Welcome to the first Bariatric Banter episode of 2026! Hannah and Steph kick off the year with some real talk about the dangers of pushing your body too hard post-surgery, the pressure of New Year's goals, and why slowing down isn't failure—it's necessary.

Hannah opens up about her incredibly challenging 2025, from severe pneumonia to cardiac issues, blood sugar crashes, and ultimately hitting a wall of complete burnout. Through raw honesty, she shares how refusing to process her illness and grief led her body to essentially force a shutdown. Steph chimes in with her own experiences of feeling guilty for resting during illness and the realization that our bodies can take 12-18 months (or more!) to fully recover from major events like surgery.

The duo tackles the tricky topic of New Year's resolutions, vision boards, and goal-setting—questioning whether these well-intentioned practices actually set us up for disappointment. They discuss the pitfalls of comparing ourselves to social media influencers whose full-time job is creating content, and why it's okay to skip the elaborate goal-setting entirely.

Plus: Hannah reviews Kirkland protein shakes and Cobb's new protein bread, announces their 30-day sugar reset challenge, and both hosts commit to focusing on gratitude, realistic expectations, and learning to appreciate stillness in 2026.

Key Takeaways:

• Your body needs WAY more recovery time than you think
• Control issues often stem from our pre-surgery lives
• Small, achievable goals beat ambitious vision boards
• Taking a break isn't failure—it's self-preservation
• Going slow helps you go fast in the long run