Ep 15: Feeling Stuck After WLS? This Could Be Why
This post is a companion to Episode 15 of the Bariatric Nutrition Coach Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Feeling stuck, lost, or like you're floundering after weight loss surgery is incredibly common — and it's not your fault. I see it most often around the two to four month mark, and there are very clear reasons why it happens. More importantly, there are clear steps you can take to move through it.
Why You Might Be Feeling Stuck
Most bariatric centres guide patients through the dietary stages with food lists and instructions. But around two to four months post-surgery — when patients move to a "full diet" — that support often ends. Many people interpret "full diet" as meaning all foods are back on the table. That's not quite right, and without guidance on how to progress safely, people can feel genuinely lost.
Add to that the fact that life has returned to normal, old eating habits are creeping back in, and confidence around eating out or travelling is shaky — and it's no wonder people hit a wall.
A Step-by-Step Process to Get Unstuck
Step 1: Get pen and paper. Write down everything you're struggling with — freely, without judgment. What are you unsure about? What feels hard? What's not working?
Step 2: Turn it into a ranked list. Condense your struggles into a list and rank them from the one having the biggest impact on you (#1) down to the least.
Step 3: Pick your top two. Focus only on the top two struggles — the ones that matter most right now. Working on everything at once leads to overwhelm and inaction.
Step 4: Brainstorm support. For each of those two struggles, think about what knowledge or support would help. Can you find information online? Can you reach out to a dietitian? Is there a community or resource that could help?
Step 5: Take one action in the next seven days. For each struggle, choose one concrete action — and put it in your diary as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself.
Behaviour change takes time. But focusing on one or two things consistently creates a ripple effect — when one habit improves, others tend to follow. You don't have to solve everything at once.
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