Breaking the Stigma of Weight Loss Surgery
One Podcast Episode at a Time!
Welcome OSLP Family!
Our Sleeved Life Podcast is knocking down the stigma of weight loss surgery one episode at a time. We’re not only your podcast hosts – but we’re also bariatric patients.
It's our mission to empower and inspire you in every part of your bariatric journey.
Whether you are…
Considering Weight Loss Surgery
Pre-op
Newly Post-op
Maintaining
Navigating Regain
Considering Skin Removal Surgery
Supporting a Loved One in Any Stage
We’re so glad you’ve found us at whichever stage you are in and we hope that you’ll hang out with us FOR-EVER. (No pressure though)
We're here for you.
We’re here to encourage you.
We’re here to support you.
We’re here to cheer you on.
Have you joined our email list yet? If not, click the link below and we'll send you the Our Sleeved Life Guide to Bariatric Surgery. You'll get oodles of information and discount codes from companies we work with and trust in the Bariatric Community.
Sign up and stay informed about new content and special events.
Our Sleeved Life, the Podcast
Our names are Mel and Kellie and we're two lifelong friends in different stages of our vertical sleeve gastrectomy (or VSG) journey. We strive to share important information about weight loss surgery (or WLS) with the world.
We had the idea for our podcast in 2020 when there was nothing like it in the community. We knew we needed to do something to help new and struggling bariatric patients find a safe place to learn and feel supported.
Although bariatric education has gotten better since Mel’s surgery over seven years ago, there are still so many holes in it. Not to mention tons of misinformation swarming around in the community.
Patients deserve to have all the information they need, the tools they need to succeed, and to hear the stuff no one talks about…
Which is why we’re here to talk about it.
We hold nothing back, we tell you the nitty-gritty of life as a bariatric patient. The good, the bad, and the downright absurd!
We're on a mission to deliver clear, informed content to our listeners through bariatric community experts and patients.
We interview experts that are active in the bariatric community
Surgeons
Therapists
Dietitians
Bariatric Lifestyle Coaches
Companies creating products for the Bariatric Community
Our experts are full of value-packed information and guidance to help you!
We interview bariatric patients navigating weight loss surgery
Men and Women Like YOU
Their wins and their struggles
Their surgery experiences (triumphs and complications)
Their scale and non-scale victories
Meet patients for their pre-op, one-month post-op, six months post-op, and for their one-year Surgiversary. Every journey is different and we have so many to share with you.
We offer our personal experiences and anecdotes as bariatric patients dealing with
Changes in Relationships (as we build confidence)
Stalls and Regain
Non-Scale Victories
Mindset Work for Bariatric Patients
Finding Peer Support
Our Sleeved Life is a podcast that brings you the REAL side of weight loss surgery. We have real conversations – as friends do – and don’t hold back.
We sit down in our comfy chairs and chat with you about how to get through this life as a bariatric patient.
Testimonials
“These ladies are like my VSG fairy godmothers, I absolutely love their podcast! The way they speak about WLS is so informative, yet vulnerable and makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
“I recently discovered your podcast and I have been binge listening, I am so grateful for you both for doing this podcast! There are so many ups and downs on this journey and it really helps to have a community of support, so I thank you so very much for sharing both your journeys, for providing lots of helpful information and for sharing all of the good, and bad along the way!”
“Hooked from episode zero! These ladies are so funny and honest about their journey. Thank you for sharing all the raw, real truth of weight loss surgery, recovery, and more. I can totally relate and can’t wait to hear more!”
Podcast Sponsors
About The Ladies of OSLP
Mel Gottfried
With a family history of obesity, growing up overweight, and the sudden death of my father at 59 years old, I knew, at 308lbs, I needed to make a change.
I fought the stigma of having weight loss surgery for two years and finally took the leap to have VSG in May of 2015. It’s been the best decision I’ve made for myself and my family. I lost 129lbs of excess weight and feel like a new woman!
I made big changes with my family after surgery. I enjoy working out and have awesome support from my husband and son. We make healthier choices as a family to break the patterns of obesity that I grew up with.
I now attend concerts, comedy shows, festivals, and backyard gatherings with confidence and joy.
Kellie Wilson
While never obese growing up, I always felt the need to lose weight. This mindset led to an eating disorder and depression. In my twenties, I was diagnosed with Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia. Avoiding the reality of my new normal, I turned to food to numb the physical and emotional pain I was feeling.
I gained weight over years of being bedridden and binge eating. Seeing a photo of myself at a family gathering pushed me to get help.
After six months of insurance-required nutrition counseling and therapy with my bariatric program, I had VSG in April 2019. Right after surgery, the physical pain from my autoimmune diseases was gone and I went full steam ahead on my weight loss journey – losing 125lbs in just over a year.
But life doesn't always go as planned.
I went through a divorce I was not expecting at one-year post-op and regained some weight while dealing with the trauma of my life being turned upside down. Although I’ve experienced some awesome NSV’s I know being a bariatric patient means constant course correction and I work every day to maintain my weight.
Working Together
Once Kellie had surgery, Kellie and I talked daily about life after our vertical sleeve gastrectomies. We soon realized we needed to share our experiences and help inform the bariatric community on a larger scale.
We started Our Sleeved Life Podcast over two years ago and it’s been the most rewarding experience we could have hoped for.
We’ve made connections with companies we trust with products we use daily.
We’ve developed friendships and built a network of relationships with bariatric community professionals, influencers, and content creators like us.
Most importantly – and most rewardingly – we’ve created a supportive, non-judgmental community that cares for its members like YOU!
Helping you (our listeners) is what keeps us going every day. We are forever grateful for the support the bariatric community has given us.
We look forward to continuing to give back to you.
