Weight Loss Winformation

What did you expect? There’s a question we throw around quite often. Too often, what we expect something to be like does not exactly match the reality of the situation. Maybe you expected your last vacation to be trouble-free… that rarely happens! Perhaps you expected the new job to be the dream job… but it turned out that the new office had all of the drama of the previous office. If you’ve had b...

If, as we have talked about during the past few podcast episodes, you want to set healthy boundaries and stop neglecting yourself due to unhealthy people-pleasing behaviors, you need to commit to learning and using assertiveness skills! Not to worry, being assertive is not the same thing as being aggressive, rude or nasty. Being assertive is stating what you want and need in a healthy and direct w...

Are you a people pleaser? Well… if you have trouble saying “no,” feel responsible for other people’s feelings, avoid conflict at all costs, apologize a lot, and feel like you never have time for yourself (especially if you’re busy doing so much for so many others)… then it could be that you are, indeed, a people pleaser! There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help others… unless you are so busy doi...

Boundaries are the ways we teach other people to treat us… I think that’s from Dr. Phil, actually. In our journey of weight loss, setting boundaries for ourselves establishes guardrails to keep us safe. When we set boundaries for ourselves or with other people, we are engaging in healthy acts of self-care. Too many people struggle to set boundaries, as most people were never taught what boundaries...

What makes asking for help so difficult? Not surprisingly, fear is the top reason given for not asking for help. Fear of what, you ask? Fear of imposing upon others. Fear of appearing too needy. Fear of looking or sounding incompetent, unintelligent, or incapable. Fear of exposing the fact that we are not perfect and we don’t, in fact, have it all together. And, let’s not forget the dreaded fear o...

Self-care simply means doing things for yourself that improve your physical, social, emotional/psychological health. In other words, engaging in self-care means you focus on your own needs with as much effort as you put into caring for so many others! Engaging in self-care results in increased energy, less stress, and lower risk of illness. When it comes to weight loss and weight maintenance, self...

Like most people I talk to who are preparing for bariatric surgery, Claude Viens, after many times of gaining and lose the same pounds, realized he knew what he was supposed to do to lose weight – and to keep it off.  The problem he faced was taking the action and continuing to take those actions over time. He eventually came to terms with the fact that there is no easy fix. Keeping weight off is...

In this episode, I begin a two-part series presenting some highlights from Claude Viens book. Claude makes it clear to the reader that he is not a professional in any sense when it comes to weight loss. He is a man who struggled with weight loss and regain for many years… until he figured out some very insightful thoughts and practices that allowed him to get rid of his excess weight and keep it o...

When a person has a chronic disease like obesity or addiction, everyone in their world is in some way affected. Family members, in particular, are impacted by the presence of a chronic disease suffered by one of its members. In the case of obesity or addiction, family members worry. They are scared about the health of their loved one. They worry about the emotional ups and downs that accompany per...

Joy had bariatric surgery 14 years ago and lost weight as expected following surgery. Prior to surgery, Joy rarely consumed alcohol and did not knowingly engage in any other addictive behaviors or consume other addictive substances. More than a year passed before she took a sip of alcohol. Her first post-surgery drink was four ounces of wine. She was almost instantly dizzy and intoxicated. The nex...

Addiction professionals say some very wise things. For instance, Dr. Vera Tarman, author of Food Junkies (I recommend reading the 2nd edition as she talks about bariatric surgery in this version) says, “From food addiction to food serenity – freedom tastes great!” Tennie McCarty, author of Shades of Hope says, “If you can’t take it or leave it, you’re probably addicted to it.” Dr. Gabor Mate, one...

I recently heard what turned into a controversial discussion on a radio show about whether or not someone who smokes suffers with low self-esteem. I gave the issue quite a bit of thought, broadening the question to pertain to those with food issues, alcohol issues and other addictive-type issues. My personal experience and my years as a professional working in the field of bariatrics, leads me to...

 “You’re Only Responsible for the Effort You Put Into Whatever You Do.” This sentence has had tremendous impact in my life. And I hope it will become a sentence that you learn to live by! People who have bariatric surgery tell me they want to live at a healthy weight and have an improved quality of life. In order for that to happen, they need to develop a healthy lifestyle that lasts for the rest...

The absolute best way to REFUSE REGAIN is to follow the bariatric basics. Today’s episode is one you will want to listen to on a regular basis. Today I interviewed Dr. Susan Mitchell, bariatric RD and host of her own, acclaimed podcast, Bariatric Surgery Success, which you want to listen to regularly. The link to her website is below. Be sure to sign up for her newsletter, as well! I learn all sor...

Consciously or subconsciously, many post-ops resist making the changes necessary to lose weight and to keep weight off. Well, that doesn’t make sense! People choose to have bariatric surgery. They’re informed prior to having it what they need to do behaviorally after surgery as they lose weight. They are told very specifically what behaviors they need to engage in to keep that weight off. So why w...

For the next several weeks I’ll be talking about regain… how to avoid it and how to lose it if it’s found you! Set it firmly in my mind that you REFUSE REGAIN! Use the information in this video and the next several videos to maintain your weight loss or to help you lose any pounds you may have regained. And then… again… REFUSE REGAIN! In today’s episode, I’ll be explaining what my 4 ACES are and h...

I’ve been hearing a lot of post-op bariatric patients using the words “body dysmorphia” quite a lot in the past couple of years in relation to how they are experiencing the changes in their bodies after major weight loss. I did some investigating as the little bit of information I had about body dysmorphic disorder did not seem to fit the description of what I heard these people discussing. Tune i...

Health coaching is becoming more and more popular, particularly in the field of bariatric medicine! Not everyone needs the deeper dive that takes place in therapy sessions, but could definitely use an additional support person. Health coaches are tremendous for assisting you in setting goals and being an accountability person to help you remain consistent in following through with your goals! Heal...

The information I recently learned about sleep as it relates to our health and weight has decidedly got me re-thinking the importance of sleep in my life! Bariatric patients often have one or more health comorbidities to include diabetes, sleep apnea, cardiovascular issues and hypertension. Wait until you hear how getting less than eight hours of sleep a night impacts those very same health condit...

What does “overall psychological strength and stability” mean and what does that have to do with maintaining weight loss? Having what the researchers of the article we have been discussing for the past several episodes call “overall psychological strength and stability” basically means being a healthy adult. Well… that doesn’t clear things up very much! Listen in and I’ll explain why being able to...

Are you an autonomous adult? Say what? Are you a person who makes decisions for themselves, who is independent and chooses their own path in life? I’m sure that in many ways and in many areas of your life, you are indeed an independent decision-maker. How about when it comes to make decisions for your life about having bariatric surgery, what foods come into your home, whether you take your lunch...

What is the truth about sugar? How much is it okay for you to have in a day’s time? And what about all the sugar substitutes? Are some of them better for you than others? Or are all of the ok? Or maybe they’re all bad? Oh, yeah…. And then there are those things called sugar alcohols? What’s up with them? Listen in and get the scientific facts from Taylor! And be sure to share this information with...

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to succeed in a particular situation. When it comes to keeping weight off following bariatric surgery, many post-op patients struggle mightily to believe deep down in their heart of hearts that they will succeed in keeping their weight off for the long haul. They may or may not verbalize this sense of doubt. For every patient who does admit to ha...

Life is stressful – both before bariatric surgery – and after bariatric surgery. You’ll continue to run late in the morning, your job will continue to overwhelm or overload you, your family will still say and do things that hurt your feelings or frustrate the bejeesus out of you, parents will continue to age, spouses and partners will disappoint you, and food triggers will remain everywhere you lo...

Of course you want to lose your excess weight when you have bariatric surgery. You also (hopefully) want to keep that weight off! A group of researchers has informed us that having and utilizing a healthy support system after bariatric surgery is a great predictor for keeping weight off. Let’s bring this home. Do YOU have a support system? People in your immediate life that are there for you as yo...