The holiday season can be stressful, especially for bariatric surgery patients. The added emphasis on food and family can kick our stress levels into overdrive. We might be seeing people who are not supportive of our journey, or we are worried about being pressured into eating foods that are not aligned with our bariatric life. Throw in grief, shame, and worry; you have a recipe for a not-so-merry and bright season. 

For some patients, their decision to undergo weight loss surgery is private. We can panic when questions and comments are asked at these events, and we don’t know how to respond. Or when we think about how we will turn down our Aunt’s famous jello salad, our brain goes blank. These are the moments, the hotspots, we can and should prepare for. 

In this episode, your hosts, April, Jason, and Natalie, sit down with BariNation Expert and bariatric therapist Lora Grabow, LMSW, to help us learn how to identify and navigate these “holiday hotspots.” A “hotspot” is an event or moment where our emotions are at play and risk. We worry about these moments because we are unsure how we will react or respond. They are called “hotspots” because we can get burned if we are not careful. 

If we think about our upcoming holiday and identify some hotspots that might be ahead, we can plan for them so that our actions or reactions at the moment are aligned with our bariatric life and goals. Lora will introduce us all to the work of Dr. Beck and her Priorities chart. She will teach us how to identify essential, highly desirable, and desirable actions to help us lower the temperature surrounding these hotspots and move through the season with space and grace. 

Remember, you're not alone on this journey. Join the BariNation Support Community and connect with people working through holiday hotspots. We partner with experts like Lora to offer support groups, classes, and meetups where you can connect with other people just like you. Visit us at https://barination.mn.co to learn more about our inclusive and welcoming support community! Remember to subscribe to The BariNation Podcast for more insights and inspiration on your weight loss surgery journey.

If you found this episode helpful, please leave us a review on your favorite podcast platform and share it with others who might benefit from this information. And you can help us produce this show by becoming a $5 monthly Patreon support! Visit www.barinationpodcast.com to become a supporter! 

About our Guest: Lora Grabow, LMSW, is a seasoned bariatric therapist with 20 years of clinical and patient experience. She is an educator and course creator, public speaker, patient advocate, and educator. She is an expert leader in BariNation and has been featured on multiple podcasts. Visit her online at www.loragrabow.com to connect with her!

About Your Hosts: April Williams, Jason Smith, and Natalie Tierney were all bariatric patients inspired to create the community and support they needed. BariNation empowers people to treat their disease of obesity in kind, compassionate, and caring ways through the community they founded. As they learn to live the pillars of bariatric success (movement, mindset, metabolic wellness), they share their experiences and “aha” moments with their friends and followers. 

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, when and where they need it. BariNation hosts an online membership support community led by experts and patients and produces an award-winning weekly podcast distributed on all major podcast and video platforms.

Follow BariNation on Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest. You can also connect with us personally on Instagram; follow April @actively_april, follow Jason @tha_smithsonian, and follow Natalie @breakingbari_ers.

You’ve got this and we’ve got you!