Teresa and Tonya UNPLUGGED
Teresa & Tonya UNPLUGGED is a heartfelt and inspiring podcast that chronicles the personal journeys of two friends, Teresa and Tonya, who have dramatically changed their lives through bariatric surgery. With a focus on weight loss, wellness, and the ups and downs of life before and after surgery, this podcast offers a unique blend of personal stories, expert advice, and supportive tips for those considering or navigating the path of weight transformation.
Teresa Parent and Tonya Spanglo, having experienced the challenges and triumphs of bariatric surgery firsthand, share their insights, lessons learned, and the lifestyle changes that have helped them maintain their health and happiness.
Each episode features discussions on topics ranging from the emotional aspects of weight loss and the importance of mental health to practical advice on nutrition, exercise, and navigating social situations.
This podcast is more than just a weight loss podcast; it's a community where listeners can find motivation, encouragement, and understanding. Whether you're curious about bariatric surgery, in the midst of your own weight loss journey, or looking for ways to support a loved one, Teresa and Tonya invite you to join them in this unplugged version of the podcast.
Teresa and Tonya UNPLUGGED
Understanding Bariatric Surgery: Myths, Facts, and Personal Stories
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Welcome back to another empowering episode of "Transform Your Life with Teresa and Tonya." Today, in episode 8, we’re diving deep into the world of weight loss surgery, debunking some common myths, and sharing personal stories that highlight the journey before and after surgery.
We'll discuss the reality of bariatric surgery, addressing misconceptions such as whether it's covered by insurance, the food you can eat post-surgery, and the myth that this surgery is just an easy way out. Teresa and Tonya will share their own experiences with insurance challenges and the medical necessity of their procedures, as well as the profound impact that surgery has had on their quality of life.
Whether you're considering bariatric surgery or just curious about the process, this episode is packed with insights to guide you through the mental, emotional, and physical aspects of this life-changing decision. Join us as we unpack these topics and encourage everyone to celebrate non-scale victories along their transformative journeys. Whether it's traveling more comfortably or fitting into a different clothing size, every step forward is a victory worth celebrating. Let’s jump right in!
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Welcome to Transform Your Life with Teresa and Tonya, where we talk weight loss and all things in complete.
Ready to transform your journey from bariatric surgery to weight loss, to plastic surgery, to recovery? Top Recovery Systems is here to guide you every step of the way. With our unique comprehensive support system, we match you with top surgeons, provide customized wellness plans, and offer financing solutions to make your dream a reality. From concierge wellness, mental health, to nutrition, our team is dedicated to your success. Don't navigate this path alone. Join Pop Recovery Systems and experience a seamless supported transformation. Visit us at poprecoverysystems.com to learn more and start your journey to a new you.
Hey, you guys. Welcome to transform your life with Teresa and Tanya. I'm Tanya Spenglow. I had weight loss surgery December 2019, and I'm £280 down. Hi, guys. My name is Theresa, and I had weight loss surgery in June of 2018, and I
am officially down 400 and £64. And on this episode, we are gonna get into all things about bariatric surgery myths because we know that there are a lot of them. I know for myself having gone through, weight loss surgery that I still hear the myths on a daily basis, from a social media. What about you, Sonia?
Oh my goodness. Every day. And every time you say I just wanna say, every time that you say you're £460 down, my heart flutters a little bit. I'm like, oh, on the inside, I'm squealing for you. Well, I know
I hear you a new number and I'm like, oh my god, that's amazing now. So our number has changed then because we were combined total weight loss of £745. But you've lost an additional, well,
well, how much since surgery? Since your, past surgery. £30 of skin off 7 8 weeks ago today. Actually, 8 weeks ago today. And I've lost about 20 to £25 since then on my own too. So about £45 in 8 weeks, that's crazy to me. So we're
at a combined total of £780 lost. Oh, are we really? We are. I'm pretty sure we are. Wow. Yeah.
Oh my goodness. That's crazy.
That's crazy. Almost £800 together with loss. So we know a little something about weight loss.
Yeah. Just a little something. So as far as bariatric myths go, Teresa, what's your favorite? Like, what's your you get the comment all the time. I know for me, it is I use a straw for my protein coffees or for my flavored waters. Every time I post a video, someone will say, I thought we couldn't use straws after weight loss surgery. Are you supposed to be using a straw? I think it for me, it depends on you. You know, when you get the weight loss surgery, you get all of these suggestions. When you buy something new, your husband's gonna just glance at them.
Maybe. There's just suggestions. I'm not, like, gonna use these drugs. It's kinda like that. I think with the bariatric myths because your doctor, like, for my bariatric surgeon, he was like, no straws for just a little while, but if it helps you meet your water goal, you're the straw is all the way to go for me. Like, if I don't use a straw, meeting the water goal is so hard. So with a straw, meeting the water goal is
a lot easier, and so I'm for straws. What about you? Oh my goodness. I could not hit my water goals without my straw. I have my cup right here with the straw. Same. But Right? You know, I think that one of the common reasons why there are so many myths surrounding bariatric surgery is because there is no universal set of guidelines. Right? It kind of depends, on your bariatric surgeon and their program, what their guidelines are, and the surgery that, is very common or until recently, it hasn't been very common. For me, I think the biggest myth that, rattles me is that when you have weight loss surgery, it's an easy magical fix, that there is no personal work associated with it that, oh, she had weight loss surgery.
I just had someone say that to me yesterday. Well, you had weight loss surgery, so you cheated. You didn't have to do all the work. And we both know as bariatric patients, that is far from the truth. That is a myth. Weight loss surgery is not a magic tool. Yes. It will aid you in losing weight, especially in the first, you know, year or 2 post op.
But if you do not do the mental and emotional work to, heal your relationship with food, if you do not change your lifestyle overall, the ways in which you eat, the amount of movement that you get in every day, if you really do not overhaul your entire life, you will gain the weight back. And that's just with anything. Right? This weight loss surgery is just a tool. It's not a magic pill. It's not gonna fix everything.
For sure. That's a good one. That weight loss surgery is the easy way out. That's probably the number one myth with about bariatric surgery, and I get that all the time. We have you had weight loss surgery, or she took the easy way out. People will say in my comments, or well, it's a lot easier for you to lose weight. You know, for me, after weight loss surgery, losing the weight this is the hardest thing I've ever done in my entire life. Losing the weight and keeping it off is such a mental struggle.
It's not a physical one for me. You know, people are like, well, if you would have ate less and exercised more, then you would have been more of the obese. That's false. That's false. So many people have mental illness and that contributes to their weight gain. So many people have genetics. So many things that we PCOS, like, we have so many things going on that it triggers to your weight gain. And so it's not just eat less and exercise more equals weight loss.
That's false. And so that's another very accurate myth. Being the easy way out, it's such a struggle after weight loss surgery, I think, because the pressure not to gain your weight back. You know, when you don't have weight loss surgery and you lose weight, who knows to everyone who's done that? I think it's amazing that you can do that on your own. That wasn't my story. And not gaining the weight back is such a struggle because you've had weight loss surgery, because all the pressures are in you where you actually had surgery to help you lose the weight. But if you gained the weight back, how many eyes are on you thinking, oh, well, what'd you get the surgery for? You know? There's so many hard things. There's so many struggles with weight loss.
So you just mentioned and you tapped into another great bariatric myth, which is that most people are gonna gain all the weight back after they've had weight loss surgery. Oh, my aunt Susie's friend had weight loss surgery, and she gained it all back. Well, studies actually show that, like, 85%, and don't quote me exactly, but, like, around 85% of people who have weight loss surgery will reach a healthy goal weight, and they will actually maintain weight loss for a significant period of time. So that is another myth. I don't know how many times I've been told that by people. It was a it was a huge detour when I was discussing with my friends and family about having weight loss surgery. Oh, don't do it because so and so I knew had weight loss surgery and gained it all back. I don't know about you.
Have you ever heard
that myth as well? So many times, I've had people, oh, my brothers, sisters, hairdressers, cousins, neighbor, you know, they gave their weight back, so don't do that. And living in a small town, for me, everyone knows everyone's business here. And so we know the people who've had weight loss surgery here and who haven't, and we know the people who have not announced that they've had weight loss surgery, but they've actually had it and they're tired of the fact that losing the weight naturally. I know those people too because they've actually messaged me, and then, you know, 5 months later, they're £80 down. And I'm like, I wish you would just tell me you got the weight loss surgery because I know you did. You know? Yeah. But, but, yeah, I get the same thing, Ben, in a small town. But don't gain your weight back, and the pressure's even more when everyone knows your business and everyone knows you've had weight loss surgery.
The pressure, to keep the weight off and to maintain your weight, you just touched on your goal weight when you reached your goal weight and I was visiting, I was around a ton of bariatric people this weekend in Arizona, and we actually had we sit down and had a conversation about goal weight versus your happy weight, like, when your body is happy at. For me, I'm not looking for a specific number. When I first had weight loss surgery, I weighed every day. I was on this scale. It was just what I did. I would get up. I would use the restroom. The scale was there.
I would weigh. And so the scale actually kinda ruled my life a little bit. It would, my day with whatever the scale said that morning. If I was having a bad day, it was because the scale was at £4.5. If I was in a great mood and high energy and I was, you know, so happy, it was because the scale was back down £4 like I thought it should be. And so the scale has really ruined my life and I had to put a sock to that. I had to put it underneath the bathroom cabinet, and then my husband came here and was like, where's the scale? He was weighing too, and I didn't even know it. And so now it's underneath the cabinet.
It's not out and about because I don't want my life to be ruled by a number. I want my life to be if I'm happy or not. And that's what we were talking about this weekend. There was, like, 25 of us. They all said the same thing. If they don't want a number, it tells them when they're happy or not. They want to know, like, how they feel if they look in the mirror or how their clothes make them feel. What do you think about that?
I couldn't agree more. One of the things that I always say when people ask me that, and they do ask a lot when you start over at £600 and
you lose as much as
I have people ask me. And my response always, I have a shirt. Somebody made a shirt for me and sent it to me. I say my goal weight is happy and healthy, and my happiness and my health is not determined by numerical value. And I think that as women, especially, we are programmed by society, by our mothers, by whatever to see the the greatest value in the number on a scale and this the the clothing label, the size on
a clothing label. And discussions like this,
I think, are so important because I know that you and I both have learned to find value in other things, in other, forms of our success, You know? All the non scale victories. And for those of you who don't know, non scale victory is it's some kind of a victory that's not associated with scale or the number on your clothing. It's being able to travel, being able to not have to use a seat belt extension, being able to shower while standing or tie my shoes. So learning how to find value in other things in your throughout your journey is so important. So
Yes. The non scale victories go ahead. No. No.
I was gonna say, yeah, the non scale victories are what will keep you going for the long the long haul. Right? Yes.
That's what I was gonna say. The little things in the middle of all those big, you know, whether you're down 25 or 50 or a 100. I remember that day I was a £100 down. That was like it was the most we did a whole photo shoot. We got balloons and I had a tie dye shirt, tie dye balloons, and my daughter at the balloon said a 100 above me. My daughter took the picture in front of our garage, and it was such a a good day. And those big moments, those big milestone reaches, those are great, and those are amazing. But the things that are gonna keep you going, the things that keep me going or are crossing my legs.
I can cross my legs. I can't I wanna shout this. I can wear heels. I cannot wear heels before ever. I was stuck in the wide. I always had to get a wide width because my foot. I was so heavy, I broke the arch down in both of my feet. And so always it was flip flops or sandals, never heels.
It was always flat and they were always I I call them grandma shoes. I sold all of those. After I lost the weight, I sold all those shoes. And so I can wear heels now. And that's something that is a nonstop victory to me. So it's all the little things like that. To me, sometimes we don't take it for granted being as far out as we are. We don't take our weight loss for granted or our weight loss surgery, but sometimes those nonstop victories get harder to see.
They get harder to see the harder that you get out. For me, I can think just this morning how I haven't thought about yet. You know what? You were able to get out of the bed with ease, Tanya. Like, before, it would take me 10 minutes to get up, to muster the straight to stay in, to walk to the restroom, to walk in the kitchen, to stand and make my coffee. You and I were kind of in the same thing about that. Like, just standing and doing day to day activities that people take for granted. Like, all those little things are ones that keep you going in between
the big things. Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. And that kinda leads into the next bariatric myth that I was thinking about, and that is that bariatric surgery is just cosmetic, and it's not necessarily medically, you know, necessary, which is a total myth. Most people who need to have bariatric surgery, it's for medical reasons. I know that I do know some people who've had weight loss surgery who were barely overweight in my definition of being overweight, but we're not the judge of that. Again, I mean, for me, bariatric surgery was medically necessary. Doctors literally told me, like, look.
You will not live to see the age of 45. You've had 2 heart attacks. You've had you're on 9 different medications. You know, we've had all the health issues. And for me, it was medically necessary. And there's also the myth out there associated with that that, health insurance won't cover it. Well, I know that mine did cover it. It did not cover plastic surgery, but as long as I went through the program, the 6 month program, whatever, every program is different.
My health insurance did cover my bariatric surgery because it was medically necessary.
Yeah. My insurance covered my bariatric surgery. I had a a story about that. I did a 6 month program just like you. I had to go to my insurance. I had to go to a dietician every month. I had to go to a health coach. I had to go you know, you had to have a sci fi evaluation.
I had to go to the heart doctor. I have a heart murmur, so the endocrinologist because I have thyroid disease, all the all of the things that we all had to do. It was a 6 month thing also. Through that 6 month process, we found out I had a heart murmur. We found out I have a different thyroid disease than I thought. We found out so many things. I met my deductible through that 6 month process, and so my insurance actually tried to schedule my surgery and get my surgeon to do my surgery January 3rd instead of December 26th, which is when they had an opening. So they called and they were like, we can't get it done this year.
It has to go to next year, which means I would have to out of pocket have paid $6,000 upfront. I would have had to well, I didn't have $6,000, and I'd already done this 6 month process. And so I literally was so frustrated on the phone, and I stopped, and I said, you know what? Then we're not doing it. I've done this 6 months for nothing. Like, is that what you're telling me right now just for insurance purposes? I'm gonna have to pay $6,000? And so they called me. They're like, we're gonna on the phone with your surgeon, and we're gonna call you right back trying to put it on my surgeon. My surgeon's office called me and was like, we haven't opened these the day after Christmas. I said, I'll take it.
I'll take it. And so I did. And so my surgery, it didn't cost me a dime. It didn't cost me anything because of all that. But that's how insurance will try to get you on to pay your deductible. They were doing everything they could to get me to pay another $6,000, which I'd already paid through the 6 month process of getting my surgery.
I know that, my surgery was also covered because I I jumped through all the hoops, so to speak. I did the all the pre, preoperative qualifications, the psychiatrist, the nutritionist, and all the things. I did very well. I lost a £180 during that time prior to even having weight loss surgery, but I know that for me, it was not cosmetic. It had nothing to do with that time with the way that I looked. It was literally, I know for you, something that was going to significantly improve the quality of our lives. And it's done that. For me, having weight loss surgery has absolutely done that.
It has completely transformed my life in so many ways. So let's let's dive into, another quick myth. Okay?
I have a man that I follow on Instagram, and he was not a very large man. But he just got weight loss surgery, and he's doing very well. He had a fatty liver, and he had hypertension, and those are the two main reasons that he got weight loss surgery. So So going back to the myth that you just said, because I didn't really get the I had to retouch on that. I told that insurance story. You know, has to there are so many reasons why people get weight loss surgery, whether it's for diabetes, whether it's for hypertension, whether it's for your fatty liver like the guy I follow. He's done very well. For me, I always tell people that are considering weight loss surgery, but they might not be, like, well, I'm not £400 like you were.
I'm not £300. Weight loss surgery is the treatment for being morbidly obese. If you're morbidly obese, that is a disease. That is not something that you know, my dad, he had to have a kidney transplant. His kidney was bad. He needed a kidney transplant. He went in. He got a kidney.
My mom, she had breast cancer. She went in. She had her breast removed. It's like people think that weight loss surgery is not a treatment for something. They think it's cosmetic. Like, that's the myth that we're talking about right now. It is not cosmetic. It is not because we're vain.
It is not because we wanna be skinny. It is not and what even is the definition of skinny? You know? And back in the generation where my mom was raised, skinny equal healthy. And that's because my parents before they passed away, they just wanted me to get skinny and never said the word healthy. They never said happy. They never they never said, you know, we just want you to be healthy. We they were like, we just we would do anything if you could get skinny because back in the older generations, skinny equaled being happy when in actuality, we know that that's so false. Like, I'm the smallest I've ever been as an adult right now and I would go out on a stretch and say I might not be right now the happiest I've ever been even though I'm the skinniest I've ever been as an adult. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's not that doesn't equal that.
For me, weight loss surgery is a treatment for being morbidly obese. I'll stand I'll die on that hill. I will shout that to every mountain top because people think, oh, they're just they're trying to be skinny and they're vain. It's all about them, and it's not all about us. We are literally just trying to live the life that an average size person in America lives. I want to not be able to stand at a doctor's office. I wanna be able to fit in the chair that has sides on it. Those little bitty rickety chairs, you know, the ones I'm talking about.
I wanna be able to ride a roller coaster with my grandbabies. I wanna be able to just go into any store and shop. Those are normal average size people everyday things. It's the quality of life just like what
you just said. I couldn't agree more. Now another bariatric myth that we hear all the time is that bariatric surgery is extremely dangerous. People are afraid of it because they don't wanna die or they don't wanna have some kind of massive complication. And we know, I think, also from, doctor Smith that it's, like, less than 1% chance that you're gonna die or have some kind of major complication from having weight loss surgery. Now the way that I always put it to people when they bariatric myths because you can't just take word-of-mouth. You episode on the bariatric myths because you can't just take word-of-mouth. You need to actually get informed, do the research, learn all about bariatric surgery.
But I will say that if you are severely morbidly obese, you are almost guaranteed to develop health issues, that can kill you. Like, for myself, having 2 heart attacks, having high blood pressure, having, you know, a fatty liver, but there were so many things I was guaranteed. And I remember when my doctor said to me, he said, Teresa, do you realize how many morbidly obese people do you see in their seventies? He was like, you don't see them because they're not alive. And so the reality is is that obesity is more than likely going to be the cause of your demise. Whether or not it's from diabetes or a heart attack or a stroke, that is more likely to kill you than to have bariatric surgery. Now some people do experience side effects, you know, but that is also and, like, with any with any surgery, like we're saying, that is a common common experience. I don't know. What do you think about that?
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Yeah. Like doctor Smith, I go back to you saying doctor Smith because we met with him and he told us that. We had a talk with doctor Smith, and he said that weight loss surgery is one of the safest surgeries out there. You're more likely I think he said gallbladder surgery, having your appendix removed, and weight loss surgery that's safe from one of those is weight loss surgery. I was shocked when he said that because I didn't realize that. I have, like, my sister, for example, she went to Tijuana and got her weight loss surgery before I did. And so I'm not that courageous, like, I'm not someone who's I'm not gonna go and meet with a doctor and then have him cut cut 80% of my stomach out on the same day and then never speak to him again. That's my sister's story.
That's insane to me. I would say make sure you have a board certified surgeon for bariatric surgery. You know, we see all the news right now. Someone is killing people doing, what, the fake BBL injections. They're doing fake Botox injections. People are dying from that. Those are not board certified surgeons that are doing that. So when you do your research on bariatric surgery and you find a surgeon in your area, which pop recovery can help you with, we both have went through pop recovery for our recent surgeries, They can help you find a board certified surgeon.
And to me, that those are the top notch or those are the top tier surgeons I want I don't know about you, but that's who I want operating on me. Like doctor Rednam, my plastic surgeon, she's board certified. I wouldn't go to anyone who is not board certified.
Absolutely. With weight loss surgery, you know, a lot of times we have, again, in society for multiple reasons, been programmed to search for quick fixes. Mhmm. For a search for things that are fad diets, for easy ways. Oh, I can do this, and I'm gonna lose £10 in 2 weeks or whatever. And the problem with that mindset is number 1, it's not sustainable. That's not going to help you for the rest of your life. That's not going to give you long term sustainable weight loss results.
Right? Mhmm. And so I think that mindset is carried over into, seeking out bariatric surgery. People wanna hear, this is why they believe the myths. This is why they believe the chatter rather than deep taking the time to do the research because most people don't want to commit that much time. And the thing is is that bariatric surgery is a lifelong commitment. I am 6 years in June. I'll be 6 years post op, and I still struggle. I still have to check my inner fat brain.
I still have to adjust my diet when we travel. I have to figure out a whole routine for living my life and still being able to eat properly and get my water in. So bariatric surgery is a lifelong commitment, and it's not going to, require the same amount of research that you would do if you were just gonna do a fad diet really quick. This is something that you really need to take the time to talk to your medical providers, talk to a dietitian, talk to a psychiatrist, and do the research yourself. And that, again, that's one of the reasons why Block Recovery has been so helpful because you don't have to go it alone anymore. You don't have to, like, the vast Internet of all the resources. You can go to one place and find doctors that are reliable, board certified doctors. You can get all the information about what to expect prior to surgery and after, and that's really that's really what's going to help you be successful in the long run.
That's right. So let's talk about for me,
I have 2 more myths that are huge over on my social media platforms. So many people every day talk about these. One of those is carbonation. So people think that after weight you know you know, you get those comments. I get 1,000. Like, it's crazy that people are like, I cannot believe you drink Coke 0. I have had weight loss surgery 7 years ago. I've had 0 carbonation since then.
You're gonna stretch your pouch out. You're going to all the things. So let's get into carbonation after weight loss surgery. You tell me what you think, and I'll tell you what I think.
Okay. So I hope I know that. Yes. So I was one of those people that I just believed the myth that I could never have carbonated drinks. And so for 5 years, I did not have a single carbonated drink until this past summer when I met you.
That's a great dream. Say this. Oh, that's not how.
And I started having, carbonated drinks and also at the same time started drinking with a straw. And since I started drinking carbonated beverages and using a straw no. But since I started drinking carbonated beverages and using a straw, I lost an additional £45 because I'm hitting my water goals now even more so. For me, that is a myth. Now I know what the carbonation they say that it's gonna fill up your pouch and make you less likely to consume other foods.
That will sound like a lovely lovely effect.
But but we're also told to wait 20 to 30 minutes before you eat after you drink. So to me, that doesn't even make sense because the carbonation and the bubbling is gonna settle down within 30 minutes. So alright, Talia.
You go for it. Now that I just threw Threw you under the bus. He threw me under the bus and ran over me on that one. So I found her to use a straw and drink carbonation. I'm not gonna apologize. So with this group I was with this weekend, so there was about 25 people. A lot of those with bariatric surgery, it's about half and half. I had so many people.
I had a Coke 0 because I needed a I need a Coke 0, and I had that, and I had a straw, and they were like the one guy in particular, he was like, I cannot believe and he was like, so do you feel like you need to burp? Do you get did your stomach fill up? Do you blow up? And I was just like, no. If I did, I wouldn't drink it. And he was like, I had bariatric surgery too. And he was like, but I thought we couldn't have any anything with bubbles in it. No combination whatsoever. And so I was just like, that's like, this is a perfect episode because that is such a myth. It's per person. Same thing with straws, same thing with our portion sizes, all of these myths that you hear about, it is per person.
It's per you. What works for you? If my stomach blew up, if I got the burps, if I got GERD or anything like that, any kind of anything, and I had to take an antacid because I had to have a Coke 0, I wouldn't drink the Coke 0. I mean, I'm not it's not to the point where I'm like, I got a Coke 0. You know? It doesn't do anything for me. It doesn't blow my stomach up every day worth of that. So I'm 4, the carbonation. I've had a sugar free energy drink. I've had the Coke 0.
I would never go back to I had Coke addiction, Coca Cola that you drink addiction when I was £430. I would go to Sonic, and I would get about 3 route 44 cup the fall of the day because a Sonic is about 2 minutes from me. And so that was they were feeding my addiction and didn't even know it. I was on a first name basis. They weren't at work there. You know? But now I would never go and drink a regular Coke. All the sugar and carbs, I would not do that. If I do have a soda, it's a 0 one.
It doesn't have the calories. It doesn't have a sugar in theory with that. So I'm or carbonation.
Yeah. I I agree with you. I have never done the full sugar soda. I don't drink soda. As you know, I like my sugar free energy drinks. That's just that's all I do as far as carbonation goes. And I will use a straw every day, and the carbonation does not bother me. Now while we're on the topic of drinking, let's tap into eating really quick.
I don't know about you if this is the the myth that you were gonna talk about, but so many people think that you're never going to be able to eat the same foods that you love. This is a huge one. I totally believed that too. Right? That you have to give up all of your favorite foods and you never get to eat any of the favorite things again. So go ahead, Tami. You wanna talk about that a little bit?
Yeah. Let's have that in the portion control. Well, yeah, like, we're, like, 3 minutes down. At least we have
to talk about carbs and portion control and food that you love.
We're we're talkers, though, so you know how we do. I think that for me in the beginning after weight loss surgery, I was so into all of these myths. I was into, like, oh my goodness. Like, I can't have pop, and
I can't have a straw, and
I can't have carbs, and I can't have, and I'm gonna have the size of an egg. It's gonna always be my portion control. All of those are myths. All of those are myths. All of those are and everything we just talked about is purview like we just said. If it doesn't work for you and you get sick, do not do it. Like, if eating if indulging in things, for me, in the beginning, I could not indulge in, let's say, a Reese's peanut butter cup because I couldn't make myself stop. I didn't have the will, power, or determination.
If I didn't have the mindset that I needed right after weight loss surgery to think I could have one of those and then be able to stop. Like, at Halloween, open up a little bit of candy. I wanted the entire bag because it was just that was what I was used to doing. Now, like this weekend in Arizona, I am golds, and I had the things that I wanted. I had a little bottle of everything that I wanted to try. I didn't, you know, not have it. I did not consume it because I didn't think I could stop consuming it. I didn't do that.
I indulged, and I know my portion control. I know my full cues. And so I know, like, I get a little bit of a burp feeling, and I know it's time for me to stop. You can tell when your stomach's full the further out you get, and you'll learn, like, what your portion size is. And that's another thing. Everybody's portion sizes are different. And on the Internet, lots of people compare portion sizes. I don't know about you, but I never share I always share what I eat, but never how much because being almost 5 years out, I don't want someone who's 2 months out, and I get these comments every time.
Every day I get these comments, I cannot believe you eat that much. And I'm always like, well, how far out are you, honey? Two and a half months. I'm almost 5 years. There's the difference. As you get more further out, your portion sizes are gonna get larger. That's light. Like, that's that's what happened. It doesn't mean your stomach has stretched,
and that's where the mental and emotional aspect comes into it. And the reality, not the myth, that every single body is different, and your taste buds, for me, they did change. I am not able to tolerate certain foods, but I always compare it to learning how to feed a brand new baby. You need to learn what the baby can tolerate, tolerate of what, and what the baby does better with when you give it to them. And for me, I think that that's very empowering because I've learned what my stomach can handle and what it cannot and what the timing even, like, for me about what time of the day. For me, I need to eat tiny meals every 2 hours throughout the entire day. I came up with this thing called hydrate, eat, repeat because I had to figure out how I was gonna hydrate, eat, and keep repeating that cycle throughout the entire day. And for me, just paying attention to my body, I was able to figure out that I didn't get to break up the drinking and the eating, and I could not eat 3 big meals a day.
But just because somebody else can, it doesn't mean that their surgery didn't work and mine did. Everyone's body is different, which brings us to the entire over big point of this entire episode is that these bariatric myths are just myths. You need to get informed. You need to do the research. Like, we've been hammering home, you need to speak to your doctor, speak to your dietitian. Don't just believe your friends or your mom or whoever when they tell you You're what you see
on the Internet. And what
you see on the Internet, you definitely need to take the time to research bariatric surgery. And if anything, if you're one of those people who thinks that, weight loss surgery is cheating, that's, like, the biggest thing for me. I think we take that so personally. Do the research, honey, because it is not cheating.
It is is not the easy way out. It is a lifelong commitment. So do the research, guys. Definitely do your research on that. So bariatric mists, we just talked about those, and you're gonna apply that to your lifestyle. You're gonna apply those things, you know, the no straw, the no carbonation. We're not telling you to use a straw. We're not telling you to drink Coke 0 or a sugar free energy drink.
We're just saying to do what works for you. We love you guys. We hope you enjoyed this episode. We'll see you next time. Love you.
Thank you for tuning in to the transform your life podcast. And remember, your journey to a happier, healthier life starts with just one step. Together, we'll guide you towards sustainable weight loss, holistic wellness, and a renewed sense of vitality. Don't wait any longer to invest in yourself and unlock your true potential. Visit our website now to learn more and sign up for our transformation academy. Your future self will thank you. Let's transform your life together. Go and visit transform your life with Teresa and tonya.com, or you can go over to Instagram and check out our podcast page.
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The link is in our bio. Go do it now. Your future self is going to thank you.
