As a bariatric psychologist, I meet daily with patients who are looking to have “success” with their weight loss surgery (WLS). They may have tried other ways to lose weight, and nothing is keeping the weight off. I put “success” in quotes because this term means something different to everyone.
Life changes after weight loss surgery. While you are losing weight, often times people find themselves in this process and it's not always who they were prior to surgery. The interpersonal changes that occur can impact your marriage & relationships after weight loss surgery, especially if there isn't open communication
Let’s face it, the sad reality is most people in society today do not have the best relationship with their body & food. For those who have struggled with running the gamut through fad diets, binging, and/or overeating, body and food--can sometimes feel like an enemy. Culturally we are told
What I Know About Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery Weight regain is not inevitable. Weight regain happens because you are eating more calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight. Weight regain is highly emotionally charged. To deal with regain successfully, you need to move past the emotion
One of my favorite sayings is "What you allow, is what will continue." This phrase is very poignant when it comes to setting healthy boundaries after weight loss surgery so you can have healthy relationships. You want something to change, but you don’t know how to change it. You fear
What does it mean to be “full from within?” This concept refers to the idea that we no longer have this psychological “black hole,” that needs to be fed through external things such as; food, drugs, alcohol, spending, relationships, gambling. ~ Dr. Colleen, The Psychology of Finally Being Full From Within
Even as a kid, I looked forward to the Independence holiday. I grew up with a very patriotic flag-loving mother, so we celebrated it in a big way. Our festivities had food (lots of it), fun, and fireworks. Little did I know that my love of Independence Day would grow
When you start down on the road toward bariatric surgery, you are likely given direction by your physicians or surgeons to make some behavioral changes prior to surgery. They put you on a diet and tell you to start an exercise routine to show that you can do it. The thought of
Let’s go through a scenario that might sound and ‘feel’ familiar. A Scenario of How Your Mind Gets Hungry I worked all day and it was a busy day. I come home after all the running around to make, and of course, clean up dinner. I am tired. Does this
Terrifying. That’s the word almost all of my clients use to describe their fears of weight regain after WLS. We all know that some weight regain is expected—usually around 25% of the total weight initially lost—but what if it doesn’t stop there? There definitely are steps you can take, right
