Experiencing obesity: trajectory and fruitless sacrifices to lose weight prior to bariatric surgery

To analyze the life trajectories of women who have lived with obesity since childhood and decide to undergo bariatric surgery.

A descriptive-exploratory qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews and photobiographies were conducted with 21 women who had undergone bariatric surgery; grounded theory analysis techniques were employed. Approval was obtained from the ethics and research committees.

The participants had been obese since childhood and experienced a steady increase in weight, reaching their peak during pregnancy, the loss of a loved one, or isolation due to COVID-19. They shared experiences of violence, discrimination, and stigma; they used food and isolation as a coping mechanism and a form of protection. They employed multiple strategies to lose weight, but weight regain was always greater. Limitations in performing activities of daily living led them to seek medical care, where bariatric surgery was presented as an opportunity to regain their health.

The life trajectory of those living with obesity from an early age unfolds against a backdrop of violence; isolation, emotional eating, and situational crises exacerbate weight gain, affecting their health and leading them to bariatric surgery.