The present study aimed to investigate, in women who were submitted to bariatric surgery, the psychological aspects related to their obese condition and to their weight loss. The method used was the descriptive-exploratory, with a qualitative approach. The data allowed, initially, to see that obesity, beyond harms the physical health, narrows the affective and social life, since it brings a negative self-concept and inhibits the interpersonal links. With the weight loss process, after the surgery, it is possible to see a marked improvement of the physical and emotional conditions, which influence and are influenced by the positive reformulation of self-concept. However, the weight loss can result in unachievable esthetics demands like certain types of depersonalization, which contribute to an emotional misfit process or to the occurrence of psychic disorders. Due to the identity changes demanded by the surgery, a psychological care and support toward the women that did the mentioned surgery is preventively required.
bariatric surgery; obesity; weight loss; psychology; self-concept