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!

I would love to do this. I have support group at my hospital. (NYU ) but they are too far away and at 6:30 pm. That time is inconvenient.

I'm not at goal but would love to be a co leader. I've won awards for public speaking.

Put Nashville Tennessee on the list! Great idea!

<p>Hi, BariatricPal Members,</p> <p> </p> <p>I hope you are doing well!</p> <p> </p> <p>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.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>BariatricPal Local Chapters…a New Way to Connect</strong></p> <p> </p> <p>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.</p> <p> </p> <p>I am considering the following items:</p> <ul><li>Monthly or quarterly meetings.</li> <li>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.</li> <li>Presentations by surgeons, nutritionists, other professionals or bariatric product companies at local meetings.</li> <li>Annual national meeting of BariatricPal Local Chapters in a location such as Los Angeles, New York, or Huston.</li> <li>Option to go on an annual cruise</li> </ul><p><strong>What Do You Think about BariatricPal Local Chapters?</strong></p> <ul><li>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?</li> <li>Would you be interested in attending regular local chapter meetings in person?</li> <li>Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)?</li> <li>Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings?</li> <li>What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership?</li> <li>Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have?</li> <li>What other ideas do you have?</li> </ul><p>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.</p> <p> </p> <p>Thanks again!</p>

I would definitely be interested in helping with a local chapter and with the training offered would be interested in leadership. I am really a newbie at this life having only been sleeved 7 days. I think prepared agendas at least until the concept takes hold would be helpful. I also think the local chapters would be a great place to meet and establish mentoring groups. I think this is a great idea and sorely needed in southern Oklahoma where I'm from.

I would lead a group in the Portland, OR area.

I would have a group conscience decide (along with the leader) as to how often meetings are viable. I think in some larger cities, you could pull off weekly meetings. Having them be closed exclusively to WLS patients would also be my recommendation, but I would also want to have open meetings where family/friends/researchers can come. Perhaps these open meetings would be once a quarter with a general WLS presentation and sharing of a few people's stories then a Q&A or open discussion would follow.

I have lots of thoughts on how a meeting could be organized.

sounds like a great idea, it would defiantly set a foundation for people new to the surgery and give real value to seeing people succeed while also allowing people to personally motivate, it could also open up the possibility of outings and give people like myself who has struggled mentally with the "new ME" a chance to befriend others who have been through similar situations. The possibilities would be endless with such a program!!!! one idea that i would mention is to have cooking classes not necessarily to teach how to cook but instead help teach recipes that are band friendly. i know i personally get tired of eating the same things all the time but because the band is so finicky i am afraid of trying other foods that could potentially get stuck.

Edited March 19, 201412 yr by Kyle K

Hi Alex would love to lead a southeastern MA chapter Plymouth, MA 1 hour South of Boston. Count me in.

I should have more info on how we're going to organize BariatricPal Local Chapters shortly. Please stay tuned....

I would LOVE to help out by leading or co-leading a Bariatric Pal group in my local area. I used to attend support group meetings in a small city about 20 min from me, but they were all bypass patients and the group wasn't very band-friendly. There is a local support group (new surgery center at our local hospital), but they don't deal much with post-surgery life. They do have good sessions on cooking, etc, but deal mostly with that subject and sometimes Q&A.

I am VERY interested in the certification program as well - I believe that would help others in the support community take us more seriously.

Here are the more organized answers to your questions:

• Would you be interested in attending regular local chapter meetings in person? Absolutely YES
• Would you be interested in being a leader (or co-leader)? Yes - I believe I can be helpful
• Would you like BariatricPal to provide agendas for meetings? Yes - a framework can be very valuable
• What additional support could BariatricPal provide to encourage your participation and/or leadership? I love the idea of the certification program
• Should there be limits on the minimum and maximum numbers of members that each Local Chapter can have? Minimum - perhaps 5, built up over a specified period of time. It would be helpful to have the Chapters promoted here, and possibly through the surgeons in the area. Certification would help with their comfort level on this.
• What other ideas do you have? Incorporate activities like a Clothing Swap within each group; Shopping trips or having someone come in to discuss where to find clothing while transitioning; coaching / training on how to discuss your decision with family and friends; role-playing to help patients deal with bullies, saboteurs, etc; alternatives and plans for exercise based on patient's current physical condition - often standard "gyms" and trainers can be very intimidating; alternatives to grocery shopping (one of my local grocery stores has a delivery service and a pick up service - could be very helpful for avoiding temptation in the stores).

Saint John N.B Canada...Really needs help....I am open to anything I can do to bring this about! @@Alex Brecher

@@Alex Brecher, awesome list complied so far...I attend a monthly meeting at Rincon Recovery, Anisa is GREAT; a nice small group and our hospital offers one as well...but that is a HUGE room full of people and while the information may be valuable, the amount of folks in attendance makes interaction difficult.

I have done training before and wouldn't mind hosting/leading...whatever process needs to be done to do so.

The meetings help me stay on track and have accountability...while I have been "stalled", I haven't gained, and that's important to me...

Thanks for this great site and info!

Hi Alex would love to lead a southeastern MA chapter Plymouth, MA 1 hour South of Boston. Count me in.

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I would be interested in joining! I think we had the same surgeon . Let me know if it happens!

<p>I would definitely be interested in being a leader or co-leader in my area. I live in Southeastern Massachusetts; the local area includes New Bedford, Wareham and Fall River. I am a teacher and really enjoy meeting people; getting to share ideas and experiences in person would be fantastic! During the summer, my availability would be quite open; during the school year I could certainly do monthly or twice-monthly meetings during evenings or weekends. I'd love to develop group activities like Couch-to-5K , joining Color Runs/ROC Races, or charity walks/runs, as well as addressing the educational aspects of pre- and post- WLS living.<br><br> </p>

Please let me know if this happens! I had my surgery right before you in Wareham!

I think that is a good idea.

Wow!! Sounds like a great idea;) I live near Kansas City, MO.

Dear BariatricPal Members,

We are pleased to announce a new program called BariatricPal Local Chapters! This program will be an addition to the support that BariatricPal already provides to members. BariatricPal started as an online resource for hundreds of thousands of potential and post-op weight loss surgery patients. Many of you visit the site regularly to receive and provide tips and encouragement, and just to hang out. BariatricPal Local Chapters extends our online community into the real world.

BariatricPal Local Chapters includes live, in-person meetings with local BariatricPal members. We know the significance of support group meetings before and after weight loss surgery, but not all patients are able to attend live meetings in their areas. BariatricPal Local Chapters can help fulfill this need by providing the support for regular in-person meetings in neighborhoods around the country.

BariatricPal Local Chapter Meetings

Most meetings will follow a standard format that includes introductions followed by the day’s main activity, and finally a discussion or question-and-answer session. The main activity of the day can be a lecture on essentials before and after weight loss surgery, such as nutrition, exercise, overcoming obstacles, and building a support system. Other activities might include group walks, cooking demonstrations, presentations by visiting bariatric surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, or nutritionists, and clothing exchanges.

Do You Want to Be a Group Leader?

If you are friendly, enthusiastic, and committed to fighting obesity with weight loss surgery, we want you to consider becoming a BariatricPal Local Chapter Group Leader! Energetic group leaders are key to success. Your roles as a group leader will include:

• Scheduling times and places for Local Chapter meetings.
• Planning group meeting agendas including scheduling guest speakers, reserving facilities, and arranging for supplies when necessary.
• “Hosting” group meetings by leading the introductions and leading or facilitating the main activity and question-and-answer sessions.
• Leading group discussions or lectures when they are the main activity of the meeting.
• Reaching out to members to help you in regular tasks and fill in for you when you cannot plan or attend a meeting.
• Making all participants feel welcome.

Does this sound like something you can do? BariatricPal will provide support to Local Chapter leaders, including developing guidelines for running meetings and materials for group discussions.

Here’s What to Do!

If you are interested in being a BariatricPal Local Chapter leader, please use the BariatricPal Local Chapter forum.

• Click START NEW TOPIC to create a new topic.
• In the subject line, include the State Abbreviation, region, city or community(ies) that you will serve (e.g., MI - Wayne County, CA - Fresno and Selma, NY - Brooklyn). Include your country if you're outside the US please.
• In your post, describe your interest, why you think you will make a good leader, and your availability for leading meetings.

Please feel free to post questions on this thread. I am excited to begin BariatricPal Local Chapter meetings, and I hope you are, too!