Question:
What makes your support group fun?
I have just been asked to facilitate a support group and would like to have ideas about what you enjoy in your support group. — smatney (posted on February 6, 2003)
February 6, 2003
Hi Susan, I too just did what you are about to. I had the first meeting of
my new support group last night. It went very well. I have never been to a
support group much less organized on before I agreed to do this, so I was
like you unsure what to do. I went to another support group meeting to get
a feel for them and was tereribly disappointed. They just had a
psychiatrist reading poetry and telling me why I don't stick to my diets. I
already knew that. For my first meeting I just told everyone my story, and
how I got there. Then I asked what they wanted from the group. Then we
opened the floor up for questions, and everyone answered everyone elses
questions. We had a blast. I think just being with a group of like people
and sharing our experiences is the best thing. I can't wait for the next
one.
— dkinson
February 6, 2003
I enjoy sharing my story with others and hearing their story...Whats most
amazing is watching someone from the very beginning process of wls, and
seeing them shrink before my eyes. They come into group and dont even
realize what we are seeing, since most of us do not see ourselves as the
incredeble shrinking human its a pleasure to see it happen on someone else
of course we know we are shrinking too but to actually watch someone else
do it is a blast for me...I like to also compare notes, play games (which
we are in the process of trying to do for our group, have picnics and
social gatherings....RELAX is the key to a successful group, dont let
others bog you down with pettyness do's and dont's just have a good time
roll with the flow and share ur tributes and triumps......good luck to you!
— Deanna Wise
February 6, 2003
People seem to love hearing others share their stories. We start our group
by introducing ourselves and someone always has a calculator to keep track
of the weight loss in the room and then we announce it when everyone's
done. Someone usually brings a treat. I do a lot of experimenting and
bring yummy sweets in all the time. Check out my profile for for recipes
or www.freewebs.com/recipes-after-rny
— Lynette B.
February 6, 2003
Depending on the size of your group, if its large, break it down into how
many months out they are. I belong to a huge support group and my favorite
part is after the guest speaker when they break us down into pre-ops, new
post-ops, 6 months to a year, and those over a year. I learn more in my
respective post-op group then I do when the entire body is together.
— Cindy R.
February 6, 2003
We play WLS Jeopardy! It's informative and fun. We break into teams and
take turns answering the questions. I also like the size of our group -
approx 30 people. It allows us to keep up with everyone's progress and talk
amongst ourselves.
— Yolanda J.
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