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This study examined how obese individuals acquire their motivation to undergo weight loss surgery and characterized the motivations within the framework of the self-determination theory (SDT). Participants expecting to have bariatric surgery were recruited and participated in semi-structured interviews. Interview accounts characterized different types of motivation for individuals seeking surgical weight loss treatments on the SDT continuum of relative autonomy. This study demonstrated that the more one's motivation was internally regulated, related to one's personal life and supported for competency, the more personal and hopeful were the anecdotes participants mentioned in accounts, thus the more positive the surgical outcomes were anticipated. Study limitations and future research were discussed as was the need for a systematic scheme to categorize types of motivation within the SDT, a longitudinal approach to measure actual weight loss outcomes based on the patient's pre-surgical motivation, and a further investigation with a larger sample size and balanced gender ratio. Practical implications of the study findings were also discussed as a novel strategy to internalize bariatric patients' motivation, further helping to improve their long-term quality of life post-surgery.

We explored the role that social support plays in the lives of women who have undergone bariatric surgery. We conducted in-depth interviews with 13 women who had had bariatric surgery (M age = 53.0 years) and analyzed the data using constant comparison processes. We found that individuals in participants' lives offered support by acting as role models and providing information, offering empathy and expressions of concern and caring, assisting with everyday responsibilities, and serving as companions. In turn, these forms of support guided participants' behavior, calmed their concerns, enhanced their self-esteem, relieved them of daily responsibilities, and offered them companionship in their bariatric journeys. Consistent with the existing theory, differently situated individuals specialized in offering particular types of support. Although participants appreciated the support received, many indicated a desire for more or "better" support, pointing to a need for resources guiding supporters in how to best offer support to bariatric patients., (© The Author(s) 2015.)

This study highlighted various meanings of physical appearance in obese individuals seeking bariatric surgery. Fourteen US adult patients participated in an in-depth, semi-structured interview that took 45 minutes to 2 hours. Data were transcribed verbatim and transferred into NVivo 10. A coding scheme was developed based on the themes inferred from content analysis. To increase the trustworthiness of data, this study adopted probing and external auditing methods. The interview data discovered values and significances of physical appearance in preoperative bariatric patients, including the signals of obesity stigma in the forms of direct, indirect, and environment, a visible tool to manage the negative social image towards obesity, and an aspirational pathway to a stigma-free life following post-surgical weight loss. The roles of clothing were also examined in the social negotiation processes through appearance management. Taken together, findings of this study contribute to understanding of the patients' negative quality of life that accrue from weight-related social stigmatization and their negotiation strategies, through the lens of physical appearance. Additionally, findings suggest important implications for practice. Study limitations and future research were also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]