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Inspiring the #bariatricsurgery community one LONG A✨S IG story at a time 😂
VSG ✂️ 7/25/2019
Board President @bari.nation
Superhuman not in disguise

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You’ve helped build a podcast and community worth believing in. And guess what? Lilly noticed. 💚

We’re so grateful to @elilillyco for sponsoring The BariNation Podcast.

This support helps us bring honest, science-based conversations with experts and people who’ve been there to the platforms where folks are already searching for answers (yes, even during the 2am scroll).

For too long, people managing obesity have had to piece together reliable information on their own or wade through stigma just to get to the facts. We’re changing that, and we’re thrilled to have Lilly in our corner.

Swipe through to see where the support goes and who’s coming up on the podcast. 👉

Tag someone who needs to hear these conversations!

#ObesityIsADisease #BariatricCommunity #EndWeightStigma #BariatricSurgery #ObesityCare Green headline reads “Big Thanks!” Below, navy text reads “Join us in thanking Lilly for sponsoring The BariNation Podcast.” Lilly and BariNation Foundation logos appear at the bottom.

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Obesity care is not one-size-fits-all.
If you’ve ever felt like “just lose weight” is the whole plan, save this and send it to someone who needs a better answer.

The real progress happens when your care team looks at the full picture: labs, protein, hormones, medications, symptoms, and your life.

In this BariNation Live, Mickey shares an important reminder: what worked yesterday may not work today. And progress isn’t measured only by the scale; better labs, more energy, and feeling supported matter, too.

You are the captain of your ship. The right care team helps you steer.

What do you wish more people understood about obesity care?

#BariNation #ObesityCare #BariatricSupport #GLP1Journey #WeightLossSupport

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GLP-1 and bariatric surgery questions? Ask a bariatric nurse practitioner LIVE 🎙️

Practically Speaking is the BariNation Foundation’s new live Q&A series, and we’re kicking it off with Mickey Patel, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, nurse practitioner with Dr. Cribbins at Texas Center for Bariatrics & Advanced Surgery in Plano.

📅 Monday, Oct 19th | 🕐 4:30 pm PDT / 6:30 CDT / 7:30 EDT | 📍 YouTube/Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn/Riverside

Mickey started as an operating room nurse, found his passion for bariatrics, and is now nationally certified in bariatrics and robotic surgery. He specializes in medical weight management, so he can talk weight loss medications AND weight loss surgery without picking sides.

Bring your questions about:
💉 GLP-1 medications like Wegovy, Zepbound, and Ozempic
🏥 Gastric sleeve and gastric bypass prep and recovery
⚖️ Weight regain, plateaus, and what actually helps
🧠 Obesity treatment without the shame

Drop your question in the comments 👇 and we’ll answer as many as we can live.

Comment the word “Mickey” and we will DM you links to join!

Educational only, not a substitute for your own care team.

#BariNation #PracticallySpeaking #BariatricSurgery #GLP1 WeightLossSurger

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PROCARE PACKAGE DAYYY and they sent the CHOCOLATE. 😭🍫

For me, staying on top of my bariatric vitamins is non-negotiable and this box has me stocked. Multivitamins, magnesium glycinate, iron chews, protein powder, and YES… my beloved dark chocolate calcium chews are back. 😂

And apparently I’m still traumatized by grape cough syrup, so the cran-grape iron chews are about to be put to the test.

You can use my code for 15% off ProCare. Which one should I try on camera first?

#BariatricVitamins #ProCareHealth #nonnegotiable #bariatricjourney

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It’s the spookiest time of year and if you have some ghosts, ghouls, or gremlins haunting your obesity health journey, we got someone you can call.

BariNation.

All month long, we are teaching our members how to call out their ghosts by name, shine a bright light on them, and send them back to where they came from. 👻

Can you name your ghost?

👻 The regain ghoul
💀 The body ghost
😈 The craving monster
👹 The stall gremlin

No matter what your ghost is named, we got a tool to help banish them from your life. And when they start haunting your life again, you will know how to send them packing.

We’re taking the spooky out of the season and giving you all the”treats”, no tricks.

🪄Support groups led by therapists
✨ Classes taught by experts
💙 Meetups hosted by peers

All virtual, confidential, and safe.

And you even get to avoid the wallet monster at the gas station 🤣

$19 a month- no contract or long-term commitment. The support you need, when and where you need it.

➡️ Membership info in the comments- linked in bio- or shared in a DM.

Join a community that is here to teach you how to bust the ghosts that are haunting your life, one spell, one treat, one moment at a time.

#ghost #obesity #wls #support #barination

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You don’t follow us. Yet. 😉

I’m April. I had bariatric surgery in 2019, I’ve been on a GLP-1 for years, and I co-founded BariNation with fellow patients because nobody should have to treat obesity alone.

We’re a nonprofit offering science-based, stigma-free education and peer support for anyone on an obesity treatment journey, whether that’s surgery, medication, Iike a GLP-1, or both.

Follow along and you’ll get:
🎙️ The BariNation Podcast
🤝 A community that actually gets it
📚 Education and resources we share almost daily

Following also means more of our content and resources show up in your feed, and it helps the Foundation grow. Win win. 🙌

You’ve got this. We’ve got you. See you in The Nation, soon. 💙

Obesity - health - metabolic health - weight loss - weight loss surgery - bariatric - podcast - support - community - non profit

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Raise your hand if midlife is super crazy. 🙋🏽‍♀️

Nobody handed us the handbook, and honestly, we would like to speak to the manager.

What we do have is a place to land. Becoming: A Midlife Meetup is a new space inside BariNation, hosted by Monique Coleman, CFI. It’s for men and women who want to get together and talk about the highs and lows of midlife, beyond the scale and beyond the “you’re fine” we give our friends and family.

It’s a safe space. Real people, real patients, in midlife, having real conversations about the stuff that’s hard to say out loud at the dinner table.

📅 We kick off Tuesday, Oct 6, then meet twice a month on Zoom.
👉 Sign up at the link in bio.
📆 Comment “cal” below for links to our virtual support calendar.

You’ve got this. We’ve got you.

#BariNation #MidlifeMeetup #BecomingMidlife #ObesityTreatmentJourney #MidlifeCommunity SafeSpace MidlifeHumor

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IT’S TACO TIME, BITCHES!!! 🌮

Tonight on The Weekly Chew, we’re making CHICKEN TACOS and having some fun!

Come hang out with Shea and me for easy meal ideas, real talk, lots of laughs, and all the good vibes! 😂❤️

🌮 JOIN US LIVE TONIGHT!
6 PM PST • 7 PM MST • 8 PM CST • 9 PM EST

📍 Instagram: @oursleevedlifepodcast

Bring your questions, your appetite, and your favorite taco toppings! Who’s joining us?!

#livecooking #tacotuesday #chickentacos #cooking

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Today marks the first day of fall. 🍂

Just like the seasons change, so can the layers of support we need along our health journey.

As we add on extra layers to stay warm this time of year, we might need to add on layers of support, too.

You might be in a season where you don’t need those extra layers.

But someone else does.

This fall, we’re inviting 250 people to become monthly donors and help us keep these layers of support funded and visible, so anyone who needs them can find them.

Every $10 a month donor helps fund:

🍁 BariNation Community: our $19 membership and scholarships for people who can’t afford it right now

🍁 BariNation Podcast: more episodes, reaching more people

🍁 BariNation Foundation: the tech, insurance, and operations that keep it all running

Give $10 or more a month and we’ll send you a BariNation thank-you sticker pack, our way of saying thanks for adding your leaf to our giving tree this season!

Help someone add a layer of support this fall. Become a monthly donor today.

Link in bio or long- hold the QR code.

#fall #seasonofsupport #fallintogiving #barinationfoundation oundation #obesity

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I struggle with movement. Exercise. Training. All of it. And what’s so weird is that before bariatric surgery- obesity treatment- it was *not* a struggle.

I practiced hot yoga 5,6,7 times a week.

I walked or slogged 5k’s a few times a year.

I went to the gym.

And now, I struggle to find any rhythm or cadence when it comes to movement.

It’s always on my “to-do” list, but it always slides to the very bottom.

Why?

Well…I’m sure it has something to do with my motivation to move *before* treatment.

Movement was my way of publically showing the world that I was not a “bad” fat person (I know…I cringe when I say and type those words now but it was what was true for me back then).

I was doing the work. Even though the work did nothing for my weight or health.

I had sleep apnea and was pre-diabetic sweating every ounce of water during my 90 minute hot yoga classes.

But I loved it. I really did.

When I have the honor of interviewing people and experts who dedicate their focus to movement, something changes.

It’s not immediate. But it plants a seed of awareness in my brain that it keeps chewing on.

This week, I talked with @kellymariemcgonigal about movement and motivation and she said something mind blowing.

When we move, we open a door to a pharmacy in our brain. And that pharmacy makes and dispenses hope. HOPE.

I don’t know about you, but I feel hopeless more days than not. When the disease reared its ugly head again and again, it saps my hope bank account. But Kelly helped me understand that movement deposits hope back into my life and helps me grow that hope account.

Huh.

Interesting.

A new reason to move.

I’m not saying a single conversation will instantly inspire you to move. If it does, awesome! But the more we surround ourselves with things that help us move in the direction we want to go, the more often we will move in that direction.

If you’re struggling with movement, me too.

If you want something for your brain to chew on, listen or watch this conversation.

Comment below or send us a DM and I will pass along the link.

Movement can sometimes be a mystery. And I love solving mysteries. Maybe you do, too.

#

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The moment I finally felt SEEN by a doctor. ❤️

For years, I normalized symptoms, questioned myself, and kept thinking maybe this was just part of life after bariatric surgery.

Then Dr. Dovec listened to me and basically said, “No. Something is wrong. Let’s figure it out.”

That validation made me emotional because sometimes you don’t realize how badly you needed someone to believe you until they finally do.

If you’re dealing with vomiting, pain, or something just feels off after bariatric surgery, keep asking questions and advocate for yourself.

#beingheard #bariatricsurgeon #patientadvocacy #explore

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