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My heart breaks for morbidly obese people whose health plans do not cover bariatric surgery. With health plans that exclude weight loss surgery, if they deem it a medical necessity then you may be able to successfully fight for surgery coverage. I don't know what the success rate is for people who attempt this but it is surely worth trying. Since many health insurance plans exclude weight loss surgery, this leaves people faced with the decision to self-pay for bariatric surgery or to forgo what could very well be a life-saving procedure given the devastating effects of obesity and obesity-related diseases on health. Accordingly, more people are opting to self-pay and turning to Mexico for bariatric surgery at facilities like the BariatricPal Hospital MX in Tijuana. That is because the cost of weight loss surgery in Mexico can be significantly reduced from the costs for surgery in the USA and Canada. For others, the preconceived notion of Mexico being an undeveloped country filled with sub-par "everything" and drug cartels has banished any thoughts of traveling there for bariatric surgery. But I can tell you from personal experience that Mexico is not like that. I drove through Mexico last year from the US border to the Belize border, throughout the Yucatan Peninsula and most of the eastern states. I spent about 5-weeks living there. And I even received healthcare from a gastroenterologist at StarMedica in Merida. It was a very good experience... a wonderful experience. And both the healthcare and the facility were on-par with -- if not better than -- that which I have experienced in the USA. Mexico is largely like the USA with cities and infrastructure and shopping malls and hospitals. Of course there are isolated rural areas, but I did not encounter problems with safety even there. What I did encounter was a very warm and friendly culture that I would one day like to revisit. With the question of safety of weight loss surgery in Mexico being being top of mind, I turned to Alex Brecher founder of BariatricPal Hospital MX for further exploration. Alex Brecher opened the BariatricPal Hospital MX in 2017 after having run a Mexico medical tourism business for 10 years. I am sure that my interview with Alex Brecher of the BariatricPal Hospital MX will further set your mind at ease. Our entire discussion is about safe surgery.

1. My weight does not determine my success nor worth. “If you accept your personal best at everything else in life, why not weight?” – Yoni Freedhoff Isn’t that SUCH a good quote? Is your WLS team happy with your progress, but you aren’t? Why are you still pushing for and obsessing over those next 10 lbs? Reflect on why you feel that you must lose those extra pounds and what will happen if you don’t? 2. I acknowledge that a healthy lifestyle (i.e. eating healthy most of the time and moving my body often) is a part-time job. Some weeks it doesn’t feel like work, but often it does. It is important to accept that doing well after WLS is not an accident. You have to make the time for your new habits. 3. I see meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking as acts of self-care. This mindset shift is HUGE. Embracing this shift requires practicing gratitude. For example, this means being able to acknowledge that although you may not enjoy cooking, you are thankful to have food to put on the table. Or, as another example, maybe you don’t enjoy meal planning, but you can acknowledge how much smoother getting organized on the weekend makes your week flow. Try viewing these chores from a place of gratitude this week, and watch how much lighter they all of sudden feel. 4. I move my body because it feels good and helps me to re-charge. I don’t exercise to control my weight. If you are exercising solely for the purpose of controlling your weight, it is only a matter of time before you burn yourself out. Moving your body should come from a place of self-care. The activities that you choose should be enjoyable and energizing. They shouldn’t feel forced. 5. I am not on a diet. I eat foods that I enjoy. I practice moderation and flexible eating to the best of my ability. All foods fit. If you feel restricted, if you’re counting your calories daily, if you’re always hungry, or if you often feel guilty or ashamed about your food choices, you are going to burn yourself out! If you have dieted for most of your life, you likely have a lot of baggage in this department to work through. For many of our patients, it takes years to work through this mindset shift, so don’t be too hard on yourself. So, how many of these mindset shifts have you fully embraced? Which ones are still a struggle? Where do you feel stuck? Try posting these 5 mindset shifts up in your office or home to keep them top of mind as you go about your day. Envision and journal about what it would feel like and look like to embrace all of them. Click HERE for a FREE printable of these 5 mindset shifts! Click HERE to read more about this kind of content. Click HERE to follow our Facebook page for up-to-date videos and nutrition information. If you need help working through these shifts, speak with your WLS dietitian or psychologist. Wishing you all much happiness in your WLS journey! – Monica & Lisa