ll be focusing more on ways those who CHOOSE to heal can do so! I really love this book and although it’s not specifically written for a bariatric audience, it applies! And, it applies to anyo...

This is an episode that tops my list for all-time favorites! Why? The book I review! I loved it so much and it applies so well to the process of healing from the disease of obesity. The book is called Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can. It is written by Caroline Myss, who is an incredibly intuitive human whose life work is dedicated to helping people understand that they have a great deal of power in terms of healing their own ...

Do you believe that having the disease of obesity lets you off the hook for making unhealthy food choices? Is what you choose to eat even related to the disease of obesity? Does knowing that obesity is considered to be a chronic disease relieve you of all personal responsibility for assisting in the treatment of the disease? What about other chronic diseases? Aren’t most people advised to eat healthy foods and to exercise as a way ...

I’m pretty fired up in this episode! The goal weight fixation is a sign that so many of us are caught up in a very unhealthy phenomenon called the diet mentality, which is part of the diet culture, which is a sickness in our country… if not throughout the world! In this episode I talk about the struggles inherent when focusing on a goal weight, which most often sets people up for failure. I then describe diet mentality and diet cul...

Not only is Kevin Stephens a very successful long-term post-op who is an example to everyone of what it means to Give Back to your community, Kevin is undisputedly a great human. I’m excited for you to hear Kevin’s story and to learn about various bariatric organizations in the community. Kevin has, and continues to, participate in many of these organizations. You may or may not be interested in becoming active within one or more o...

Kelley Gunter is the author of one of the best books I have read from a bariatric patient. Her book is called “You Have Such a Pretty Face,” a perfect title that so many people who struggle with the disease of obesity can relate to! Kelley is 22 years out from her bariatric surgery and maintains a weight loss of over 200 pounds. She has done a tremendous amount of “head work,” which she talks about in this podcast episode, along wi...