Weight Loss Winformation

We’ve all been alone and I’m guessing we’ve all felt lonely at times… in fact, I’d venture to say that most of us have felt lonely at times when we are with other people and when we have been alone. In this episode, I’ll talk about the physical and mental health benefits of spending some time alone and, if you’re uncomfortable being alone, I’ll share some tips on how to make that a bit easier. I’l...

Have you ever been referred to as a control freak? Well, I have. Even if you aren’t a controlling person, chances are good that you know someone who is… or several someones, perhaps! In this episode, you’ll learn what it actually means to be controlling, what being controlling looks like, and the reasons people become controlling in the first place. And of course, we’ll talk about what this all ha...

In this episode, one of my best bariatric buddies joins me to talk about… all kinds of bariatric wisdom, to include how all of us can fall into the social comparison game. But we talk about SOOOO much more in this episode… we get real and personal with you throughout the episode! Let’s just get started… and be sure to listen to the very end as there is a very specific call to action! Resources: Ba...

Wait… What? There’s passive communication… we’ve gone over that. There’s aggressive communication… we’ve talked about that! What then, is passive-aggressive communication? I mean, passive communication and aggressive communication couldn’t be any more opposite? What’s up with combining the two into a category of communication all its own?! Passive-Aggressive communication. Yep – it’s a thing. A no...

We’ve discussed the most healthy form of communication, Assertive communication, and we’ve discussed a pretty detrimental form of communication, Aggressive communication! In this episode, I’ll be explaining what is referred to as a PASSIVE communication style. Passive communication is another form of less-than-healthy communication and one used by a LOT of folks… namely those who “want to avoid co...

The guest on this episode has travelled to an astonishing 70+ countries, to include over a handful since having gastric bypass surgery… which was… get this … less than a year ago! She is ALSO a professional! A professional traveller? No, although I’m not sure a) if there is such a thing or b) what would qualify one as such! Today’s guest, Kenda Harrison is a nurse practitioner who has a private pr...

The goal for everyone when it comes to communicating with others would be to use ASSERTIVE communication… directly, respectfully, and honestly sharing your thoughts, feelings and desires with others. If you know your style tends to be more aggressive, listen to these real life situations and learn how to tweak that aggressive manner – which will create distance between you and whoever you’re deali...

Far from being an effective way to interact with people in life – and definitely as you navigate the many changes you face following bariatric surgery, aggressive communication is almost ALWAYS a lose-lose! If YOUR natural or habitual manner of talking to others has an aggressive edge, or if someone in your life regularly speaks to you using an aggressive tone, you’ll want to listen to this episod...

“How do I tell my mother to back off my teenage girls and their lack of cleaning skills?” “What do I say to my almost-adult kids who told me they were fully supportive of me having surgery but now eat whatever they want in front of me? They tell me THEY didn’t have surgery and THEY aren’t trying to lose weight so they’ll eat whatever they want, wherever they want? HELP!” Here are some real-life ex...

What is assertive communication? This is: “Hey! When you listen to my podcast, I feel grateful because I know you are working to understand yourself better as you create a healthy life you love!” Assertive communication is sharing with someone else how you feel about something, the reason you feel the way you do, and oftentimes, includes something you want or would appreciate. People often fear co...

What does SHOULD’ing on yourself even mean? It means you’re being rigid, causing yourself, guilt and tension, and imposing additional obligations on yourself… by virtue of using the word SHOULD. Using shame-provoking words like “should,” “must,” “ought” and “have to” decreases motivation and decreases self-esteem… and increases stress, which, as I hear from patients every day, is one of the leadin...

Strange name for a podcast episode! But not if you listened to last week’s episode, because it was called the First Six “How’s” of Happiness. What the heck is a “How” of Happiness anyway? Quite simply, it’s a way to increase your happiness… and the 12 items listed in the book titled The How of Happiness have been scientifically researched and proven to help you increase your levels of happiness. A...

Do you know HOW to be happy? We all have an idea of what being happy means, but did you know there is a LOT of research on the topic of happiness. A woman named Sonja Lyubomirsky wrote a book called The How of Happiness in which she lists “how” to create and increase your happiness. I thought this list of 12 “Hows” of happiness fit right in with creating an overall healthy lifestyle for bariatric...

I couldn’t decide what to call this episode. I thought about calling it Those Old Habits That Seem to Creep Back In… Why? Because I hear that saying so frequently! “I can lose weight… but I just can’t seem to keep it off! Those old habits just creep back in.” I wonder every time… what do they creep back in on? Tiny little legs? Let’s get honest with ourselves, my friends! Habits do not have anythi...

This episode of the podcast was so much fun to record! I got to interview Shea Quinn, who many of you may know from her two … yes, TWO podcasts! She hosts Grow with Shea on which she talks not only about her journey of weight loss following bariatric surgery, but openly discusses issues related to emotional healing, something everyone can relate to. Shea is also a host on the Weighting Table podca...

Anger is a normal and yes, a HEALTHY emotion! What can be unhealthy about anger is the way one expresses it. Equally unhealthy – and literally dangerous to your physical health – is NOT expressing anger at all! Yep! Unexpressed anger can increase your levels of stress, which, in turn, can increase the likelihood that you develop high blood pressure, heart problems and diseases related to inflammat...

Today I am joined by my favorite co-host and bariatric post-op, Laura Preston. In today’s episode we talk about how finding your bariatric community in today’s climate is so much easier than when she and I entered the bariatric community nearly 2 decades ago! It’s critical as a bariatric patient to find a “home group” if you will, while still following your favorite individuals on social media. IN...

I end most of my podcasts and anything else I do when speaking to patients by saying, “It’s Your Health! Your Responsibility. This Day. Every Day.” After reading so much lately about how lifestyle, and specifically, how STRESS affects not only weight gain or regain, but the prevalence of cancers, Multiple Sclerosis, autoimmune diseases and Alzheimer’s disease, not to mention heart disease, arthrit...

In the last episode of BariAftercare, the Podcast! I talked about how the bariatric lifestyle is more than developing healthy habits in the areas of eating and exercise! Lifestyle incorporates your hobbies, your attitudes, the people you hang with and so much more! My good friend and passionate advocate of creating the life you love, Laura Preston was very enthusiastic about that episode and so we...

In the world of bariatric medicine, the word Lifestyle is often associated with nutrition and physical movement. Those are absolutely part of what lifestyle means. In addition, a healthy lifestyle includes your mindset, the people you hang out with, and the activities you participate in. Lifestyle is about your whole self… mind, body and spirit. Your overall lifestyle, as it turns out, has a huge...

I recently met Jeannie, a very dynamic, straightforward (my kinda woman) bariatric dietitian. Jeannie was recommended to me by my good friend and 18-year post-op, Laura Preston. Laura texted me these exact words: “Jeanie is a ROCK star…..super real. Super realistic. Funny. Straight Shooter.” And she on target with every one of those descriptive words! I had a wonderful time talking with Jeannie ab...

In the last podcast episode, I reviewed my book called MindPrep – the Book! The title says “the book” in it because I have a video series called MindPrep. The video series is what inspired me to turn the content into a book. Not only do I include all of the information from the Mind Prep videos in the book, I have added information I’ve accumulated over the many years since initially developing th...

Fifteen years ago… or maybe it’s been longer ago at this point, I created a series of ten videos I require every person for whom I complete a presurgical psychological evaluation to watch. OK… I only require that they watch the first five as they are predominantly focused on pre-surgical psychological and emotional issues, but I strongly encourage them to watch the five post-op videos as well… eve...

Casey is an incredible example of how to live life FULLY and enjoy the freedoms that significant weight loss offers. Casey is no longer hindered by excess weight and is able to participate fully in the many outdoor activities she has always loved. Jamie has learned to free herself to a significant degree from the negative self-talk she engaged in related to her weight, and THAT is a big deal! She...

There are hundreds and thousands of post-op patients on the planet! A LOT of them are talking the talk about how to live a healthy post-op life… I wonder how many of those people are also WALKING THE WALK! Hopefully, a lot of them! I know for SURE that the post-op peer mentor I am talking to in this episode is doing both… talking the talk AND DO-ing the walking, as well! Listen as Caleshia shares...