mistysj

That's an amazing story, Sharon! You will have the weight off in no time.

Wow! That's the quickest I have heard. Did you have enough time to process what was going to happen? I won't be able to do it that fast because it looks like I will be traveling for work for three weeks at the end of April and into May.

Hi Bec! It's nice to see another south side girl. Almost everyone seems to be from the north side! I just got my referral today! To Dr. Reza Adib who operates at Greenslopes but has rooms at the Wesley. This is perfect for me as I work in the CBD and take public transit. It is hard to get to Greenslopes on public transit! Believe me, I know. I had uterine cancer in 2011 and my specialist gynecologist/oncologist was there. I had to go back for 2 years for 3-month check-ups (I have a clean bill of health!) and every single time, it was a production to get there and then to get to work afterward. But anyway, has anyone heard of Dr. Adib? I see him (is it a man??) next Wednesday morning. Did anyone here make proactive changes to their life before their surgery, even before they were asked to by their doctor? I have stopped drinking soft drink (my vice was coke zero), cut back from 5-6 cups of coffee a day (black) to only one in the morning, and started drinking a ton of Water. I figure I might as well get in the habit now, and I have lost 2 kg in the past 2 weeks.

I just got back from my GP. It turns out that my diabetes numbers are still great on the average even though I have seen poorer control after meals. He says I am a good candidate because I completed the Optifast program and kept some weight off, though not enough to help my health. He usually recommends the band so he will do research on local doctors who do the sleeve surgery and write me a recommendation after that. I also got signed up for the NDSS finally so I will get my test strips at a fraction of the cost. Why didn't I do that sooner? Laziness!

Good luck today, Shyne!

Wow I finished the thread! Thanks for the welcomes.

Hi all! I have been reading this thread for days and I am only to January! I feel like you are old friends. It has been a while since I saw a post from Scotty, Mimz, or Cookieeez, and it makes me worry! Lila, I followed your whole adventure and I am so happy you came through, though I find myself hoping that the medical bills are not too crippling. I hope I don't sound like a stalker! I have struggled with my weight for my whole life, from my parents putting me on a diet as early as 6 or 7. I'm only 159cm and have pretty small bones. I went to uni a bit chunky at about 58 kg, but finished out my first year closer to 70 kg. in uni, I tried watching what I ate, Slim Fast, Atkins, fasting, Herbalife (so many pills). I will admit I didn't have the energy to put enough effort into anything and ended up leaving uni around 100kg in 2000. In 2002 I did Weight Watchers and lost around 35 kg over about 9 months. I looked pretty good for my wedding which happened when I was about 20 kg into that loss. Over the course of a couple years I first stalled, then put all the weight back on. I tried all the usual suspects and always lost something but put it back on and more. In Sep 2011 I started Optifast 800 ( not the drug store shakes) at the Wesley weight management clinic and did the whole 12 month program. It ended in Nov 2012 because some work travel delayed it. I did great at first but in the end only lost around 15 kg to put my lowest weight at around 85 kg. Since November I have gained and am now back up to around 98. I used to be really judgmental about weight loss surgery. I have a friend getting sleeved on April 29 in the US and I even tried to talk her out of it at first. Instead I became convinced that the sleeve is for me. Since then I have read 5 different books about it and have read every study and article I could find online. I also found this forum. I am American but living in Australia for the last 4 years, so this thread has been very helpful for me to understand about costs and what is covered by Medicare and PHI. I see my GP tomorrow and plan on asking for a referral for the sleeve. My husband is cautious but supportive. He doesn't really understand the struggles that obese people have with weight, as he is probably a BMI of 27 or 28 and his weight never changes. Sorry for the novel! Now to read the rest of this thread from February to the present! By the way I am in Brisbane, work in the CBD, and would love to be included in the get-togethers!

My husband keeps asking me this. I'd the post-op lifestyle still involves a low calorie diet, exercise, no alcohol, no caffeine...why can't I just do that without the surgery and pretend I had it. Especially since the low hunger only apparently lasts 6 months or so even with the surgery. I know I can only go so long with a low calorie diet with my current body and metabolism. I did it with Weight Watchers (-35 kg) and Optifast (-20 kg). The problem is that it is such hard work and I am worming against my body so much, that after 6 months or so on such a restrictive diet I just lose steam I am hopeful that the surgery will give me that extra advantage that I need to push through it, and that at least I will have somewhat of a break from the physical hunger so I can focus on developing the good habits. I am already starting to develop them. I have cut back from 5-8 cups of coffee a day to 1. I have cut back to one glass of wine a week. I have completely cut out carbonated beverages (even though I love sparkling water) and have been drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day. All of this before I even book my initial appointment. I figure if I'm not able to do at least this much now, I won't succeed after surgery. The next change I will make is to get my exercise going, starting with 3 times a week and hoping to work up to 5. I am serious about this. But can any of you articulate why we need the sleeve to move us beyond what we can do with diet and exercise alone? When I try to talk about it, I just get flustered and emotional!

I know that at least in theosinf phase I owe it to myself not to cheat. I also know that you can regain weight if you slack off after you hit goal. I am committed to making the changes permanent this time. If I go back to my old ways, even if I'm eating less, I will gain weight and defeat the purpose. Of course I will have occasional treats but I certainly won't be able to have fries every day or wine either.

Thanks for the support!

I am not sleeved yet so I hope I am not speaking out of turn. But I think since you paid for your surgery, you missed some of the built-in hoops that most people have to jump through, like the dietitian and the psychologist. Those hoops are there for a reason, to teach you about dietary needs and requirements after the sleeve, and coping mechanisms to keep you on the right track. It might be worth your money to book yourself in for those appointments now, even after the surgery. And find a support group even if it is not with the doctor you chose. At the very least, go on amazon.com and search for books on the gastric sleeve. I read a great one called The Sleeved Life. I am reading another one called The Emotional First Aid Kit, which is geared to people who have had bariatric surgery. I see some of myself in you. I am that person who always thinks she knows best and always questions rules. But if I were right as much as I think I am, I wouldn't need this surgery. It will be challenging but try to let go of the idea that you know best. Most of us feel like nutrition experts since we have done every diet in the book. But look where that got us. Lets both bow to the wisdom of the bariatric medicine field and see how we do.

Hi! i am still in the research phase and have not yet contacted a surgeon, but I have decided I want to have the VSG procedure. I am a researcher by nature and I have already read 5 books about the subject, as well as several studies, articles, etc. I know that before I can succeed at the surgery I need a great support network. My husband is skeptical but supportive of the surgery, and my doctor is very supportive of the idea. My current BMI is 44 and I have type 2 diabetes. The things that brought me to this decision are: 1. I know the risks of my current weight outweigh the risks of the surgery 2. I have done every diet known to man and have lost weight, but failed to keep it off. The latest was a year of Optifast under medical supervision. I only lost 20 kg even though I worked that program pretty hard. I see the surgery as a tool to make a low calorie diet feasible. 3. I am only 35 and have been morbidly obese for most of the last 15 years. I want the next 15 (and more) to be different. 4. The sleeve seems like the best bariatric surgery option. No foreign devices, no malabsorption, no re routing of intestines. Just a drastic reduction in stomach capacity and physical hunger due to grehlin. I think I will find lots to read here!

Thanks! I hope it goes well for you. I am going to try to get an official referral this week when I have the results back from my latest diabetes tests.