My Bariatric Year: Bariatric Series, #1

By Tim Hatch

My Bariatric Year is an insider's look at author Tim Hatch's weight-loss surgery. With entries dealing with tough topics like self-image and self-evaluation, this is a fascinating look at coping, reflection, and relearning the process of living.

Part One sets the stage and describes, on a very personal level, the decisions that led the author to surgery in his journey to a healthier, happier life.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pelekinesis
• Release date: Oct 25, 2019
• ISBN: 9781949790290

Book preview

Introduction

Prior to having bariatric surgery, I had to take several classes during which they told us to be careful who we talked about bariatric surgery with because we were, for sure, going to encounter negative responses from the people we love. And truth be told, I did encounter a few, but they were mostly thoughtless words, heavily informed by ignorance. For the most part, I had nothing but supportive responses from the people who matter most to me.

That said, I was still super careful who I shared this information with, especially when it came to the people I work with. The week before I had my surgery, I was lying to people I work with—people I like and respect—and it felt wrong, but it also felt safe. Anyone who has considered weight loss surgery understands shame. Anyone who is overweight to the point of endangering their health understands shame. I think on some level I was feeling shame at having to have the surgery. It’s obviously a good thing to make a positive change, but I’m almost certain I was feeling shame over having gotten to the point where the change was necessary.

When I finally woke up from the surgery (it took some time, I was really out of it) I had clarity like you wouldn’t believe. I won’t bore you with every single revelation, but above all else, these two words kept coming back into my head: Fuck shame.

On the third day of my recovery, my second day back home, I got on my phone, found a thing I’d written a few years earlier, deleted all the stupid parts, and started writing the first entry in this book. It probably took an hour or so (writing on the phone is slow for me because I’m not 13), and when I was finished, I published it to my website, posted a link to my social media accounts, and called it a day. That was my whole day, everything else was sleeping and drinking small sips of Hydrocodone.

The response I received to opening myself up like that was 100% positive, which was wonderful, but not entirely unexpected. What did surprise me was the incredibly personal responses I got—from people I’d known forever to people I didn’t know that well at all. I was told by several people that journaling was an excellent idea, and that it would help me be successful in my journey (not a fan of that word). Well, journaling was going to happen anyway, but after the response I got, I really wanted to keep going with it, and I really wanted to be public about it (the joke in my family is that you can’t spell Tim without TMI). At some point early in the process of writing all this, I started thinking about a book. So that’s what got this all started.

A little over a year ago, my wife Annette and I both made a decision to have weight loss surgery. She had her reasons, and I had mine. I talk about my reasons and, for the most part, barely mention her. I tend to be an open book. There’s very little I’m unwilling to talk about in public. Annette, on the other hand, has healthy adult boundaries, which I respect, so I chose to leave her out of it. About a week ago, I was talking with her and asked if she’d mind if I started including her in some of what I write about and she gave me permission to talk about anything, because fuck shame.

So she’ll be mentioned more in future volumes of this project, but I cannot overstate how important she has been in the process of my weight loss. She had her surgery three months before I did. This needed to happen so that we could take care of each other as we recovered from surgery. Watching her go through the process, and relearning how to eat and drink, was helpful when it was my turn, in ways I’m sure I don’t yet realize.

Also, how much would it suck to come home from a long day, and eat two ounces of beans while your significant other chowed down on a pound of bacon and had cake for dessert? Boy these beans sure are good honey, you’re really missing out! Yeah, fuck that.

Annette has been a partner to me in every way a person can be and there’s no way I’d be as successful in my weight loss without her help. Also, when I’ve encountered difficulties like fainting or finding out my kidneys aren’t behaving themselves, she’s there to talk my neurotic ass off the ledge, and