Are there any Australian Sleevers out there, Would Love to hear from you.

Hi Guys, put together a photo collage today of some pics from pre surgery July 2012 to now. Size 24 in clothes now at 16 YAY, even some 14. Love my sleeve <3

Pic of me in Red top was morning of surgery at 137kgs

Pic of me in Jeans was most recent at 94kgs

Smok...........ing hot.

You look fantastic.

We're almost twins with our numbers Shell.

My start weight was 137.7kgs. This morning I was 96.5kgs.

We're almost twins with our numbers Shell.

My start weight was 137.7kgs. This morning I was 96.5kgs.

Wow Dean you must be looking great! What's your goal? I bet the training feels awesome. It must feel light as air. Do you reckon you could still do the obstacle course you have to do for police training?

Wow Dean you must be looking great! What's your goal? I bet the training feels awesome. It must feel light as air. Do you reckon you could still do the obstacle course you have to do for police training?

I know from Crossfit I've lost about half of my strength with lifting weights. That will come back slowly.

As far as actual fitness goes I feel great. I just got back from a camping trip and was doing 6k beach jogs most days. I think I'd smash the obby course - I might give it a go next time I'm out there!

Dean, you're smashing your weight loss!!!!! Be careful or you'll disappear.

Shelley, I saw your pics on the other forum, you're definitely a 'yummy mummy' now, I Hope you're very proud of your achievement.

I am now on the homeward stretch to my surgery date, I started my Pre-op prep today and survived, only 13 more days of this ...YAY (NOT)

Bring on the 29th.

Michele

Dean' date=' you're smashing your weight loss!!!!! Be careful or you'll disappear.

Shelley, I saw your pics on the other forum, you're definitely a 'yummy mummy' now, I Hope you're very proud of your achievement.

I am now on the homeward stretch to my surgery date, I started my Pre-op prep today and survived, only 13 more days of this ...YAY (NOT)

Bring on the 29th.

Michele [/quote']

Thanks Michele.

Good luck with the pre op. One day at a time and just remember its for a finite few days

I have a problem.... I'm addicted to these. I don't eat lollies anymore, just these. Just catching up on all the pages... Will catch up on everybody's news and post again soon

Wow, so much has happened, so many new people.

Nothing new has happened with me, still sitting between 55 and 57kg, I eat popcorn, had a jd and coke on the weekend, love and enjoy my skim lattes. I've joined an oztag team called "the butchers, the bakers and the cocktail makers". Bought a whole new business wardrobe for my new corporate job starting Monday. All size 6s and 8s.

Anyway, that's kinda why I've been a bit AWOL lately, because everything's been going so well.

Hope everything is going so well for everybody else.

Congratulations Dean!

Friend and mentor to all!

From this months newsletter;

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT- MEET DEAN

We’re delighted to introduce you to *Dean* for this month’s member spotlight! He’s a Police Negotiator and a detective in child abuse who works in an Australian police department in Child Abuse. This 43-year-old has been married for 16 years, and he has twin 8-year-old daughters. Dean had a lifetime of yo-yo dieting. In his early 30's, he dedicated a year to weight loss, and lost about 150 pounds through diet and exercise with a personal trainer.

As he changed from a 9 to 5 office job to shift work, got busier with family and grew older, Dean had even more trouble controlling his weight. Over 10 years, he gained back 110 pounds and continually struggled. Over a year ago, he started to look into weight loss surgery over a year ago, and got the sleeve in November of 2012. He’s already down 88 pounds from his high of 302 pounds, and has only 34 pounds left to hit his goal weight of 180 pounds.

Since surgery, Dean is happier, more confident, more energetic and less hungry. Before surgery, he says he was preoccupied with food. Becoming free from the hold that food had over him lets him enjoy people and events instead of focusing on what and how much he could eat. He also learned that he was an emotional eater before surgery, even though he didn’t realize it before. Dean is learning not to give in to “head hunger,” and to instead drink some Water, exercise or talk to someone instead of eating.

Dean has met some of his Australian VerticalSleeveTalk.com friends in person and would one day like to meet his American friends. He tries to answer other members’ questions, both to help them out and to keep himself on track! To help you succeed, Dean suggests planning your food. He also says that he’s getting better at listening to his body to match his foods to his body’s needs.

Dean, congratulations on your weight loss so far! Thanks for sharing your story and tips with us in the Member Spotlight!

Hi everyone - Just touching base as like puppyphat, things have been going along quite nicely. I have done my catch up read and can see more and more people joining our thread and a few of the old crowd ducking in for a visit - wow Shell!

I am still concentrating on my maintenance but have dropped another kilo over the last few weeks - now weighing 61.4kg (167cm and 51 yrs old sleeved on 18 July 2012 - pre-op weight 103kg for those of you who don't know my history).

I keep talking about exercise but I haven't got to my free personal training sessions yet!!! I kind of feel guilty when I see how fit you all sound!!! Great work guys - you know who you are!

Misty - when I made the decision to get the sleeve I looked at the all the options of weight loss surgery and based my decision on what side effects I could live with or tolerate for the rest of my life. I have ended up still having to take Nexium for excess acid/reflux - some people have to be on this for the rest of there lives and I might be one of them - but hey I knew there was a chance of this a long with all the other risks but I would do it all again - the sleeve was defiantly the right choice for me and I am so happy. It is a big decision and with all the information from the surgeon, you will be able to make the right one for you. Remember - this is all about you - no one else - so it is what you can live with going forward. Good luck with you appointments.

Lissa - damn those red frogs! I have had my episodes too - mainly from eating too fast but thankfully nothing recently!

Congrats Dean - you are now officially our Aussie sleeve star!

This story was on ACA the other day:

http://aca.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8641459

His sleeve was performed by my surgeon.

Nessa, I love your signature!

Thanks for the inputs, everyone. I do tend to "make up my mind" and then going in telling the doctor what I want, and have even been known to give the "right" answers to get what I want. I am trying not to do that with the sleeve vs RNY. I did with Optifast. I hate to say it but it is so easy to get by those psych screenings etc. But I don't want to make my acid reflux worse and I don't want to be one of the (small group of) people who get the sleeve and don't lose much at all. I have heard of quite a few people having to get the sleeve revised to RNY, but haven't heard of many people going the other way around. So all of that is running through my head.

If I may tell you guys a little secret, I went to the RNY version of these boards and I think I prefer the Sleeve section! The quality of the forum posts and information is much higher over here. I think even if I get the RNY I would prefer to still use VST for support. I wonder how well that would go over, though. The forums at ObesityHelp.com seem pretty good too.

Hi everyone,

Well I got my referral to see Dr Mark Daoud. Has anyone had their sleeve done by him? How long were you on pre op and what was the post op like? I have to wait till my referral comes in the mail to ring for an appointment. But my endo said he gets you through very quick

Cheers Bec

Hi everyone' date='

Well I got my referral to see Dr Mark Daoud. Has anyone had their sleeve done by him? How long were you on pre op and what was the post op like? I have to wait till my referral comes in the mail to ring for an appointment. But my endo said he gets you through very quick

Cheers Bec[/quote']

Congratulations! I go to see my surgeon tomorrow. I saw the gp last Monday. I am a bit nervous and have been eating poorly.