Hi, BariatricPal Members,

I hope you are doing well!

BariatricPal provides a social platform that is safe and welcoming for the weight loss surgery community. The main goals are to provide information and encouragement needed to allow for healthy weight loss and better patient weight loss surgery outcomes. I am always trying to figure out how to improve BariatricPal to better achieve these goals, and today I am coming to you for your input on a potential new opportunity called BariatricPal Local Chapters.

BariatricPal Local Chapters…a New Way to Connect

With BariatricPal Local Chapters, you would get to meet BariatricPal members in person. This could speed up your weight loss by expanding your knowledge about success after weight loss surgery, increasing your accountability to yourself and your Local Chapter friends, improving your boosting your confidence. Plus, you might make new best friends for life! Each BariatricPal Local Chapter would be defined geographically, so that you would belong to the location nearest to your home.

I am considering the following items:

• Monthly or quarterly meetings.
• A fun or educational activity at each meeting. Examples include preparing a weight loss surgery-friendly meal, filling out a customized meal plan, or going for a group-wide nature walk.
• Presentations by surgeons, nutritionists, other professionals or bariatric product companies at local meetings.
• Annual national meeting of BariatricPal Local Chapters in a location such as Los Angeles, New York, or Huston.
• Option to go on an annual cruise

What Do You Think about BariatricPal Local Chapters?

• What I would like to ask you for is what you think about the above suggestions. Also, what are your answers to the following questions?
• Would you be interested in attending regular local chapter meetings in person?
• Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)?
• Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings?
• What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership?
• Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have?
• What other ideas do you have?

Please join the conversation thread below to let me know what you think about BariatricPal Local Chapters. I really value and appreciate your opinions, and I can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

Thanks again!

Yes love the idea! Let's have the first one in San diego!

I also wouldn't mind co leading in my area!

I am on board here too Alex...don't know where I would fit in being from a different country. But ready, willing to help any way I can....This is so amazing to be given these opportunities to help in my new found life. i so want to help others!

I am on board here too Alex...don't know where I would fit in being from a different country. But ready, willing to help any way I can....This is so amazing to be given these opportunities to help in my new found life. i so want to help others!

I'd love to see us have a WLS conference some day where we can get members from all over the world together, and perhaps move it around like they do the Olympics and have different chapters host them....hey I love to travel and I would totally stop by and check out a group, in another state, or another country!!

Awesome idea. I go to the post op classes at our local hospital. They are not very well run or organized. I feel in a different setting we could talk to each other one on one. The meetings could be in a restaurant, say during happy hour when people eat lighter, and socialize, and the next month in a home, or a park as the weather gets better. There are so many options. People could bring snacks for others to try, and I would be more than willing to participate in this adventure!

Love the idea. I'm in!

Love the idea of a WLS conference. Don't think we will have the volume in Scotland to have a chapter - but would happily head to the US to meet lots of familiar faces ))))

Very interesting plan.

I'd be able to meet up at a support group a couple of times a year. Unfortunately, I doubt I could commit to more.

Yes! I would love to help in Rochester, ny!

I love love love this idea and would absolutely help lead, especially if you offered training. I do think BP should at least provide "suggested" agendas and chapters would likely need help securing guest speakers. I hope this works out as it is surprisingly difficult to find regular support groups in my area of Houston.

This sounds awesome Alex!! It would be great to do these also for Australia as there is lots of us. We do organise our own catchups but this sounds like a great idea!!

I think this is fantastic! Count me in

OK Alex...looks like folks are interested. Lisa and I have been discussing the topic offline and we can certainly help with whatever you might need from us. Yes, an agenda driven meeting would be better than just sitting and chatting. It worked for us because we were a small group. Larger numbers and it runs into issues where people bunch up into smaller groups and it's just a gabfest. I very much like the idea of guest speakers from the medical community, nutrition and exercise community, and even psychological community. We could have discussions around topics we talk about here..not just what should I eat and what should I be losing but things like body image, spousal/family/friend support (or lack of) stress and avoiding emotional eating, how to deal with nosy coworkers...oh gosh there's so much out there to talk about.

Have you discussed any of this with Dr. Ren or anyone else at the practice? I'm thinking in terms of a resource of both medical professionals and bariatric patients. I understand Dr. Fielding used to take folks out to dinner to give them hints and guidance on how to eat out. Alot of people are afraid to eat out and I thought it was a great idea to take people and show them that they can eat out successfully.

I don't know if I'd want to be a leader or co-leader especially as I couldn't speak to the majority of bandsters with fills, but I'd be more than happy to work more behind the scenes in terms of organizing. I seem to be pretty good at that as long as I call ahead to make sure the cafe is actually open.... OK then...just let me know what I can do to help.

Alex I'm in!

• Would you be interested in attending regular local chapter meetings in person? Absolutely
• Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)? Chief or Indian, all the same to me.
• Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings? I think that's a good idea. It would enable leaders to "compare notes" on most popular discussions and activities and participants to offer ideas on what they would like to see added as well as their feedback on the meetings and activities. Leaders can always make changes and/or additions based on the feedback they get from their groups.
• What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership? I would like to see forums dedicated to the various chapters so that attendees and facilitators alike could comment.
• Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have? Definitely. Colleen commented in the webinar today that in her experience 20 to 30 is a good number. 25 might be a good middle of the road.
• What other ideas do you have? The subject of establishing support groups by surgery type also came up in today's webinar discussion. We have seen on BP and BSCI has seen with in-person support groups that interaction is substantially more effective, better received and provide more targeted benefits when groups are surgery specific.

Thank you for yet another great idea!

Edited February 26, 201412 yr by DLCoggin

OK Alex...looks like folks are interested. Lisa and I have been discussing the topic offline and we can certainly help with whatever you might need from us. Yes, an agenda driven meeting would be better than just sitting and chatting. It worked for us because we were a small group. Larger numbers and it runs into issues where people bunch up into smaller groups and it's just a gabfest. I very much like the idea of guest speakers from the medical community, nutrition and exercise community, and even psychological community. We could have discussions around topics we talk about here..not just what should I eat and what should I be losing but things like body image, spousal/family/friend support (or lack of) stress and avoiding emotional eating, how to deal with nosy coworkers...oh gosh there's so much out there to talk about.

Have you discussed any of this with Dr. Ren or anyone else at the practice? I'm thinking in terms of a resource of both medical professionals and bariatric patients. I understand Dr. Fielding used to take folks out to dinner to give them hints and guidance on how to eat out. Alot of people are afraid to eat out and I thought it was a great idea to take people and show them that they can eat out successfully.

I don't know if I'd want to be a leader or co-leader especially as I couldn't speak to the majority of bandsters with fills, but I'd be more than happy to work more behind the scenes in terms of organizing. I seem to be pretty good at that as long as I call ahead to make sure the cafe is actually open.... OK then...just let me know what I can do to help.

You did a GREAT job Liz planning our very first NYC get together and it was fun!

Alex, I am also interested and would also be more than willing to help out in any way that I can...great idea!