What did you find to be the most helpful post-op support?

Did you attend groups? Use this site? something else?

I went to my surgeon's local support group for a year or so. It help ed. But they changed the format and it lost mist of its appeal. And there were more preops attending, and no one further out, and it was no longer worth the time.

I log on MFP every day, and it's very helpful. And I'm here, every day. Its been a key part of my success.

I went to a few post-op support meetings at my surgeon's clinic in the beginning, but I found this site (OH) to be much more helpful - largely because it was daily support rather than monthly. Like Grim, I'm on here almost every day and have been for about five years. It helps me to keep my head in the game.

In 2007, Obesity Help had a magazine that I subscribed to. Its articles were extremely helpful to me. I went to my surgeon's meetings twice a month for several years. My surgeon has an excellent support system whi*****ludes meetings for people further out and fighting regain.

I belonged to a different online group for the first few years and got more active in Obesity Help online after the magazine was no longer published. I still need online support twelve years after surgery and Obesity Help is the best group available.

There are groups on Facebook, Quora, Reddit, and other sites. Much of the information shared there is misleading and inaccurate. I depend on this site for people with dedication and common sense.

I'm on here every day and the support, education and accountability are priceless.

Maintaining doesn't get easier as life, age etc take over and daily support from my peers on this site has been key for me for 15+ years.

There are tons of groups out there, but most of them have TERRIBLE knowledge, experience and advice. Here, you get real, honest opinions and advice that might not always be comfortable, but is way better than being told you're doing great when you really are not.

So far the most helpful post-op support has been this site. But frankly you have to do a little soul searching as to what post-op support you need. Some people come onto this site thinking they want support, but they'll only take the kind of support that is conditional.

For me, even years later, I'll come onto this site either seeking or to give support & I have not been disappointed.

I got the most helpful information from YouTube videos made by people who had undergone WLS. Especially when someone was several years post-op, and I could see the ups and downs they went through from the day they had the surgery through to the present day. Gave me a good perspective on the whole process. Videos by Dr. Vuong and Dr. Weiner were also helpful, as was the BBC series Fat Doctor, and the New Zealand series The Big Ward (both of which which treated patients with much more respect than My 600 lb Life).

I joined this forum prior to surgery, and visited it every day, but I didn't often questions on here because I saw too many posts getting harsh responses. Yes, people need to hear the truth. But it also helps to remember that people who are about to have, or have recently had, WLS, all have a voice in their heads saying "you will fail at this just like you've failed at every other attempt to lose weight". I personally think it's better to offer support along with the truth, to counteract that voice of doom. So as I gained a bit of experience and felt I had information to share, I decided to do my part to make the forum a bit friendlier.

Another issue is that I'm very much in the minority here because I'm not a meat eater and I'm not following a low carb diet. So a lot of the diet advice on here isn't applicable to me. But there are vegan and vegetarian YouTubers that I have learned a lot from. Recently I discovered a dietitian called Abbey Sharp on You Tube who's neither a WLSer nor vegan, but she's vegan friendly and offers a lot of great tips. And of course my own dietitian is vegan friendly and very helpful and supportive. So if I do spot a vegetarian or vegan on the forum, I make a point to reach out to them.

I have certainly found helpful advice on here, though! Probably the most helpful aspect is that it is a constant reminder that others are going through, or have gone through, the same things I am. I'm certainly not trying to put this forum down, just to answer the question honestly.

I hadn't heard of "The Big Ward." I'm excited to discover something where I have not ye****ched all the episodes! Thanks!

It's very well done, plus it's interesting to get an insight into other cultures. One of the people in the first season was a young Samoan/Maori woman with very strong ties to her extended family. Some of the people are on low incomes, and we see first hand how much it costs them to buy ingredients to cook a healthy meal, as opposed to the large meal they can get from a fast food outlet.

Unfortunately, the series is no longer on Netflix here in Ireland. (I'm not sure if Netflix has the same shows in the U.S. that it does in Ireland.) However, a second series has been made, so perhaps it will come to Netflix. And there's always the chance you'll find it on YouTube.

If you're in NZ (I suppose you could use a VPN to make it appear that you are), you can watch the show here: https://www.tvnz.co.nz/shows/the-big-ward

The entire Fat Doctor series is on YouTube. It's an older series, and might be a bit dated, but it is good.

Both shows treat the people with sensitivity, while showing the emotional struggles that are common to people after surgery. I really felt for one woman who had been following her diet so diligently, but hadn't lost weight, so her surgery was postponed. Turns out she had been drinking a lot of cranberry juice assuming that it was low-calorie because it doesn't taste sweet. She dropped the cranberry juice, lost the weight, and had her surgery.

I found a few local groups but it was mostly just pre ops trying to get the surgery done. I couldn't find any veterans who were attending groups. I watched YouTube videos that were well done, both by people who had WLS and had a number of years under their belt and also videos done by bariatric surgeons. I posted actively in my surgeon's Facebook group but veterans in the Facebook groups were rare then and some of the advice was horrible and even dangerous. I will post or read sometimes, but really...you have to be careful in a lot of those Facebook groups. I have found the most successful WLS veterans here and a few on Faceboo****ep in touch with as well as being an avid fan of a few bariatric surgeons and authors. Whatever you decide to use, make sure your education is solid along with the support. Vet EVERYTHING. I knew going in that I needed to find people who had WLS and successfully lost and either kept the weight off or successfully dealt with regain as life happens, etc. You don't find a lot of people posting too many places in a common sense manner but the OH forums and expert articles have really helped me on my journey. I am really not that far post op so I still look to the veterans' posts when I am dealing with an issue. One thing I have learned is that life will still happen after WLS. Regain happens too. There is no easy button. We have to choose our hard and be willing to put in the work not only physically but emotionally/the mindset piece. Good luck with whatever you decide!