Our relationships with family and friends can change after bariatric surgery, and we wanted to know why. Many of us feel these changes but struggle to articulate how and why they change. Sometimes, our loved ones will tell us we have changed and express worry about this “new” person they see us becoming. As patients, we go through massive changes that can cause shifts in our relationships. How do we cope with this change, as so much is changing around and in us?

We sat down with Amber Boyd, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, to understand the causes of these relationship changes and how we can navigate them. She helped us understand that some relationships might not be worth saving and that moving on from them might be our best action. She also taught us some fantastic tools for working with our loved ones on our relationship before and after weight loss surgery and offered some personal advice. Amber is a bariatric patient who has experienced these relationship changes. 

Join us for this robust conversation on relationships with expert and fellow patient Aber Boyd. We know you will leave this conversation with new insights into your relationship and actions you can take to strengthen the ones that serve you and move on from the ones that don't. Follow Amber on Instagram and connect with her online at https://amberboydtherapy.com

If you are a member of the BariNation Support Community or a $5 a month Patreon supporter of this podcast, your Bonus Episode will dive deeper into understanding how connected our mindset is to your nutrition and helping us reach those goals, how to ensure we hit our nutritional goals if the medication makes us feel nauseous, and if the medication impacts how our digestive system breaks down food. 

About our Guest: Amber Boyd is a distinguished Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, esteemed CEO/Owner of Healing Through Authenticity, PLLC, accomplished Author, innovative YouTube creator, and engaging Podcast Host, originally from Oakland, CA, now based in Houston, TX. With over a decade of experience in therapy provision, Amber is renowned for her expertise in dispelling the misconception that mental health is dispensable for marginalized and maligned communities. Her practice focuses on addressing a spectrum of mental health challenges, including depression, anxiety, boundary setting, and trauma, with a commitment to promoting wellness and authenticity in every individual she serves. 

About Your Hosts: April, Jason, and Natalie are all bariatric patients who were 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 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. 

Follow BariNation on Instagram and TikTok, and visit us online at www.barination.com. You can also connect with each of the hosts 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!