In the latest episode of WLS Journeys, host Yvonne McCarthy talks with long-time friend and motivational speaker Ramon Lopez about the turbulent emotions he experienced before and after weight loss surgery. Although he lost more than 270 pounds, like many post-op patients, Ramon struggled with cross-addictions before finally coming to terms with the true underlying root of his previous obesity. Click the video player below to watch Ramon share his powerful story, and learn where the journey of weight loss surgery can lead.

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Yvonne McCarthy, known by many as “Bariatric Girl”, is a public speaker, co-founder of RYD Obesity, and an active member of the WLS community. She joins the Weight Loss Surgery Channel as host of the talkshow WLS Journeys, speaking from the heart to guests who share how bariatric surgery has changed their life. Yvonne’s mission is to bring a message of hope to the millions of people who struggle with their weight, having experienced the challenges firsthand since childhood. Although merely “stocky” in her teens, Yvonne gained close to 30 pounds while in college, and another 60 pounds several years later after a bitter divorce. She continued to battle the scale for close to two decades, losing hundreds of pounds through diet and exercise, only to gain back the weight and more. When her mother died of cancer in 2000, Yvonne gave up the fight. But, the following year, she discovered new hope when she underwent Roux en-Y gastric bypass surgery and lost 130 pounds. Today, Yvonne is living the life she always envisioned. She is married to Texas radio personality Kevin McCarthy, her husband of six years and host of the Car Guy Show on WBAP News/Talk 820, and is happily pursuing her passions for animals, music and photography.