All articles

Everything Barry knows about bariatric surgery, recovery, and life beyond. New articles released regularly.

Hair Loss After Surgery and What You Can Do About It

Hair loss after surgery catches people by surprise. You hear it mentioned in appointments but it doesn’t feel real until…

5 min read →

Why a Food Tracker Keeps You Honest After Bariatric Surgery

A food tracker feels like a small thing at first. You open an app and type in what you ate.…

5 min read →

Understanding the Gastric Stall and What To Do About It

The gastric stall catches people off guard. You’re losing weight fast at the start, then the scale stops. It feels…

4 min read →

How to Support Someone at Bariatric Appointments

Bariatric surgery involves a long series of appointments, assessments, dietitian consultations, surgical consultations, pre-op assessments, post-op check-ins. If someone has…

3 min read →

Weight Regain After Bariatric Surgery: What Happens and What to Do

This is one of the topics that carries the most shame in the bariatric community, which is exactly why it…

3 min read →

Managing Pain After Bariatric Surgery at Home

Pain after bariatric surgery is one of the things people have the most questions about once they’re home, coming home…

4 min read →

What to Expect on the Day of Your Bariatric Surgery

Surgery day looms large beforehand. For most people it passes much faster than expected, and knowing what actually happens on…

4 min read →

Cooking for a Bariatric Patient: How to Make Mealtimes Work for Everyone

If you share a home with someone who’s had bariatric surgery, mealtimes have changed for your household. Whether you do…

4 min read →

What Not to Say to Someone Having Bariatric Surgery (and What to Say Instead)

Knowing what not to say when someone is having bariatric surgery is more useful than any well-meant advice. If someone…

3 min read →

Reactive Hypoglycaemia After Bariatric Surgery: Understanding Late Dumping

Reactive hypoglycaemia, sometimes called late dumping or postprandial hypoglycaemia, catches a lot of bariatric patients completely off guard. Partly because…

3 min read →

Dating After Bariatric Surgery: Navigating Relationships as Your Body Changes

Bariatric surgery changes your body. It also changes your confidence, your sense of yourself, and the way you move through…

4 min read →

Why Hunger Changes After Bariatric Surgery: Ghrelin and What It Means for You

One of the most surprising things about hunger after bariatric surgery is how completely it vanishes in the early months.…

3 min read →

Alcohol After Bariatric Surgery: What Changes and Why It Matters

Alcohol after bariatric surgery doesn’t always get enough time in pre-op consultations. Sometimes there isn’t time. Sometimes it feels like…

3 min read →

How to Sleep Comfortably After Bariatric Surgery

Sleep after bariatric surgery is one of the most underrated parts of surgical recovery. Your body does a lot of…

3 min read →

Dumping Syndrome After Bariatric Surgery: What It Is and How to Avoid It

Dumping syndrome gets mentioned in pre-op appointments and then doesn’t fully land until someone in a support group describes it…

3 min read →

Bariatric Blues: Why You Might Feel Emotionally Low After Surgery

Surgery went well. You’re home. You’re healing. By rights you should be relieved, maybe even excited. So why do you…

4 min read →

How to Choose a Bariatric Surgeon: What Actually Matters

Once you’ve decided bariatric surgery is the right path, choosing a bariatric surgeon is probably the biggest single decision in…

3 min read →

How to Tell Your Family and Friends You’re Having Bariatric Surgery

You’ve made the decision. You’ve done the research, had the consultations, probably cried a bit, and you know this is…

4 min read →

Why You Have to Do the Liver-Shrink Diet Before Bariatric Surgery

Your surgeon will have advised that you needed to follow a special diet for two to four weeks before your…

4 min read →