A real life weight-loss story Inspiring Cousins

Inspiring Cousins

WITH THE URGE TO BECOME HEALTHY, DENNIS AND HIS COUSIN MAHIR SPURRED EACH OTHER ON IN THEIR WEIGHT-LOSS JOURNEYS. DENNIS WAS THE FIRST TO SEEK THE ADVICE OF THE WEIGHT-LOSS SURGERY EXPERTS, AND HIS COUSIN, MAHIR SAW THE RESULTS AND DECIDED TO UNDERTAKE HIS OWN ODYSSEY, INSPIRED BY DENNIS AND WITH THE SUPPORT AND LOVE OF HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN. HERE, THEY SHARE THEIR STORIES WITH SLIM IN THE HOPE THAT OTHERS WILL BE MOTIVATED TO CONSIDER TAKING THE ACTION THEY NEED TO FOR A HEALTHIER, HAPPIER LIFE.

NAME: DENNIS N. MEHACEVIC

AGE: 38

OCCUPATION: SHOP OWNER

FAMILY: SINGLE

HEIGHT: 172CM

CURRENT WEIGHT: 89KG

HEAVIEST WEIGHT: 172KG

DAY OF SURGERY WEIGHT: 150KG

HOW MANY KILOS DID YOU LOSE? I LIKE TO SAY I AM LITERALLY HALF THE MAN I USED TO BE, AS I HAVE LOST HALF MY BODY WEIGHT. 83KGS TO DATE.

What was your relationship with food? I was on a 'see-food' diet or indulging or comfort eating. I did and do love food, but it came to a point where I needed help to reign it in.

What motivated you to go on your weight-loss journey?

Hernia, diabetes, high blood pressure and in some cases, it had affected my confidence with myself and the ladies. I realised I needed to make some changes. The biggest motivator was my niece. Also, it is an awesome feeling to be such a motivation to my cousin, Mahir to go through his weight-loss journey too. It’s great to see others proud of what I have achieved and have wanted to do the same for themselves.

How long had you battled with weight issues? Give or take a few, but about 15 years.

What health problems did you face as a result? Hernia, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Dennis - after

What made you decide on weight-loss surgery and which procedure was the right one for you? Overall, over the yo-yo dieting to lose weight and knew I had to make a change. I tried dieting or working out but for such a big person, it never moved as much as I’d hope. I heard great things about the surgeon, so I went for a consultation and he made me feel very comfortable about my decision and helped me choose the right option for me.

Post-surgery, what have been some of the challenges? One of the biggest challenges for me has definitely been, shortly after surgery the self-doubt started to kick in and hard: ‘What if I made the wrong decision, should I have done this, what have I done?’

But I had a strong support network with my family and my friends. I had to remind myself of why I chose to do it in the first place. I found it hard with such a big and fast change from what I was eating to what was left of eating. It was a huge change but I wouldn't change that for the world. I'm much more comfortable now, more than ever.

Any regrets? The only one is I wish I’d done it sooner. I wish that I had heard of the surgeon and his team earlier. I tried to do it without surgery. I gave it my all, but for some people surgery is the best option.

AGE: 40

OCCUPATION: BUSINESS OWNER THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF BARBERING

FAMILY: WIFE, 3 SONS AND A DAUGHTER

HEIGHT: 192CM

CURRENT WEIGHT: 97KG

HEAVIEST WEIGHT: 149KG

DAY OF SURGERY WEIGHT: 139KG

HOW MANY KILOS DID YOU LOSE? 52KGS

What was your relationship with food? Growing up, food was life, coming from an ethnic family. If I was stressed, food always calmed me down. If I was bored, food was always there. I hate wasting food because there are so many people in the world who don’t have what we have but that lead to always over-indulging.

What motivated you to go on your weight-loss journey?

I wanted to do this surgery 18 months ago for my wife and kids and for myself, but went to see a surgeon and it didn’t feel right. But eight months ago, my cousin Dennis had the operation and was keeping an eye on his progress and how he was handling it.

He was about four weeks post-op and he saw me and grabbed me and said “cousin, you have to do this to save your life! I don’t care, I’ll pay for it! It’s a life changer!” He usually is a funny, jokearound kind of guy, but in that moment, he had a tear in his eye I knew it was time to get it done.

How long had you battled with weight issues? Since I was a child, my weight was always up and down. I would work out and be healthy but then having kids and multiple businesses, I didn’t have time to look after myself constantly because I always was working or doing family life. When Covid hit, it went to next level and the weight packed on like crazy.

What health problems did you face as a result? I have Ankylosing spondylitis which is an inflammatory disease. I didn’t realise Mahir - before

until after my operation that the food I ate inflamed my body and was always in so much pain. I was on multiple medications daily which, since the operation, I have come off and only take them from time to time.

I also had sleep apnoea to the point where I could only sleep two hours and then wake up. A week after the operation, I stopped snoring and slept for eight hours straight for the first time in years. Even mentally, I didn’t realise how much I was affected due to not have a proper sleep for years. I had no clue how bad my health and life were.

What made you decide on weight-loss surgery and which procedure was the right one for you? I was sick of feeling uncomfortable, breathing heavy and not being able to buy clothes from a normal shop, so it was easy decision for me. I followed my cousin Dennis sleeve gastrectomy journey. He was two months ahead of me so just did what he did and had great results.

Post-surgery, what have been some of the challenges? I was really lucky to have an amazing wife and children who supported me from pre to post op to this day. From time to time I’d get a bit down because everyone at the table is eat a massive dinner but then I think to myself, that dinner would have been the death of me soon enough, and to be able to sleep, feel energetic and mentally happy every day is worth the sacrifice.

Any regrets? My only regret is that I didn’t do this earlier! The doctor and his staff have been so supportive and have made this whole journey so stress free I really appreciate them. They saved my life.

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SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY

This procedure involves resection of about 85-90 percent of the stomach, converting the stomach from a large bag into a narrow tube, thus decreasing the amount of food that can be eaten. A sleeve gastrectomy provides extremely good rapid weight-loss, about 70-75 percent excess weight-loss.

Dr Jason Free is one of Australia’s most highly-regarded experts in weight-loss surgery, with extensive specialist bariatric training, and is known as a foremost surgeon in the field.