The BariNation Foundation Podcast

By April WilliamsAlternative Health Health & Fitness Mental Health Education Self-Improvement

The BariNation Foundation Podcast episodes

February 24, 2021 032: The Male Perspective- Mental Health and Plastics with Dalton
Episode Warning: Suicide and suicide prevention is discussed in this episode.
Over 250,000 people undergo some type of bariatric surgery each year and 40% of those people are men. But most of the public support for bariatric patients is geared towards women. We are here to change that because men face the same and similar "work" to live their lives at a healthy weight, and that work requires the support of this community.
We sat down with Dalton who has lost over 150 pounds after undergoing gastric bypass. We wanted to know how he has found success after bariatric surgery and it comes down to a few things- movement, mental health, and mindset. He realized that he was the only one holding himself back from living the life he wanted and when things got dark for him, he sought professional help. He is a huge advocate for mental health access and awareness and in this episode, you will learn how he has to overcome the bad to become a ray of light for our community. Follow Dalton's amazing journey on Instagram @msslwht
If you are in crisis or you know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Your life matters.
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, NuPP5L7zpxLyJuPOyb0Aquestion, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 23 min
February 17, 2021 031: Finding our Movement Mindset with Michaela, NSAM CPT
We have some *mind-blowing* news for you...even Certified Personal Trainers and fitness wizards have days where they don't feel like moving. Read that again. UNBELIEVABLE...but TRUE! Turns out feeling resistance to movement is not something that only a few people experience...it is something that everyone experiences!
We sat down with Michaela Miller, the amazing human, bariatric patient/coach, and newly-minted NSAM CPT to talk about the movement mindset. We wanted to know what that mindset is, how we can find it for ourselves, and how we keep it even on days that we don't feel like moving. We learned that Michaela seems movement and exercise as a celebration of what she can do, and not as punishment for something "bad" we did or ate or through. It is this shift in mindset that can pull us to move, can spark the inspiration to make movement something that we do every day!
Follow Michaela on Instagram @losingtoblooming for daily WLS and movement inspiration!
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april

1 hr 45 min
February 10, 2021 030: Starting Where We Are with Nerissa
The "all or nothing" mindset- a slippery slope of motivation. We when are committed to a cause, we want to give it out all, and we should. But when we don't meet our lofty goals, we can use this mindset as an excuse...an out...a reason to give up and stay stagnant. For many of us, we used this mindset as an "offramp" when the going got tough. The work of weight loss surgery is to shift away from this mindset and to be ok with starting where we are in the moment. We have to be ok with building from the present and not on our past.
In our conversation with Nerissa (@rissarecharged), we learned how she harnessed the power of her presence to move into her new life after bariatric surgery. She has found a winning formula for life post-op and she empowers others to start small and push themselves through setbacks to find lasting success after WLS.
Follow Nerissa on Instagram @rissarecharged and visit her online at www.rissarecharged.com
And if you want a behind the scenes look at this conversation- a whole extra HOUR of conversation, become a PATRON! Click the link in our bio or visit www.patreon.com/east2westwls!
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 44 min
February 08, 2021 029: The Power of Starting Small
Having an "all or nothing" mentality can work in some situations, but for many of us, we have used that mindset as an excuse to give up the ghost when the going gets tough. To find lasting success after bariatric surgery, we have to either change our mindset to be more flexible when setbacks happen. We sat down with Melissa Reese, the founder of Harbor Total Wellness to better understand what "wellness" means to someone immersed in the fitness industry and learn how to make "all or another" more about "slow and steady". Melissa's approach is all about starting where you are at and celebrating the baby steps before training for the marathon!
Follow Melissa on Instagram @harbortotalwellness and visit her website www.harbortotalwellness.com to learn more about Melissa and her coaching services!
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 24 min
February 03, 2021 028: Motivation, Movement, and Management with Dez @wokeuplikedez
We had the *unbelievable* opportunity to sit down with the one and only DEZ @wokeuplikedez and we are SHOOK. We wanted to know how she does it all- how does she grow an empire and STILL get in her workouts and hit her nutrition goals? Inquiring minds want to know ;)
In this episode, we deep dive into the three M's: Motivation, Movement, and Management. It was such a great discussion about dedication and discipline to your goals and how emotional motivation will only get you so far. This episode will leave you READY to make movement a part of each and every day.
Dez has crafted the most amazing workouts with her CPT friend and trainer! She also is launching some *amazing* products soon, so you are going to want to bookmark her website, https://www.wokeuplikedez.com/. And done miss her Instagram because it has as much FIRE as she has in real life! Follow her at @wokeuplikedez on that platform.
And if you want a behind the scenes look at this conversation- a whole extra HOUR of conversation, become a PATRON! Click the link in our bio or visit www.patreon.com/east2westwls!
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 9 min
January 27, 2021 027: Preparing for WLS with Stephanie @one_hungry_mother
Making the decision to have bariatric surgery is a road well traveled for many of us. We had been on the road for years, sometimes decades, before a defining moment pushed us to accept our reality; that bariatric surgery was going to be the "only" thing that would allow us to live our lives at a healthy weight. We recently sat down with Stephanie, the founder of the Bariatric Bookclub and co-founder of The Bariatric Society to talk about her bariatric "travels". We wanted to know how she came to the decision to have bariatric surgery but we really got to understand all of the twists and turns that we experience along our journey.
If you are in the beginning stages of your operative adventure or are just exploring bariatric surgery, you will hear yourself in her words. If you are living on the lighter side of life, aka post-op, you will find redemption in her experience, "ah-ha" moments, and humor. Follow Stephanie on Instagram @one_hungry_mother and join her book club by visiting https://bariatricbookclub.com/
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Website: www.east2westwls.com
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 43 min
January 25, 2021 027: Rediscovering Hope with @katie.vsg
We had the *unreal* opportunity to sit down with @katie.vsg a few days before her VSG procedure and then 5 weeks post-op. What an AMAZING and transformative conversation we had!
We got to understand what she was going through before her procedure and then discuss how it all played out after. The conversation really landed on the word "hope"- and it beautifully describes what a *gift* bariatric surgery can be in our lives.
If you don't follow Katie on Instagram, you are doing life wrong. Find her @katie.vsg
We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 55 min
January 20, 2021026: Finding Redemption
It is amazing what you can discover about your own story, your own journey, by listening to other people’s stories. And Andy Vargo’s story shed some insightful and meaningful understanding of our own bariatric journeys! Andy is a published author and motivational speaker who helps people own their awkwardness and utilize it as a kind of superpower. In this far-reaching episode, we dive into how we can overcome secrets, disqualifications, and the arrival fallacy to find lasting happiness and success!
Follow Andy on Instagram @awkwardcareer and visit him online at www.awkwardcareer.com!
Episode Topics:
Acknowledging secrets and asking for understanding.

Working through others disqualifying our decision because we didn’t do lose our weight “their way”.

Overcoming and avoiding the “arrival fallacy”.

Filling our tanks when we are running on empty.

Episode Mentions
Andy Vargo- Own Your Awkward

Own Your Awkward Life Changes: The Complete Handbook For Mastering Change by Andy Vargo

Atomic Habits by James Clear

We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
Thank you for being the best part of this community!
1 hr 23 min
January 18, 2021026: Oh, GIRLFRIEND!
What do you get when five women who have known each other for *decades* get together in a Zoom session? Some serious insight, big laughs, and a whole lot of love! April welcomed four of her closest girlfriends to conversate and reflect on her bariatric procedure. Some of the questions were tough and some "ah-ha" moments presented new insights and understanding about what it means to undergo and have a friend undergo bariatric surgery. If you are wondering how you can bring your girlfriends along for your WLS ride, this conversation is for you!
Episode Topics:
How weight- April's weight- impacted these relationships.

How April told her friends she was having bariatric surgery.

How she asked her friends for support pre and post-op.

Their "take" on bariatric surgery.

How relationships have changed post-op.

What my friends wish I had told them about my bariatric procedure.

We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
1 hr 56 min
January 13, 2021025: Finding our Happy with Maddie!
We wanted to talk with Maddie about how she recreates her "old school" favorite recipes into bariatric-friendly versions, but we got a WHOLE lot more out of our conversation with her than just her kitchen secrets! Maddie has been supporting the bariatric community since her gastric bypass procedure in 2017 and has recently launched an amazing website that is filled with recipes for success- in and out of the kitchen! Her insights to finding happiness after bariatric surgery are priceless and we are so thankful she could join us on the podcast to share them with all of us!
You can follow Maddie on Instagram @maddie5088 and visit her online at www.foodfitnessandbeauty.com
In this episode, we discuss:
Our bodies desire to live at a weight that might not be our idea.

Normalizing our experiences after bariatric surgery.

How we can use moderation to find happiness after bariatric surgery.

How food was happiness before surgery and how and can be happiness after surgery.

How we can transform our favorite recipes into bariatric friendly versions!

We also encourage you to VIEW this podcast on our YouTube channel. We shared some graphics and images that aid our visual learners who listen and enjoy listening! If you like what you hear and see, follow/subscribe to the feed and leave us a review!
Our goal is to create content that is of value to our community. If you have a topic, idea, question, or threat you would like us to explore in-depth, please leave us a comment on whatever platform you are listening to or watching from or message us directly on Instagram! We are @east2west_wls and welcome your feedback! Please like, share, and review this podcast- your review helps us grow and reach more people.
Where to follow along:
Instagram: @east2west_wls
YouTube: East2West_WLS
Jason: @tha_smithsonian
April: @actively_april
Thank you for being the best part of this community!
1 hr 17 min

About The BariNation Foundation Podcast

From the publisher's feed

Welcome to The BariNation Foundation Podcast, where you’ll hear real talk about bariatric surgery, obesity medicine, medical weight loss, metabolic health, weight management, and lifelong obesity care. Whether you're considering bariatric surgery, preparing for weight loss surgery, recovering after surgery, or looking for evidence-based strategies to maintain long-term weight loss, this podcast gives you the education, support, and community you need to succeed.

Hosted by members of the bariatric community who are living the journey themselves, The BariNation Foundation Podcast brings together leading bariatric surgeons, obesity medicine physicians, registered dietitians, psychologists, exercise specialists, and real patients to share practical advice, inspiring stories, and the latest research in obesity treatment.

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease, and lasting success requires more than a procedure. Every episode explores the science, strategies, and mindset behind sustainable weight management. We discuss bariatric surgery, gastric bypass,vertical sleeve gastrectomy, duodenal switch SADI, revision/conversion surgeries, medical weight loss, bariatric nutrition, healthy weight loss, obesity medicine, lifestyle medicine, metabolic health, obesity care, emotional eating, body image, mental health, exercise, protein, vitamins, supplementation, meal planning, and long-term success after surgery.

You'll also hear honest conversations about the challenges that many people face, including weight reoccurrence, plateaus, transfer addiction, emotional health, relationships, loose skin, excess skin surgery, fertility, pregnancy after bariatric surgery, hormone changes, body confidence, and navigating life before and after surgery as well as GLP1’s. Our goal is to provide realistic expectations, expert guidance, and encouragement so you never feel like you're facing your journey alone.

As obesity treatment continues to evolve, we also explore the latest advances in obesity medicine, including GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, Mounjaro, and emerging therapies, while helping you understand how these medications may fit alongside bariatric surgery and comprehensive medical weight loss. We break down the latest research into practical, easy-to-understand conversations that empower you to make informed decisions with your healthcare team.

Where ever you are in seeking treatment for the chronic disease of obesity, be it researching bariatric surgery for the first time, preparing for your procedure, celebrating major milestones, overcoming setbacks, or supporting a friend or family member through their journey, you'll find expert interviews, patient success stories, nutritional guidance, motivation, and actionable strategies that help you build healthy habits for life.

The BariNation Foundation Podcast is more than a podcast. It's a supportive community built on education, compassion, accountability, and hope. We believe every person deserves access to trusted information, meaningful support, and evidence-based resources that improve health and quality of life.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, Amazon or wherever you listen to podcasts, and join thousands of people committed to improving their metabolic health, achieving sustainable weight loss, and thriving after bariatric surgery. No matter where you are on your journey, BariNation is here to help you take the next step with confidence.

Website: https://www.barination.com