Bahmann Wohlfühlfigur Podcast · Jan Bahmann

#456 - Hätte ich das gewusst, hätte ich die Magen-OP nicht gemacht...

·55 min·4 clips

A nutritionist at the University Clinic Würzburg warned Heike that sleeve gastrectomy patients have been known to liquefy Nutella and melt fries to drink them — because 'the head isn't operated on.'

1. Bahmann Wohlfühlfigur Podcast features guest Heike, who peaked at 134 kilograms and is now at 74 kilograms — a weight she has not been at since she was approximately 15 years old. 2. The host, Danyan Barman, leads the conversation; Heike is a client of the Barman weight-loss coaching program. 3. The episode's central thesis is that neither surgery nor medication produces lasting results unless behavioral patterns and thinking about food are fundamentally changed. 4. Heike traces her weight history to childhood: she grew up in a small agricultural village as a third child with little parental attention, and developed emotional eating patterns beginning at ages 8-9. 5. An autoimmune disease diagnosis in childhood led to a four-to-five-week hospital stay alone, high-dose cortisone that caused visible facial swelling, and social exclusion by peers — establishing food as emotional comfort. 6. Through her twenties, Heike managed her weight at approximately 90-95 kilograms by relocating to Upper Bavaria, taking up dancing, and building an active social life; she describes this as retrospectively the happiest period of her adult life. 7. After marriage and having a child, weight crept back steadily over 15 years, one clothing size at a time, until she reached 120-125 kilograms. 8. The Legoland incident — a roller coaster safety harness that would not close despite an attendant pressing for an extended period, in front of a crowd, with her son present — was the catalyst for seeking surgery. 9. Her GP referred her to the University Clinic Würzburg's adiposity program, which required over a year of nutrition diary-keeping and attempts at non-surgical weight loss before approving a sleeve gastrectomy. 10. Heike describes eating extra in the weeks before surgery because she knew her stomach would be severely restricted afterward — a pattern she recognises retrospectively as the head still not being aligned with her goals. 11. Her nephrologist warned her the operation was dangerous given her childhood kidney condition due to the autoimmune disease; she agreed to proceed anyway. 12. After surgery her stomach was reduced to the size of a fruit, requiring strict separation of drinks and food, and she lost over 50 kilograms over the following period. 13. A nutritionist at the University Clinic warned her that some patients regain weight by liquefying high-calorie foods — warming Nutella to a drinkable temperature or blending fries — to consume them in small volumes; Heike laughed at the time and said it could never happen to her. 14. Over ten years post-surgery, Heike regained 20-25 of the 55 kilograms she had lost, through constant small high-calorie snacking despite remaining conscious of portion size. 15. The clinic confirmed her stomach had expanded again — a muscle that naturally loosens over time — and that she was eating about the same quality of food as before the surgery, just in higher frequency. 16. Heike found Barman through an internet search, drove into a vineyard to take the initial call in private, and described the first conversation as immediately sympathetic; her husband listened from the living room and agreed the program sounded reasonable. 17. Over 14 months of Barman coaching, Heike lost 32 kilograms, reaching 74 kilograms for the first time in approximately 40 years. 18. In the studio, the host handed Heike a 32-kilogram weight to hold; she said her knees buckled immediately and she felt the load directly in her joints, noting her knees had been operated on twice. 19. Heike contrasts her two weight-loss experiences: the surgery was faster but provided no nutritional knowledge, while Barman coaching was slower but gave her tools to plan meals, build protein intake, reduce carbohydrates, and prepare snacks to take out. 20. She cites the Barman live-call community — seeing real participants' faces change over months, receiving encouragement on photos she posted, and watching others succeed — as a key factor that earlier solo dieting had never provided.

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