Ep 51: Bariatric Journey | Are You Stuck in the Comparison Trap?
This post is a companion to Episode 51 of the Bariatric Nutrition Coach Podcast. Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
"Comparison is the thief of joy." This comes up constantly in my coaching — and in this milestone episode (number 51, halfway to 100!) I want to dig into why comparison is so common after bariatric surgery, and what to do about it.
Why Comparison Happens So Much
So much is invested in the decision to have surgery — financially, emotionally, physically. Weight loss is also a visible outcome, unlike blood sugar levels or joint pain. The pressure to "succeed" is high. And social media makes it very easy to see carefully curated snapshots of other people's journeys — usually the highlights, rarely the struggles.
Outcomes from bariatric surgery also vary enormously based on factors outside your control: age, genetics, medical history, previous surgeries, medications. There is literally no version of comparison that is fair or useful.
What Comparison Costs You
When you're focused on what someone else is doing or achieving, you're not focused on your own journey. You're putting energy into something you can't control. And the thoughts that comparison generates — "I'm not doing well enough," "something is wrong with me" — make it harder to do the very things that would actually help.
What to Do About It
Declutter your feeds. If following someone consistently makes you feel worse about your journey, unfollow. This is not unkind — it's self-care. Surround yourself with content and community that lifts you up. And come back to your own why — the deeply personal reason you had surgery. When you're connected to that, other people's results become irrelevant.
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