Episode #2: Bariatric Influencers, the good, the bad, the downright toxic

🎙️ Bariatric Banter: Influencers, Sweeteners, and Keeping It Real 🎙️

Let’s be honest—bariatric life is a journey, and social media isn't always the best travel guide.

In this episode of Bariatric Banter, Hannah and Steph get HEATED and take a deep dive into the world of influencers shaping the bariatric community—some who offer real, relatable advice, and others who, well… might just be serving up a side of nonsense. 🙃

We’re breaking down the rise of influencers promoting unrealistic eating habits (looking at you, endless liquid diets), why transparency is everything, and the need for actual nutritional info in all those “healthy” recipes flooding your feed. Spoiler alert: whole foods > drinking your calories every time.

We also discuss artificial sweeteners (friend or foe?), share that you're on Ozempic, and explain why exercise isn’t just a suggestion—it’s the secret sauce to long-term success. Plus, we’re showing some love to the influencers who do it right and calling for more Canadian representation in the space, eh?

So, whether you’re here to get real talk, some much-needed laughs, or both—tune in and let’s cut through the noise together. And remember: just because it’s on social media doesn’t mean it’s the gospel. 😉

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Welcome to the second episode of Bariatric Banter and it's going to be a spicy one today,

(00:20):
but hey Steph.
Hey Anna, thanks for coming back everybody.
I know I can't believe we're on episode two, this is pretty exciting.
How was your week?
You know what, it's so good to have the kids coming off of holiday break, have the kids
back in school, have some routine back, get the normalcy back.

(00:41):
It's been great, we're back into activities, the swimming lessons, the gymnastics, getting
back into the swing of things has been so good.
I dig it, I think that's pretty awesome.
My whole company is at an offsite that I couldn't go to because of pneumonia, but it means that
I have a super quiet week.
Which is super nice.

(01:01):
So nice in the third week of January to just be like, nobody's here to bug me, leave me
alone.
Get your stuff done, catch up on things that you couldn't get done earlier.
That's a great feeling.
Super good feeling.
We're about to open a can of worms with this episode I think.
I can't wait, we're going to ruffle some feathers big time.

(01:24):
I'm so excited it's our second episode and it's like, cool, well we got two and then
everybody told us to fuck off and we're done.
We tried.
Bariatric Bantra podcast is now finished after two episodes.
But this week we're talking about influencers in the space.
Now oh boy, there's going to be good in here because we're not going to try to be that

(01:45):
podcast that's just not happy about things.
No.
There's going to be a lot that we think needs to change and yeah, just a lot of problems
that we have with this space as well.
Not major problems, but things that like, come on guys, let's do better.

(02:05):
If you're somebody who's just researching bariatric surgery, things to be aware of and
keep your eyes open to.
Definitely things that I was not aware of when I was first researching that definitely
either got me down rabbit holes or skewed my view on things until I realized the truth
behind a lot of them.

(02:27):
Exactly.
And that's the lens that we're taking this from is we were researching, we relied on
you.
Here's what we'd kind of like to see you do differently because it either didn't help
us or kind of enraged us a little.
And typically influencers get a lot of smoke blowing up their ass and maybe it's kind of

(02:48):
nice to hear some constructive criticism because I think we can all grow and learn.
So with that being said, we might as well dive into episode two of the bariatric banter
podcast, influencers in the bariatric space.
Let's do it.
Oh boy.
Because there's so many.
Yeah, which might even in itself be a problem.

(03:10):
There's a lot of American ones as well.
So we will give a shout out to some great Canadian ones, but come on Canadians, let's
step it up and become bigger in the space.
Maybe you need to be on TikTok more.
I don't know, but I'm so tired of just seeing Americans, Americans, Americans, Americans,
Americans, like let's get more Canadian representation.
Come on.
All the more things, more things that we can relate to because there are, like you said,

(03:34):
there's so many Americans out there, which is great.
They definitely helped me during my research, but I couldn't relate to their programs, the
products they're using, the places they're shopping when they're doing their grocery
hauls.
It's great to get an idea, but I would love to see more Canadian content creators where
I can more closely follow them when they do their grocery hauls, for example, because

(03:59):
those are products I can get here.
Yeah.
They're actually going to order from websites that we can order from.
We're not driving two hours to Michigan to spend 700 Canadian dollars to get like a Trader
Joe's haul, like I do all that and I will always share my US haul with you guys, but
it's not realistic in the winter.
It's likely not going to be a realistic for the next four years, given what's going on
with all that jazz, but I would like to just see more.

(04:23):
This is what's available here because we can't even get the goddamn like bariatric vitamins
that you guys have here.
So, sometimes it is a bit frustrating where I'm like, well, fuck, what's the Canadian
equivalent to that?
And you know what?
We do have great equivalents to that.
And maybe, maybe if we have a little surge and some great Canadian influencers in this
space, maybe Costco will start bringing in more of the great shit that they sell in the

(04:46):
States because they already are.
The nuggets are here folks and the nuggets are good.
And some built bars.
Yeah, we have built bars now.
We're starting to slowly see it, but a surge, an increase would be great.
Yeah.
So, let's go Canada.
Apologizing for the coughing, I am overcoming pneumonia, but yeah, let's, we're just going

(05:10):
to start this one out hot and heavy.
Here we go.
Yeah, let's go.
Lack of eating is a huge issue that you and I have been talking about recently.
It runs rampant in the bariatric community.
And you heard us say last week, we're going to do a whole episode on eating disorders
in this space because eating disorders really become like a huge problem in the bariatric

(05:33):
community.
And it's, once we cover that topic, I think it's easy to see how and why, but my problem
with influencers in this space is the lack of eating.
We follow a lot of the same ones and you and I almost immediately reached out to each other
at the exact same moment when an influencer in our space posted a video.

(05:54):
And this video basically showed that they didn't eat anything all day.
They literally were drinking.
And I'm not going to out the influencer because it's not important and I don't believe they
deserve any type of hate for this, but basically it was like, I'm going to drink a protein
water.
I'm going to drink a protein shake.
I'm going to drink a coffee and then I'm going to have two bites of something and call it
lunch and then I'm going to go drink more protein shakes.

(06:17):
And then I'm literally going to eat two or three bites and call it dinner and call it
a day.
And Steph and I were both just kind of like, what the fuck?
We had never seen this before from this influencer.
No, it was a drastic change in their typical behavior.
We were both really disturbed because the big thing you're told during surgery is you

(06:37):
A, the Canadian clinic anyway that we went to was really like anti-protein shakes.
You could use them, but don't use them every day.
You need to get all your protein from whole foods and they really push that.
They're a one off.
They're a one off.
Yeah.
They're like in an emergency in a pinch.
Now, do I drink one every day?
Yes, I fucking do.
But the big thing was like whole foods, whole foods, whole foods.

(06:59):
You will not be successful drinking because it leads to binge eating, overeating.
It's not sustainable to just be living on liquid.
You don't absorb it the same way either.
Your body absorbs the protein from drinking a lot faster than from a whole food.
So it's not going to sustain you.
In a pinch, yes.
Or like you said, have I been having protein coffee every day?

(07:20):
Yes.
Because for me, we'll talk about this in another podcast.
It helps with my vitamins.
It really helps with the nausea of my vitamins.
So have I done it?
For sure.
If I have a really busy afternoon out with the kids, do I pack one?
Yup.
Because it's better than going to McDonald's.
But the whole thing of I just had protein shakes and protein bars all day and then like

(07:41):
you said, four bites of food, that is number one, not sustainable.
And number two, not the example that you should be setting for the bariatric.
Exactly.
And the fact that we were both so concerned when we saw it probably says everything it
needs to say.
But I just remember thinking you basically ate probably less than half a cup of food.

(08:05):
I'm deeply concerned that you're promoting drinking, drinking, drinking.
And it's not to say like profe is bad because like I genuinely love my protein coffee.
I have it because it's an easy way after the gym to get my 30 grams of protein in 30 minutes
in.
I mean it's longer than 30 minutes to drink it, but it's still like it's great.
And I think it's a healthy normal part of the bariatric journey.

(08:28):
But I'm very tired of seeing influencers drink 80% of their day and then barely eat.
I don't think there's any award you should be given for that.
I don't see any clinic that has advised you that that's normal.
The liquid diet we are on before surgery is for medical reasons ahead of surgery.
And for a short period of time.

(08:49):
It's not an everyday thing.
It's not sustainable.
No and the reason we didn't like unfollow this influencer or go ham on this influencer
is we were like something's going on.
Whether it's like a fear of regain or just a bad week like something is clearly going
on.

(09:09):
It does.
But as we said that video then should not have been posted.
It should have just or explained and been transparent about it.
Look at guys I'm having a rough day or this is what's going on.
But to just to choose that particular video as an example of what I eat in a day in my
opinion was bad taste.

(09:31):
And dangerous because a lot of people follow this influencer and a lot of people get all
their recipes and advice and like they are super big in the industry.
I've been following her for years.
Even before surgery.
A hundred percent before surgery and I was like I just think that's really dangerous
that you shared that.
I think as an influencer you seem to like influencers seem to think that they're not

(09:52):
held to higher standards but they are.
You are the influences in the name of your job.
You influence others.
You can't be ambiguous.
You can't assume that they're going to understand that you shouldn't do this all the time because
some susceptible person is going to look at this and go oh so I need to barely eat and
drink all of it.
Like that's what I need to do.

(10:13):
And so they're going to look at her and say she's been so successful.
She's lost over 200 pounds.
If this is what she's doing well then shit I'm going to do it too.
I need to do it too.
And that's dangerous.
It's dangerous.
People don't know any better.
If you look at people who are just starting out on their journey they come across that
video they think well shit I can eat.
Yeah I can drink protein shakes all day.

(10:35):
And these are the habits they're going to fall into which are going to be super hard
to break.
And then that's where the eating disorders come in and it just the rabbit hole it creates
is just so dangerous.
So so dangerous.
So again we were just really disappointed to see this and it was a trend that we then
started seeing a ton of influencers do.

(10:56):
And I was like I am not a fan of this lack of eating.
And again it could have just been like a put a disclaimer okay and say this is not what
my normal week looks like.
This was a week where I wasn't feeling good or I was really stressed or you know be honest
I'm scared of re-eating.
I dropped the ball on meal prep this week and this is what it was.
Or go back and be like guys I looked at that video and you know what it wasn't don't do

(11:21):
that you know like or just do that once in a while but like you don't need to not eat
to be successful.
And so that's a big fucking problem in this space is this notion of eating the least amount
of food makes you the best bariatric patient.
That's not a bad bar.
How are you eating 1200 calories you know two years post-op.
That's terrible.

(11:42):
It's not so that's literally real food.
Where it says in our guidelines from our clinic that that is where you're supposed to be
at this stage post-op and for life you're supposed to be between 12 and 15.
That's just where you're supposed to be.
Real food has calories guys.
Yeah.

(12:02):
That's how it is your body needs the calories to burn throughout the day.
Don't yes we need to make healthy choices and yes we need to watch what reading and
yes we need to focus on protein.
Yeah.
You need calories and protein bars and protein drinks are low calorie for a reason.
They are not enough to fuel your body.

(12:24):
It is not a badge of honor to say I only had 600 calories today because all I drank was
three protein shakes in a built bar.
That's been terrible.
No no no fail.
Yep and like sorry absolutely terrible and then like it's just it's not where you're
supposed to be that far out and again drink what you want to drink.

(12:44):
We don't give a fuck if you want a protein shake because we both have them have some.
Yeah but like please don't give up real food because you have this notion that it has been
proven scientifically and medically that if you just drink your calories you will always
end up binging and overeating.
It is not sustainable and then you kind of have to ask yourself like the exercise that

(13:05):
people are supposed to be doing after surgery is at least 30 minutes every day but you can't
drink all of your calories and be like well I went for a 20 minute walk.
No.
Okay but where's the strength training you're supposed to be doing.
I think you're maybe supposed to be working out a little bit more but you don't have enough
energy or fuel in your tank to do that and it will catch up with you eventually that

(13:25):
like all you have and that's that was the big thing about this video.
There was no real like there was minimal real food.
There was no vegetables or carbs.
It was just processed with the exception of the two bites at lunch and the two bites at
dinner.
I was like oh my Jesus Christ there's no carbs there's no fruit there's no vegetables.

(13:45):
And if this is the habit you get in then let's look a couple months down the road when you
realize or somebody finally talks to you and you need to work real whole foods in there.
You can't tell me that you're not going to be terrified because you've been living on
such low calories such little food that then when it comes time to do it properly look

(14:07):
at the disorders that are going to come up because you are going to be so afraid to touch
that food.
The mental challenges that you're going to have to make those changes to your habits
it's going to be a big a big challenge for you moving forward.
A big uphill battle and again we absolutely love this person and in no way are we do we

(14:29):
hope to offend them.
I still follow her and watch her.
Oh my god I watch her all the time but we're just saying like can you realistically look
at that and admit that if you knew people who had surgery and they told you that's what
their everyday looked like you wouldn't be concerned for them and you wouldn't speak
out and say you need whole food.
And that's all we're saying is like that one day is fine because we truly don't believe

(14:50):
that's your everyday but you need to say that because people on the internet infer everything.
They believe what they see and as somebody watching it you need to be wary of things
like this and not believe everything you see question everything you see and watch other
people too to say okay is this normal yeah this seems a little off question it.

(15:18):
And that's like yeah there's nothing wrong with protein drinks and bars but my rule is
I try to only have one if I'm going to have a protein bar I try not to have a protein
shake I don't have multiple protein because again I'm trying to get it from Whole Foods.
I love having a built bar as a dessert in the microwave it's fucking legendary if you
haven't done it guys.
Had it last night.
So good but I in the early days I had to supplement with all of that but now that I'm two years

(15:43):
post-op I really aim to have a meal plan that does not rely on needing the protein items
to get there they're great they're great for a road trip or when I'm tired after the gym
or like I just fucking love chips and I just want quest chips I fucking love quest chips
but I can't have a day where I have seven protein added items to get me where I need

(16:04):
to get because at the end of the day they're not filling they usually don't have the carbs
or the fiber that I need like and we're not judging but we're just saying like there's
other options out there there's a reason you should be aiming for like 80 percent of your
protein to come from Whole Foods.
It's more filling.
There's other options.
Yeah.
So if you're having a bad restriction day which we all have then maybe just fucking

(16:24):
admit that please because like we were all pretty concerned and I think it's a really
shitty look for such an experienced influencer to think that that was normal and we both
came to the conclusion that we think that it was because they were pushing their fucking
affiliate brands and there's nothing wrong with making money being an influencer.
Get that bag.

(16:45):
Get that fucking cheddar.
Like I'm fine with that but do not fake a day because you need to push brands that are
supporting you.
I'm tired of seeing influencers go and I start my day with AG1 greens which like do your
research on AG1.
It's terrible.
As they're holding it up like all nice in front of the camera with their beautiful cup
and their beautiful shaker.

(17:05):
I'm going to start my day with my greens like first of all they've been debunked as being
needed.
Second of all there's a ton of people that have sued them for liver failure but I digressed
oh here's my AG1 and then after my AG1 I have a giant profie where I put my Clean Simple
Eats which every influencer seems to be using by the way.
Everybody's using Clean Simple Eats and my protein coffee and then after that I'm going

(17:26):
to grab this protein water from this brand and then I'm going to have a built bar and
that like stop.
Stop.
I don't need to see a day where you fit 52 affiliates into your day and pretend that's
what you eat in a day.
Like just nobody cares that you're making money.
Nobody cares.
There's such more natural ways to be like hey guys don't forget like I'm a built bar
ambassador so if you want a discount on it they're my favorite bar.

(17:47):
I eat them a few times a week here you go.
But don't give me these fake what I eat in a day's that are just insane to me.
Just insane.
So sorry that got me all hot and bothered but like don't.
But it's true and there are some influencers out there who are great at being transparent.
Oh my god.

(18:07):
Saying flat out they mark their videos as paid partnerships.
They're very open.
Oh that annoys me when you don't mark it as an ad.
They're very open when they're saying here's my code.
Yes I'm an affiliate.
Yes they sent me boxes of them.
Do I love them?
100 percent.
Do I eat them?
You betcha.
But I'm an affiliate and I have no problem with that.

(18:27):
We all want to make money.
We all want to pay our bills.
But like you said it's when they're eating three of them a day and they're making the
like fake commercials from their car that they're out.
I was out running errands and you know I'm so busy but you know what's really convenient?
My build bar.
And I just happen to have it in the car with me.
You know what am I going to take a snack with me this afternoon when I go run errands and

(18:50):
new grocery shopping?
God damn right.
100 percent.
It's normal I get it.
But it's the way you come across it.
And like you said the Clean Simple Eats these brands that taste like total shit.
And so many people are falling for them and buying them.
Or once you actually look into them the macros are garbage.
But people just say again they say oh my gosh this influencer has been so successful this

(19:15):
is what they're eating.
Take my money.
I got to buy it.
I'm going to give a shout out to an influencer right now.
There's an influencer from Canada.
She's called eating.vsg on Instagram.
I think she's doing it right.
I have to say she's one of my favorites.
She literally posts a photo of everything she ate in the day.
She breaks down the macros and items in it.

(19:36):
She's super humble and honest when she's like I have days where I don't track and here's
what I had.
Oh by the way I actually only ate half of what you're seeing pictured here.
Like yeah he probably doesn't realize how much she immensely helped me in my journey
because I looked at her page and went oh my god she had a cookie.
She's having a built one.
Cheddar broccoli popcorn.

(19:56):
Like I remember seeing this and going oh my god mom I can do this.
Like I can do this.
Yeah.
Look at this Canadian.
Look at what she's eating.
And I said oh look.
It's real food.
These two years post-op and she's averaging 13 to 1500 calories which is exactly what
I was told to do.
Look she's running.
She's a runner and like she's been so fucking successful in this.

(20:17):
And I loved seeing like you know how we complained in the first episode about oh I love that
you keep it real.
This is an example of keeping it real.
Actually real.
She literally just shows you what she eats and it's normal.
She's had pasta.
She has built her.
She has popcorn because like I have a dirty fucking crutch for popcorn.
She has like she went on vacation and said I had fish and chips.

(20:40):
Like anyway great great example of someone who's just breaking it down and being honest
is super fucking successful with her weight loss which is just incredible.
And is a runner and like just again one of my favorite influencers to follow for that
reason.
But I think she's an affiliate from built to and you wouldn't fucking know because she
doesn't shove it down your face.

(21:02):
Right.
But I think and I think you also made a good point there which we want to chat about which
is where she shows what she plates and then she shows what she eats.
Yes.
Or tells you.
Like she'll tell you in the comments.
Here's how much of this I ate.
Yes.
And it's another one of these bariatric badges of honor to either not eat a lot or say that

(21:26):
they don't feel it's appropriate to show what they ate.
No.
I'm sorry.
As somebody who is new to this whole journey and who's 10 weeks out and who as we talked
about in last episode doesn't always get a lot of guidance from programming programs
around how much should I be eating what portion size should I be at right now how many calories

(21:46):
should I be at right now.
I want to have something to compare myself to and I know a lot of these people will say
well I don't want to post it because we shouldn't be comparing ourselves to others.
I'm sorry I call bullshit on that.
I want to know where I fall in the realm of everybody else right now.
Am I under eating?
Am I overeating?

(22:07):
Am I eating the right things?
I don't know.
So show me.
Yes.
And I am I'm sorry but the accountability is on me to then say okay this person is three
four two years post-op.
I'm only 10 months.
Yes.
I realistically should I be eating the same portion as them?
No.
But it gives me a starting point and a comparison point to say okay if she's plating half a

(22:33):
cup and a quarter cup and this I can look at that and say okay so I should probably
cut that maybe in half for myself but it gives me somewhere to start.
So this not posting what I ate and then for all we know they're plating this plate of
food and eating none of it.
None of it.
Or eating or eating all of it and then some we don't know.

(22:55):
We don't know.
So show me show me what you ate.
Oh yeah.
Let me compare myself to other people.
Let me have some way to know where I sit in the realm of what I should be doing and show
me.
I'm tired of like the excuse is oh the reason I'm not going to show you how much I ate of

(23:16):
my what I ate in a fucking day is because you might not be where I'm at in my journey.
Right.
First of all.
I don't want you to feel bad.
Fuck off.
Like if you're going to plate I'm six years post-op from bypass here's what I eat in a
day then you better show what I plated versus what I ate and I don't like there's no reason
to not show me how much of that you actually ate.

(23:38):
No unless it's because you're not eating it and you know people are going to give you
shit and say it's not okay that you're not eating food.
That's not like you're barely eating and that's not healthy.
There is someone who labels themselves as a fucking nutritionist for bariatric patients.
Self like did the work obviously but like because they were a bariatric person decided

(24:00):
to go into this and I think that's cool because I would like to do that and they do what I
eat in a day and will never show what they actually ate.
And I think that's so unhealthy and so fucking manipulative.
I get really upset about this because you need to show people this is a huge part of
bariatric surgery.
This is huge.
Right.
Knowing like am I over plating.

(24:21):
Is it normal to not eat it.
Is it normal to eat the whole plate.
Yes.
You need to start showing people that it's fucking normal to eat the whole serving.
Like it's not okay for you to allude to the fact that maybe you ate this or maybe you
didn't.
And like I just do not and will not get on the bandwagon.
Don't do a what I eat in a day then.

(24:42):
Don't do it.
Because what is the point in doing it.
There isn't one.
And the thing is if you're going to post a what I eat in a day and you don't tell me
that like here's how much of it I ate.
I assume you ate the whole thing and I know a lot of you aren't.
And so now you're telling people that this is totally normal to eat all of this and to
have these portion sizes and they're going to go copy you not be as successful as you

(25:04):
because you're not actually eating all of that which by the way is an eating disorder.
Like you're being you're not being truthful.
You're being super fucking manipulative.
Slimy.
So slimy.
And I know the thing the thing that I'm going to say this and you're going to just go off.
I know it.
But the other thing that goes kind of hand in hand with this is what I eat in a day.

(25:26):
And then when they say let me show you how I made it.
Let me give you the recipe.
Let me post the recipe.
You know you know exactly where you're going.
And then give you zero nutrition information on your recipe what they made.
So okay you say it's high protein.
Is that 10 grams?
Is that 20 grams?

(25:47):
Okay maybe it is 20 grams of protein but does it have 600 calories in it?
Because then that's not happening.
It drives me bonkers.
Drives me bonkers.
I'm going to try not to fucking get stressed out by this.
This might be this might this is a bigger issue to me than the what I eat in a day sham

(26:07):
by the way.
I'm going to call it what it is.
What I eat today is a fucking scam.
It's to make people feel better about themselves.
A real what I eat in a day literally shows you what I plated what I ate what I plated
what I ate and it also shows all the stuff that they ate in between those meals if they
did.
So I'm calling it what I eat in a day's are fucking scams for the most part.

(26:27):
But what annoys me more is exactly this.
I'm so tired of seeing super high protein unbelievably healthy meal that you can make
in 30 seconds and there's no nutritional information and then top five comments are what are the
macros can I get the macros?
No I don't really look into that like trust me it's like really high protein.

(26:47):
But we're going to call it healthy with having no idea how many calories or how much fat
is in it or what the carbs are.
But it's healthy.
And nine times out of ten because Steph and I have now started and this might be a whole
thing that we start doing on social Steph and I have started breaking down the macros.
We've gone in and said okay fuck you we'll do the work for you.
And it's terrible guys.

(27:08):
Eight out of ten times they're not high protein or healthy.
They're horrible for you.
So again what Steph said earlier you need to be your own best friend and do your own
research you better go and run those goddamn macros through fucking my fitness pal and
I'm going to give you here's the example I'm going to give you.
This was the post that kicked this all off.

(27:28):
Somebody shared a breakfast that they said high protein breakfast.
And she's a dietitian or she's lost all this weight which also by the way a lot of influencers
who claim they've lost a lot of weight are lying and using it because it boosts the algorithm.
You'll notice they go I've lost over a hundred pounds and here's what I eat.

(27:49):
What happens if you mix and they all start their videos the same way?
So this person was like here's this super high protein amazing breakfast that has all
this flavor you won't believe it's going to be your morning masterpiece.
It's guys it's going to be so good it tastes just like cheesecake and what started this
conversation was I said to Steph if there's no cream cheese in this fucking recipe it's

(28:13):
not going to taste like fucking cheesecake.
And there was none in it.
No cream cheese in it.
It's got fucking dates and all this shit.
And I sent it to Steph and I said there's no fucking way this is high protein and healthy.
There's not a fucking chance.
The recipe is cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, a fuckload of maple syrup, vanilla, dates,
hazelnuts, heavy whipped cream.

(28:34):
And I was like this is not a healthy meal.
So it has some protein.
Everybody is posting what are the macros what are the macros what are the macros and nobody
would answer.
So I doing the Lord's work over here in Canada I went in and said I wish when people
posted recipes they were required to post the macros if they're claiming to be nutritionist

(28:55):
and they're claiming this is healthy.
This recipe has almost five hundred and sixty seven calories.
Guys the serving the serving size of this is like a quarter cup might I add.
Five hundred and sixty seven calories and only that's my whole day.
Only 16 grams of protein.
Only 16 grams of protein and it had over 36 grams of pure fucking sugar and that's not

(29:19):
fruit sugar.
That's fucking added sugar.
Maple sugar.
Maple syrup.
People were kind of like very happy to be like thank you so much for posting this because
this is not healthy.
This should not be breakfast.
And that's my argument.
In no way should this be breakfast.
This should be a dessert and don't don't pan it as healthy because it has some protein.
Sixteen grams of protein.

(29:40):
Forty three grams of carbs.
Five hundred and twenty seven calories and thirty six grams of sugar is not a fucking
healthy breakfast.
It's the same.
It goes along with like we're talking about protein coffee and how we both have protein
coffee and that's good.
And certain influencers out there who have become we'll say famous because of their protein

(30:03):
waters and protein coffees that they started with which is great.
But what gets me and I have always had a sweet tooth.
I still do have a sweet tooth but it has changed post surgery.
It's not as sweet.
I think I want sweets but then when I have something that's sweet I can't finish it.
My coffee has drastically changed.

(30:24):
I digress.
Anyway the people who make these protein coffees and you see them get out their flavorings
and their water packets and their sugar free syrup and I swear like three quarters of the
coffee is sugar free syrup and sugar free like the sugar free flavorings I should say

(30:44):
and then the syrups around the edge and then the foam and then the this and I'm thinking
you're literally having a quarter of it in coffee and then chemical chemical chemical
chemical chemical.
They just do an espresso shot.
Right.
Do I put like I put sugar free flavor in my protein coffee.

(31:04):
I do.
Sure.
But I put depending on the size one maybe two pumps or instead of that a little bit
of stevia but not not really.
I it blows my mind.
Now watching some of these and just like the pump pump pump pump pump pump pump pump pump

(31:24):
or they make the flavor like I'll drink flavored water again.
Sure.
Can't drink three quarters of the ones I used to like.
I can't even.
Oh I hate them now.
Oh I can't even.
Two sips and I'm out.
But I will take my liter my 40 ounce water bottle and I'll put a packet in maybe a packet

(31:45):
and a half depending on the flavor that it is.
Maybe.
But then you see these influencers with their 40 ounce cup and I checked because I want
to know comparison again.
I want to know the size.
They're putting the sugar free pumps like four and then two water packets.
Yeah.
Three water packets.
And I just.

(32:05):
I can't.
I can't.
I can't.
The taste for me I don't know how they do it.
I don't know if they're predisposed to it because they drank so much pop.
Oh my gosh I don't know.
Or they drank so much diet coke before surgery.
But I can't like the taste of stevia and the fakeness is disgusting to me.
Just the amount of chemicals.
The only thing I like is my powdered Gatorade at zero or I can do the iced tea the crystal

(32:28):
light iced tea for some reason hits like a motherfucker for me now.
And I love it.
That's my.
This is my problem with that.
Listen.
You can suck anyone's yum you do what you like to do.
But my problem is you will restrict carbs.
You won't eat fruit.
You won't eat real food.
But then you'll have bread.
Yeah you won't have bread or anything.

(32:48):
But you'll sit in front of people and you'll put a thousand pumps of syrup because most
of them average four to five.
Then you'll put the sugar free caramel all over the inside of the cup.
Then you'll do your scoops of protein your minimal espresso shot.
And then you're going to top it with like cold from creamers and heavy whipping cream.
That has more flavoring in it.
That's all flavored.

(33:08):
But you won't eat real carbs or fruit and vegetables or real food.
And I just think like the protein coffee movement and even the water has gotten ludicrous.
Like I don't quite understand that.
I do understand that if I have a crystal light I actually drink more of it.
So I do understand that like there's something about the juicy flavorness that gets you drinking

(33:30):
it.
And I in no fucking way could imagine three crystal light packets and four pumps of like
fake bubble gum cotton candy strawberry syrupy stuff just to drink my water.
I would vomit.
And I would probably shit my pants.
Oh yeah.

(33:50):
I would absolutely be out in public shitting my pants taking all that in.
I'd have a headache from that.
Yeah.
And like you said if that's what you like and that's what does it for you.
Or go bananas.
Have fun.
Do it up.
Knock your socks off.
But then don't sit there and have your lunch and dinner and say that you know your family
is having XYZ but you can't have it because it has carbs or you can't have it because

(34:13):
it's bread or you can't have it because of this.
Yeah.
I'm sorry but that doesn't fly with me.
No welcome to the high horse that you need to be knocked off of.
Like the reason we're shitting on this is not because we care what you put in your body
but we're saying typically you thousand pumpers you shit on carbs and fruits and vegetables

(34:33):
and other things.
But then you go and have this and think that you have any platform to stand on to say don't
be eating bread don't be eating carbs oh my goodness.
The other thing my clinic taught me I mean it's our clinic they would rather you just
have the sugar in moderation than to be having all of the artificial sugar.
Real foods.
That was a really big thing.
They were like try to avoid like also sugar free does not mean healthy.

(34:58):
Let's just rip that bandaid high protein does not mean healthy sugar free does not mean
healthy keto sure as fuck does not mean healthy.
A lot of these things will pump what they're doing full of other things to get it to be
low sugar or no sugar.
So our clinic said it's actually healthier to just do the real like the real full fat

(35:19):
or the real sugar in moderation.
And so I buy flavored coffee I just get flavored coffee I have a hazelnut coffee I have an
eggnog coffee.
Yeah cute that's really all I need but I like even drinking so my prophy is as follows a
flavored coffee and then a container of premier protein and even that premier protein I'm

(35:41):
like fuck this flavor is just hard to get down the artificialness of it that like I
could not imagine adding pumps of fake sugar and all this shit to it and like I get it
you're trying to replicate what you used to have before you know your Starbucks or whatever.
I just kind of worry that like is it really setting you up for success I don't know if

(36:02):
you like do you is everything have to be that sweet is there an issue here like when I joined
program I committed to the 10 grams of sugar added sugar or less per meal and I've done
exceptionally well with it and now I don't really crave sweet things.
Fruit does not count you should be eating fruit fruit has a lot of fiber now obviously

(36:23):
don't go and eat seven bananas and six apples in a day but you should eat a banana or an
apple or an orange like fruit is not the enemy and that's the other fucking hilarious thing
is the people who do have these outrageous coffees and waters will be the first to be
like you shouldn't be eating that much fruit do you know how high in sugar that is I would
rather eat fruit and half a cup of artificial shit and and I just like just drink the fucking

(36:47):
water like just yeah I don't like and adding the sprinkles and the dust and like again
do what you need to do to get where you need to get but I just think it's gotten a bit
absurd and blown over to have like 32 sugar-free syrups in your house and to need to add four
or five things to your water to drink it right but here's one pack.

(37:09):
You know and here's where it kind of ties back into the other thing I bet you if you
look into these people they are affiliates of a hundred percent syrup or that water packet
or that whatever so again just watch watch what you're seeing question what you're seeing
and that should be critical and use your brain right it's like I also bet if you looked into

(37:30):
the flavoring packets which by the way I've been around since the dawn of goddamn time
yeah I bet you they have a suggested serving and I can almost guarantee you it's not four
in one fucking drink because these people also drink multiple coffees and waters a day
so I don't know again I mean I don't believe that like some of these artificial sweeteners
are as bad as people say they are I really don't subscribe to that but I think when everything

(37:54):
in moderation and when you're having four a day in one water and you're having three
waters a day just I don't know guys check yourself chickity chickity check yourself
it's I mean not everybody that had bariatric surgery needs to do that I will say I do like
a Gatorade zero packet every now and then I do find I drink more when there's something
in it but I find it's just nice to switch it up sometimes too I do half a pack of crystal

(38:17):
light because I literally can't stand a full pack anymore I'm like God I want to throw
up one hot topic that this brings up that gets Hannah very heated but I know it's something
you and I have discussed is and this is going to be a trigger for some people the lack of
transparency around GLP-1 and GLP-1 is Ozempic or Mongero it is the weight loss injections

(38:45):
now we're not here to talk about our beliefs on those because we actually think it's great
we actually think using them is awesome and they've helped a million people and we're
not against them what I am fucking against is how many influencers are now not being
transparent that they're on them and a ton of fucking bariatric influencers are not admitting
they're on them and this pisses me off for multiple reasons one we are trying to break

(39:09):
down the stigma and shame of weight loss surgery by talking about it more so how does hiding
something that is part of your successful journey in any way help us break down stigma
and shame and two don't you fucking tell me this is what I eat in a day as a bariatric
patient five years post-op and then not also say oh by the way I'm also on Ozempic so

(39:32):
because that is not what people who aren't on Ozempic would be eating and it is not fair
and not okay to again be shady and misleading by not telling people I'm also on Ozempic
so Ozempic limits your hunger noise it restricts you know your hunger and what you want to
eat so that is what really enrages me when I see these people barely eating five or six

(39:57):
years post-op because they're not telling people oh by the way it's because I'm on Ozempic
yeah and again no judgment to those who are if that's if that's what you want to do perfect
if that's what's working for you incredible and like we've talked about once you hit the
maintenance phase sometimes it can be it can be a challenge or if your goal weight is a

(40:17):
little bit less than the maintenance phase or for us for example you had VSG which you
lose typically lose a little bit less than bypassed if if you just can't get to that
last goal and you want to go that route amazing go for it I hold not succeed and it does what
you need but like you said then be honest about it because your portions are changing

(40:39):
the amount of food you want to eat is changing your cravings are changing your hunger noise
is changing everything is changing so you're giving people a false sense of hope who are
watching this as either a pre-bariatric patient a new bariatric patient or anybody in the
bariatric community who is watching you have this extra push of success which is great

(41:01):
I'm so happy for you but just be honest and if you're that ashamed or you're that scared
to admit that you're taking those medications then get off social media yeah then stop being
an influencer in this space and stop telling me what you eat in a day because I don't give
a fuck that you take ozempic I honestly might take ozempic I have a weight loss goal I'm

(41:21):
trying to hit things have slowed down a little bit I'm gonna keep trying to push myself to
do it on my own but I have no problems with ozempic I'll fucking take it hands up high
five it's fucking incredible my argument and anger is that you're lying about your weight
loss journey and you're making people feel bad I watched an influencer and this is what

(41:43):
started this post of what I eat in a day and then was like well I didn't really eat this
or finish this and I was like oh my god how is this five years post yeah how is this five
year post-op vsg patient eating twice a day I was like do you know how bad that made me
feel I was like well I eat my three meals and my three small snacks like I'm supposed
to do wrong and I felt like a fat piece of shit like the mental obesity never leaves

(42:09):
you so I see this and go oh my god I'm overeating two years post-op like she's five years and
she's only having two small meals oh my god I'm failing I'm doing it wrong oh no and then
it then I found out that she's on fucking ozempic and I was like you son of a bitch
like you should have told me that this is what I eat in a day five years post-op on

(42:32):
ozempic honestly five years post-op no longer matters this is not what I eat as a bariatric
patient this is now what I eat as an ozempic patient who also happens to have bariatric
surgery exactly and that's how it needs to be framed because this is not what normal
bariatric eating looks like unless you're also on ozempic and like that's really dangerous

(42:54):
and it's multiple multiple huge influencers in the bariatric space or on ozempic and not
actively admitting it in their what I eat in a days they like casually slip it into
other videos and I don't think that's fair no or gets buried in the comments somewhere
in a massive thread down below and it's just again the transparency is lacking you're setting

(43:15):
unrealistic expectations for people you make people feel bad yeah you have people like
me who are new to this watching you going holy shit she still barely eats like five
years out is that what my life's gonna be like yeah because I don't know yep and it's
like okay I guess I better stop eating because they're not eating and like again that's why

(43:35):
I really liked eating vsg because she posts I run I do this and here's what I'm eating
and she's eating six meals a day and I went yeah that seems doable like just be honest
about yeah just say this is what I'm doing as an ozempic patient who also had bariatric
surgery because the truth is you're not a bariatric patient first now you are now an

(43:58):
ozempic patient first who had bariatric surgery that's all you have to say you don't have
to go into your life story about why you chose to do it again don't give a fuck do what you
want to do you take that ozempic you rock it bitch because you're rock they're rocking
it they're killing it they are but I'm very angry that you're trying to pretend that this
is all bariatric surgery and it's fucking not and it now makes bariatric patients feel
like failures or losers or like they can't do it on their own and that's what's really

(44:24):
frustrating and then the other very dangerous thing about this is now you're basically saying
the only way that you were able to be successful is to eat basically next to nothing and that
is terrifying to me as someone who's so dangerous to put that out there I'm already struggling
with it it makes me wonder like why are we encouraging breaking the rules like the rules
were pretty clear for me eat whole food for a reason eat between 1200 and 1500 workout

(44:49):
every day for a minimum of 30 minutes do strength training but like you need to be working out
and why are we encouraging breaking the rules and why are we saying the only way to be successful
is to eat next to nothing starve yourself it's to you know the other thing is like they
barely work out why aren't we sharing that side of your life because that was a huge

(45:09):
part of this was like hannah you must work out every day and they would ask me in every
follow-up how often are you working out you need more strength training you need to be
working out or let's go even post surgery one hour one hour after surgery get up let's
go move your body get it going get move move move in the days after surgery every 15 minutes
get up even if it's a lap of your kitchen move your shake your tail feather let's get

(45:33):
going and there's so many people the influencer we were talking about earlier who had that
what I eat in a day with the nothing nothing will flat out say she does not wow so her
words are I don't exercise I walk and I don't want to downplay walking because walking is
walking is so underrated it is probably one of the most underrated exercises out there

(45:54):
so walking is a must but where's the rest where's the rest of your cardio where's your
strength training where where are the weights yeah because like I can tell you that's what
we're told to do in Canada to be successful to watch the loose skin and like the other
thing is a lot of there's some influencers who are great and then there's some who I

(46:18):
I sometimes have said and I'm not trying to be a bitch oh boy they look like they look
gaunt like they don't look healthy yeah and like so the clinic was clear like you're gonna
have loose skin girl you're losing a whole person but in order to try to make sure it's
not as like bad and noticeable lift your muscle fucking weight but also with extreme weight

(46:40):
loss comes muscle decay and you don't want that you know keep your muscles functioning
and healthy and going we're not eating enough to sustain like that's the big thing you're
not eating enough to sustain a lot of stuff if you don't do this other work at the same
time so walking is great by the way in my life I've lost weight walking when I was at
my leanest before surgery walking love it but I wasn't walking 10 minutes I was walking

(47:05):
10 kilometers I was doing at least an hour and an hour and a half I wasn't doing it every
day but I would do 5k 5k 10k 5k 5k 10k and like religiously doing that five kilometers
a lot of that's all you can do you can't you can't do anything else post-op so walking
is your only option so a lot of influencers are working out really well I will say I love

(47:26):
I'm gonna butcher her name but flushed away or flush it away I can never remember her
name I can't either flush I think it's flushy it away but like I like that she always posts
like here's me running here's me walking here's my strength training like this girl hit that
fucking exercise hard when she and like she's had she's had the most amazing success and

(47:49):
like I have to say she does she does really good with posting like realistic eating and
all that guys like she'll post it I don't like influencers who don't post their exercise
and because I'm not here to judge your exercise but it is part of the bariatric journey so
why aren't you showing it because you you can't get complacent and just not work out
again if you're on ozempic that's a whole other story right then you need to disclose

(48:12):
I'm on ozempic I'm not really working out because I'm using something else for weight
loss but for the rest of us you have to work out for the rest of life it's just not gonna
be unless you want to hit maintenance phase and just stay where you're staying and so
I do get really mad when I see people go walking on my walking on my walking pad for 10 minutes
today and it's like it's a great add-on but it's not enough no there's another good one

(48:37):
she is on tiktok finding mz like emz oh she's in austria wow I want to say Australia but
she posts a lot about her food but she also posts a lot about her workout and she's one
of the people where part of it is genetics part of it is luck but a big part of it is
her workout and she focuses on just cardio but also strength and her loose skin situation

(49:00):
is like my ideal whole and that's what I could look like and she works her ass off and she
now like you she's a runner she's doing iron man's she's doing triathlons yeah but she
started with the walking and the weight and she has had such phenomenal success and she's
honest yeah she's open about it and she's phenomenal but that's walking like I said

(49:23):
walking is great I have a walking pad but it's not that's not my main go-to that's
for I need to get a few extra steps in or I have a really long call for work let's bust
out the walking pad but the weights are the priority yeah and like you said a walk at
the beginning all you can do is a two minute walk and that's great but once you're more

(49:45):
into the throws of things saying I went for a 10 minute walk it's not enough not enough
also it's gonna be you're welcome back to obese Hannah you can't work out twice a week
and think that's enough like it's just why am I not losing weight why then yeah you know
what they're not eating and they're they're not they're breaking the rules so they don't
have the fucking energy to work out like the I want to be fit and healthy I don't want

(50:08):
to be skinny and gaunt and barely eating that is not a life I want to live if it is for
you good for you but maybe just be honest about that but like another great one I'll
give another shout out to one more person but her name is Carolyn CA we'll put it in
the notes Carolyn our NY she's awesome she I fucking love her and she puts glp1 in her

(50:30):
fucking Instagram title she has the date she started it she has a whole video on why I
started it if I had that bariatric surgery and again I don't give a fuck about your reasonings
hers was awesome like she hit her goal weight but really wanted to get a bit lower and this
helped her but she will post her home workouts her gym workouts her what I eat in a day what
I finished of it fucking love her what an inspirational influencer I want to fucking

(50:52):
be her one day my big argument is about this rule breaking and not following the rules
I am really tired of people pushing the boundaries and promoting it as this is real you know
exactly who I'm going to bring up and I'm not going to list them by name but there is
someone complaining about complaining about how shitty they feel well there's no badge

(51:12):
for vomiting in the parking lot or that your chest hurts because you did this like you
aren't following the rules stop pretending like it's okay to break the rules you know
what you can break the rules and bariatric surgery you cannot vomit you can feel okay
I'll be honest I ordered chicken wings probably more than I should because they were I was
like they're kind of high protein and they're easy to eat should I fucking be eating takeout

(51:35):
chicken wings no just because there were no negative ramifications I stopped myself and
said Hannah what's going to happen in two years when you can eat more and you're still
ordering food you know the rules follow the rules so there's someone on TikTok who blatantly
flaunts the rules we're talking like two weeks after having surgery I was going to say newly
newly post-op fresh meaty here's the deal fresh incisions we're all going to make mistakes

(51:58):
we're all going to screw up look at our past like we talked about in our last episode look
at how we got to where we were okay we lied we hid food we cheated we did things we weren't
supposed to are we working on improving that you damn well betcha are we trying our best
to not go down those paths again yes but it's going to happen we're human but like you said

(52:18):
my problem is hosting about it encouraging other people to do it and then crying about
it and having a sob story of wool feel bad for me because I now feel like I'm dying yeah
well no shit you had Doritos and Coke for lunch three weeks post-op that that person
I just can't like and it's multiple multiple every diet diet cokes have sugar at least

(52:44):
do a fucking sugar-free for Christ's sake but you're not supposed to have carbonation
until after six months for a fucking reason stop drinking multiple diet cokes stop eating
multiple bags of Doritos and then getting McDonald's and then doing Chinese takeout
and then lying to your doctor and pretending you only had one bad thing instead of listing
hey over the last two weeks here's all the takeout and bad foods I've had three fucking

(53:06):
weeks out of surgery so and then coming on tik-tok about oh I feel so bad I throw up
in the park a lot like I'm dying my my head is pounding okay no shit oh and not taking
their vitamins because they just don't want to and they know people who didn't take their
vitamins and they were fine so I'm not going to take mine and it's like okay your first
year you're probably going to lose some weight because it's almost impossible not to you

(53:29):
are going to absolutely fail in your second year and gain it all back you're not exercising
because we can see it like I said to you I don't yeah I don't want to follow her because
I don't want to give her the follow no I don't but I I also don't can't look what exactly
and I want to watch her because I want to see a year from now yeah what her journey

(53:49):
looks like and I don't I don't wish ill upon people but it's just so infuriating to watch
somebody host this and then like to have yeah have people say oh you're keeping it real
thanks for being honest okay like I said if you mess up once sure post about it but say
look at guys I shouldn't have done this this is not the rules I'm supposed to be following

(54:12):
I feel like crap because of it I've learned my lesson okay fine but to then continually
every day and she always starts her day saying I'm gonna do this I'm gonna have this I'm
gonna be good I'm gonna be here and then at lunch sure as shit here comes the video of
oh I don't feel like leaving my desk and well and going to do whatever for lunch today so

(54:32):
I just busted out the coke and Doritos it's only this number of calories not even sugar
free no protein and then like didn't follow any of the rules though was like I like to
break the rules I like to push things I'm having raw vegetables I'm eating ground beef
and it's like you are setting such a terrible fucking example for others there's nothing
to be proud of breaking the rules because again you're gonna break the rules now and

(54:55):
probably not see the repercussions of that now because it is not a one-for-one you can
eat it like you can eat chips right now in your first year and not see the negative effects
it is going to fucking catch up with you when your cholesterol the roof when at the end
of one year you're like I can't wait to see a video of I'm stalling and I don't know why
but like eventually you will hit a point where you're non tracking and non vitamin taking

(55:20):
and constant need for takeout and sugar is going to cause you to stop losing weight yeah
there's your 30 percent of people who regain yeah and it's annoying because like they go
to the doctor and did they tell the doctor they had one bad thing instead of all the
bad things yeah and then the doctor said oh that's fine which it is because we all like
because we all mess up did I did I try to have a scoop ice cream a month after surgery

(55:43):
I did and then I vomited profusely in my bathroom and never touched it again because it was
horrible right you know I did I get butternut squash soup even though people said ye you
probably shouldn't because it's got a lot of sugar and I was like fuck you it's butternut
squash and then proceeded to vomit but I did not break the rules and then try to pretend
like it was totally fine and that's I think what annoys me is stop pretending that this

(56:05):
is fine stop going out and justifying shitty behavior and saying you don't need to take
vitamins and you don't need to listen to this the surgical team you're less than a month
out of surgery or two months out you don't get to have an opinion on breaking the rules
on bariatric surgery and everybody there are people calling her out thank goodness but
a lot of comments are like thank you so much for being so real I'm gonna have a burger

(56:27):
or I broke the rules too thanks so much and it's like guys this leads into our like one
of our final points here make sure you find influencers that are actually doing things
that are good and that might mean that you're watching an influencer where you're like oh
man do I have do I have to put everything in my fitness pal yeah you do okay because

(56:48):
this is not easy and it shouldn't be easy if you're coasting through it and eating whatever
you want you're not doing it right you're you're in for trouble and your old habits
will come back look at influencers that have been two three four five years post and they
will all have stories telling you oh boy did my voice come back oh boy did my hunger come
back oh boy is this a journey and I'll talk about it in other podcasts about my struggles

(57:12):
and my hunger noise and you know days of maybe overeating or slider foods but do not go on
the internet and pretend that this is okay and that's my issue with this creator they
don't say oh man I shouldn't have done this and guys please learn from me and I'm gonna
do better they consistently do this day over day and it's totally fine they brag about
how good this like they brag about I don't follow the rules because people have said

(57:36):
how are you allowed to do this my doctor said no and they're like well I just don't listen
right this is like you're you're blatantly saying I'm an idiot and you think that that
is good it goes back to building the habits right away like you said putting my things
in my fitness pal I hate it it drives me nuts but I I do it every day I'm putting my stuff

(57:57):
in that I ate that day and then at night before bed I put in my next day am I an amazing meal
play prepper right now no do I need to spend more time improving on it a hundred percent
I do yeah but I'm still I'm tracking and I'm planning out a day in advance which for now
I'm just working on getting in that muscle memory of put it in put it in put it in put

(58:20):
it in but it goes back into building those habits now so that when you are at that 12
months it's just the norm it's just your everyday lifestyle you don't have to think about it
it just becomes part of your daily routine and if you're building those horrible habits
now when you hit that 12 month point because like you said it's it's almost impossible

(58:42):
not to lose weight right now because physically you're in a deficit no matter what listen
I ordered chicken wings and was right I'm losing weight eating chicken wings 100% but
this is going to become their new norm and this is going to become their daily routine
and once they hit that point I hate to say it but look out they are going to fail there's

(59:03):
a reason to gain the weight back and I don't want to hear the sob story no and I don't
want you bringing other people down there's a reason that we were obese in the first thing
and like one big thing I did after the whole chicken wing debacle in my first year I deleted
the ordering apps off my phone I do not order delivery food now I order delivery groceries
because I had pneumonia and there's just days I can't get out and get groceries but I do

(59:27):
not order takeout food anymore because it's just not good for you now do I can you make
chicken wings at home go for it I've done it actually I've made tacos at home I've made
quesadillas oh my gosh I've done high quality burritos like high protein you can still eat
things you want to eat we're not saying don't have a burger I make the cutest little sliders
and they're only a hundred calories for the whole burger I've had tacos so many times

(59:50):
in the last yeah like tacos I'm not giving up tacos I'm sorry I eat popcorn popcorns
my jam I still make nachos I use quest chips for my tortillas and I still make nachos what
I'm saying is do not pretend that eating fast food is smart and people have said girl why
did you even have surgery then fast food is what got you here stop doing and you're not

(01:00:10):
even making healthy choices I do every now and then on a road trip need to get fast food
because nothing's available I'll get the grilled nuggets I'll get you know I'll get an egg
breakfast sandwich and take the English muffin like I'll do what I need to do to get through
that state make it work but yeah anyway we're not we sound bitter and bitchy we're not trying
to it's just like we would have more sympathy for this person if they weren't blatantly

(01:00:34):
saying that they didn't give a shit and if there was accountability rules and that they
thought this was totally fine and it's just it makes me wonder it makes me wonder like
we took yeah like we talked about with our program how we had to have all those appointments
I would be really curious to see what appointments if any they had they had in there or if they
were just one of those situations where they just went in they paid for it and it was done

(01:00:57):
I'd be really curious to see that surgery we had to give food journals for months after
surgery this person did not in their doctor's follow-up and it was just annoying because
they said well I had this one thing no you didn't you didn't because I've been watching
your tiktoks you didn't tell them about your multiple pops your multiple Doritos your takeout
food your Chinese food your McDonald's you didn't tell him that you're eating raw vegetables

(01:01:18):
and having high fat bacon like if you maybe told him everything I bet you he'd be alarmed
yeah and then they said you know and like you said I don't we don't want to sit here
I don't want to sit here and sound all bitchy and bitter but I don't want to shoot on earth
if there was some accountability if there was I'm gonna say a little bit of guilt and
remorse if there was clear visualization of them improving if we could see them or you

(01:01:44):
know what if they come out and say look guys I need your help like come in the comments
for me and help me do better give me tips give me pointers send me your recipes if there
was some indication that they were acknowledging that this is not okay this is not what surgery
is supposed to do and look like then I would support you a hundred percent and I would

(01:02:04):
be in those comments trying to help you out because that's what we should all be here
for is to help and support each other exactly when you don't give a shit I'm out yeah and
that's the the thing is folks like she clearly doesn't give a shit because she'll constantly
be like oh well I'm not listening I'm not following like whatever like ooh and then

(01:02:24):
posted a big video being like see guys I'm totally fine like nothing is wrong with what
I'm doing and I was like bitch bitch bitch bitch like have a little bit of self observation
here don't don't you come out posting a video saying basically fuck all you guys I'm totally
fine and that was kind of my final straw was like you lied so in that appointment you're
not and also like I don't like promoting such an unhealthy lifestyle when you you're a bariatric

(01:02:50):
patient because it like the risk of all of the things you're doing the fact that you
haven't had a negative outcome is is is lucky because a lot of people end up in the hospital
with major blockages perforations twisted bowels malnutrition like if you don't take
your vitamins it doesn't catch up with you tomorrow it catches up with you in a few months
when you have to go to the hospital and even her doctor in the video said this doesn't

(01:03:13):
happen instantly but like when it happens it's incredibly dangerous to have to deal
with like vitamin deficiencies like just said it will change your life to be vitamin deficient
yeah just to clarify she recorded her doctor's appointment and posted it on TikTok we weren't
just magically in the room this happened anyway posted it I don't want to be this person that
just like shits and bring someone down but I think this person needs help I don't think

(01:03:36):
social is the best place for them to be I think they're trying to justify really bad
behavior my problem with influencers is they often don't want to hear the criticism and
no one was being mean no one was saying fuck you blah blah blah people were voicing but
influencers never really want to hear the criticism and they always delete the comments
or shut it down and only focus on self-serving comments that again justify their bad behavior

(01:03:58):
so this all gets wrapped up to say please just be smart when looking at influencers
be very critical look into things don't buy everything you're seeing or believe everything
you're seeing follow them for fun and inspiration but do not let them become your nutritionists
do not let them become your therapist do not let them become your sole guiding force please

(01:04:21):
speak to actual medical professionals be honest they're like a doctor is never in the bariatric
community never going to shame you for being honest ask questions don't be afraid to say
I'm falling off the wagon I did like they want you to be successful yeah like you can't
just avoid uncomfortable conversations because you don't want to if you don't speak up you

(01:04:42):
become further in trouble and you want to be successful so ask for help admit when you're
struggling we're gonna talk about it in a later podcast but I struggle all the time
I've fallen off the wagon here and there I'm gonna talk all about my slider foods my fucking
ice cream vomiting which is insane but please just be critical of who you're following don't

(01:05:02):
be mean there is no need to go in and tell people to go fuck themselves or to be but
be critical you are allowed to go in and say I really don't think you're supposed to be
doing this how is this beneficial for your journey there's nothing wrong with that but
please don't be hostile do not wish ill on anyone that's just not the community we need
to build because that is the community we've dealt with as obese individuals and unfortunately

(01:05:24):
that's the bariatric community in some places and it sucks so influencers are great there's
a lot that aren't try to just be very critical is that is the message I'm going to end on
yeah no 100% and I just say ask the questions ask them about their program ask them ask
other people don't put all your focus and eggs into one basket in one person yeah exactly

(01:05:48):
judgment yeah look at multiple resources multiple areas ask your doctor ask the people who are
in that program ask other people who have been in your program I have connected with
people on tick tock randomly ask questions found out that either we're in the same program
or we're close by and we've had conversations about it so question just be intelligent be

(01:06:14):
curious be curious yeah question what you're seeing exactly don't believe everything you
see and just know that there are people out there who are not going to give you the full
picture yeah and that's okay like yeah social media is a minor snapshot of someone's day
take it with a grain of salt but yeah I knew this was going to be a hot button issue and

(01:06:36):
in no way do we do we want anyone to to feel like we're coming for them but I think there's
just there were some conversations that had to happen we'll link all the great influencers
that we love to follow in the comments of our social posts when this episode goes live
and then we're really excited to announce next week's episode is going to be shame and
stigma around bariatric surgery this is a question that we've already gotten on tick

(01:07:00):
tock about how people couldn't talk to family couldn't tell people publicly the stigma the
thoughts that this is easy and the easy way out and so we're going to talk about a lot
of things from how to say goodbye to toxic people that need to not be in your life how
to talk to your family about this and how maybe collectively as a community we can start
breaking down the stigma of this being an easy way out yeah it's going to be it's going

(01:07:25):
to be a good one because we've both we both have had different experiences you're further
out than I am so you've had to deal with it probably a little bit more than I have as
you've had more drastic changes as your habits have changed your interests have changed but
it's definitely been something that we've both had to deal with and that as somebody
who went through this and kind of got into it unexpectedly I as Hannah mentioned it was

(01:07:54):
recommended to me by my doctor at an appointment where I was not expecting it to come up so
there was some people who were caught very off guard when I brought this up to them as
something I was considering so it'll be a good episode it'll be a good episode for
sure give us all the feedback you want we want to grow and learn and become better and
become again your Canadian BFFs that just talk about bariatric surgery and all the topics

(01:08:17):
whether they're uncomfortable or easy as we go and we're excited to see you next week
Steph thanks for joining me again this week absolutely love it I can't wait to do the
next topic can't wait to hear the feedback and thank you all for listening in thanks
everybody have a great week.