Changes to relationships after weight loss surgery often go overlooked by people considering bariatric surgery or other aggressive weight loss plans, and those changes can be both positive and negative depending on the situation.
On the positive side, you look better and you feel better. People you don’t know may start to treat you with more respect. You may be treated more favorably at work. People may be more physically attracted to you.
On the negative side, weight loss patients are keenly aware of overweight discrimination against others, which can lead them to wonder… would this person be treating me the same way if I hadn’t lost all of this weight? How do I handle obesity discrimination now that I’m on the “other side”?
In addition, people who you’ve known for a long time will not be used to the way you look. Could that promote awkwardness from overweight friends or family members? Could your spouse or partner become jealous now that others are noticing you more?
One of the best places to give and receive relationship advice is from other bariatric surgery patients during regularly scheduled support group meetings.
Two Weight Loss Surgery Support Group Options
Following is a comparison of your two weight loss surgery support group options:
- In-person meetings, such as those offered by your surgeon
- Anonymous online meetings, such as BariGroups
Participation Participation |
Meeting Moderation Meeting Moderation |
Start Session with Educational Topic Start Session with Educational Topic |
Meeting Location Meeting Location |
Meeting Times Meeting Times |
Cost Cost |
In-Person Meetings |
Participation Face-to-Face |
Meeting Moderation Moderated by Bariatric Professional |
Start Session with Educational Topic Depends |
Meeting Location Physical Location |
Meeting Times Limited; Usually no more than 1 per week |
Cost Depends |
BariGroups |
Participation Anonymous: Nurse Moderator Shares Video & Audio; Participants Join by Audio Only |
Meeting Moderation Moderated by Bariatric Nurses |
Start Session with Educational Topic Yes |
Meeting Location Attend from Anywhere from Any Device (Phone or Internet) |
Meeting Times Multiple per week |
Cost Free (Tipping Nurse Moderator is Optional) |
Click here to learn more about BariGroups Anonymous Online Weight Loss Surgery Support Groups.
Click here to contact a surgeon about the support groups they offer.
For more information about the importance of support groups, see our Bariatric Surgery Support Groups section.
Real Experience & Advice from Weight Loss Surgery Patients
The testimonials below give examples of how relationships can change.
But first…
How did YOUR relationships change after weight loss surgery?*
Your experiences will greatly help both prospective patients and those who have already had surgery…
– Many prospective patients fail to consider how interactions with friends, family, partners and colleagues will change after surgery.
– Patients who have already had surgery need to know that others are going through the same thing and how to handle it
What changes did YOU notice after surgery with the following people…
1) Your partner or spouse
2) Family
3) Dating
4) People at work
5) People you don’t know well (i.e. service people, waiters, random people on the street, etc.)
Questions From Other Visitors*
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page.
