One day I’m going to turn this episode into an ebook… I’ve had that in the back of my mind for years now, actually! So here you go – a sneak peek at the ebook that will one day be available to one and all! For now, listen to this lighthearted but really relevant comparison between what goes into having bariatric surgery and what goes into having a wedding! While it’s a fun and rather funny comparison, the serious message is that planning a wedding is not the same as creating a healthy marriage! Similarly, getting ready for bariatric surgery isn’t at all the same as creating and living a post-op healthy lifestyle! Listen in to this episode for some really good … pardon the lame expression, but … really good food for thought! Let’s get started!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

Getting used to the bariatric lifestyle following surgery can be like a full time job! There are bariatric specific vitamins to take at certain times of the day, there’s a lot of water to be consumed, more than a lot of protein to take in, movement goals to squeeze into the day, and so much more! It can be overwhelming for sure! As soon as it seems you’ve gotten into a good routine, the honeymoon bliss takes over and the surgery does its work … the weight seems to fall off and you may slack off from some of the good habits you’d gotten into. Until the worst of the worst happens and not only do you stop losing weight but there are a few pounds of regain every now and then! For many, panic sets in and they feel lost, crying, “I don’t know what to do! Where do I start?” The answer, my friends, every time, is at the beginning. Go back to the basics: the bariatric basics. That’s what this episode is all about. If you’re new to bariatric surgery or if you’re many years out from your procedure, a good review of the basics is always helpful. Let’s get started!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

BariAftercare’s movement contributor, Kelsey, who is a personal trainer and Burn Boot Camp instructor, met a post-op who is shaking things up in the best way, not only at the gym but in her life as a mom, a teacher, and through her posts on social media! In this episode, Amy highlights the fact that each of us is born to shine in this world! Listen as Amy shares how she made the choice to create a life rich in non-scale victories, how she shares her wisdom, her positive attitude and her understanding that each day is filled with difficult moments that we can work to handle in a healthy way because we CAN do hard things! Both Amy and Kelsey share the reasons they chose to overcome the physical and emotional hurdles they faced as they began their movement routines and how the accomplishments they experienced in their physical workouts translated to improvements in their overall confidence and self-esteem, which in turn, led to positive changes in other areas of their lives! We can all learn some great life lessons in this episode. Let’s get started!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

The Butterfly Effect. You may or may not have heard of this, but the butterfly is commonly recognized in the world of bariatrics to represent the transformation people go through as they modify their bodies through significant weight loss. The transformation of a butterfly is sometimes thought of as being symbolic of rebirth and personal growth. Transformation is thought to represent self-discovery and the ability to change and evolve. When people go through significant weight loss following surgery or with the aid of medications, they have the opportunity to experience either modification, or changes in their body, or they can choose transformation, a whole person personal growth opportunity that brings with it improved self-confidence, increased awareness of healthy personal power and a host of life adventures, along with the weight loss. And yet – transformation requires much more effort than modification. Which will you choose? Listen in for more information about the differences between modification and transformation!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton)

The Bert Show podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bert-show/id1498200241

Dr. Dharius Daniels https://dhariusdaniels.com/

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

This week I conclude this two-part series on establishing and utilizing a sense of personal power that will facilitate you in defining and reaching your goals, not only related to your bariatric adventure, but your life beyond bariatrics, as well! Having a healthy sense of personal power is an attitude, a way of approaching all areas of your life, with confidence and a can-do, will-do attitude. Learn what some professionals have to say about developing and demonstrating the amazing way of life associated with personal power. Use YOUR personal power to make it easier to maintain weight loss and live the life you dream of creating!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton) https://procarenow.com/?ref=conniestapleton

9 Ways for You to Keep Your Personal Power by Amy Morin https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201601/9-ways-you-keep-your-personal-power

Stepping into Your Personal Power by Sarah-Len Mutiwasekwa

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-upside-things/202006/stepping-your-personal-power

“Laws” of Personal Power by George Everly, Jr.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-disaster-strikes-inside-disaster-psychology/202405/laws-of-personal-power

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

As part of the full online BariAftercare program, we have a word of the week that corresponds to our word of the year, which is accountability. One of the words we recently discussed is the word POWER. This word has a lot of definitions, which I hadn’t thought about until I actually looked on dictionary.com. For our purposes, we are talking about PERSONAL POWER, which is the ability you have within yourself to create the life you want for yourself. UNLESS… you don’t believe you do … have that sort of power within. We need to develop the skills and self-esteem to create and use our own sense of personal power if we are to create the life we want. The life I want includes physical health, of course, as health truly is wealth, as they say. In addition to a healthy body, I want healthy relationships and a healthy sense of being disciplined, to be accountable and follow through when I say I am going to do something, and to believe in myself enough to carry on with the going gets tough! Listen to this episode and think about your own sense of personal power and how you use that in your bariatric journey!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton) https://procarenow.com/?ref=conniestapleton

9 Ways for You to Keep Your Personal Power by Amy Morin https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-mentally-strong-people-dont-do/201601/9-ways-you-keep-your-personal-power

Stepping into Your Personal Power by Sarah-Len Mutiwasekwa

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-upside-things/202006/stepping-your-personal-power

“Laws” of Personal Power by George Everly, Jr.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/when-disaster-strikes-inside-disaster-psychology/202405/laws-of-personal-power

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

In this episode I pick up where we left off last week, only in this episode I provide a number of five to ten-minute practical exercises you can use to help ensure your long-term success as a post-op. These exercises are ones the author of Mental Toughness for Young Adults suggests for kids so if they are easy enough for kids…. You and I can certainly manage them! AND these exercises are directly related to skills post-ops can use to reach their long-term goals, not just related to the bariatric aspect of their lives, but in all areas! Tune in for some amazing tools you can learn and practice in five-minute increments! Invite your friends and family members to join you and grow together! Let’s get started!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton) https://procarenow.com/?ref=conniestapleton

Mental Toughness for Young Athletes by Moses and Troy Horne

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.

This episode has been so much fun to record! I have been reading a book called Mental Toughness for Young Athletes to two of my grandsons. As I’ve been reading it aloud to them, I’ve found myself regularly saying, “I need to share this with my bariatric patients!” And so I did! In this episode, I share the beginning of the information that the authors have prepared for young kids to develop some mental and emotional toughness to get through the struggles and “failures” related to playing sports. My daughter, their mother, reminds us, “Baseball is a game of failure,” meaning that even professional players strike out more often than they hit the ball. Kids need to learn not to turn these “normal” failures in sports into negative self-talk or the fast track to low self-esteem. This relates to bariatric patients, many having felt like “failures” in the past when it comes to losing and regaining weight, struggling with weight fluctuations after surgery, continuing to struggle with the behavior changes required to live a healthy post-op life, and comparing themselves to others in the bariatric community. Join me for the first part of what has turned into a two-part podcast series and learn what mental toughness for young athletes and life as a post-op patient have in common!

Resources:

BariAfterare: www.bariaftercare.com

Connie Stapleton PhD website: www.conniestapletonphd.com

BariAftercare website: https://www.conniestapletonphd.com/bariaftercare

BariAftercare Facebook page (for members only): https://www.facebook.com/groups/BariAftercare

Kevin Stephens: Your Bariatric Buddy https://www.facebook.com/groups/yourbariatricbuddy/people

Instagram: @cale101 (Caleshia Haynes)

Instagram: @therealbariboss (Tabitha Johnson)

Instagram @drsusanmitchell (Dr. Susan Mitchell)

Instagram: @lauraleepreston (Laura Preston)

ProCare Vitamins (10% off with code ConnieStapleton) https://procarenow.com/?ref=conniestapleton

Mental Toughness for Young Athletes by Moses and Troy Horne

Please subscribe to the show and rate it on Apple Podcasts, download free information at www.conniestapletonphd.com, and follow me on Twitter (@cstapletonphd), Instagram (@cstapletonphd), YouTube, LinkedIn, and on Facebook.