August 27, 2018: The gastric bypass procedure reduces the size of a patient’s stomach by more than 90 percent. This procedure affects people physically and emotionally, said Alex Brecher, who launched the online community Bariatric Pal (bariatricpal.com) after his own lap band surgery in 2003.

The website has message boards, a store that sells a wide variety of products for men and women who have had weight loss surgery, and even helps arrange less expensive surgeries in Tijuana, Mexico, for patients whose insurance won’t cover the procedures.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-fea-bolt-bariatric-20180802-story.html#

Brecher, who traded in his lap band for bariatric surgery earlier this year, said the dramatic weight loss can also bring about some unexpected emotional issues.

“Some people aren’t ready to look in the mirror and see something other than an overweight person,” Brecher said. “They see that different face looking back, and a lot of times they realize they still have to deal with the emotional things that got them to being overweight to begin with. When you lose weight and you’re not able to lean on food for emotional support, it can bring the other stuff to the surface.”

Edited August 27, 20187 yr by Missouri-Lee's Summit

The reporter who wrote that story called me last week to chat for a few. I would never have seen this article. Thanks for posting!

1 hour ago, Alex Brecher said:

The reporter who wrote that story called me last week to chat for a few. I would never have seen this article. Thanks for posting!

Thank you thank you thank you for creating this space! This community has meant more to me than I can say.

This is a great read. Thank you for sharing this article. I was glad that the author touched on the psychological changes that happen along with the physical.