When Surgery Isn't Enough: Navigating Weight Loss with Chronic Illness with Alex Lauren
What if the biggest obstacle after weight loss surgery isn’t the stalls, the food aversions, or even the physical recovery—but the voice in your head?
Alex Lauren takes us five months into her bariatric journey, beyond the highlight reel most people share online. She unpacks the hypercritical inner dialogue that emerged during her first stall, the unexpected ways her autoimmune condition shaped her approach to food and movement, and why preparation for surgery started eight months before she ever stepped into the operating room.
This isn’t another “I lost X kilos” story. Alex reveals how she used GLP-1 medication strategically before surgery, rebuilt her relationship with food through therapy and journaling, and learned to decenter weight loss when chronic pain demanded it. We explore the comparison trap that dominates bariatric communities, why vulnerability became her most powerful tool, and how showing up authentically online created connections she never knew she needed.
If you’ve ever wondered what really happens when the scales don’t move as expected, or how to navigate bariatric life when your body has its own rules, this conversation matters.
Why the first weight loss stall hits harder psychologically than physically
How intentional pre-surgery preparation shaped seamless post-op life
Using bariatric surgery as a reset to identify autoimmune food triggers
The hidden cost of comparison in Facebook groups and online communities
Why expressing emotions replaced emotional eating
Balancing chronic pain management with weight loss goals
Alexandra has just hit five months post-op following weight-loss surgery and shares her journey online with a strong focus on honesty, sustainability, and mindset. She lives with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune condition, so her experience includes navigating surgery alongside chronic pain, inflammation, and medication, something that’s shaped her approach to both food and movement. Online, she creates engaging, no-shame content that focuses on building a healthy relationship with food, dismantling diet culture, and showing what real life after surgery actually looks like, not just the highlights.
If you need something shorter: Alexandra is five months post-op and shares her weight-loss surgery journey online with an honest, no-shame approach. Living with ankylosing spondylitis, she speaks to the realities of balancing surgery, chronic illness, and mindset, while showing what real life after surgery looks like beyond the highlights
Connect with Emma Gray:
- Instagram: @keepingupwithalexlauren
- TikTok: @keepingupwithalexlauren
