Mel Gottfried

From Invisible to Unstoppable: My Bariatric Surgery Journey

I had bariatric surgery in 2015, at 308 pounds. But my journey didn’t start there. It started with loss.

The entire side of my dad’s family was unhealthy—heart disease, diabetes, obesity. It was like a ticking clock, counting down to an inevitable fate. My dad passed away at just 59 years old. Too young. Gone before he ever got to grow old, and I knew deep down that if I didn’t change something, I was heading down the same road. My brother and I, both big our entire lives, had accepted it for so long. We thought this is just who we are. But after losing our dad, we realized that accepting it wasn’t an option anymore. We both had kids of our own. We had to do better for them, for ourselves.

At first, we did what most people do—we tried to lose the weight naturally.

We started working out, changing our habits, hoping willpower would be enough. But it wasn’t. No matter what we did, we couldn’t make the progress we needed. It felt like an endless battle with a body that refused to cooperate. That’s when I started researching bariatric surgery online. Once I made the decision, the process moved quickly. But deciding to have surgery wasn’t just about weight loss, it was about survival.

Living in a big body is hard. And not just physically but emotionally, too. I know what it’s like to be picked on, to be bullied, to feel ashamed of my own existence. Since I was a little girl, I felt the sting of being different. Prom was supposed to be one of the most memorable nights of my life, but instead, it was just another reminder that I didn’t fit in. I went with my best friend, Kellie, because I never expected anyone to ask me. When I was bigger, I felt invisible. It wasn’t just the stares or the teasing—it was the way people ignored me entirely, like I didn’t exist.

My own family kept their distance. At school, I was there, but never really there.

And then, after surgery, everything changed. Not just my weight, but how the world saw me. Suddenly, people held the door open for me. They made eye contact. They noticed me. It was like I had stepped into a different reality, one where I wasn’t invisible anymore.

I used to go to the beach and cry, overwhelmed by insecurity and exhaustion. Now, I go without hesitation, without fear. The struggle that once weighed me down, literally and figuratively, is gone. I can go to Disney World and walk all day without sweating, without my body aching for days afterward. I can live without being in constant pain. Before, if I pushed my body too hard, I’d be down for 24 hours, barely able to move. Now, I have energy I never knew was possible.

I thought I had confidence before, but now I see the difference. It’s night and day.

But surgery didn’t just change my body, it changed my life. It changed my relationships. My husband and I were together for 15 years, and I never realized how much I had settled. I thought I didn’t deserve better. He put me down constantly, and back then, I accepted it. I thought love meant enduring. But when I gained confidence, when I started seeing my worth, I realized I didn’t need to be with someone who made me feel small. Surgery didn’t end our marriage, but it made me strong enough to walk away.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is after surgery, you have to cut out the toxic people. The ones who don’t see you, the ones who drag you down, the ones who don’t support your growth. And in doing that, you make space for the right people.

I found that in the bariatric community. At first I was skeptical. I assumed it would be toxic, full of judgment and comparison. But instead, I found warmth, support, people who really get it. A community of people who check in on each other, lift each other up, and remind each other that we’re not alone. This community has changed my life.

That’s why I started Our Sleeved Life Podcast.

We wanted to create a space where people didn’t have to feel ashamed. A place where they could hear real stories, real struggles, and know that they weren’t alone. This podcast is for everyone who has been on this journey.

This journey changed my life. Now, I get to be part of something bigger — a community where every story matters, and where nobody gets left behind.