Introduction: Obesity is a public health problem and Chile prevalence has increased in recent years, showing a higher percentage of overweight in adult men and of obesity in adult women. In this context, bariatric surgery appears to be a feasible, alternative. Objective: To describe meanings and experiences of adult patients who have undergone bariatric surgery in private clinics. Method: A qualitative approach based on Grounded Theory was used. The sample selection was made trough key informants and snowball, and was composed of 8 women and 3 men. To collect data semi-structured in depth interviews were used, and data analysis was performed trough open coding. Results: Three categories emerge from descriptive analysis: 1) Motivations and expectations regarding bariatric surgery; 2) Experiences in relation to overweight, and 3) Experiences in relation to food. Conclusions: Further investigation is needed from the subjectivity of the patients themselves, given the impact that obesity and bariatric surgery hason people’s lives.