What happens when progress stalls, pain flares, and kindness becomes the real work.
“I wasn’t prepared for how quickly my inner dialogue would become hypercritical. What I actually needed was kindness.” — Alex Lauren
Beyond the Highlight Reel
Social media is full of bariatric success stories — milestone numbers, dramatic before-and-afters, and steady downward graphs. But five months post-op, Alex Lauren shares a truth many people aren’t prepared for: the hardest part isn’t always physical.
In this deeply honest episode of the Australian Weight Loss Surgery Podcast, host Jacqui Lewis sits down with Alex to talk about what happens when surgery doesn’t magically silence the inner critic — especially when chronic illness is part of the picture.
This is not a story about kilos lost. It’s a story about resilience, mindset, and redefining progress.
🧠 When the First Stall Hits Hard
Alex explains that her first weight-loss stall wasn’t physically difficult — it was psychologically brutal.
Even though her progress was steady, healthy, and exactly what her clinical team expected, the voice in her head quickly turned harsh. That hypercritical inner dialogue questioned her effort, her worth, and whether she was “doing it right.”
“I didn’t realize how quickly I would be unkind to myself — even when everything was going well.”
It’s a moment many bariatric patients recognize but rarely talk about.
🕰️ Preparing Long Before Surgery
One of the most powerful insights Alex shares is that her post-op experience didn’t start on surgery day — it started eight months earlier.
After initially treating pre-op time as a “free-for-all,” she reached a turning point. Rather than waiting for surgery to change her life, she began living as if surgery had already happened:
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Eating in a way she could sustain long term
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Exploring movement that worked with her body, not against it
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Using journaling and therapy to untangle emotional eating
By the time she entered surgery, her habits — and mindset — were already shifting.
🦴 Navigating Bariatric Surgery with Chronic Illness
Alex lives with ankylosing spondylitis, an autoimmune condition that brings chronic pain, inflammation, and unpredictable flare-ups. This added layer fundamentally shaped her bariatric journey.
During flares, pain management sometimes meant choosing medication that increased hunger and cravings — especially for quick comfort foods. Watching the scale stall or rise during those periods was confronting.
But Alex reframed the narrative:
Choosing pain relief over a number on the scale is not failure. It’s care.
This perspective challenges the idea that weight loss should always be the top priority — especially when real health is on the line.
🔄 Decentering Weight Loss
Perhaps the most profound shift Alex describes is learning to decenter weight loss when her body demanded compassion instead.
Instead of measuring success purely by the scale, she focused on:
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Emotional regulation instead of emotional eating
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Expressing feelings rather than suppressing them
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Protecting her mental health during flares
In doing so, vulnerability became her greatest strength — both offline and online.
👥 The Comparison Trap in Bariatric Communities
Alex also speaks candidly about the emotional toll of comparison in online bariatric spaces. Facebook groups and comment sections can unintentionally reinforce unrealistic timelines and expectations.
Seeing others lose faster or differently fed self-doubt — until she chose to show up authentically, sharing the messy middle instead of just milestones.
That honesty didn’t push people away. It connected her to exactly the support she needed.
🎧 Listen to the Full Episode
“When Surgery Isn’t Enough: Navigating Weight Loss with Chronic Illness”
🎙️ Hosted by Jacqui Lewis on the Australian Weight Loss Surgery Podcast
👉 Check Alex Lauren here:
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📸 Instagram: @keepingupwithalexlauren
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🎵 TikTok: @keepingupwithalexlauren
✨ Final Takeaway
Bariatric surgery can change your body — but it won’t automatically change how you speak to yourself.
Alex Lauren’s story reminds us that progress isn’t linear, health isn’t one-dimensional, and kindness isn’t optional — especially when you’re living with chronic illness.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop chasing the scale and start listening to your body.
Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is stop chasing the scale and start listening to your body.
