Remi Bader Reveals She 'Wanted to Die' amid 'Deep Depression' After Weight Loss Surgery

In a 'Self' interview published on March 26, the influencer, 30, revealed that her drastic weight loss was due to bariatric surgery

Remi Bader Reveals Secret to Weight Loss, Talks Surgery
Remi Bader for Self. Photo:

Sofi­a Alvarez/ SELF

After breaking her silence about her weight loss surgery, Remi Bader is opening up about the highs and lows of recovery and the operation's general emotional impact.

Following the publication of her interview with Self on March 26, Khloé Kardashian posted footage from her recent Khloé in Wonder Land podcast episode with the influencer on X. The pair discussed Bader's weight loss and how she processed it before revealing to the world that she underwent a single anastomosis duodenal-ileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S).

Bader, 30, told Kardashian, 40, that she looked into bariatric surgery after weight loss drugs like Ozempic failed to work for her. The style content creator originally thought it would be too hard to undergo the surgery at this time, considering her notoriety in the public eye. She thought she might do it sometime in the next few years, but after consulting a referred doctor, Bader was convinced to have the specific, newer procedure recommended for her particular case.

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After the surgery, Bader endured a recovery process that she told Kardashian "was hell." Even after hours in the recovery room, she went on suffering for six more weeks. Her body's reaction — which the doctor told her was uncommon for the surgery — made Bader second-guess her decision to undergo the life-changing operation.

"I was so sick ... I [was] like, ‘Something’s wrong. I should’ve never done this. I literally ruined my body, like ruined everything,'" she told the reality star. "I had a lot of regret."

Those feelings of confusion, fear and guilt sent Bader's mental health spiraling. The social media star recalled to Self how she posted less and less during her darkest days between December 2023 to mid-February 2024.

“I’d gotten into a very, very deep depression, and it was truly the scariest time of my life,” she told the outlet. “I couldn’t tell people. I really — I wanted to die.”

Remi Bader opens up to SELF about the surgery that changed her life and choosingherself
Remi Bader for Self.

Sofia Alvarez/ SELF

In addition to her worries about the state of her health, she started to wonder if she was betraying the person she presented as online. On Khloé in Wonder Land, Bader qualified that she wouldn't say she was ever a "body positive" figure, but she did pride herself on the honest relationship she maintained with her fans and followers.

"I always said if I was uncomfortable in my body or struggling. I was very open that I was struggling, but I was this person that was like, ‘But be confident in whatever you look like,'" Bader added. "And I still do believe that ... if you are in a bigger body, you could be happy. You could be healthy."

She noted that she has friends who take that admirable approach to weight, but ultimately, her "journey was different." She needed to make a change. "I was in pain and I was struggling with health and this is what I felt I needed to do," she told Kardashian.

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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