Obesity is a severe global public health problem that increases from year to year. Consequently, the number of bariatric surgeries has grown significantly. Obese seeking surgical treatment have a characteristic psychological profile and a greater incidence of psychiatric disorders. Emotional meaning of bariatric surgery for such patients is not sufficiently known.

To understand the emotional experiences and the expectations of morbidly obese women candidates for bariatric surgery.

Qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Purposeful sampling was closed by the criterion of saturation of information. the corpus was addressed by content analysis. Results are discussed with a psychodynamic theoretical framework.

Women candidates for bariatric surgery have particular emotional experiences. They have magic expectations, believing that weight loss is certain after surgery and that their health, affective, and self-esteem problems will be resolved. They believe in social reinsertion and acceptance without prejudice, and also in improved affective relationships and sexual life. Rational understanding of postoperative difficulties conceals a veiled belief in a magic solution for personal problems. Inability to control amount of food ingested is transferred to an urgency to have surgery, perceived as a pressing need by these women.

Team in charge of preparing patients should be attentive to a strong denial about the difficulties to be faced after surgery. Previous relationship with surgery is marked by an urgency that has the same cause of the yen for food typical of morbid obesity, and the team should be prepared to suggest appropriate moment for surgery.