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!

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 ))))

Whaddya mean there's no volume in Scotland?! We're all the volume required, darlink; just the two of us

As for the international conference aspect?

Yeah, I could go for a bit of that.. Just as long as everyone had badges detailing their internet names. And it was made mandatory to wear them.

Why?

Well, when the fur starts flying, I want to be able to identify the main parties, recount what had 'gone down' accurately and whilst happily chomping on my protein-rich popcorn and sipping my diet margaritas, I could take bets on the 'favourite' of the day.

Win: Win

Just for you sweetie I will wear a placard saying that I said it, I did it, I'm sorry..as I walk into the room....Better to be humble from the get go you know then let others take you out.

Would love to see you and all the of the others that have helped me along the way!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesome Rev.

Aww, loves ya. You have no need for a placard, darling - unless it says simply 'Wonderful RJ'.

I could have a field day creating some for a few others though....

S'okay. You can sit next to me and help me collect the bets, chomp the popcorn and drink the margaritas. How does that sound?

Sounds like a good time...only I can't drink....

Yes! Yes! And more yes! Love the idea. I'm a couple months before my surgery and this website has TREMENDOUSLY affected my confidence in my decision to proceed. Everyone here has been an incredible help. Im so grateful I found this app.

Definitely a great idea.

Alex, it sounds like a good idea! Based on commentary in this forum there is a wide disparity in what people get for information as part of their program. This forum has been been a valuable source for me personally, but there is a lot of merit in having face to face discussion and conversation.

The University of Massachusetts Medical Center runs two programs a month for support. The first one is only open to individuals that have had surgery, It is run by one of the providers on a rotating basis (surgeons, psychologist, NUT's etc). The second one is done by a volunteer. He had RNY surgery a number of years ago and has maintained a 200 lb weight loss.I assume that would be where you are looking.

The two sessions are very different but both valuable. The first one is run by individuals qualified to comment of medical, nutritional or psychological issues. The second is more general and based on experiences of the leader or other members on the group. There are specific topics discussed each month, but it is also open to wandering discussion.

Alex, I apologize in advance for the length of this post. Here are a few things I wondered/thought of to ask you about the local groups:

• Where would these meetings be held? How long would each meeting run per session?

• How often would meetings be held? As a teacher, my daytime availability is limited from September to summertime, but I would still love to be a leader--would that be possible for me?

• Regarding size of each chapter--I would think as long as there are enough members interested and regularly attending, small groups would be acceptable; groups of more than 25 might need more than one leader, to organize and interact effectively with all members.

• In my opinion, co-leaders would be helpful across the board, really, since there's a good chance that now and then a leader may be sick or unavailable. Co-leaders could help cover for one another to make sure the meetings still happen when life gets in the way. Also, co-leaders may have different strengths; although I'm a teacher, I'm not a nurse. If I were paired with a nurse, our group would get double the benefit...and I'm a sleever. Having a partner that's a bypass patient would make our group stronger for our members.

• As a teacher, I definitely thing having a "core curriculum" across-the-board set of agendas from BariatricPal might be very helpful, as long as there is some freedom built in to the agendas to allow groups a chance to tailor them to individual concerns/needs. I think it's a good idea to have a common basis to start from as we get groups up and running. It would also ensure that BariatricPal's presence or "branding" is consistent and unifying; rather than a collected hodgepodge of disorganized WLS groups.

• Along those lines, I think agendas that divide by topic would be a great idea. For instance, a meeting agenda that covers general nutrition guidelines to begin the meeting; then after that introduction, the group could break up into smaller sub-groups to talk about the different nutritional needs between bypass and sleeve post-op patients, and then get back together to discuss healthy recipes or share great websites for developing their own post-op recipes for a whole family to enjoy. The wrap-up could be a question-and-answer period either based on that meeting's topic, or based on questions and concerns for that particular group. Another meeting agenda might be about the mental and emotional challenges that WLS'ers face post-op and sharing ways to combat things like "head hunger" and less-than-supportive friends and family members. Another one might be geared towards offering inexpensive ways to get more active (like using one's body weight to exercise if joining a gym is financially unreasonable or emotionally daunting).

• It might also be a good idea to have chapters organized into districts (if there's enough interest to have multiple groups in an area) and the leaders in each district could consider developing newsletters to publish information on events and celebrations/milestones for members.

• Would it make sense to develop a system to reward members who attend regularly, to encourage active attendance?

• A similar idea: could there be a way to formally recognize members for hitting milestones in their journey? Even something small like a ribbon or a lapel pin, or a keychain, can be very motivating to receive when you've worked hard to reach a goal.
  They could be organized by weight loss or BMI milestones (moving from obese to "overweight" is a big one for me personally!), or becoming a "veteran" WLS-er--recognizing the 3 month post-op milestone, the 6-month post-op, the year, etc. Sometimes recognizing those NSV's is what gets us through a stall, or keeps us from feeling like we're falling behind everyone else.

Thanks for taking the time to think about offering BariatricPal groups in "real life", Alex! I hope this is a successful venture, I know it could definitely help a LOT of people.

Great idea.

I like this idea. I haven't even had surgery yet - it's next week, but as I already facilitate networking groups and the like, I'd love to lead. But if not, I'd certainly attend.

BP could help with agendas or topics for discussion. I also think that the group should be for anyone and as many that need it. I love the thought of a convention with motivational speakers and or those from the medical field.

I'm wondering what resources BP has thought of for those that lead, and why would I want to lead? Loving leading and instructing and helping others is a HUGE motivation for me, but is there something else I'm missing? I like the thought of a monthly meeting as you have a continuous process. I feel that quarterly meetings would be too far apart. Monthly meetings that focus on sharing, learning and speaking. It gives attendees a forum where they feel they can fit in.

At a meeting I'd also love for those that experienced any progress that there is a 'winners moment', or 'success' time. I'd love high energy. Mostly not only do I want to feel good, but I want to help others feel good.

This is a fantastic idea! Certainly I would be interested in joining. Not too sure about being a leader or even a co leader, but if I absolutley had to, I would until another was found.

I would not limit the number of people per chapter. Odds of everyone showing up all the time, after the first meeting, would be low. It would be wonderful if agendas were offered.

What Do You Think about BariatricPal Local Chapters? I'm IN!

• 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? ***ABSOLUTELY
• Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)? ***YES
• Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings?***YES, structure is always good
• What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership? ***Right now, I don't know...but I LOVE this idea
• Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have? ***as long as there are two people to discuss, it'a all good
• What other ideas do you have? ***I'll have to think

Central New Jersey in the house - would love to help - great idea!

Would love to help start one in the Seattle area. We have with the hospital where I had the surgery but we only meet once a month in Seattle and the other meeting has been moved out of the city to a new location about 20 miles east.

I lived in Middlesex county for 15 years madamsoul Where in Central Jersey are you?

I think this would be great, some structure to the meetings ..also being able to plan some sort for social events to the meeting on a quarterly or biannual basis too, as meeting new friends,trying new activities that we wouldn't have tried in the past.

excellent idea. . Please keep me informed on progress.

I love the idea and my surgeon is a 2 hour drive from my house so unless they do virtual support group meetings it will impossible. So I will be looking for something.