As stated in my previous post, I had a hard time finding support for the bulk of my WLS journey.
My local community doesn’t have a WLS support group, or I am unaware of one if it’s started in the past decade.
My trusted surgeon has retired and the other surgeon in his practice nearly killed me when he did my original surgery. (I think I’ll not be contacting him for help any time soon.)
So… I turned to the internet. This is my list of the top influencers who’ve inspired me along my journey.
Let’s get started.
Leader #1: The World According to Eggface
Shelly at The World According to Eggface was the first and only blogger I could get my eyes on when I started traveling this journey. She has years and years worth of content on her blog about life as a post-bariatric patient.
This is my favorite resource for post-op recipes and ways to keep things interesting. She is a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend her.
You can learn more about Shelly at http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/.
Leader #2: Dr. Duc C. Vuong
You can say a lot of terrible things about 2020, but it gave me the time to start researching to find more “support” via online resources. This led me to Dr. Duc C. Vuong’s YouTube channel.
As a patient without a surgeon, this man has been invaluable for me.
This channel provides a wealth of knowledge from a bariatric surgeon that is put into layman’s terms. He covers the full range of weight loss surgeries that are available.
You can learn more about him at http://www.youtube.com/doctorvuong.
Leader #3: My Level 10 Life
This lady is another 2020 find and I just love her channel. I had already revitalized my own when I found hers, but she’s doing exactly what I hope to do with this site and my own YouTube channel. She’s giving you first-hand experience from the view of a WLS patient.
From what I can gather, Erin has had the gastric sleeve gastrectomy. It’s a different surgery than my own, but she’s still covering so much of the important stuff that people looking into this need to know.
Finding Erin seemed like God telling me there is still a chance for creating online friendships that can offer support and advice within this community.
You can learn more about Erin at http://www.youtube.com/MyLevel10Life or http://www.mylevel10life.com.
Leader #4: Pouch Friendly
Unfortunately, this channel doesn’t appear to be active anymore. However, it is still a wonderful resource for all bariatric patients.
The channel was created by A.J. and his wife Rebecca, both bariatric patients. They made it in support of all of us nutritionally challenged WLS patients.
This is a great spot to find recipes and examples of portion sizes. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/PouchFriendly or at http://www.pouchfriendly.com.
Leader #5: Therapy in a Nutshell
Another 2020 find, this site is not weight loss related. However, nobody travelling this path can deny that mental health is a strong proponent to what got us here and how we get out.
There can be no weight loss surgery success without gaining mental health tips and strategies.
That is where this site comes in. Emma is a licensed therapist and she tackles all kinds of mental health topics in video form. She breaks the topics down and gives strategies for how to deal with some heavy topics.
You can learn more about Emma at http://www.youtube.com/TherapyinaNutshell or http://www.therapynutshell.com.
Conclusion
As you can see from these great influencers, there is a wealth of knowledge available online for free. You’re never going to fully have to go it alone as long as the internet exists! Check these out if you haven’t already.
Leave me a comment below to let me know which of these influencers is your favorite. Also, have I missed anyone you’ve found online?