Question:
What makes your support group fun?

I have just been asked to facilitate a support group and would like to have ideas about what you enjoy in your support group.    — smatney (posted on February 6, 2003)

February 6, 2003
Hi Susan, I too just did what you are about to. I had the first meeting of my new support group last night. It went very well. I have never been to a support group much less organized on before I agreed to do this, so I was like you unsure what to do. I went to another support group meeting to get a feel for them and was tereribly disappointed. They just had a psychiatrist reading poetry and telling me why I don't stick to my diets. I already knew that. For my first meeting I just told everyone my story, and how I got there. Then I asked what they wanted from the group. Then we opened the floor up for questions, and everyone answered everyone elses questions. We had a blast. I think just being with a group of like people and sharing our experiences is the best thing. I can't wait for the next one.
   — dkinson

February 6, 2003
I enjoy sharing my story with others and hearing their story...Whats most amazing is watching someone from the very beginning process of wls, and seeing them shrink before my eyes. They come into group and dont even realize what we are seeing, since most of us do not see ourselves as the incredeble shrinking human its a pleasure to see it happen on someone else of course we know we are shrinking too but to actually watch someone else do it is a blast for me...I like to also compare notes, play games (which we are in the process of trying to do for our group, have picnics and social gatherings....RELAX is the key to a successful group, dont let others bog you down with pettyness do's and dont's just have a good time roll with the flow and share ur tributes and triumps......good luck to you!
   — Deanna Wise

February 6, 2003
People seem to love hearing others share their stories. We start our group by introducing ourselves and someone always has a calculator to keep track of the weight loss in the room and then we announce it when everyone's done. Someone usually brings a treat. I do a lot of experimenting and bring yummy sweets in all the time. Check out my profile for for recipes or www.freewebs.com/recipes-after-rny
   — Lynette B.

February 6, 2003
Depending on the size of your group, if its large, break it down into how many months out they are. I belong to a huge support group and my favorite part is after the guest speaker when they break us down into pre-ops, new post-ops, 6 months to a year, and those over a year. I learn more in my respective post-op group then I do when the entire body is together.
   — Cindy R.

February 6, 2003
We play WLS Jeopardy! It's informative and fun. We break into teams and take turns answering the questions. I also like the size of our group - approx 30 people. It allows us to keep up with everyone's progress and talk amongst ourselves.
   — Yolanda J.