I won't be deleting any accounts. You are more than welcome to unsubscribe from our emails and go your merry way.
The straw that broke the camels back was a group of weight loss surgeons, bariatric psychologists, and other integrated health members that approached me recently at a weight loss surgery conference I was attending. They said they love suggesting BariatricPal to their patients but were very concerned about some bullying that was taking place. They didn't feel it was a "safe" place for their patients. Many of our members ended up becoming overweight because of the bullying and trauma they had suffered earlier on in life. It's quite sickening that they should be required to re-live the same trauma while seeking "support" online!
I opened up an investigation a few weeks ago and what I discovered was nauseating. There are hundreds of private messages between some members that discuss strategy on how to bully or make fun of other members that disagree with them publicly. At the end of the day, we're an online support group and everyone needs to learn how to play nice. If you can't abide by the rules, you're not welcome here.
If this was about $, I'd keep things status quo and wouldn't ruffle any feathers. I promised myself that 2017 would be an awesome one for the BariatricPal community and our members. If you're not happy with my decision, you are more than welcome to follow the members I banned to the other online communities that are readily available to you.
