Weight loss is a difficult journey whether you lose the weight naturally or undergo weight loss surgery. Your family, friends, and healthcare professionals will be there for you, but sometimes you need support from someone who understands exactly what you’re going through. You may not know anyone in person who shares your struggles, but online there is an amazing amount of forums and support groups to help you on your journey.Losing weight is only the first step in a series of lifelong changes that can help you achieve and maintain your weight loss goals. The ongoing support and encouragement from groups and forums online can sometimes make the difference between long term success and failure. By talking to others who share helpful tips related to nutrition, exercise, motivation, complications, and more, you are far more likely to obtain long term satisfaction with your weight loss goals.
Join a Bariatric Support Community
There are so many forums and support communities online for weight loss as well as specific weight loss surgeries. To get the support you need, check out these forums and consider joining the conversation:
Bariatric Forums
BariatricPal
With hundreds of thousands of members and specific forums to discuss subjects related to your particular type of bariatric surgery, BariatricPal.com is one of the best online weight loss surgery support communities available on the web today. Whether you are looking for a surgeon or just need a little extra motivation with your workouts, you’ll find the answers and support you are seeking here. You may even be able to find a friend to help you on your journey.
ObesityHelp
ObesityHelp offers a Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Forum (RNY) to anyone who would like to share the experiences of their journey, gain valuable information, search for a surgeon, and more. Like most forums, membership is free. You may even gain a local friend or two to make your workout sessions more enjoyable.
DailyStrength
DailyStrength has an active forum that is specific to gastric bypass surgery support. You can find free, anonymous support from people in your situation, and even people a few steps ahead of you on the path to weight loss.
Gastric Sleeve
Gastric sleeve patients or potential patients can share their experiences, photos, questions, answers and more at GastricSleeve.com. Many of the members of this site have completed their surgery in Mexico, so if you’re looking for information regarding medical tourism, this is a great resource.
Traditional Weight Loss Forums
3FatChicks
3 Fat Chicks is a forum that’s a little bit older and a little bit more focused on fitness and weight loss specifically for women. There is a dedicated section for weight loss surgery experiences and support. It also has a great blog with tips on nutrition and exercise.
HealthfulChat
Healthfulchat offers several forums for many different types of weight loss surgery, as well as a community specifically devoted to obesity and diet. It’s a supportive obesity that acknowledges obesity for the disease that it is and creates a safe space to connect.
Gastric Forums
Vertical Sleeve Talk
Vertical Sleeve Talk is on of the top gastic sleeve forums on the internet. It’s easy to join and navigate topics to find what you’re looking for quickly. Topics include pre-op and post-op concerns, success stories, hospitals, financing, and more. Members are very active and quick to respond to questions.
Gastric Sleeve Forum
Gastric Sleeve Forum is an active community that discusses diet, recipes, personal journeys, and surgical considerations. Some may find the forum to be a little cluttered and difficult to distinguish between advertising and helpful content.
Obesity Help’s Gastric Bypass Forum
Obesity Help is one of the best resources online for obesity-related health issues. Their forums are quite large which can be overwhelming at times, but the amount of resources and information available is staggering. Almost any question you have about gastric bypass can be found here if you have enough time.
RNY Talk
RNY Talk is managed by the same people that run Vertical Sleeve Talk. The forums are similar in their ease of navigation and clean interface. RNY Talk of course focuses on RNY surgery questions, concerns, and related topics. The members are helpful and there is plenty of content to find what you’re looking for.
MD Junction
At the obesity support group provided by MDJunction, you’ll be able to find information on any topic related to weight loss, including issues pertaining to weight loss surgeries. Here, people from all walks of life can come together with one common goal in mind – to support each other in their commitment to weight loss and better lifelong health.
Thinner Times Lap Band Forum
People interested in the lap band procedure will find a well organized online forum to discuss any topic related to a bariatric lap band surgery in the lap band forum run by ThinnerTimesForum.com.
Weight Loss Inspiration and Motivation Groups on Facebook
Those of you who already use Facebook are likely to appreciate the many groups that focus on helping members through weight loss and weight loss surgery. If you’re already on Facebook, it’s easy to join in seconds.
Bariatric Surgery Support Group
Bariatric Surgery Support Group posts inspirational and sometimes comical posts that will help you stay motivated in your quest for improved health. You’ll find weight loss tips and tools such as a weight loss calculator, along with a wonderful group of people who are there to help.
My Bariatric Life
You’re probably already familiar with My Bariatric Life, a blog following the transformation of Cheryl Ann Borne from a size 24 to a size 2. In her new My Bariatric Life Facebook group, you can learn more about Cheryl’s journey and also enjoy the many articles and inspirational quotes she shares.
Lap Band Gal
Lap Band Gal is managed by a 36-year-old Californian woman who lost 119 pounds with lap band surgery. The Facebook community page is where you can find her continued journey as well as many other people sharing their own experiences.
The Weight We Were
The Weigh We Were has turned a play on words into a website and PBS show as well as a fun place to share and read weight loss stories on Facebook. Gain inspiration from others who have undergone weight loss surgery to help keep you motivated!
Your Weight Matters
Your Weight Matters is a non-profit organization that helps Facebook users and other members be healthier and happier by achieving their weight loss goals. Scroll through the photos for inspirational quotes, read their posts for helpful tips, or view their blog for even more detailed information to help you on your journey.
Positively Healthy
Positively Healthy offers more than just great tips created from someone who has undergone their own weight loss surgery. You can also get started with “Holistic Health Coaching” to help you through any rough spots along the way. With support from this community, you will feel inspired and excited to start each day as you move towards a healthier lifestyle.
Obesity Care Week
Obesity Care Week is more than a week-long event, it’s a nationwide education campaign to advance treatment for those living with obesity. On this page you can stay up to date about legal issues, healthcare matters, and medical research in the obesity community. It’s founded by The Obesity Society and several other organizations working to alleviate obesity-related issues.
Weight Loss Surgery Podcast
The Weight Loss Surgery Podcast Facebook page is a great community of support, as well as an outlet for all the latest podcast episodes. You’ll know as soon as a podcast episode is published, and in between you’ll have plenty of weight loss surgery content to browse for information and inspiration.
BariMelts
BariMelts is committed to helping you get healthy by making sure the supplements you take are high quality and absorbable after a bariatric surgery. Because the nutritional needs of weight loss surgery patients are different than those who have not undergone surgery, this group can help you understand how you can “get the most from your vitamins”.
Weight Loss Support Groups Help You Achieve Success
When you are serious about long term success after a bariatric weight loss surgery or if you are considering a procedure, nothing beats talking to others who have gone before you to gain confidence and valuable information in order to make the best choice for you. Through the connective powers of the internet, people from all over the world and from all walks of life can now share their wisdom and experiences without even leaving their homes. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity by joining an online weight loss support forum or group today!
The post The Best Forums & Support Groups For Weight Loss appeared first on Angeles Health.