Body Dysmorphic Disorder after Bariatric Surgery

One of our clients writes – “The one thing I truly wish I knew before weight loss surgery was how real body dysmorphia (Body Dysmorphic Disorder or BDD) is. I can see the 100+ pound difference on the weighing scale. I can see the smaller sized clothes that I can now fit into. I can even see the bones which were never visible earlier. But when I look in the mirror, I am exactly who I was prior to the surgery. I really want to learn how to see what I truly look like and get over my body image issues.”

Answer – The key lies in the following:

Body issues are real and learning how to deal with them could be difficult for some bariatric patients.

• Staying strong and keeping up the good work
• Making the entire journey about health and not weight
• Hitting the gym (some of our clients report how being regular to the gym trained their brains into understanding that their bodies were indeed different)
• Seeking therapy is always a good start.  You can learn how to get through the post-op life-changing phase.