In this episode I bring you my conversation with pharmacist, Scott Monte, PharmD. I met Scott at the 2015 Obesity Week conference in Los Angeles. Since 2009 Scott has worked as a pharmacist with the bariatric surgery program known Synergy Bariatrics in Buffalo, NY. After talking with him at the conference I knew I […]

  After a lifetime of struggling with obesity, Pandora Williams underwent Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on October 19th, 2010. Now, five years later and through a lot of hard work and dedication, she is a fitness and wellness coach, blogger, avid runner, and motivational speaker. In this episode with interviewer Rob Portinga, Pandora tells her story […]

  This episode is a quick update telling you about a video I produced called “I Have a Disease; It’s Called Obesity.” The video won the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery “It Starts Now” video contest! In this episode I tell you a little bit about how I came to write the script, […]

  After a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, in 2004 Sandi Henderson’s weight was up to 425 lbs. She had uncontrolled high blood pressure, sleep apnea, asthma, and significant daily pain from bone-on-bone arthritic knees. After a significant health scare, Sandi decided it was time to make some lasting changes. As part of her decision to […]

  In this episode I go the second part of the Pre-Op education I teach to our patients who are getting ready for bariatric surgery. The focus of this second part is on the psychology of life after bariatric surgery. Discussed in this episode: The 7 right ingredients to live a Bari Great Life The […]

  I’ve attempted to avoid the whole Nicole Arbour  “Dear Fat People” thing. In general, 99% of the time I do not respond to hatefulness, whether it’s on the internet or elsewhere because I know that people who spew this kind of hatred are just energy vampires who feed off of other peoples responses, no […]

In this episode I am going to take you on a walk of sorts, an MBSAQIP walk. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you will soon. For starters, MBSAQIP stands for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program. What you’re about to hear are my reflections, sort of “A day in […]

  This episode I brought my mic to the people! Specifically the wonderful people at the Obesity Action Coalition’s Your Weight Matters Convention in San Antonio, Texas in August, 2015. While I was there I interviewed eleven different people about their bariatric surgery journey. Part of the interview included a game I invented called Texas […]

In this episode I go over the first part of the Pre-Op education I teach to our patients who are getting ready for bariatric surgery. The focus of this first part will be on the common early questions and concerns people have who have just undergone bariatric surgery. I have found that providing this education […]

In this episode I bring back Randy Seeley, Ph.D.. Dr Seeley is a research scientist at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. The focus of Dr Seeley’s work is examining how various hormones produced by the body work to influence the brain, food intake, and body weight. Dr Seeley and I last spoke one […]

  In this episode, Rob Portinga and I have a conversation with Jeff Newell. Jeff is now 7 months out from having Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery. This is our fourth conversation with Jeff along his Bari Great Life journey. Previous conversations have been episodes 042, 043, and 049. Discussed in this episode: Jeff’s journey so […]

      June 13th was the 2 year anniversary of launching this podcast. In this episode I walk you through my journey of starting this podcast. I also share some of my thoughts about getting ready for bariatric surgery. It is all a journey of learning, for me, for you, for all of us. […]

Dr Walter Medlin is a bariatric surgeon at the Bariatric Medicine Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. Dr Medlin is also a bariatric surgery patient, having had gastric sleeve. In this episode Dr Medlin and I discuss: His personal history with the disease of obesity The influences that led him to become a bariatric surgeon […]

  Katie Jay is the founder/director of the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery. She holds a masters degree in social work (MSW), is a certified WLS life coach, and is author of  Dying to Change: My Really Heavy Life Story, How Weight Loss Surgery Gave Me Hope for Living. Recognized as a leading spokesperson for WLS, […]

  Rev. Philip Tanner, M.Div, M.Ed., had RNY Gastric Bypass on 6/24/2013. He views the surgery as one of the most important decisions of his life. Philip’s BMI went from 44.6 to 22.5 and he no longer has co-morbidities such as pre-diabetes, severe acid reflux, sleep apnea, and hyperlipidemia; however, he knows that surgery is […]

In this episode, I bring back our WLSP friend, Rob Portinga. Perhaps you remember Rob from episode 36 when I interviewed him about his experience with life before and after bariatric surgery. I am bringing Rob back to have a different kind of conversation and role with the podcast. In this episode, Rob and I […]

Jeff Newell of DefyingObesity.org underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass  (RYGB) on December 1, 2014. This episode is our third installment along Jeff’s Bari Great Life journey. Our first conversation, episode 42 occurred just before Jeff had RYGB. The next episode featuring Jeff was episode 43 which featured the first month of his journey. We now pick […]

  In this episode I talk about birthdays, allowing what you want in your life and I answer your questions. Today, 2/16, is my birthday. I have lovingly spent much of it working on this podcast episode and it is now time for me to lovingly spend time with my family. I know you understand […]

This is Part 2 of my conversation with Dr Duc Vuong, bariatric surgeon and director of Lovelace Bariatrics in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dr V, as his patients call him, is not only a surgeon, but also a speaker, author, and out-of-the-box thinker when it comes to caring for bariatric surgical patients. If you have not […]

  Dr Duc Vuong is a bariatric surgeon and director of Lovelace Bariatrics in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is also an author, public figure, and avid user of social media, especially Facebook. Whether in person or virtually, Dr Vuong is redefining bariatric surgical care through his heart-felt and soul-touching presence. This is Part One of […]

In this episode I catch up with my friend John Bukenas of the Let’s Reverse Obesity Podcast. If you have been following my podcast for a while, you will remember I interviewed John last year in episode 26 titled “Considering WLS? A Conversation with John Bukenas.” Because I care about John and his journey, I […]