S2 Ep4 Destinee LeBlanc: Bariatric Surgery is 90% Mental

✨ Destinee: Bariatric Surgery is 90% MentalIn this episode, Destinee LeBlanc (@everydaywithdestinee) shares the raw truth of what it means to face obesity, find the courage to choose bariatric surgery, and rebuild life completely on her own terms. Now more than 175 pounds down, her journey isn't just about the weight lost — it's about what she found on the other side: herself.At her highest weight of 326 lbs, Destinee was 28 years old, 5'3", dealing with PCOS, postpartum weight gain, and years of burying childhood trauma and food scarcity under food noise so loud she didn't know how loud it was — until surgery made it go silent.Nine months post gastric bypass, she's running 5Ks, opening a fitness studio with her aunt, chasing her daughter on the playground, and finally learning who she actually is without her weight defining her. But she keeps it real: the surgery was the easy part. The mental work is where the real journey begins."This surgery is 90% mental. It is going to mess with you in ways you can't even anticipate until you're in it. And I would do it all over again."✨ Episode Highlights• Her wake-up moment — "Ah Ha moment" Old Navy dressing room• Growing up with food scarcity and how it became a lifelong trauma response• What food noise actually is — and what the silence felt like when it finally disappeared• Why her brain still sees 326 lbs when she looks in the mirror• The grief of losing food as a coping mechanism after surgery• Loose skin, mirror dysmorphia, and the days that are still hard• What she'd tell anyone whose family is talking them out of surgery: "Choose your hard"• Her non-scale victory goal: going down a water slide with her daughter this summerIf you've ever felt defeated, doubted your worth, or wondered if real change is possible — Destinee's story will remind you that transformation isn't about perfection. It's about choosing yourself, even when it's hard.📲 Follow Destinee: @everydaywithdestinee🌐 bariatriccommunity.orgThis podcast is powered by Bariatric Community — a Texas nonprofit dedicated to peer-to-peer support and lifelong bariatric aftercare.✨ Powered by Healing. Fueled by Community.