Updated 12/19/2010

Weight loss surgery is a controversial subject in the Fat-o-sphere, but it does happen. There are many people in size acceptance who support an individual’s decision to have weight loss surgery and there are those in the movement that have had weight loss surgery. I am a lap-band patient of 2 years now. It was the right decision for me, but I don’t think it’s right for everyone and I do see the industry as becoming somewhat predatory. But there are good reasons for it and the decision should be an individual one after exhaustive research has been done. In my case, 5 1/2 years was spent researching. That being said, for those who want pre- or post-operative information on the different surgeries, there is Fat Blog.

Fat Blog is an all encompassing weight loss surgery support group online. When I say all encompassing, I really mean all encompassing. First, there are the forums. There are 12 different forums which and one can post. Subjects such as Lap Band, Gastric Bypass (RNY), Duodenal Switch (DS), Exercise, Food and Drink and Plastic Surgery have their own forums. But by far the most popular forum is the Off Topic forum. This forum allows all weight loss pre- and post-surgical patients to share their triumphs, tribulations, funny stories, and views. Another use of this forum is to ask questions of fellow members. Questions about reactions to certain procedures, affects of other medical conditions and the inevitable “What did you do?/What should I do?” questions are asked and answered all within the forums.

But the forums are just the tip of the iceberg.  It has a blog section that allows members to blog about their experience. It has a section for before and after photos and photo galleries and the newest feature is the chat section where member can go and discuss their lives in real time.

Fat Blog also realizes something very important. That we discuss medical conditions and that requires privacy. The owner of the site keeps the site private. He does not allow advertising on the site (although members can post their own business ventures in the business forum) and he prevents spam by personally approving all members and only members can access the site. Fat Blog is entirely funded by donations. Most of which I suspect have come from Big Sean, the owner of the site, but members are excellent about keeping the site funded.

This thing that sets this site apart is the support. It has a real familial feel about it. Members “walk the path” with each other. They become the best of friends. In times of crisis, they rally around each other. And yes they argue, and they fuss a bit, but the real beauty of it is that so do families. They may spout off political inclinations, and in some cases can be very ardent about it. But in the end, they all come back and support each other because in the end, they are all going through the same process, have similar issues and view each others success and challenges as their own. No one fails on Fat Blog. They may struggle, they may misstep, but because everyone pushes everyone, they all succeed both personally and vicariously.

And this review may seem a bit on the biased side, and it may very well be. I’ve been a part of the site for over a year. I go on it everyday, sometimes several times a day. I joined it about 5 months before my own lap band surgery and the members have traveled every bit of my journey with me. As I have on their journeys. But my bias is based on everything that I have experienced. This site has been a positive aspect of my life and in some cases can be the only one during low points and those times of self-doubt.

So if you are a pre-surgical or post-surgical weight loss surgery patient, I wholeheartedly recommend Fat Blog. You can get more information on joining at www.fatblog.org.