Fattie AA

Well, that's at least what I call the support groups I have attended recently.  Don't judge too harshly the nickname keeps me laughing.  Hi my name is ___________________ and I am preop/postop and I've lost __________________lbs with _____________________ surgery.  

Anyway, I went to these meetings because they were mandatory.  However, I went in hopes of getting something useful out of meeting people in all stages of WLS.  Much to my surprise they were nothing more than group therapy.    Maybe I'm insensative, but what you talk about with your therapist should stay in that office...    I was hoping to get recipes, words of encouragement, all the mistakes that were made and how to avoid them, really just how to be truly successful with this process. 

So, I come back to the one forum I have found comfort in.  I have actually neglected FB for OH and that's amazing since FB is on my phone and OH isn't (by the way is there an app??).  Anyhow, I was wondering if any of you can offer some positve guidance.  Any and everything is welcomed.  I'm looking for great recipes, what you learned to never do again, what slimys are (they sound gross), tell me everything we ever wanted to know about life after VSG.  THANKS!!

Best advice- read on here, then read some more! :)
So much is covered on all these pages, just go back through and read everything you can.. Search out some keywords too- VSG FAQ's is a good start- as is the post on the first stall (so you don't freak!)

Here's the stall & FAQ posts.. 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/VSG/4397734/Attention-New- ops-about-that-first-quotstallquot-gt/#36360216

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4398210/VSG-Frequently-Asked-Questions-For-New-Members/



Slimeys are when you eat too much or too fast (or both) and you start salivating like crazy, sometimes followed by  it's very uncomfortable (thankfully I've not done it yet, but came close!)

Other than that- tire your eyes out reading and you will learn lots! There are plenty of folks that share some really great info.. Good luck!

OMG  that happened to me last night!!!  So it has a name, slimeys!  Well thanks for posting, I was wondering what was going on with me.

Dee

Different groups give their members only the support they have received. Did you ask for what you need? Maybe other people are looking for the same thing? Maybe we all need to look to ourselves to find what we're looking for?  Ask and ye shall receive.
Another site I find helpful:  http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/

Hope you find everything you need.

 THAT is a darned shame.  The preop classes i went to were very professionally run and focused on exactly what you were looking for.  I couldn't agree with you more- group therapy would have probably left me feeling very irritable:(

Your experience is the exact reason I avoid support group meetings. Personally, I hated weigh****cher meetings because I couldn't stand the "well, I cheated every day this week, and I haven't lost anything, yada yada, I just don't understand". . . For me, I couldn't sit there and listen to the woe is me stories. Support groups vary, but I'm not one to just make excuses or coddle bad behavior that was the one thing that I found that irritated me the most. I know that makes me sound like a cold-hearted ***** but honestly, if people wonder why they can't lose weight eating Cheetos and cheesecake (even though they only ate 1 slice of cheesecake instead of 2-3, or half a bag cheetos instead of the entire bag) then surgery is not going to fix those issues.

As for info, I recommend checking out http://vsgfaq.wordpress.com/

There's personal stories with the topics, and at the bottom are dietary guidelines, research articles, statistics etc etc for research purposes.

Life after vsg at 2 years out is pretty normal for me. I'm not on a diet, I am a bit more lax in my eating because I can be, everyone has a different experience, but I really do live a very normal life post-VSG.

You are not a cold hearted ***** to me, maybe cause I am too...I'm not sure.  LOL.  Yes everything you said is exactly what I find wrong with the meetings.  I'm sure others get a lot of it, but I don't.  One woman mentioned eating half a box of graham crackers in one sitting and basically said it was great she didn't gain any weight due to malabsorption.  Another was almost in tears because carbs talked to her all weekend.  I'm fat and want to get healthy.  Hearing crap like that doesn't help because all I see are a bunch of excuses.  Ok I'm off my soap box.  I'm going to check out that website.  Thanks.

Glad I am not clone on this. I could not stand WW's. After going around the room and telling everyone how much you lost (or didn't) it got crazy. Stories about people eating all they could get their hands on- it was like being stuck at a OA meeting. So many people have deep emotional issues wrapped up w food. I was just a typical junk food, yo-yo dieter.

Having been a lightweight I caught a few nasty glances at support group, plus Marylanders seem to hate being cordial to those they don't know.

If you are looking for recipes there is the eggface blog with alot of wonderful ideas.
http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com

it sounds like your facilator/the person in charge of the meeting may not be able to constructively guide it to a positive tone. I have attended meetings with vetrans and newbies from Kaiser (the insurance I am with) and its ran more as informative then a sounding board of rants or comparisons. They encourage more outlined pre-surgery class info(nutrition and exercise). I think I would be fustrated as well. Its terrific there is alot of support in this forum.