Latest news with #selfesteem
Medscape
3 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Bariatric Surgery Boosts Self-Esteem, But Does It Last?
The benefits of bariatric surgery can extend beyond physical weight loss and improved metabolic parameters, according to a new study finding that self-esteem surges in the first year following the surgery. 'We certainly know that bariatric surgery can help with diabetes, hypertension, and sleep apnea, but we don't talk as much about how obesity affects basic self-esteem — how the patient feels about themselves,' study investigator Justin Dhyani, MD, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News . 'It seems logical that when a patient loses weight, self-esteem will increase, but the nearly 40-point rise in self-esteem scores we saw in just 12 months was really impressive,' said Dhyani. But how long does it last? Leslie Heinberg, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, told Medscape Medical News that the self-esteem boost in the first year after surgery noted in this study is 'absolutely in line' with her own clinical observations. It's after the first year when challenges may arise, said Heinberg, who wasn't involved in the research. Early Self-Esteem Boost For their study, Dhyani and colleagues used the Geisinger database to identify 5056 adults (mean age, 48 years; 85% women) with obesity (BMI ≥ 35) who had bariatric surgery between 2006 and 2019. Most had Roux-en-Y gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. A total of 534 participants completed a survey on self-esteem within 12 months before and 6-24 months after weight-loss surgery. Overall, the researchers found that self-esteem scores more than doubled just 12 months after bariatric surgery — from 33.6 at baseline to 75.5 (out of 100) at 12 months ( P < .0001). However, patients with a higher BMI at the time of surgery (BMI ≥ 50) experienced smaller gains in self-esteem compared with peers with lower baseline BMI (< 40), which could be due to lingering effects of weight stigma. 'When you start out at a higher BMI, you have a longer way to go to reach what society might think is a normal weight, said Dhyani, adding that the externalized weight stigma certainly would affect how patients feel about themselves. 'That's what I think is going on,' he told Medscape Medical News. Dhyani presented the study at the 2025 American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC. He noted that longer-term follow-up will be important to see whether these gains in self-esteem persist over time, particularly in light of known trends in weight regain after surgery. Beyond the 'Heavenly Period' Heinberg told Medscape Medical News the first year after bariatric surgery is colloquially called the 'heavenly period' because people are losing a lot of weight, they're finding big improvements in their health and quality of life, and they're often getting a lot of positive attention. But 'beyond the first year, quality of life may stabilize, and people find that they have to work hard so they don't experience weight recurrence,' said Heinberg. 'They still have the same challenges as before surgery, like stressful jobs. They're just in a smaller body.' That's why ongoing counseling is so important. 'At Cleveland Clinic, the psychology team is embedded within the bariatric program. We see patients a bit more in the first year, but then annually is recommended,' Heinberg said, adding that they are available to patients more frequently if needed. April Williams, from Gig Harbor, Washington, who had bariatric surgery in 2019, said the 'temporary high' with surgery-induced weight loss can be followed by an 'emotional crash' as the weight loss eventually slows down and people stop commenting and offering praise. People need to realize the 'chronic and progressive nature of obesity. Just because you've treated it with bariatric surgery, the disease is still progressing in your life,' Williams told Medscape Medical News . Driven in part by a lack of post-surgery support, much of it due to COVID, Williams founded BariNation, a patient-led organization that supports people at all stages of their bariatric weight loss journey. Jamie Sarver, LPN, program coordinator with Cleveland Clinic's Bariatric and Metabolic Institute, said bariatric surgery is 'an opportunity to make an investment in yourself, [but] it's not a quick fix.' Sarver also had bariatric surgery in 2019. She shared that prior to surgery, she often felt 'uncomfortable' in her own skin, but her perception of herself has 'evolved several times' since the surgery. 'Initially I was glad for the rapid weight loss, smaller clothing sizes, and noticeable changes in my abilities to do physical activities. Over time, and as I've maintained my weight loss, my perception of myself has evolved further to feeling proud and confident of what I've achieved in these 5 years since surgery,' Sarver told Medscape Medical News . Few Takers Despite the physical and psychological benefits of bariatric surgery, only about 1% of Americans eligible for bariatric surgery choose to pursue it. Dhyani said highlighting the emotional and social benefits of bariatric surgery could encourage more patients to consider the procedure. 'I think letting patients know more about the self-esteem aspect of it might open up their minds to this type of care to improve their lives,' he said. Richard M. Peterson, MD, MPH, president-elect of the ASMBS and professor of surgery at UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, told Medscape Medical News that one of his initiatives is to 'improve the image of bariatric surgery.' 'A lot of people still have the very old-school view that bariatric surgery is dangerous. But the truth is this surgery — that improves overall health and weight loss — is safer than having your gallbladder removed,' said Peterson.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Jo Whiley, 59, puts on a very leggy display in leather shorts and boots as DJ wows with her ageless appearance at Glastonbury
Jo Whiley put on a leggy display as she stunned fans with her ageless appearance at Glastonbury festival on Saturday. The DJ, 59, took to Instagram to post a slew of snaps from the festival in Somerset as she finished her presenting gig from the night before. In the snaps, Jo looked nothing short of sensational in black leather shorts and a bedazzled The Cure top. The mother-of-four teamed the look with black leather boots that showed off her toned pins as she posed up a storm at the venue. Alongside the post, she penned: Friday Night done and dusted @glastofest @bbcglasto. 'So many outstanding performances tonight - from @selfesteemselfesteem to @wetlegband @biffy_clyro to @cmatbaby @bustarhymes @envoguemusic Lots more besides. 'All there for you to enjoy on @bbciplayer I'm glad lots of you love this @thecure T-shirt as much as I do. 'I'm afraid it's an oldie that I've had for probably three decades. Nice to rediscover gems from the wardrobe and enjoy them all over again.' Fans were quick to take to social media to share their delight over Jo back on their screens, as they also gushed over her ageless looks and sensational style. They said: 'Wow, you're amazing! What's the secret to ageing backwards rather than forwards? and those legs! X'; 'You look phenomenal!!'; 'You just don't age ! Looking utterly fabulous'; 'You look incredible & still in your 30s'; 'Getting younger every year.' 'You look 35! You are so stylish.' This time last year, Jo breathed a sigh of relief as she completed another year presenting Glastonbury, after losing her voice. The presenter lost her voice just two hours into the five-day festival but continued to soldier through - despite BBC viewers expressing their concern. Fans couldn't get over how Jo appeared to have barely aged, with many taking to the comments to gush over her appearance Jo took to Instagram to summarise her experience and praised the festival medic for helping her to continue in her role as Glastonbury host, which she has held since 1997. The Radio DJ wrote: 'Oh My!! Glastonbury 2024 was a bit of a rollercoaster. Such happiness to be there and to be bringing the festival to you all as part of the @bbcglasto team. 'Something I will never take for granted and I hope you enjoyed watching. So much joy and talent on those stages. The next week will be divided between watching all the performances on @bbciplayer and @wimbledon. 'Losing my voice two hours after arriving at Glastonbury was NOT what I expected and made things a *bit* tricky & I'm so grateful to everyone for the advice, remedies and honey & lemon. Special mention to Jim the festival medic who came to my rescue yesterday mid radio show! 'Saw two of my kids for a quick squeeze which was heaven and have seen photographic evidence that the whole WM crew & friends covered most corners of the festival. Not so much looking forward to the post-Glasto blues and laundry… anyone else??!!! 'Special thanks to my Glasto radio & TV family for your hard work, love, support, producing, co-ordinating, driving, face painting & dressing up.'
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
I lost weight and now people treat me better. How do I reconcile this?
I am a woman who has been fat since I was about eight; I am now in my early 50s. I have been on Ozempic for almost two years. I have lost almost 50 kilos and can now do a whole lot of things that I wasn't physically able to do before, which is great. But people treat me differently now. I had my work review and I am doing less but got feedback about how much more I am doing. I have been asked if I am looking to date, and even if I am thinking of having a child, both questions I never was asked when I was bigger. I didn't think people treated me badly before, and still don't, but now I am seeing that there is a difference. It is not comfortable for me. I am not at risk of putting the weight back on but how do I navigate the difference in how people are treating me? Eleanor says: A lot of people notice this after losing lots of weight. You get spoken to in a different key. People turn on a switch you didn't know they had. For some people this feels great. For others it's unnerving: to feel so newly visible and yet somehow so unseen. The trouble is, you know you've been the same you all along. So when people hand over their attraction or attention or approval now that you've lost weight, they simultaneously undermine its value. Oh great, I have more of your esteem – just because of how I look? It's easy to resent being treated better because of what you weigh. We don't want to feel like the deep things in life – being wanted, being respected – are tied to something so superficial. We want to be loved and respected for the deeper 'us'. One of the most moving pieces of radio I ever heard was Elna Baker, a producer at This American Life who also lost 50kg, asking her fiance whether he'd have dated her when she was fat. He says he's always thought the real Elna is the 'skinny' Elna. 'That's stupid,' she said. There is no 'fat Elna'. 'It was me,' she said. 'It just was me.' In navigating this, one place to start might be to notice who has treated you the same all along. You'll know who they are. If the bitter part of this experience is learning how much people react to how you look, the sweeter part is learning who reacts to you for you – who's seen the deeper you all along. Another way to approach this might be to slightly shift what you expect, or hope for, from strangers or colleagues. You mentioned the way work thinks you're more industrious now. Other silly aesthetic signals can produce similar results. If you were a man, a hair transplant might get you seen as more confident, a crisper suit as more effective. At work or with strangers we're interpreted through layers of appearance; people read clues about our merits from our clothes, accent, posture, hair. Maybe 'weight' is part of the costuming we all wear in those spaces and through which we are interpreted. It can be frustrating or bemusing to learn how much these things affect people's judgments. But maybe workplaces and strangers are not where any of us get clear-eyed reactions to our merits unmuddied by appearances. Leaning into the parts of your life that aren't filtered through appearance might make it easier to tolerate the parts that are. Lastly, it might be fun to enjoy your new X-ray vision. Your experience lets you see through the myth that a person's weight is a good guide to their character. Are there other myths you can see through now, too? I think we all do this a bit. We assume old means slow, dishevelled means chaotic, beautiful means virtuous. But lots of people have their version of 'no fat Elna'. What would we see in other people if we looked the way we want to be looked at? It could be fun to experiment.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE What women really think in bed as ladies rank their partners below the belt
The vast majority of women are not satisfied by how endowed their partners are, according to a shock survey. Nine in 10 said they wished their man was bigger below the belt. The most desirable length was 7.5 inches - about 50 percent bigger than the average penis of American and British men, which is between five and 5.5 inches while erect. Th survey, by Moorgate Andrology Clinic, a sexual cosmetic clinic in the UK, found the desire for bigger was true for women 18 years old through their mid-60s. David Mills, managing director of Moorgate, said: 'To find that women want around seven and a half inches with a bigger-than-average girth reinforces what we've known for years, we just haven't had the proof until now. 'It confirms that overall women are not telling the truth if they say penis size isn't a factor.' The results will sting the up to 50 percent of US and UK men who men report feeling self-conscious about the size of their penis. Mills said the new study shows size may matter more than women let on and believes the findings could lead to an increase in penis enlargement surgeries, as well as help women feel open about talking to their partners about their satisfaction. The urology specialists at the clinic said: 'The subject of penis size is becoming less and less taboo and studies such as the one we have launched will also help in this respect. It is about body image and confidence. 'Having a small penis can really affect men, giving them low self-esteem, making it difficult for them to have relationships and stopping them enjoying a normal life.' For the research, 180 women were shown 27 'life-like' models of penises varying in size — from two to 10 inches while erect. The women were asked four questions: What is the smallest sexual partner you've ever had?; What is your current partner's size?; What is the biggest you have seen?; and what would be your ideal size for sex? About 90 percent said they wanted their partner's penis to be larger than its actual size, with an average length of 7.5 inches. Of those, 40 percent said they wanted their partners to have more girth. Mills said: 'By starting these conversations we want to make penis enlargement surgery as acceptable as breast enlargement is. 'This is the start of some serious medical research that we are undertaking.' Penis enlargement surgery is an increasingly popular procedure done via several different methods. Some physicians take fat from other areas of the body and inject it into the organ, while others use fillers under the skin. Doctors may also cut the suspensory ligament that connects the penis to the pubic bone, making it hang lower and seem longer while flaccid. Recent research suggests male enhancement procedures like these have increased over 250 percent between 2019 and 2022 in the US. While bigger seems better, more length and girth could be painful for some women. Anywhere from five to 17 percent of American women have vaginismus, a condition in which the vagina tightens when something is inserted into it. Women who go through menopause also have a thinner vaginal lining due to a lack of estrogen, which can make sex more painful, especially with a larger penis.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
There's a new reality show about virgins. It's not what you think.
Just days after his shaggy hair and somehow shaggier eyebrows were on display in TLC's new show, Alex Stunz came to Yahoo's New York office with a much more subdued appearance. His hair and beard were neatly combed, and his button-down shirt complemented his eyes. It's likely that the makeover was a part of the new TLC reality show he stars in, Virgins, which premiered June 9, but to spoil his onscreen arc would be a catastrophe. The series is about exactly what you think it is: four singles living across the United States share their lives and their struggles to sexually connect with other people. What you might not expect is the empathy it shows its cast in a sea of franchises that invite viewers to gawk at unusual lifestyles. Alex refers to his virgin status as 'my situation,' as if it's a problem to fix. He likes his life — his sisters describe him as 'social and outgoing' — but he'd love it if his bed saw some action, even if it is in his parents' house. Society is obsessed with virginity, which in turn has made Alex somewhat obsessed with his 'situation.' 'If I met a girl at the bar and wanted to bring her home, could I? Yes,' he says in the show's first episode. 'Would I? No. Only because, to me, it's embarrassing. Men in their 30s, maybe, should be living on their own.' Alex has failed to launch. Being bullied in school harmed his self-esteem, and now, at 34, he still lives in his parents' attic, which they refer to as his 'hole.' He's close with his older sisters, who are both unafraid of poking fun of him, encouraging him to 'just get laid' and begging him to use the back shaver their mom got him for Christmas. Alex told Yahoo Entertainment that when he shared the trailer for the new show, his friends and family expressed a lot of support. They called him 'brave,' saying, 'good for you.' His whole community seems to be rallying around the idea of him finding a life partner, just as they would in the olden days. Sitting across from Alex in the conference room with us is Rhasha, whose beauty has already compelled someone on the street to ask if she's the host of an HGTV series. (She's not, yet, but she'd be down.) Her story is perhaps the most unusual on the show. 'I'm a divorced virgin,' Rhasha says in the first episode, widening her eyes as if she can sense the audience gasping at her admission. She explains that she married an international student whom she had fallen for so he could stay in the country, but their marriage remained celibate, despite her desires. It harmed her self-confidence, which is why I found it so surprising that she was willing to broadcast some of her most personal secrets on TLC. It's riveting television, but is it the right move for someone hoping to take her power back? 'I didn't know if it was the move or not, to be honest. I was just looking for help after my divorce,' she told Yahoo Entertainment. 'It felt right, because what's yours is meant to be yours.' Both Alex and Rhasha's storylines are a bit over-the-top, as any reality show is wont to be — Alex's involves getting chest hair waxed after tantric speed-dating sessions, and Rhasha was tied up and suspended in the air by a mysterious bandana-clad man named Scarecrow after confessing that she's into bondage play. But instead of treating them like freaks of nature, the show gives them every opportunity to open up and relate to viewers who might be experiencing a similar situation in their own lives. They told Yahoo Entertainment that they weren't particularly worried that people might be pointing and laughing at them onscreen. They both knew this was a drastic step, but their circumstances were unusual, and it could be the key to sexual liberation. 'Without the help of someone, I probably would not experience meeting someone and having sex,' Rhasha said on the show. 'And I need that in the grossest of ways.' The two other virgins featured on the show are 35-year-old Los Angeles resident Deanne and 37-year-old Hollywood entertainer Sonali. Deanne, who's ambitious and successful, struggles to make compromises on her high expectations for men. Sonali was raised religious and fears intimacy. Though those two women weren't with us in the conference room, all four were texting later that day in the group chat they named 'Virgin OGs.' The cast of TLC's Virgins are all searching for love and a physical connection, but they've got to come to terms with how they're letting societal expectations mess with their heads. The show forces the virgins to confront the kind of topics not usually seen in sex ed: masturbation, BDSM, vaginismus, shifting religious standards and even how our expectations can get in the way of our desires. According to Leigh Norén, a sex and relationship therapist and social worker who isn't part of Virgins, talking about the unusual or embarrassing parts of dating on a show like this 'could potentially be helpful at normalizing [these] experiences.' 'Even for those who have a lot of sexual experience, talking about sex while dating can feel really awkward,' she told Yahoo Entertainment. 'Virginity has always been important within our culture. A lot of it stems from religion and the common focus on abstaining from sex before marriage.' Norén explained that virginity is particularly sexualized for women, but men are just expected to perform sexually. That creates different but profound problems that are often not discussed. Instead, having them brought out into the open helps to break stigmas around sex and sexuality. Together in a conference room, I watched Alex and Rhasha smile and prompt each other about their journeys, without allowing for any spoilers, of course. They both told me that they're '100%' glad they came on the show — which might be a double entendre, I'm not sure. Regardless, they seem infinitely more confident in front of me than when I watched them on my screen. If talking about taboos like virginity is the first step to overcoming them, these two newly minted reality stars soared toward conquering that goal, no matter what happens. Self-confidence seems to be key in the journeys all four virgins are embarking on this season. It's required to put yourself out there, and necessary when it comes to standing your ground in the search for the 'right person' to have your first sexual encounter with. Wearing the most fabulous off-shoulder top that she swears is thrifted, Rhasha declares herself to me as 'Rhasha, no last name, like Madonna.' The same woman I'd watched giggle onscreen about being 'nasty' before quickly adding 'sorry mom' was so unabashedly herself that she didn't mind telling a journalist who was taking notes about her demeanor exactly how she wanted to be portrayed. Of course, once you've been broadcast on TV telling a relative stranger exactly how you'd like to be spanked, you might find me a lot less intimidating. Whether or not it'll be 'Virgin Summer' remains to be seen, though. I asked Alex and Rhasha if they were planning to listen to Lorde's forthcoming album, coincidentally called Virgin, when it comes out June 27. They hadn't heard of it, but maybe it's not the anthem they need anymore.
