At a real life support group meeting, we talked a little about how different doctor's groups offer such WIDELY VARIED advice on nutrition post surgery.

Some programs have folks eating tiny amounts for extended times, no carbs, give strict weight loss goals, have no flexibility on diet choices, run to being extreme.

Some are extremely lenient to the point of passivity. Don't worry about calories. Don't weight yourself, we won't weigh you. Just listen to your body. It's all good.

Most are somewhere in between.

So who's right?

We had three dietitians at our meeting who had worked for different clinics...who had some interesting comments on this.

The gist of their concern......was that some clinics push hard...not for the health of their clients....but because the faster they can make their fat clients skinny....the more business they'll attract.

Yeah...seriously. How sick is that? You get put on a brutally demanding plan that might not be in your best interests....to be a walking bulletin board for your clinic.

The consensus was that the vast majority of clinics are NOT like this...and do a good balanced job with nutrition....but that each of these women had encountered this situation in their careers (or had known someone who had)....where they felt pushed to advise people to push too hard for the sake of the clinic's image.

Your clinic should listen to your concerns, offer flexibility, choice, and sound nutritional practices.

I'm so damned glad I went to a clinic that serves an international clientele. Our nutritionists do a great job with supporting different global eating styles and have awesome educations, attend current conferences, etc. Beats the hell out of a "nutrition consultant" with a stack of printed rules for everyone...regardless of their gender, health issues, etc.

Well, sorry to say this out loud, but not every health care professional got into the business to help people...

I am having an unhappy mind blip. My PCP, as he was leaving exam room, it was Tomkitten's appointment, not mine. He looked over his shoulder at me and said You Will Be The Oldest Person I. Have Ever Known Seeking WLS At 72 and shook his head in a negative manner. Now it is getting close to my surgery time and maybe I'm over-sensative, but I felt he was telling me I am a silly foolish old woman for doing this. Odd isn't it that I thought to this point he was totally supportive in this endeavor? Maybe he thought this was a whim I would soon discard? No Never Mind, I am still going to have it, I have spent too much time and suffered too much grief on its behaft to stop suddenly now. As my mantra goes
Right Time
Right Surgery
For The Right Results
Done by the Right Person
At the Right Location
For the Right Reason
For the Right Person- ME!
And H***,High Water and a PCP with faulty logic and support will not impede ME now!
Onward Onward toward the Conclusion I Go!?& ??