I had bariatric surgery and lost 85 pounds. Here's how I talked to my 12-year-old daughter about it.

The first time I told my daughter I was considering bariatric surgery, my family was enjoying dinner at a sports bar during a weekend getaway. It was December 2020, and I had already been to a consultation with the doctor who would later perform the procedure. But I was terrified to move forward; the process seemed overwhelming.

In tears, I looked into my then-10-year-old daughter's eyes and said, "If I do this, I want you to know it's because my body hurts and I feel unhealthy, not because I think there's anything wrong with having fat on your body." At the time, I was 5-foot-4 and weighed over 220 pounds, but I would gain another 15 before I decided to have the surgery nearly two years later.