Job Hunting After Gastric Bypass

After bariatric surgery life tends to have a whole lot of new ‘firsts’ again. This is especially true once you are through the main weight loss stage initially after surgery and you start living life as the new healthy you. For me going from being morbidly obese to a healthy weight after my gastric bypass has been one of those huge life anchoring moments like when you get married or have a child it will forever be a reference point.

I’ve been through quite a few of these firsts already but this one is pretty cool. I decided to apply for a new job and get myself into the career I’ve been wanting to get into for some time now. It has been a totally different experience for me.

I have mentioned it before but when you are so big it really does affect everything about your everyday life. Applying for a job is no different. I was always so worried about how I would look in interviews and dressing myself for them was always really hard. I struggled with clothes didn’t usually have something in my wardrobe that fitted me correctly and I would feel comfortable wearing to an interview.

This time I have a wardrobe of clothes that I like and that fit me well to choose from and what a difference it made. I didn’t have to worry about going to a very limited few places that would have my size and try to find anything that would do and try to feel comfortable in it. Not having that stress before the interview took such a huge weight off my shoulders.

Meeting prospective employers was always nerve-wracking because of course there is a social bias towards bigger people and you always wonder if you are going to be discriminated against because of your size. That again added another layer of anxiety that just made the whole process more stressful and made me doubt myself more.

This time knowing that I didn’t look out-of-place, wasn’t the biggest person in the room and just purely don’t have to fake some of the confidence like I did before made the process so much easier for me mentally and emotionally. I could focus on being me and participating in the interview fully without being distracted by things that really shouldn’t matter.

I love the fact that my gastric bypass, losing 70 kilos and gaining so much back has made literally everything in my life easier. The amount I used to obsess about my weight and how I looked and how I would be judged in these situations used to create so much stress for myself. Now I can power on through life and go out and create the future I want for myself not faking the confidence because you know what I don’t have to anymore. This really is the most liberating thing I have ever done for myself.

I’ve had to wait a month or so to be able to finish this post but I can end it with great news. I was offered the job and I start on the 30^th of November! Have you applied for a new job since your surgery? How have you found it different to the times you have in the past? Comment below I’d love to hear from you.