What do you like about OH?

I'm here for the long game.

I lost the weight long ago and it's kinda a blur. What I do remember was coming here everyday. Many times a day. That and sites with restaurant menus. I was a little crazy. I didn't have to bore my family.

You have a group of people you go through the surgery phase with. Fortunately for me some of those folks stuck around.

I do believe I received the best NSV of all OH member by receiving a kidney transplant. I lost 200 pounds, got on the list and maintained the weight loss. The day that call came I was in the best physical condition of my whole life. Being on OH gave me that.

I slowly gained about 130 pounds over a couple of years. I was not here. I was not mindful. Everyone was dying and for me grief =toast.

It was hard to come back. Not from shame but from the knowledge that it was going to be work and I would have to remain mindful. The longer I'm here the better it gets. I'm working on stuff everyday.

There are some wonderful people who were here back then who are still here and always new members and things to share.

I can't believe it is still so hard to post a picture would be my main complaint.

The sassy people!

That is what has always made OH the best place on the web.

I have a great surgeon, but 11 years ago, his nutritionist was telling me to take flintstone chewable vits. I found knowledgeable people (Shout out to Vitalady) who literally gave me life-saving vitamin advice. I'm alive today and VERY healthy today because of that advice.

I stumbled upon OH doing a Google search. Initially I lurked and used the search feature....I learned so much. Once I started posting I felt welcomed with open arms. I've received so much support and encouragement from so many people.

I like the "no nonsense" support. I'm not afraid to post about the hard times and difficulties I've been having reaching goal. I know if I stick around here, and heed the advice I get from successful maintainers and others who have traveled this road, I will reach goal. It's not all sunshine and lollipops... it's hard work.

Next week I start counseling... I really don't look forward to it, but I've learned here that I'm not alone in needing to get my brain "fixed".

Thank you everyone here at OH for being here, telling your stories and sharing information.

This will probably sound elitist, but I appreciate the thoughtfulness and intelligence regularly displayed here.

When nonsense is stated, such as the "starvation myth" or "exercise is more important than diet," evidence is provided to refute the claim. Science. PubMed articles! Swoon-this girl likes research.

Further, it is obvious people take the time to edit their work. They use punctuation and paragraph breaks. They are considerate of the reader. On some sites, responses read like text messages. Personally, I can't take you seriously if your response is garbled together in purple font.

So, I like the culture that has been established here, as it's both supportive and educational.

I echo what you all said. I started lurking and researching on OH when I was pre-op. I wanted to learn about the process, make a decision on the best surgery for me, get a sense of what post-op would be like, and especially whether it was possible to maintain in the long term. I do have a local support group but the people change each time and typically most of them are pre-op. OH has the experienced vets, but once I started participating it became more than that.

To my surprise (I had never used online support previously) I got to know you all. Not only what your WLS related life is like but the ups and downs of your lives and who you are. It is like getting together with a group of friends: Honest, helpful friends.

Who else can you talk to about your panni or feeling backed up? Who else can understand that having an overweight BMI is such a victory or some of the great NSVs we celebrate here?

I KNOW that my weight loss success was due to OH advice, but more than that I am POSITIVE that my ability to maintain hinges on the techniques the vets here have shared but mostly the on-going support and accountability I get from being here daily. I love seeing the success of those who came after me and constantly learn from those who came before. I'd love to meet some of you in the future! I don't think I can attend the OH conference this year, but maybe in 2018 after I retire.

I found OH sometime around the time of my surgery...MY first post during the first month was 'why am I on this stall' (all vets roll their eyes here)...LOL

I know I need daily support and focus... I am not that good to keep this going. I am not that strong.

I have plenty of local support groups, but after the honeymoon is over, I see more people gaining weight than losing or maintaining. That is not what I want to emulate.

I went on some of the other Bariatric forums..but they were too Stepford wives for me... here people are real- the good, the bad and the ugly...and they aren't afraid to tell you like it is. As others have said good advice from long term experience, oh and facts too! Imagine that :) People so willing to give of themselves is priceless....

I have loved being part of this community and meeting so many of you along the way...Kat, White Dove, Catwoman7, Grim, JB, T, Daisy, MaryAnn, Gwen, DCGirl...Peachpie, Supershopper, Nerdy girl...and I know I am forgetting some names!! OH meetups are awesome and the connections wonderful....

Thanks T for starting this topic. It is a good one!

I haven't read the whole thread - I wanted to add what I love about OH before I read what other people love :)

I love my little corner of OH on the BMI over 50 forum. It's not very active but I felt welcome there immediately and checking in there and weighing in there every week has been extremely helpful for me over the last 2 years. I feel like having that high of a BMI is a small percentage on OH so it's nice to see it represented. That weigh in thread is invaluable to me.

I love that I've been able to meet a few other members from OH while traveling. That's so awesome to me! The people I've met have been amazing - they were all people I obviously felt comfortable meeting in person lol. Putting a real life person together with someone online is kind of great.

I love the feedback I've gotten - including the negative feedback I've gotten back in the beginning. I literally was eating things that I don't think would have let me be successful and thanks to the people here they corrected me and I re-did my whole diet. I can't say enough good things about the feedback and how valuable that is.

I love OH because I have a place to come where everyone has the same focus as me, health and weight loss. I love that there are tons of active threads and I find pearls of wisdom in the most unexpected posts. I love that when I have a challenge I can't face on my own, others are going through it. I love that when I have what I know is a really stupid question I don't have to ask it because someone already has and I can search for that. And lastly, despite this being a huge forum people know who I am. That crazy vegan rocking vsg but still staying vegan! I love that I feel welcomed here. I love that I'm not alone when I come here because in my real life I am most of the time. Thanks.

It helps having veg in your name so now whenever I see someone wanting to go the vegetarian route I kinda direct them to you. I remember when you posted about a vegetarian group & I hope you're finding success with that, & while most people on this site eats meat, me included, just had bacon, yum yum , others can see that there are alternatives.