Joined for positive reinforcement

What I remember about being one month out was that I felt miserable. So sick. Not eating. Every meal was unpleasant. I was whiney,labile,and on here whenever I was awake. I soaked it in and saw a future where maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Flouncers are gonna flounce but I'm so glad that wasn't my path.

Me too Deb! The times that I've wandered from the boards I've paid the price in big regains. Thankfully I've lost the weight again. But it was coming back here to OH that enabled me to do that and to keep the bulk of it off. Overall I just do better when I keep my place here. Yep, I do it for selfish reasons. But also because the debt of gratitude I owe OH and it's members needs to be paid forward.

I've made lots of mistakes. The big ones are usually public and you can see it all if you slog through my nine year posting history. I don't know how I ended up not getting kicked out a time or two. Instead people set me straight. And then a lot of times they picked me up, dusted me off and put me back up on my own two feet again. I will never stop being thankful for that.

For the most part it's easy to ignore a lot of the silliness. But when someone comes here and accuses this particular group of people of not being helpful or providing positive reinforcement it sets my hair on fire.

What this type of poster is really looking for is unconditional reinforcement. Constant re-assurance that everything will be ok, regardless of postop behaviors. The fact is it WON'T be ok. Unless we take every scrap of factual information we can get and apply it to our behaviors, it absolutely will not be ok.

People regain. People are prescribed medications that don't work or cause reactions is post ops. People have vitamin deficiencies. People's marriages and friendships devolve or dissolve. People DIE.

So I stake my flag when someone only one month out comes to OH and makes a global value judgment based upon a single thread (the very first thread!) that they've started.

And I remain grateful for every single person who stays here and contributes. Even when I disagree.

AMEN SISTA!!!

It's amazing isn't it? The but my Dr said this & we say that & now therefore we're negative because we didn't blindly follow whatever the Dr said. There is such a thing called balance, but some people just can't figure that out.

Of course their Dr wants what's best for them, but they can be wrong too & it's important to look at the stories of people who have already walked this path before us. I value real life stories than the cookie cutter advice of one size fits all that most Dr/nutritionists dish out.

He flounced out. He can't tolerate anyone who would disagree with his Dr. Sadly some people will blindly follow their Drs advice to their grave & suffer every step along the way.

Kind of odd isn't it?

Of course none of us would advocate completely ignoring a person's doctor. But it's 100% ok to question our docs. Many GP's or PCP's have never even looked at the ASMBS and the guidelines they publish for life post WLS. Knowing that, how can we be expected to blindly follow diet instructions etc.