Weight Loss Winformation

I found a quote I really like and it’s perfect for today’s podcast. The quote goes like this, “Success is never owned; it is only rented – and the rent is due every day.” Rory Vaden, the author of “Take the Stairs: 7 steps for Achieving True Success, is the person who said that. Basically, what Mr. Vaden is saying is the effort you put in today – to whatever it is you’re doing – determines your su...

Many years ago, I was a patient in an outpatient program that met four nights a week. One day, the counselor approached me and told me I could no longer wear any makeup – to include mascara – to the sessions each night. From that night on, I was held accountable for following through with the no make-up/no mascara agreement as the counselor literally scrutinized my face every evening! Accountabili...

I was with two of my grandsons this weekend… on Saturday and Sunday … for quite some time. On Monday my son, their father, informed me that not only did both boys test positive for strep throat on Monday, so did my son and his wife, their mother! I adamantly told my son that I am NOT going to have strep throat! My insistence that I won’t be getting strep does NOT negate the reality that I was expo...

In the movie, Cool Runnings (a must see in my book), the main character, Daresse, who is preparing for the Olympic try-outs as a sprinter, says to his wife, “I don't care how fast they run, I'm going to run faster. I don't care how much they want it, I want it more . I'm going to the Olympics, baby. I feel it.” THAT is a positive attitude! And having a positive attitude is crit...

“Connie! You’ve got to be careful with your voice!” people would tell me... a lot of people… “What do you mean?” I asked, sincerely not sure what was wrong with my voice. What I learned was that, unaware to myself, I always spoke very loudly, I sounded angry and more intense than I was feeling. I was unaware. Completely unaware that I came across that way. With awareness, I have learned that I can...

Relationships … we have relationships with family members, friends, co-workers, partners, pets, … and yes – we have a relationship with food! What is the quality of your relationships? Are some of them healthy and others unhealthy? What makes a relationship healthy or unhealthy anyway? If you have an unhealthy relationship … with food, in this case… what can you do to improve that relationship? Li...

We’ve all heard that actions speak louder than words. This definitely holds true in the world of bariatrics! Prior to surgery or any weight loss program, most people talk about their commitment, their readiness for change, and proclaim their promises to do things differently this time. In this episode of BariAftercare, we’ll explore 9 objective factors that can help determine if a person is realis...

In the bariatric world, we focus a lot on setting goals. A goal answers the question: What do you want? As a post-op, you want to lose weight, improve your health and the quality of your life, and you want to maintain that healthier weight for life! Those are truly great goals! Having a process, or system, answers the question, “How are you going to reach those goals?” Goals point you in the direc...

Calling all MEN! (And ladies, you need to listen to this, as well!) Meet Rob DiMedio, a history teacher, post-op and POST-OP MENTOR! When I suggest that people IMMERSE themselves into their recovery from obesity, Rob is the STELLAR EXAMPLE! You're gonna love him. AND... he is going to assist me in the FIRST EVER MEN'S RETREAT for post-ops to be held in Atlanta, from August 9th - 13th. Gu...

In this episode of BariAfercare you are being introduced to another regular member of BariAftercare for 2023: Chef Healthy Henry! Henry is a post-op himself. He has taken his professional skills as a chef and is using them to his – and now to your – benefit! Chef Healthy Henry is going to show you -  every month - how to cook a beautiful, bariatric-friendly, healthy meal! You can continue to enjoy...

Welcome to 2023 and BariAftercare, the Podcast! I’m your host, Dr. Connie Stapleton... even though I’m not quite sounding like myself! BUT… the show must go on, so this is me with a touch of laryngitis. This is episode 103: the first of a monthly video series this year called Family, Friends and Relationships after Bariatric Surgery. In this episode I’d like to introduce you to Tabitha Johnson, ak...

Welcome to the last podcast episode of 2022 in which you will hear from an incredibly dynamic woman who has not only received numerous gifts as a result of having bariatric surgery but is also going to share the gift of herself and her chosen career in the travel industry with the bariatric community in the near future. Listen in as Meg Sytnick tells you about the journey she has been on thus far...

Have you ever met a person with a sparkling personality? If not, you’re about to! Meet Ilona! Ilona is a breath of fresh air! She can put a smile on your face in an instant! She also has the ability to share direct and honest feedback in the most loving way! I know you’ll love hearing about the gifts Ilona has received as a result of choosing to have bariatric surgery as well as how she is sharing...

As Sam the Snowman, voiced by the inimitable Burl Ives in the famous, animated holiday story, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer says, “Ah, youth.” Today you will meet a most incredible young post-op named Olivia who shares wisdom beyond her years related to the lessons and gifts she has received as she has ventured into her new life as a healthier version of herself. Olivia is an inspiration to me, a...

We’re in the thick of the Holiday Season! The holidays are a time of giving and receiving gifts! Today, and for the next few weeks, post-ops are going to share with you the gifts they have received as a result of having bariatric surgery. In addition, they share how they have shared those gifts with others! Meet Chris Chastain, a man I have known for over half his life! Tonight he shares the gifts...

You’ve likely been hearing and seeing a lot on podcasts and on social media about eating healthy over the holidays and protecting yourself from all of the high-carb, high-sugar foods that are … well, everywhere! That is all good stuff and I hope you listen to and read as much as possible about staying on track over the holidays! What about protection for your emotions? Many people are emotional ea...

A post-op patient recently told me she has started counting the number of self-sabotaging behaviors she recognizes herself engaging in every day. She was shocked and horrified at the many ways she was sabotaging her own weight loss success. Examples of her self-sabotaging behaviors included hiding food in her closet and eating it before she went to bed at night, telling her spouse she was going to...

“I’m not mad!” she shouts as she throws her backpack and slams the door while leaving you shaking your head. Passive aggressive behavior… when words and non-verbal communication don’t match. Sadly, we’re all probably fairly competent when it comes to this sort of communication. How does passive-aggressive behavior interfere with the weight loss process? To begin with, there’s a lot of emotional ea...

Oh, boy! Today you’re gonna learn a few ugly things about my communication skills in my young adult life.  Fortunately, with the help of others and quite a bit of effort, I have learned much healthier skills over the years that I now utilize… at least most of the time. Spoiler alert – I’m talking about being an aggressive communicator which is no good if your goal is to be the best, overall, healt...

I’ve asked these questions before and I’m going to ask them again right now: Do you feel like a doormat in any of your relationships? Do you feel resentful of others because you give in to requests for the sake of not upsetting others, to be included in the group, to be liked, or because you learned from others to always be the one who does all of the things? Are you the person who refrains from s...

Active listening is yet another healthy, assertive communication skill. But it is way more than that in terms of your bariatric journey. Actively listening - to yourself and how you communicate with yourself - can actually prevent you from being stuck in a vicious cycle of unhealthy emotional eating. Learning to listen to, and change negative self-talk into healthy, compassionate self-talk will al...

The therapist my husband and I saw for several years when we started our journeys toward living an overall healthy lifestyle said to us over and over and over, “You always have the right to share your thoughts, your feelings and your observations.” It took us some time to learn to do so in a healthy way. For a long while, we found a way to somehow point the finger at one another, engage in unhealt...

Dean Anderson, Behavior Psychology Expert, asked this question in an online article in 2006: “Would you believe me if I told you that knowing the answer to one simple question could improve your chances for weight loss success by up to 100%? Well, it’s true. Here’s the question: Which of the following is the single most important factor in long-term weight loss success? A. Calorie Counting B. Regu...

Being an assertive communicator, which will help you in your weight loss journey, is the ultimate communication goal – at least for people who want to be their healthiest adult selves! It would be great if everyone would learn to communicate in a healthy, direct, respectful manner! And for YOU… if you learn and practice and get really good at communicating in an assertive way, your weight loss jou...

Assertive? Passive? Aggressive? Or maybe Passive-Aggressive? Four different ways to communicate with others… and I suppose with yourself, as well! Do you know what communication style you most often utilize? And… can you guess which form of communication is the most effective? How about the style used least frequently? Oh… and, what do these communication styles have to do with your weight journey...