The disease of obesity will require a lifelong fight and many different treatment modalities. With the advancements in medication and care, anti-obesity drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy are positioned to become viable options for bariatric patients in their pre and post-operative stages. But what happens if you lose access to these medications? Will you regain some or all of the weight you lost while taking these powerful and effective drugs?

In this episode, BariNation CoFounder April sat down with BariNation Expert and Professional Chef Stephanie Mitchell, a bariatric patient and professional chef who shares her experience with GLP-1 medication and life after stopping it. Stephanie discusses her journey on the medication, the challenges she faced after stopping it, and how she has maintained the low weight that she achieved while on Mounjuaro. 

The conversation highlights the importance of mindset, self-acceptance, and constant self-reflection in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Stephanie emphasizes having conversations with oneself, setting goals, and staying accountable. The episode also touches on the bariatric community's and BariNation's power in providing support and guidance. In this conversation, she discusses the importance of maintaining healthy habits and mindset after bariatric surgery. She has learned to lean into BariNation’s Pillars of Bariatric Success of Movement, Mindset, Metabolic Wellness, and Community when things started to feel overwhelming. 

If you have been thinking about onboarding an anti-obesity medication but are worried about what could happen if you ever stop taking medication, this powerful episode is for you. We hope you leave this conversation knowing that you can maintain your low weight, with or without medication; you have the tools you need to find lasting success. 

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 our Guests: Stephanie Mitchell is a professional chef, wife, and mother living in Bear, Delaware. After battling obesity since childhood, she decided to have VSG surgery in 2020 and introduced Mounjaro as an adjunct treatment in 2022. After reaching her goal weight in 2023, she has been inspired to help others maintain with or without anti-obesity medication. Follow Stephanie on Instagram @steph_the_shrinking_chef and listen to her podcast, We Are Losing It. 

 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!