'Shopping for a new body': descriptions of bariatric post-operative adjustment

Co-morbid conditions resulting from obesity cause 3.4 million deaths per year. Bariatric surgery has become a solution for obesity. Post-operative psychosocial changes can be problematic and must not be neglected. Up to 74% of people with overweight or obesity have body image distortion or dissatisfaction, which may persist even after surgery and weight loss. The questions addressed by this research were: (a) what are the categories of open-ended responses from bariatric surgery patients about their experiences of post-operative adjustment? (b) Do the categories of response support previous quantitative findings of a retained obese identity after surgery?

Herman's Dialogical Self Theory provides the basis for understanding the post-operative transition from "I-obese" to "I-ex-obese". Fifty-five bariatric surgery patients (18-30 months post-op) were asked to tell the investigator about their adjustment after surgery. Their open-ended responses were written down and analyzed using content analysis.

Individual responses were analyzed and divided into four dominant categories: (a) shopping for a new body; (b) relationship transitions; (c) focus on the new body; and (d) cheating on the fat person inside.

This study presents an opportunity to gain perspective on the physical and psychosocial adjustment after bariatric surgery. The information can be used to guide pre-op and post-op education and counseling efforts for patients. Physical healing should be paired with healthy psychological adjustment to ensure a positive outcome.

Level V, descriptive analysis of previous Level III research.