How Bariatric Surgery Transforms Your Gut Microbiome with Dr. Edmund Chen | Ep 259

What if some of the things you were taught about obesity were simply wrong? In this episode of the BariNation Foundation Podcast, April Williams sits down with obesity medicine physician Dr. Michelle Gordon and BariNation community member Tabitha Tyler to discuss what happens when patients and providers are willing to say, “I was wrong,” and follow the science forward. They discuss the physiology of obesity, why “eat less and move more” doesn't tell the whole story, how GLP-1 medication and bariatric surgery can be powerful treatment tools, and why menopause and whole-person care belong in the conversation. They also explore the identity shift that can happen after weight loss, the role of shame and self-belief, and how community and empathy can help people move beyond the stories that have kept them stuck.

What does it take to decide on weight loss surgery? Therapist Derek Colvin (@giant_therapist) and his wife Sheena share how they each chose sleeve gastrectomy, recorded just two days before their surgery together. Derek is a former basketball player, six foot ten, and a licensed therapist. After three knee surgeries, years of intense workouts, calorie cutting, a carnivore diet, and serious thought about GLP-1 medications, he decided bariatric surgery was the right tool for him. He also had to unlearn two beliefs first: that surgery is "the easy way out," and that he wasn't "big enough" to need it. Sheena wanted surgery for more than ten years. She spent hours at the gym and months on strict diets with results she couldn't see. The operation doesn't scare her. The changes afterward do. Host Jason talks with them about: Getting denied by insurance the day before surgery, and what happened next Eating as part of your identity Why diet and exercise alone stopped working GLP-1 medications vs. bariatric surgery, and why both are valid treatments The myth that you have to reach a certain weight to "qualify" for help Surgery to protect joint health and avoid knee replacements - Sugar cravings and snacking on the pre-op diet Grieving food and the life you had before surgery Advice for anyone on the fence about weight loss surgery

Movement can be so much more than a way to change your body. In this episode of the BariNation Foundation Podcast, April Williams sits down with psychologist, researcher, and movement expert Dr. Kelly McGonigal and BariNation community member Charity Guerrero to completely rethink the role of movement in the obesity health journey. They discuss the “comfort paradox,” why movement may require us to step into discomfort in service of a more meaningful life, and how reconnecting with our bodies can create hope, joy, confidence, and connection. Dr. McGonigal explains the science behind “hope molecules,” why the most important shift is from nothing to anything, why your brain may need time to learn to reward movement, and how supportive movement communities can help us feel like we belong. What You Will Learn in this Episode: ✅ Why movement doesn't have to be about weight, appearance, burning calories, or “fixing” your body, and how it can instead create hope, meaning, joy, and connection. ✅ What the “comfort paradox” means and why choosing meaningful discomfort can sometimes open the door to a fuller, more accessible life. ✅ How “hope molecules” released by working muscles can support physical, metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and brain health, and why movement is accessible regardless of age, size, or fitness level. ✅ Why the most important movement shift is from “nothing to anything,” how to give yourself space and grace while building a movement habit, and how community can make movement more rewarding. This episode of the BariNation Podcast is produced by the BariNation Foundation, a 501 (c) (3) dedicated to advancing metabolic wellness for people living with obesity by providing evidence-based education, stigma-free support, and meaningful connections in the moments that shape daily life. Funding comes from generous donations to the BariNation Foundation from listeners and viewers like you, Johnson & Johnson, and the Texas Center for Bariatrics & Advanced Surgery, led by Dr. Joe Cribbins.

What does it actually take to fund the future of obesity treatment? On this episode of The BariNation Podcast, host April Williams sits down with Dr. Carlos Galvani, a bariatric surgeon of over two decades and President of the TREO Foundation (Treatment, Research, and Education to end Obesity), formerly known as the ASMBS Foundation. Click HERE to join our free, virtual TREO Walk team! Dr. Galvani breaks down the three pillars of TREO's work: advocating for insurance access and utilization, funding original research (including the studies that first linked GLP-1 effects to gastric bypass surgery), and educating both patients and providers on obesity as a chronic, treatable disease. April and Dr. Galvani talk candidly about why so few people with obesity actually receive treatment, why obesity should be approached like cancer or diabetes with multiple, personalized treatment pathways, and why obesity walks struggle to draw the same crowds as breast cancer or ALS walks, even though obesity affects roughly 70% of American adults. This conversation also covers TREO's flagship fundraiser, The Walk, including the free, no-pressure Virtual Walk happening September 26th under this year's theme, "No One Left Behind." In this episode: What TREO stands for and how the organization evolved from the ASMBS Foundation How GLP-1 medications changed the conversation around obesity as a disease Why only 20 to 25% of people with obesity are receiving any treatment at all The research TREO has funded connecting bariatric surgery, GLP-1 medications, and cancer protection Why a standardized obesity treatment pathway (similar to breast cancer care) is coming How stigma keeps people from showing up to obesity awareness walks How to join the TREO Foundation's free Virtual Walk on September 26th

Obesity is a chronic, lifelong disease, not a failure of willpower. In this episode of the BariNation Foundation Podcast, April Williams sits down with bariatric surgeon Dr. Monique Hassan and BariNation community member Jasmine Fernandez to challenge the idea that one tool can treat obesity. They discuss the full range of surgical options: surgery, GLP-1s, mindset, movement, community, self-advocacy, and overcoming shame while treating obesity as a chronic, lifelong disease. If you've ever felt shame about needing more than one treatment, this conversation offers permission to stop apologizing and start healing.