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I love small booklets 😆 Yes I have seen and dealt with it. I mostly try to ignore it or choose very carefully where I want to participate. I'm trying to give everyone a *little* grace these because we're all having a rough time in some way. I think we're likely to see patterns of general negativity rise everywhere especially when times are tough. The simplest thing can be to leave those negative platforms. That may be the right choice for your happiness and well being. A harder path maybe to try and push out the negativity. Positivity can spread just like negativity, but it takes more effort to cultivate. Viktor E. Frankl's writes in his memoirs of the Holocaust, Man's Search for Meaning : "For the world is in a bad state, but everything will become still worse unless each of us does his best." This always stuck with me. I couldn't understand how someone who experienced the very worst of human behavior could find peace again (if you read the book he outlines his philosophical theories). I hope the forums (and world to a greater extent) become positive and enjoyable again ♥️

Yeah, I’ve seen/read many posts of various members that annoy/bother/upset me. Crossing paths with those whose views (and how they express them) that are antithetical to yours is a reality in life. I mean, we are all different, so of course there will be a whole spectrum of beliefs/thoughts/actions out there. For the most part, I just ignore it and move on. Though there have been instances when I felt VERY strongly AGAINST something posted and I would post a reply...mostly for the attempted benefit of the other readers of the thread, as in my experience, its is very unlikely that one can change the mind of the “offending” OP. I find that the helpful generally outnumber the unhelpful on here, so there is hope. P.S. The VERY unhelpful have been known to get booted out of here by administrators (Mikey/Superman, anyone?), i think in part to others “reporting” the unhelpful behaviour. So PSA to anyone: use the “Report” button if you feel someone crossed the line...its there for a reason. P.P.S. Using the term “unhelpful” may not be indicative of what I’m trying to convey, but I’m sure y’all know what I mean.

Yes! I'm tentatively scheduled for January 22, 2021. I'm 5'5" with a starting weight of 240-243 lbs (fluctuates) at 36 y/o. I'm excited and nervous but mostly excited! Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I’m just under two weeks away from my tummy tuck, BL/BA, and arm lift. I’m nervous and excited! This truly feels like my reward for all of the hard work I’ve put in to lose my excess weight. I’ve got my cute swimsuit picked out for my before & after pic which I will post here. For those who’ve gone before me, any last minute advice?

SURGERY SUPPORT GROUP NEGATIVITY: How to deal? My surgeon's practice has a FB support group for pre and post op WLS patients, including his practice partner's patients. I joined as soon as I had my first appointment and three months post-op I'm still a member. I met many other members face-to-face during our pre-op classes; we had 6 total modules, including one online right after COVID happened. People did not talk much in person, but the FB group has always been active. At first reading the support group posts every day was nothing but positive. I posted a question or shared sources for vitamins or protein products, as did many others. A few people who were several months to a year or more post-op regularly posted encouraging and uplifting posts. The group is moderated by nurses and other practice staff people. The other surgeon posts and comments on our posts now and then. All was well, until it wasn't. Slowly negative posts and comments seeped in. A regular round robin of complaints, misery, fear, and misinformation became established. A negative post or comment would lead to other negative posts/comments. A staff member warned about posting misinformation , specifically about others "diagnosing" each others' medical issues or food questions. Some of that tapered off, but the general complaining and misery kept up at a regular pace. I must add that right after COVID began many of us, myself included had our surgeries postponed. Pre-COVID my surgery was earmarked for April 2020; I wound up getting sleeved on October 2020. For my own sanity, I chose to keep my head down and keep grinding, as did many others. Also, around this time our surgery practice lost some of their support staff; suddenly calls were not being returned or even answered; lab tests were not always called in before we showed up for blood draws. Real problems to be sure. Many people in the support group chose to put the staff/practice on blast in the group posts/chat. This continued even after we were told by the moderators 1) the reason for the problems 2) possible solutions 3) the best way to get answers (email your Patient Navigator or one of the Group Moderators directly. After a brief respite, the Negativity Ship sailed once more, this time with an emphasis on bodily functions and over-the-top complaints about a certain staff member. I noticed that several of the most positive members who were enjoying great success, as well as the usual ups/downs, were suddenly missing in action. And I found myself less willing to visit the page. I missed the old pleasant and mutually supportive atmosphere. A couple days ago after outright personal attacks on a staff member, the group admin took down posts/comments and posted a long memo about the situation in particular, the negativity in general, and why handling complaints publicly in such a manner was damaging to everyone involved. They also mapped out the direct ways to get questions/problems answered. I thought maybe this whole scenario was peculiar to our little (well, not so little as there are over 1000 of us) support group. But then I saw it happening in a second , national WLS group. When a dear friend called me in a panic over outright lies being shared about the consequences of gastric sleeves, I was convinced this is a more wide-spread problem. My questions: Have you experienced WLS support group negativity or toxicity? How did it impact you? How did you deal with it? Did you leave the group, participate less, or find some other options for support? Thanks for reading this small booklet!!!

First, as a reassurance, its only temporary! For those that did lose some hair (which is mostly everyone...though there are a lucky few that don’t) it all came back eventually. I have yet to read from anyone who is far out from surgery that it is permanent. I started losing mine at 3 months, and it stopped around 7 months. I don’t know if it was because of time elapsed, or because I was done with rapid weight loss phase, though. I am 2+ years out now and its ALL back (sometimes i think its actually thicker these days, but it might just be because of my hairstyle, lol). I did cut it all off at the first sign of loss, and my hair today is no where near how long it was pre-surgery, but thats just a matter of time (though I dunno if I even want to grow it back to that length anyway.) I don’t have any tips to prevent it, honestly I don’t really think you can, but I’m sure others will weigh in on this subject. Good Luck! P.S. despite the current hair loss, are you satisfied with your WEIGHT loss so far?

What's negative or toxic is in the eye of the beholder. Keeping this in mind I definitely say: yes, the WLS community can be really toxic and negative in quite a few ways. I simply participate less and avoid certain discussions and/or members.

I love those! I use them sort of like mini taco shells (with taco meat, lettuce, tomato, and plain Greek yogurt). The loaded taco flavor is also good for that. Have you tried the spicy sweet chili flavor? They have a lot of good reviews, but I haven't tried them because I've only seen them in an 8-pack and I don't want to buy that many when I don't know if I'll like them.

Sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. It's totally understandable to get off track when you are grieving, but good for you for committing to getting back on track and reaching your goal. You have done great! You look so skinny. From that picture, you don't even look like you have 20 pounds to lose! Have you tried chelated iron? It is supposed to be better absorbed by gastric bypass patients, and also easier on the stomach and not cause constipation. I had iron deficiency before surgery, but I've been taking 36 mg of chelated iron per day (plus a multivitamin with 45 mg of ferrous fumarate) and my latest labs were great. This is the chelated iron I take: https://amazon.com/Nutricost-Chelated-Iron-Ferrochel-Capsules/dp/B0792MCYGW

I actually live in NZ so no flight at all! I am lucky. I have told quite a few friends ... just felt I needed the support and I don’t think any will judge me... am doing it for my health which is going to be great. Good luck to you too, it’s going to be great, new year new us!