Bariatric Support

Course Overview
Start with Your Personal Bariatric Journey whether you are preparing for surgery, recently post-operative, several years into your journey, or returning after a setback. Continue sequentially or choose the modules most relevant to your current needs. Use the DGBB Bariatric Success Challenge as your ongoing daily practice and revisit assessments and your Bariatric Success Blueprint as your needs change.

Learn

Work through each module and lesson at your own pace.

Module 1Your Personal Bariatric Journey3 lessons planned

Understand where you are, why this matters, and what you want to build from here.

Explore why you chose or are considering bariatric surgery, what you hope will change, what surgery can and cannot do by itself, and the behavioral, emotional, relationship, and lifestyle factors that may matter most in your journey. This Foundation Journey provides meaningful value on its own while helping you choose what to explore next.

  • Clarify your personal reasons for pursuing or continuing the bariatric journey.
  • Identify realistic hopes, expectations, concerns, and questions.
  • Explore current eating patterns, coping strategies, habits, self-image, and support.
  • Recognize what surgery may change and what still requires ongoing personal development.
  • Choose a practical next focus and create an initial Bariatric Growth Plan.
Where Are You in Your Bariatric Journey?
LESSON

Identify whether you are preparing for surgery, recovering, building new habits, maintaining long-term progress, or recommitting after challenges.

  • Pre-surgery
  • Early recovery
  • Post-surgery adjustment
  • Long-term maintenance
  • Recommitment
  • Your current priorities

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Know Your Why
LESSON

Clarify the life, health, relationships, experiences, freedoms, and possibilities you hope this journey will support.

  • Personal motivation
  • Desired life
  • Health goals
  • Relationships
  • Freedom and participation
  • Meaning beyond a number on the scale

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Surgery Changes Your Body — You Still Build the Life
LESSON

Develop realistic expectations about how bariatric surgery can support change while beliefs, coping strategies, relationships, habits, and identity continue to require intentional attention.

  • Tool versus complete solution
  • Behavior change
  • Emotional adjustment
  • Habits
  • Support
  • Lifelong learning

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Module 4Build a Healthier Relationship with Food3 lessons planned

The goal is not to fear food — it is to relate to it with greater awareness and intention.

Develop more intentional eating behavior through mindfulness, awareness, planning, flexible thinking, and collaboration with your bariatric nutrition team.

  • Practice mindful and intentional eating.
  • Reduce shame-based thinking about food and eating.
  • Follow individualized nutrition recommendations from qualified providers.
  • Prepare for social situations, eating out, holidays, and travel.
  • Recover constructively after difficult eating experiences.
Practice Mindful Eating
LESSON

Slow down and increase awareness of thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, choices, satisfaction, and your bariatric care plan during eating experiences.

  • Slow down
  • Pay attention
  • Reduce distractions
  • Notice internal experience
  • Follow your care plan
  • Reflect without judgment

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Move Away from Food Shame
LESSON

Challenge the idea that eating choices determine your worth and replace shame with responsibility, curiosity, and constructive adjustment.

  • Food is not a moral score
  • Self-worth
  • Responsibility without shame
  • Curiosity
  • Learning
  • Recommitment

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Module 5Navigate Surgery, Recovery & Your New Normal4 lessons planned

Recovery is not simply healing from surgery — it is learning how to live differently.

Adjust to the emotional, behavioral, relational, and practical realities of surgery and recovery while following individualized instructions from your bariatric medical team.

  • Prepare emotionally for surgery and recovery.
  • Adapt patiently to changing routines and eating experiences.
  • Recognize non-scale progress.
  • Use support effectively during recovery.
  • Maintain appropriate medical and nutritional follow-up.
Prepare for the Transition
LESSON

Anticipate emotional, practical, relationship, and routine changes surrounding surgery and early recovery.

  • Expect change
  • Ask for help
  • Prepare your environment
  • Plan communication
  • Follow clinical instructions
  • Be patient with recovery

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Adjust to Your New Normal
LESSON

Recognize that appetite, eating, routines, energy, emotions, relationships, and expectations may all require adjustment.

  • New routines
  • Changing appetite
  • Eating experiences
  • Emotional adjustment
  • Relationships
  • Patience

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Notice Non-Scale Victories
LESSON

Expand your definition of progress to include health behaviors, energy, mobility, participation, confidence, relationships, consistency, and quality of life.

  • Health behaviors
  • Energy
  • Mobility
  • Participation
  • Confidence
  • Consistency
  • Quality of life

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Module 8Build Better Ways to Cope4 lessons planned

If food helped you cope, lasting change requires additional ways to care for yourself.

Expand your coping toolbox so difficult emotions and life experiences do not automatically lead back to old eating patterns or other harmful behaviors.

  • Recognize emotional states that commonly trigger old coping patterns.
  • Develop multiple healthy coping options.
  • Practice emotional regulation and stress-management skills.
  • Strengthen relationships and willingness to seek support.
  • Recognize when professional behavioral-health care is needed.
What Did Food Help You Do?
LESSON

Explore whether eating has helped soothe, distract, reward, numb, celebrate, connect, avoid, or manage difficult experiences.

  • Soothing
  • Distraction
  • Reward
  • Numbing
  • Celebration
  • Connection
  • Avoidance

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Build Your Healthy Coping Menu
LESSON

Develop multiple ways to respond to stress, anxiety, loneliness, anger, boredom, grief, fatigue, and difficult emotions.

  • Emotional regulation
  • Connection
  • Mindfulness
  • Movement
  • Rest
  • Journaling
  • Meaningful activity
  • Professional support

Planned lesson · Coming soon

Ready to start? Enroll or begin your free trial above.