"Expand your knowledge by expanding your community"

Bariatric surgery can be a very confusing and scary place. You are making one of the biggest decisions of your life and it involves a lot of changes. It isn’t always easy, especially when you are first getting started. From trying to understand all of the different stages in your diet to dealing with hair loss, it can be extremely overwhelming. As lonely as it might feel, it doesn’t have to be. One of the best things about having this surgery is the amazing bariatric community.

I remember when I first started thinking about having the surgery, I did a lot of research. I saw the success a girl on YouTube had (Jessica Marie) and I felt really inspired. I reached out to her and she helped answer a lot of my questions. This was one of the first steps in deciding that I wanted to have the surgery. It also played a huge part in why I created my own YouTube channel. It meant so much to me that she took the time to answer my questions and I wanted to do the same for people.

If you are just starting out with your weight loss journey or if you are 5 years out, I encourage you to find a community that you enjoy. It is extremely therapeutic having people to talk to that understand what you are going through.

Here are some of the amazing bariatric communities out there:

1. YouTube: Many people vlog their progress and share the ups and downs of bariatric surgery:

• Kimberly H
• Courtney Losing
• Lauren Vento
• Experiencing Nirvana

2. BariatricPal: This is an amazing forum that talks all things bariatric surgery! If you have a question, you can ask here and fellow bariatric patients will answer as well as surgeons.
3. Support Groups: Many surgeons have support groups within their practice. These can be extremely beneficial and help you find other bariatric patients in the same town.
4. Online Support Groups: If you prefer the comfort of your own home and don’t want to go to an in-person support group, there are some great support groups on Facebook.

• Bariatric Surgery and Gastric Sleeve Support Group
• Bariatric Surgery Support Group
• Gastric Sleeve and Bariatric Surgery Support Group
• Bariatric Surgery Support Group.

5. ObesityHelp: This is another great website that offers a great place for discussion on bariatric surgery topics. There’s even a National Conference with this group which is an amazing way to meet new people and  new resources after weight loss surgery.

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