The BariNation Foundation Podcast

Summer is the best time to start a movement practice! The weather is warmer, we are outside more, and stress usually decreases because our work demands are lower. And all that sunshine just calls us to move more! But there are some other fantastic reasons to spend your summer dialing in your movement routines.  April Williams sat down with BariNation Expert and friend Rob DiMedio to better underst...

Making the decision to undergo bariatric surgery is life-changing. It requires lots of research, soul-searching, and some hard-core commitment to being ok with learning how to live life differently. Our friend and BariNation Expert Timisha MAlone, LMSW, and her husband Tim recently made the decision to sell their home and travel the US on an RV and we wanted to know how they are adjusting to bari...

We know that movement is one of the most important things we need to focus on after bariatric surgery; it’s even one of BariNation’s Pillars of Bariatric Success. We also know that it can be one of the hardest Pillars to live because of the role exercise played in our lives before bariatric surgery. If movement was how we “punished” ourselves for food-related decisions, we might not be overjoyed t...

Every bariatric patient thinks about pain management during their pre-operative journey. We worry about what the pain will feel like after surgery and how we will manage it. It can be something we are nervous about even talking with our surgeon about because we don’t want to seem pushy or rude, or we could be afraid to bring it up because we don’t want to seem desperate for relief. And with millio...

Walking is one of the most accessible yet underrated forms of movement. We often tell ourselves and others that we “just” went for a walk, discounting its tremendous physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits.  In 2023, our friend and BariNation Expert Bariatric Therapist Lora Grabow, LMSW, walked daily and joined us to share her aha moments and most significant takeaways from 365 days of movemen...

Hunger is something every human can experience, but in people who suffer from the disease of obesity, hunger is more than a physical experience. Hunger can be ever-present, insatiable, and a constant worry. Emotional or “head” hunger can drive what many people recognize as “food noise”- the continual thought of food. How can we learn to recognize when our hunger is real or emotional? What can we d...

Our relationships with family and friends can change after bariatric surgery, and we wanted to know why. Many of us feel these changes but struggle to articulate how and why they change. Sometimes, our loved ones will tell us we have changed and express worry about this “new” person they see us becoming. As patients, we go through massive changes that can cause shifts in our relationships. How do...

Obesity is a lifelong and chronic disease that millions of Americans battle every day. Bariatric surgery is the most effective treatment of the disease, but weight loss medication advancements are making them a viable treatment option. A recent Goldman Sachs study estimated that by 2030, 15  million Americans would be taking an anti-obesity medication to treat the disease and live at a weight that...

We are told that resistance movement is critically important after weight loss surgery, but why? We had so many questions about this topic. We sat down with Dr. Shannon McMann, a board-certified Internal and Obesity Medicine specialist who is also a bariatric patient, to understand why muscle matters before and after surgery.  In this conversation, we asked her why maintaining and building muscle...

Our lives look and feel so different after bariatric surgery. One area of our life that can change, or we want to see change in, is our sexuality. We might have felt unworthy of these experiences or relationships before surgery because of our size or shape. Maybe we were disconnected from this area of life because the disease of obesity made it seem impossible to connect with. Or perhaps we felt t...

Is plastic surgery something you are considering after bariatric surgery? Many of us experience loose skin that can impede our day-to-day lives, make us feel uncomfortable, or prevent us from feeling like ourselves. Plastic surgery might be something in your future, and we want to arm you with the most accurate information from the experts themselves! We sat down with Dr. Omar Beidas, an AdventHea...

How many times have you attempted to institute new habits or rouintes, but find yourself never being able to stick with them? Are you frustrated and feeling like you are always “falling back into old habits?” Dont worry, we feel and experience the same thing when we attempt to establish a bew bariatric-aligned routine.  April sat down with Aransas Savas, a personal development expert with decades...

 Are you tired of feeling “stuffed” all the time? Everywhere you look, you see and feel stuffed with things, with memories, with things that you think you should be doing but don’t have the time or energy to do? Yeah, we know the feeling too. We recently welcomed a new Expert in the BariNation Membership Community who is a professionally trained organizer. Her name is Spring Coourtright and she wa...

Movement is one of our pillars of bariatric life. It is something that is a critical and integral part of our journey. But for many of us, movement has not been something that is joyful or exciting; it is seem as something we “have” to do or a way we punished ourselves for food choices in the past. If we want to live our Movement pillar, we need to shift our mindset around movement and find creati...

Welcome to another insightful episode of the BariNation Podcast. In this week's discussion, we dive deep into a topic that resonates with many in the bariatric realm: food addiction and abstinence post-surgery. Many weight loss surgery patients worry or wonder if they will ever be able to enjoy the foods they love after surgery. Some even have a “food funeral” before surgery as a way to mark t...

Life after weight loss surgery can feel overwhelming. There are vitamins to schedule, meals to plan, macros to count, water goals to hit, exercise milestones to reach, and so many other things that fall into the “lifestyle change” category. It can (and sometimes is) a full-time job learning how to be a bariatric patient. And on top of all of the things we need to do, there is a fear that we will d...

Many of us went into weight loss surgery believing not only that surgery would be the only “thing” we needed to find and maintain a healthy weight, but that having a second bariatric surgery was not even on our radar. But for thousands of bariatric patients every year, revisional surgeries are medically needed and necessary.  A “revisionist” has a revisited attitude to a previously accepted situat...

As this year comes to a close, BariNation co-hosts April Williams, Jason Smith, and Natalie Tierney sit down to reflect on this year, and predict what is to come in 2024.  This year was full of learning, growth, some turbulence, and best of all: community. The three co-hosts discuss how leaning on their support systems and their bariatric community have helped them navigate some intense moments th...

Welcome to a clutter-free episode of The BariNation Podcast, where we take a deep dive into decluttering with our special guest, Spring Courtright, a Marie Kondo-trained organizing expert. In this insightful episode, we delve into decluttering, unraveling the mysteries of what clutter is, why it accumulates, and how to initiate the transformative process. Spring Courtright defines clutter as anyth...

Welcome to a transformative episode of The BariNation Podcast, a show dedicated to supporting individuals on their bariatric and weight loss journey. In this episode, we explore the pivotal topic of lifting the heavy burden of shame. We draw inspiration and insights from Dr. Eric Smith, the Director of the Kentucky Bariatric Institute and BariNation co-founders and hosts April Williams and Natalie...

Regain, now known as weight recurrence in the medical community, is something most bariatric patients worry about. In today's episode, we deeply dive with obesity doctor and researcher Dr. Robert Kushner, to understand why patients regain weight after bariatric surgery. We want you to leave this episode with an understanding of why weight recurrence happens, why it is not something to be asham...

Movement is a pillar of bariatric success, but increased movement can mean we also need to increase our nutritional intake. For pre and post-op weight loss surgery patients, this can be a scary undertaking. Surgery reduces the amount of food we can take in at one time, and knowing how to fuel our bodies for movement can be triggering for so many reasons. What kinds of foods do we need to include?...

What do you notice when you look at pictures of your heavier self?  Like many of us, you might notice harsh, critical, or judgemental thoughts or feelings.  The sensations in your body may feel uncomfortable causing feelings of shame or disgust.  We have spent months, years, or even decades, trying to hide, ignore, or push away our “old self”.  The tricky part is that the old version of ourselves...

The holiday season can be stressful, especially for bariatric surgery patients. The added emphasis on food and family can kick our stress levels into overdrive. We might be seeing people who are not supportive of our journey, or we are worried about being pressured into eating foods that are not aligned with our bariatric life. Throw in grief, shame, and worry; you have a recipe for a not-so-merry...

The holiday season is upon us, and it's a time of joy, celebration, and yes, some unique challenges. In this episode of The BariNation Podcast, we explore the power of mindfulness and how it can be your guiding light during this festive time. Returning podcast guest and BariNation Expert Kayla Girgen, RD joined April and Jason who kick off the discussion by diving deep into the concept of mind...