Bariatric surgery patients often face intense fear about weight recurrence, but understanding obesity as a chronic disease can transform the healing journey. In this BariNation episode, we explore what happens when therapist and bariatric patient Melanie Lindell wears a simulation suit that recreates her pre-surgery body. The experience revealed how trauma and fear live just beneath the surface, even years post-op. We discuss the reality of weight reoccurence, the struggle with body image, and why community support becomes essential for long-term success. Melanie shares insights about finding rest, practicing gratitude, and becoming a "benevolent witness" to your own story. This conversation validates the emotional healing required beyond physical transformation and offers hope for anyone navigating the process of coping with weight recurrence after weight loss surgery.
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IN THIS EPISODE:
- 00:00 The simulation suit experience at the Bariatric Solutions Conference, and Melanie shares her background
- 08:45 Understanding weight recurrence and the fear of weight regain
- 20:07 Living in a world not built for larger bodies, obesity, and insurance company challenges
- 31:38 Gratitude as the foundation for emotional healing and recovery
- 35:54 Finding rest through community support and benevolent witnesses
- 55:02 Post-op grief, body image, and processing transformation and your personal bariatric story
- 1:14:53 Being your own benevolent witness and practicing self-compassion
- 1:20:39 Being open and embracing your feelings
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- The fear of weight recurrence never entirely disappears, even years after successful bariatric surgery, because memories live in the body and can be instantly triggered by experiences that remind patients of their former struggles with obesity.
- Finding a bariatric community where you can be authentically witnessed—without judgment or expectation of solutions—provides essential emotional healing and combats the isolation that obesity treatment journeys often create.
- Practicing gratitude and self-compassion serves as a powerful antidote to the relentless pressure of maintaining weight loss, allowing patients to recognize that single moments don't define their entire post-op journey or determine long-term success.
BariNation - Partnership Monthly Membership
BariNation’s How to Find an Obesity Specialist Guide
When I Put the Fat Suit On - Melanie Lindell - Blog
BIOGRAPHY:
Melanie Lindell, LMHC, serves as BariNation’s CHRO and is a licensed counselor with over a decade of experience in trauma and abuse. A bariatric patient herself, Melanie had Roux-en-Y surgery in 2019 and faced a complex recovery that included complications, additional surgeries, and time on a feeding tube. Her passion is helping others heal and thrive, and she considers it a privilege to walk alongside fellow bariatric patients as a support group leader.
ABOUT:
If the BariNation podcast helps power your bariatric journey, become a monthly podcast supporter and help us produce the show! Visit www.barinationpodcast.com and help us support people treating the disease of obesity with humor, humility, and honesty.
About BariNation: BariNation is a bariatric educational organization on a mission to empower patients to access and utilize the tools, resources, and education needed to find and maintain personal wellness. We connect patients with the support they need and when and where they need it. BariNation produces an award-winning weekly podcast distributed on all major podcast and video platforms and hosts a support membership community that teams up with credentialed and licensed bariatric experts and clinicians.