AKA Why I chose to work with a Registered Dietitian after Weight Loss Surgery, despite my significant nutrition knowledge
I’m going to say something HIGHLY controversial. I do not believe that someone who has never had weight loss surgery can coach a Bariatric patient as well as a coach who has had bariatric surgery. If you haven’t walked the walk, how can you effectively talk the talk? How could that lead to a Bariatric Breakthrough for anyone?
I have a TON of textbook knowledge, but without having lived it, how well can I truly speak to it in a coaching setting?
My dietitian has a philosophy that’s very similar to mine in this case: I never ever want you to feel like you’re in this alone.
You guys, I feel this in my BONES:
“Bariatric surgery is hard. Despite what anyone says, this is NOT the easy way out. And at the end of the day, your surgery is just a tool. We need other tools in our toolbelt to be successful. It’s my hope that through education, resources, support and genuine connections that you can learn how to make your dream post op life come true.” -Jamie Mills RD
When I went to university for my bachelors degree, I took a human nutrition minor. I would have majored in human nutrition, but that wasn’t an option at my school. As such, I took every nutrition class offered at my university with a plan to go to grad school after. (My long term life goal at the time? Become a Registerd Dietitian and Lactation Consultant, and work with nursing moms on how best to eat for milk production.) Graduate School was not in the cards at the time, so I pursued other career paths and other passions and nutrition took a back seat for a bit.
Aside from being passionate about nutrition as a whole, (and having spent some time in college employed at Petco specializing in pet nutrition,) I’ve been lucky enough to have a strong aptitude (an inborn potential, natural talent, or inherent capacity to learn and perform specific skills) for nutritional knowledge. I passed Anatomy and Physiology with flying colors. Sadly for me, this did not translate to me suddenly becoming fit and svelt.
Why isn’t knowledge enough to fight obesity?
Obesity is recognized by major health organizations as a chronic, relapsing, and multi-factorial disease driven by genetics, hormonal signaling, and metabolic changes. It involves long-term disruptions in how the body handles energy balance, making weight regain very common.
Key Metabolic Factors
- Energy Imbalance: The body stores extra calories as fat when intake passes use.
- Hormone Disruption: Signals that control hunger and fullness often stop working the right way.
- Fat Tissue Stress: Enlarged fat cells release chemicals that cause low-level swelling and insulin resistance.
Willpower is an evolutionary lightweight when compared to our biological machinery when it comes to regulating body weight.
The human brain views a reduction in food intake as an existential threat of starvation.
Your genetic blueprint sets the baseline structure, receptor sensitivity, and chemical pathway efficiency of your weight-regulation loop before you ever take your first bite of food.
The body regulates fat stores using a closed-loop system governed by the hypothalamus, the brain’s autonomous control center:
-When caloric intake drops, the hypothalamus initiates defense mechanisms to force the body back to its set point.
-In individuals with obesity, this set point is pathologically elevated, meaning the body actively fights to defend a higher weight.
The mind cannot control the primary hormones governing hunger and fullness. These chemical messengers alter perceptions, physical cravings, and energy levels without conscious permission:
–Leptin (The Satiety Signal): Produced by fat cells, leptin signals the hypothalamus that the body has enough stored energy. In obesity, a defect called leptin resistance occurs. The brain stops receiving this signal, interpreting the silence as literal starvation—triggering an intense, biological drive to eat even when the body has abundant fat stores. (Genetics dictate up to 70% of a person’s baseline weight variance, largely by pre-programming how the brain responds to leptin signals.)
–Ghrelin (The Hunger Trigger): Secreted by the stomach, ghrelin spikes before meals to drive food-seeking behavior. When a person actively diets, ghrelin levels skyrocket and stay elevated for months. This generates an unrelenting, physical sensation of hunger that willpower cannot permanently silence.
The body controls energy expenditure independently of the mind’s intentions. During intentional calorie restriction, the body initiates adaptive thermogenesis:
–Slowing Metabolism: Resting energy expenditure drops drastically. The body becomes highly efficient, burning fewer calories to perform basic survival tasks.
-The mesolimbic dopamine pathway (the brain’s reward center) becomes hyper-sensitized. High-calorie foods spark a massive dopamine rush, making them highly alluring to the subconscious mind. This manifests as unending intrusive thoughts about food, colloquially called “food noise”
Ultimately, relying on willpower to overcome obesity is comparable to trying to use willpower to stop blinking or breathing. While conscious control works for a short duration, autonomic biology always wins the long-term tug-of-war.
My knowledge and skill set at the time were not enough to fight my post-op regain solo. I chose to work with a bariatric registered dietitian who would not only know what I was going through, but someone who would also be able to teach me the tools I needed for long term success.
Cue: Finding Jamie
Several years ago, scrolling Tiktok one day, I saw a pink-haired girlie talking about Disney & Diet in the same breath and I marathoned at least 20 of her videos. I knew I needed to know more.
As it turns out, on Instagram she’s a community leader and it seems like a cheerleader for all bari-babes.
(Megz had 20lbs of regain, and then lost all 20lbs of regain after working with Jamie.)
During the time that I’ve known Jamie she’s rolled out several new tools for bariatric patients, she’s had a baby (and gained and lost pregnancy weight), and written a book (This book can change your life! Bariatrics is a treatment, not cheating. Perfect read for anyone considering surgery):
The Easy Way Out: Why Bariatrics Isn’t Cheating Obesity, It’s Treating It
That leads me to Jamie’s current big project:
REGAIN REHAB & Bariatric Breakthrough
Regain Rehab is for anyone who’s regained 20, 30, 40+ pounds after bariatric surgery and is tired of wondering why nothing seems to work anymore.
In just one hour, you’ll learn the exact framework Jamie uses with her clients to identify what’s actually driving post-op regain and how to start reversing it. It’s designed to be binge watched (skip the binge eating) in a single sitting so you can stop procrastinating and start taking action today.
BONUS: you’ll receive FREE access to T.R.I.B.E., Jamie’s membership community, where you can join live support calls with her, ask questions, get personalized guidance, and have a dietitian help you implement everything you learn inside Regain Rehab.
Are you ready to have your own Bariatric Breakthrough?
What is Regain Rehab?
Regain Rehab is a self-paced digital course designed to help people stop the cycle of regain after weight loss surgery and/or GLP-1 medications.
Instead of another restrictive “start over on Monday” plan, Regain Rehab teaches the science behind why regain happens and provides a clear, realistic roadmap to help participants regain control around food, reduce overeating, and begin losing regain in a sustainable way—without calorie counting, cutting out favorite foods, or relying on willpower.
Regain Rehab is:
- Self-paced online course
- Evidence-based bariatric nutrition education
- Designed specifically for post-op regain and GLP-1 users
- No calorie counting required
- No foods are off limits
- Focuses on sustainable habits instead of quick fixes
- Created by bariatric registered dietitian Jamie Mills, RD
Regain Rehab is ideal for someone who:
- Has had weight loss surgery (or is on/coming off a GLP-1) and is struggling with regain.
- Feels like they’ve “fallen off track” and doesn’t know how to get back in control.
- Thinks about food constantly or struggles with grazing, snacking, or emotional eating.
- Has tried getting “back to basics” without lasting success.
- Wants an evidence-based approach that actually addresses why regain happens.
Regular Price: $399
With my Discount: $299 (Repayment plans through Klarna & Afterpay as low as $27/mo)
DISCOUNT CODE: MEGAN2536
Regain Rehab Course
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