VerticalSleeveTalk Contest & Newsletter 04/27/2012

[Alex Brecher 10,494]

VerticalSleeveTalk News

This is it! We’re launching our VerticalSleeveTalk News, a regular newsletter to keep you up to date on our community. We’ll tell you all about our exciting new features, programs and anything else you need and want to know about VerticalSleeveTalk.com. Our goal is to make sure you know everything

This is the first edition of VerticalSleeveTalk News, and we have a lot to talk about. In this edition, you’ll find information on:

• The Alex Brecher

  Founder

  VerticalSleeveTalk.com Apps Have Launched!

  Now take VerticalSleeveTalk.com with you wherever you go. The fully functional Celebrate the release of our Mobile apps, we’re giving away a brand-new iPod Touch. It’s a drawing, but we want to reward our active posters, referrers, bloggers, members with completed profiles and new members. The more you participate in VerticalSleeveTalk.com, the better chance you have of winning. Here’s how it works.

  Eligibility and Chances of Winning

  • Forum members must make at least one post in any forum on VerticalSleeveTalk during the contest period of 30 days from your receipt of this newsletter.

  • Members must have a completed patient profile.

  • You can increase your chances of winning by making more forum and blog posts, uploading more photos and referring members.

  At the end of the contest period, one of the forum administrators will find all of the eligible forum members – remember, you have to make at least one post and have a completed Gastric Sleeve profile. We’ll make a big spreadsheet with the Username of each member who is eligible, and assign points based on your activities. The more points you have, the better your chances of getting the iPod!

  Point Structure

  • 1 point: each forum post and each uploaded photo

  • 2 points: each forum post from our mobile apps and each blog post

  • 5 points: join a group

  • 10 Points: complete My Surgery, My Surgeon or My Gastric Sleeve Story; upload before and/or after photos

  • 20 points for each successful forum referral; and

  • 40 points for a fully completed patient profile

  Get Involved Again

  If you’re an old-timer who hasn’t been around much, this contest is a great opportunity to bring you back to the boards. You have tons of experience and advice to share with newer gastric sleeve patients. If you’ve fallen off the wagon, don’t be shy. It’s never too late to get back on, and we’re here to give you the support and confidence you need for success in your lifestyle goals.

  Some Reminders and New Features

  Create or update your own Gastric Sleeve Patient profile. Your information encourages other members and helps you connect with members that have your same interests and struggles. It also gets you 40 points for our iPod Touch giveaway.

  We've recently updated our surgeon database; now, every bariatric surgeon in the world is included. Check it out and find a local surgeon who can help you. You can locate and read reviews on gastric sleeve surgeons to help you choose an expert for your care.

  Our social and support groups are up and running. We know that you all have special interests and identities, and our social and support groups provide more specialized platforms than our general community. Just of the few types of groups we have are

  • Regional groups of people from your city or state.

  • Surgery Buddy groups with people who got the Gastric Sleeve at the same time as you.

  • Medical Condition groups with people with a particular condition, such as PCOS

  • Eating Support groups with people who struggle with eating issues, such as emotional eating

  Check them out and join one or start your own.

  Be a Good Friend

  Be sure to mention VerticalSleeveTalk.com as a source of support and information for any your friends, family members or associates who are considering gastric sleeve surgery or have had it. Also, don’t forget that VerticalSleeveTalk.com is a member of the WLSBoards.com network. Recommend our other four communities to anyone you know who needs them, and please stop on by and introduce yourself if you have had a weight loss surgery revision.

  • LapBandTalk.com for LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Band

  • RNYTalk.com for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass

  • SleevePlicationTalk.com for Gastric Sleeve Plication

  • RealizeBandSupport.com for Realize Adjustable Gastric Band

  We Need Your Help

  When you come here, you can depend on support, encouragement, sympathetic ears and expert advice from surgeons. But we need you to let community be able to continue grow stronger! Over the years, I’ve found that many bariatric surgeons and their staff don’t even know we’re here. Help us out by asking your surgeon to hang a couple of fliers in the clinic. They can go the waiting room bulletin board, at the reception desk and in patient consultation rooms.

  I’ve even gotten the fliers ready for you in color and black-and-white options. Print them out and bring them to your next appointment, or email them to the office.

  So please, support us and ask your surgeon to post these fliers in their office and hand them out to their patients. It helps you out because our community will benefit from more patients and surgeons with valuable advice. Remind your surgeon and clinic staff that it helps them out because it gives them more exposure to patients.

  Stay in Touch

  Feedback forum - we're always open to members ideas and feedback. Please use our feedback forum to let us know how we’re doing and send us your ideas on what you’d like to see at VerticalSleeveTalk.com. We always want to know what you’re thinking and how we can improve!

  We're now on Facebook and on Twitter. Like us and follow us to keep track of what's going on in our communities and show your support!

  Don’t forget to support and celebrate! Our upcoming surgeries list tells you which members are about to get their bariatric surgery, so stop by and wish them luck! Come by the surgery anniversary list to congratulate members when they hit their annual anniversaries of their surgeries. Your name will be automatically entered onto the right list as soon as you update your patient profile.

  Coming Soon…

  We're releasing customizable health trackers and tickers within the next 90 days. We'll include more info in future newsletters, so stay tuned for information on those and the other latest happenings around VerticalSleeveTalk.com.

  Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon!

  Sincerely,

  Alex

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[sleeve 4 me 910]

Er um, I would sure love a new i pod touch, hint, hint...LOL

[legal loser 77]

I ditto the previous comment

[Finding Myself 146]

Me three.

[Finding Myself 146]

This is great Alex! Thanks for starting it!

[SunshineSleeve 10]

I'm loving the VT app for iPhone!

SunshineSleeve

[Buffy 4]

Hello, I never had an I-pod. Sounds good !

[wagondrivere8 0]

Ocala, Florida, 11/2011, weight 360 pounds at dr.office

April 8, 2013, 6:00am Shady Grove Hospital check-in.

Weight 290 pounds (down 40 pounds before surgery)

One week after surgery i now weigh 278 pounds. B/P is 117/75. I am down 82

pounds since leaving Florida in December 2011. When i went back to Dr.

Greene for the third time i weighed 330pounds. Success finally.

April 10, 2013, checkout weight 290 pounds

April 12, 2013, Dr. Greene’s office, weight 284 and b/p 117/75

April 13, 2013, at home weight 282.5. (total lost 77.5 pounds)

On April 8,2013. I wore size 54 pants with suspenders that were

tight.Four days after surgery i was wearing size 50 pants and now one

week after surgery i can wear size 48 for the first time in 2 1/2

years. My ultimate goal is 185 pounds and a 36 inch waist

Wednesday, April 17, 2013, I now weigh 277 pounds, down 13 pounds in 9 days,

And down 83 pounds since leaving Ocala, Fl., in 12/2011

April 18, 2013, I now weigh 274, 16 pounds lighter in just 10 days.

And yes I would do it all again, only va lot sooner.