Kellie and Mel are two lifelong friends in different stages of their vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) journey. In 2020, they had the idea for this podcast when there was nothing else like it in the community. They started the first patient-produced podcast to raise awareness around bariatric surgery and to help other patients find information that wasn’t available when they had weight loss surgery. They believe patients deserve to know all the information and find the tools they need to succeed...
Apr 05, 2023•1 hr 34 min•Ep. 203
Mel and Kellie went on a East Coast Tour to connect with other Bariatric Patients. When they showed up to Brooklyn they got to interview Two Men who is vitual in the weight loss surgery community. Meet John(@jarps_journey) & Rob (@robmotivation) from IG and TikTok. They go over there "whys" and how they became best friends after they competed in the 2022 Summer Shredding. They give OSLP the insider look on all things phyiscal and little tips and tricks that has helped them along the way. OSL...
Mar 28, 2023•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 201
Mel and Kellie went on the road!! They took the east coast by storm, and met up with @robmotivation and @myweightishistory in PHILLY. These are the Rob's of the community. OSLP wanted them on the show as they have a interesting story on why they shared their journey and what made them be so CONSISTENT!! Take a listen as the Rob's open up about their lives and of course random other things! OSLP strives to educate and inform the bariatric community and those with predetermined ideas about weight ...
Mar 21, 2023•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 201
Kellie and Mel recently interviewed the President-Elect of the Obesity Medicine Association, Dr. Lydia Alexander, to discuss obesity and the work she does to bring awareness to the disease. This is the second half of their discussion. Please visit episode 199 if you want to listen to the first half. Dr. Alexander, Kellie, & Mel take a deep dive into the newest GLP-1, and GIP hormones that have recently come to the forefront of obesity treatments. Although, as of this podcast, only one GLP-1 ...
Mar 14, 2023•46 min•Ep. 200
Kellie and Mel recently interviewed the President-Elect of the Obesity Medicine Association, Dr. Lydia Alexander, to discuss obesity and the work she does to bring awareness to the disease. The discussion is so full of valuable information we had to break it into two episodes. In this episode, Dr. Alexander explains how genetic predispositions, hormone imbalances, insulin resistance, environmental factors, food marketing, and our current food supply all contribute to obesity. She describes obesi...
Mar 07, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 199
Mel and Kellie go on their first tour!!! They start in Orlando, FL where they get to speak with The Sleeved Dietitian!! Check out how it all went down! OSLP strives to educate and inform the bariatric community and those with predetermined ideas about weight loss surgery. Join our email list on our website at www.oursleevedlifepodcast.com for the latest OSLP updates, and follow us on Instagram @oursleevedlifepodcast. Please consider supporting us on www.patreon.com/OSLP and become a Badass Bench...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Ep. 198
This week Kellie and Mel talk with Laura Ballantyne, a bariatric coach who focuses on nutrition, mindset, and fitness. Laura had VSG in New Zealand in June of 2018 and is successful at losing 100% of her excess weight and keeping it off, even after a pregnancy three years post-op. Laura details her pre-op and post-op journey and how she shifted her coping mechanisms to stay on track with her new wellness lifestyle. She talks about how she learned as much as she could to help herself on her baria...
Feb 21, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 197
It VALENTINES DAY and The OSLP girls dive right in and talk about how to handle this holiday. Check out their recommendations and fun tactics! OSLP strives to educate and inform the bariatric community and those with predetermined ideas about weight loss surgery. Join our email list on our website at www.oursleevedlifepodcast.com for the latest OSLP updates, and follow us on Instagram @oursleevedlifepodcast. Please consider supporting us on www.patreon.com/OSLP and become a Badass Benchie today!...
Feb 14, 2023•50 min•Ep. 196
After several attempts, Kellie and Mel finally connected with David Anderson, The Business Bully, who had bariatric weight loss surgery about 18 months ago. In today’s episode, Dave touches on many subjects offering a male perspective. Still, his primary focus is cultivating resources for men and women in the black community interested in weight loss surgery. Dave delivers his opinions and perspectives with humor and clarity. He can tell it like it is when discussing relationship changes after W...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 17 min•Ep. 195
Kellie and Mel are in the studio to chat about what they wish they’d known before (and after) their weight loss surgeries. They discuss stalls being normal throughout your bariatric life and how feeling lost and asking for help at any point in your weight loss journey is okay. They also encourage patients to seek therapy to assist with the mental health aspect of weight loss surgery. The back-and-forth continues as they talk about being consistent, eating in moderation for the foods we enjoy, an...
Jan 31, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 194
This episode is packed with helpful information, therapeutic strategies, and personal anecdotes from a bariatric patient turned bariatric therapist. Ashlyn Douglass-Barns, LCSW, had RNY over ten years ago and has been a therapist for 12 years, focusing on bariatrics for the last three years. Kellie, Mel, and Ashlyn discuss Ashlyn’s personal bariatric journey, her use of GLP1 hormone therapy to assist with weight loss and maintenance, and her transition to becoming a bariatric-focused therapist. ...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 193
As weight loss patients, many of us deal with cravings while battling food addiction. In this episode, Kellie and Mell discuss cravings as food addicts, the major causes of cravings, and how to manage cravings after bariatric surgery. They examine several leading causes of cravings and discuss how they overcame, or are still struggling with, their own cravings after weight loss surgery. This is an important topic that affects many bariatric patients, both pre and post-op. Please listen through t...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 193
One of the Just Be You Bariatric Awards Show sponsors, Dr. Fridley of Surgical Associates of Bayonet Point, joined Kellie and Mel on this episode. Dr. Fridley discusses why he decided to become a bariatric surgeon, his private practice, and his thorough approach to aftercare with WLS patients. He talks in detail about how to work with him and his team and what to expect as a patient of his practice. Dr. Fridley also speaks about the importance of hydration, calcium, and taking vitamins as a bari...
Jan 10, 2023•59 min•Ep. 191
Here we GO!! Season 7 is here and Kellie and Mel do their opening live from the STUDIO! They talk about not waiting until the new year to start reaching for your goals. You have to start some where and you dont have to wait to do it. They take questions from the AUDIENCE and share their experiences. They have so much instored from the Bariatric Community. So stay tuned for more and while you are waiting take a listen to this episode! We strive to educate and inform the bariatric community and th...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 190
The OSLP girls are back and this is the last episode of 2022. They talk about what it is like to have their own judgement on new weight-loss tools and their own food struggles they have been having lately. The journey is hard and staying focus is very important. As human we evolve so the process does too. That is why we say everyone journey is different! Go check it out now! OSLP strives to educate and inform the bariatric community and those with predetermined ideas about weight loss surgery. J...
Dec 27, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 189
Kellie and Mel had a great conversation with the founder of Banana Bariatrics, Kate Fuss, PA-C, whose passion is collaborating with weight loss patients who struggle with post-op regain and assisting them to get back on track. In the first half of the episode, they discuss common early post-op questions Kate gets from weight loss surgery patients, the main pillars of bariatric surgery, and how to navigate the bariatric lifestyle. Their discussion then leads to the significance of staying consist...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 188
Inspired by a post by Jamie, The Balanced Nutritionist , about holiday eating, the ladies of Our Sleeved Life Podcast recorded this episode to help and encourage the community for the holidays. Spoiler: you can eat your favorites (unless, of course, you are newly post-op — in that case, follow your doctor’s guidelines). Kellie and Mel begin the episode by discussing hunger cues and how to know when your body has had enough food to be satiated. They also give tips for eating during the holidays, ...
Dec 13, 2022•50 min•Ep. 187
Amanda, with Portion Perfection, is back on the podcast to talk about meal structure. Kellie, Mel, and Amanda discuss how often and when to eat throughout the day. Amanda explains why several smaller meals are ideal for controlling weight, mood, cholesterol, and blood sugar. She describes how much protein, vegetables, and starches are ideal for weight loss patients and suggests consuming various vegetables to get diverse minerals and vitamins through our food. OSLP TIP: get Portion Perfection pl...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 186
Following the unforgettable Just Be You Bariatric Awards, OSLP still feels the amazing sense of community many felt at the event. Kellie and Mel decided to focus this episode on peer support and the bariatric community support they’ve seen and experienced in the last two years of the podcast. They discuss the JBY Award show and the importance of attending live events to connect with other bariatric patients in person. There’s something to be said about being surrounded by people who understand t...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 185
In this week’s episode of Our Sleeved Life Podcast, Kellie & Mel talk with Kayla Girgen, RD, LD, CPT. She went to school to become a dietitian and help women navigate their health. While doing clinical rotations, she found the niche of bariatrics and hasn’t looked back. She is on a mission to bridge the gaps for women after weight loss surgery. Kellie, Mel, and Kayla debunk common food myths that come up for bariatric patients. One-by-one, Kayla answers questions like the great straw debate,...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 184
On today’s episode of OSLP, we have the pleasure of introducing Kayla, also known as @wls_Barbie to the bariatric community. Originally from Australia, she now lives in Las Vegas, NV, with her husband and works for EOC. She has a beautiful, positive mindset and zest for life that’s so energizing. Kayla talks about growing up overweight and the impact it had on her as a child, the turning point when she decided to have bariatric surgery, and the life she has now as a result. Kayla, Kellie, and Me...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 183
Kellie and Mel met this week’s guest in Dallas at the ASMBS conference. They were thrilled to meet her and knew they had to have her on the podcast. Lora’s passion for the last twenty years has been helping bariatric patients move through the headwork that follows bariatric weight loss surgery. She prides herself on learning from her patients and helping them figure out how to adjust to life when a coping mechanism, like emotional eating, is instantly taken away after WLS. She discusses this wit...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep. 182
This week, Kellie and Mel are super excited to talk with Michelle, also known in the bariatric community as @michobabyy on Instagram. They initially met her at the first Bariatric Society Retreat when she was pregnant with her first baby almost one year ago. Michelle talks about her backstory and why she decided to have WLS. She opens up and shares about the lack of support she had from her close family and how she pushed through and kept going. She dedicated her time to fitness and staying cons...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 181
Kellie and Mell were so excited to talk with India, better known as @thatchickuknow_vsg on Instagram. She is known to many in the bariatric community as the “Queen of Reels”. She shares her WLS/VSG journey on Instagram through humorous, yet informative reels and keeps the community laughing and educated about weight loss surgery. She talks with Kellie and Mel about her physical struggles in her 40’s after gaining weight from her co-morbidities and offers a unique perspective on having WLS as an ...
Oct 25, 2022•1 hr 48 min•Ep. 180
Kellie and Mel received a video from Clarissa while taking submissions for their Tiny Tummy Tales series and they knew she needed to be on the podcast! She has a fantastic story of overcoming the obstacles put in front of her by her insurance and how she persevered. Clarissa discusses her backstory and why she decided to have VSG with Kellie and Mel. She also describes the process she went through with insurance and her life post-op once she finally had her weight loss surgery in 2021. Clarissa ...
Oct 18, 2022•59 min•Ep. 179
Kellie and Mel of Our Sleeved Life sat down with Dr. Carl Pesta, DO, FASMBS, a renowned bariatric surgeon in MI and the current president of the ASMBS Foundation (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. He has been practicing bariatric surgery since 2003 and has performed over 5000 surgeries in his career. In this episode, Kellie, Mel, and Dr. Pesta focused their discussion on the disease of obesity, preventative care, education, bringing awareness to the disease, and working toward...
Oct 11, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 178
Kellie and Mel had the pleasure of meeting Terry Harden in Texas when they attended a brunch for bariatric patients and professionals in June 2022. They had an instant connection to his energy and made a plan to host him on the podcast. Terry’s weight loss surgery journey of losing over 200lbs is familiar to many of us who realized life is short and we needed to make a change. Terry had surgery the last day before the country shut down for the pandemic, forcing him to be home for most of his pos...
Oct 04, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 177
As bariatric patients, we make permanent changes to our lifestyles after WLS. Kellie and Mel go back to the basics of life after weight loss surgery in this episode of Our Sleeved Life and detail some best practices that have helped them along their journeys. They discuss the importance of being consistent with post-op surgeon visits (yes, even the annual visits when you’re further out) and getting bloodwork checked regularly. They also talk about some reasons why patients may not go back (spoil...
Sep 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 176
Kellie and Mel sit down with Micheala of Losing to Blooming in this episode of Our Sleeved Life. Michaela is a regular on the podcast and always offers so much insight and help to overcome the challenges bariatric patients face after WLS. In this episode, Kellie, Mel, and Micaela focus their discussion on maintaining weight loss after bariatric surgery and what happens if you experience regain. They discuss the importance of grounding routines that help us stay on track, building healthful habit...
Sep 20, 2022•1 hr 49 min•Ep. 175
As bariatric patients, we’re all told to focus on the protein goals our dietitians or surgeons recommend, but do you know why? In this episode of Our Sleeved Life, Kellie and Mel discuss the principles of protein. They review why protein is essential for healing our bodies after weight loss surgery, how it helps us keep muscle mass, and helps our metabolism and immune systems. In the second half of the episode, Kellie and Mel review symptoms we have when our bodies lack the right amount of prote...
Sep 13, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 174
