Keywords

Obesity, depression, bariatric surgery, gastric band, gastric bypass, metabolic surgery, eating disorders, addiction transfer, sobriety parallels, mental health, body image, keeping weight off, Kio Method, transformation, resilience

Summary

In this episode of Thriving Not Surviving, host Helen Valentino speaks with actress, podcaster and weight-loss mentor Mel Harris about her extraordinary journey from severe obesity, depression and eating disorders to lasting transformation. Mel shares how childhood low self-esteem, people pleasing and isolation led to compulsive eating, bulimia and a suicide attempt in her 20s. After years of trying every diet and therapy, she chose bariatric surgery — first a gastric band that later failed, and then a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass — and ultimately lost almost 15 stone. But the real work, she says, was not just losing the weight, it was learning how to keep it off for life. Mel talks about the grief of being “the fat friend,” working as an actress only getting bigger-body roles, the moment she couldn’t play with her nephews and finally asked for help, and how she now supports others through her Kio (Keep It Off) Method. This conversation also explores the parallels between food addiction and alcohol recovery, the lack of long-term support after surgery, and why relapse into old patterns is normal — but not inevitable.

Takeaways

• Obesity is often rooted in early low self-worth, people pleasing and not feeling “good enough.”

• Depression and disordered eating frequently go hand in hand.

• Bariatric surgery is a powerful tool, but it is not a magic fix — aftercare matters.

• A failed or slipped gastric band can be converted to a gastric bypass.

• Weight-loss surgery patients often experience addiction transfer (e.g. to alcohol).

• The “honeymoon period” after surgery ends — that’s when most people need support.

• Keeping weight off requires conscious habits, self-talk and awareness of trigger foods.

• 76% of people who lose a large amount of weight regain it without long-term strategies.

• Mel created the Kio Method (Keep It Off) to help people maintain results for life.

• We are all works in progress — long-term mental health support is valid.

Sound Bites

“I was just two pounds short of 25 stone and I couldn’t even play with my nephews — that was   my catalyst.”

"The surgery helped me lose the weight. The mindset helped me keep it off.”

"People think the hard bit is losing it — it isn’t. The hard bit is keeping it off.”

“I heard myself say, ‘Go back to bed with a packet of biscuits’ — and I chose not to.”

“Obesity is now classed as a disease because at a certain point your body can’t do it alone.”

“I don’t want people to go through what I went through — that’s why I created the Kio Method.”

Connect with Mel

KIO Method - https://kiomethod.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kiomethod/?viewAsMember=true

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kiomethod

Instagram: Kiomethod

YouTube: KIO- Keep it Off - YouTube

TikTok URL: https://www.tiktok.com/@kiomethod

Podcast: KIO Keep it off ! 

Connect with Helen

Website: www.inspiredhealing.co.uk

IG: helens_inspired_healing

LinkedIn: Helen on LinkedIn

For full transcription, contact: helen@inspiredhealing.co.uk

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