chiquitatummy

Today I had an unexpected and surprisingly satisfying NSV. I noticed that my belly button shrank. It's about 50% shallower than it used to be! Who knew I would be so pleased about less depth to my belly button? 😆

Hello! I love coming back to this thread and reading all the ways ya'll are experiencing life anew post-surgery. Life is bananas for me and all the shares here are a great reminder of the many reasons I had this surgery at a time when I am often too busy to do much of my own reflection. So...thank you to everyone that has taken time to share the wonderful and weird ways you are experiencing life post WLS. My latest NSV is an emotional/psychological win around internalized food and body shame. I have owned a food scale for years and for all those years I felt ashamed about using it, judging myself as so "out of control" that I couldn't manage healthy portions on my own. Rather than a simple tool, I viewed it as a symbol of a failed out-of-control relationship to food. I had a hard time using the food scale because I was embarrassed to keep it in sight or use it in front of anyone. Fast forward to last week...when I got so fed up with other people in my household putting my food scale deep in the cupboard that I taped a sign to it and wrote in bold sharpie "I USE THIS, PLEASE LEAVE ON THE COUNTER FOR ME". Felt zero shame or hesitancy in doing this, just happy to solve the annoying problem of one of my essential tools being hidden away from me. This feels like one of my most important NSVs.

Back with a new NSV: I officially weigh less than my husband. First time in our 25 years of being together. Not only can I wear his shirts, but they are baggy on me.

Back with more NSVs and LOVING reading all of yours. Here we go: I am fitting into the smallest "skinny pants" I bought back in June. When I bought them I couldn't get the zipper even close, but today I am wearing them. My mom is at my house rehabbing and I am giving her a lot of intensive round-the-clock physical care. There is no way I could have done this without the weight loss I've had. I have so much collarbone and a lovely visible jawline. I can't stop looking at them every time I pass a mirror. Space between my toes. I can cross my arms across my waist and still fold forward, in fact it turns out that without a big belly in the way this is a very comfortable position. I can also cross my legs or sit on the floor in a resting position with one leg comfortably crooked up into a bend. my balance, it is so much better.

Lol, this is one of my fav NSVs too. I'll take the TMI a little further even (because if we can't do this here then where else?) and share that I can't get over being able to see between my thighs when I sit down, that there is "space" and a visible kitty cat. lol!!

NSV update - (plus a scale related victory 'cause i am so excited i can't help it) checking back in for September. THis month I have noticed... Sitting "criss-cross applesauce" is comfortable and I have so much room in my regular office chair that I find myself crossing my legs inside my chair while I work. I notice my period bloat. I never used to understand it when women would complain that their clothing felt tight because of period bloat, I mean - that is how I felt all of the time. Now I get it! I can't get over feeling and seeing my bones. The little bones in my wrists and feet, bones in my chest, my ribs, my jaw and cheekbones, and my wonky collarbone that I broke as a kid all amaze me. Sometimes I just sit around discreetly feeling my bones in awe. 😄 Ok, throwing in one scale victory, because it's a big deal for me....I hit onederland! I've now lost slightly more than half my excess body weight. It feels amazing.

I'm back with some new NSV. One of these gets me right in the feels. Comfortably sitting with my legs crossed, arms folded across my belly. This does not get old. One of you mentioned being able to see willy, well....female equivalent is being able to see kitty. Sitting up, lying down she is visible! 😸 Last weekend I had an auntie day with my 7-year-old niece. She loves to run and asked me if I would race her. The look on her face when I said sure! She looked completely shocked then so delighted. We ran three races, she won them all (for real - the kid is fast) and her delight in play racing me was priceless. Had to blink back the tears a bit because it meant so much to her that her auntie was running and playing with her in a way I couldn't just a few months ago.

This made me laugh so hard and I totally get it. I've given my DH permission to "flab" me aka: feel the loose skin. I am totally not offended by referring to my getting-looser-by-the-day skin this way and understand wanting to touch it because I want to touch it too - -it feels so weird/cool/different!

These "small" victories are such big deals. Congrats on this NSV - it's a good one!

so awesome! I remember the dread of packing for business trips, along with the dread of having to ask for a seatbelt extender when I got on the plane. One year I flew so many times I broke down and stole a seatbelt extender so I wouldn't have to ask for it anymore and get "that look". Not a proud moment, but yup I did it. 😬

This is so beautifully amazing - I have happy tears for you!

I am so deeply sorry. May your journey navigating this devastating loss be supported and held by others and guided by whatever faith or conviction you are connected to. I'm so glad you are reaching out here. Do what you need to do to survive this initial shock and devastation while your body heals from surgery. local crisis lines can be a lifesaver in the middle of the night. If you are in the United States you can call the National Crisis line at 1-800-273-8255.

Thanks for the NSV shares folks - I love stopping in on this thread for a little inspiration. below are some more recent NSV I've had: yesterday I was on my feet in the kitchen for 3 hours cleaning and doing food prep. I still had enough energy to go for a walk afterward. Previously, I would have been exhausted and in too much pain after that much time on my feet to even contemplate more activity. I've seen some of you mention this...revved up libido and increased "romantic joy". It's really really really REALLY true. Everything about sex is just way more fun. DH and I celebrated our 25th anniversary this week like it was our honeymoon! 😂 I reactivated an old back injury recently and was able to do the rehab exercises much easier than when I was 60 pounds heavier and I started feeling better in less than half the time than I would have prior to WLS. I'm fitting in size 16 bottoms and large tops and was able to buy clothing for myself at Costco for the first time ever. I got a couple of cute shirts for 6 bucks, an unheard of price for the plus-size clothes that Costco doesn't even carry. My husband can pick me up and has decided that his new workout is called "wife lifting". I'm perfectly fine with this, you know...gotta support his fitness goals! 😂😂😂

oh my goodness - yesterday was a big NSV for me - I went on a 10 mile bike ride! I still can't believe I rode that far! My legs were jelly at the end and I am sore today, but it was soooooo fun! Being on my bike makes me feel like a happy kid.

congrats!!!! I saw your pics in another thread - inspirational! You look great and I bet you are feeling great!

Love this topic! So far my milestones have been: BMI under 40 and out of the obese class III category Being able to walk my neighborhood hills without stopping for a break. Reaching my most recent "low" weight of 130 Reaching 215-220, the weight range I maintained between ages 25-35 Body fat composition being below 50% fat (it's at 49% right now, but still) fitting into my smaller sized clothing stash Upcoming short to mid-term milestones that I am looking forward to include being under 200#, BMI under 35, weighing less than my husband, and walking the neighborhood hill loop in under 40 minutes.

Thank you for sharing with us! I'll be interested in your journey; I'm too early in the journey to know if/what plastics might be in my future, but it's on the table as an option. Best of luck to you, sending wishes for incredible results and swift healing.

Other things I wished I known: That I would be flattened with exhaustion in the first 3-6 weeks. That constipation during the full liquid and pureed food stages would be a real issue and not to snooze on doing what needs to be done to keep things moving. That once my tummy healed getting enough water in wouldn't be so hard. Sure, I can't pound a glass of water, but also don't have to take tiny baby sips anymore. I can get water in with normal size sips which add up easily as long as I keep a glass nearby. That starting my vitamins would not make me throw up. I was really freaked out about this and waited longer than I needed to. That following my program's diet wouldn't be as hard as I thought. I have had a few tough moments, but it really hasn't been that hard and is waaaaay easier than all the other diets I've been on before VSG. That I wouldn't be losing 7-9 pounds every week. Intellectually I knew this, but I secretly held out hope that the big losses would continue after the first two weeks. I am losing consistently, but it's much slower than those first couple weeks. typically it's around 1.5 pounds, with 3-4 pounds a week every now and again for a big loss. Also, if have a big loss like that I can count on the next week having no loss, or only seeing a tiny loss of just a few ounces. Again, this is stuff I "knew" but a part of me still had some unrealistic hope that I would have "my 600 pound life" sized losses. How much joy taking walks again would bring me. Before surgery, walking was painful and I'd forgotten how much I liked it. I've lost enough weight now that there is no pain with movement, just the joy of being outdoors and feeling my body do what I'm asking of it without a problem. that I didn't need to worry about going into a depressive slump after surgery. this, along with throwing up, was my biggest fear - that the surgery plus the change in diet would cause me to feel down or even depressed. The opposite has been true, experiencing increased physical comfort, range of motion, and physical ability has been enlivening and I have found my mood to be more stable.

Same here! I was so freaked out about being nauseous all the time and vomiting. I haven't vomited one time and only had a couple moments of nauseous right after surgery that were quickly and easily controlled.

New NSVs! I now fit into all the clothes I stashed away after getting too big for them. I tried on my wedding dress yesterday - and it fit me! Here is the weird one: I can see my thigh "saddle bags" that used to bother me so much. I love them now because they are a symbol of my body taking shape now that they are no longer blending into and being covered by other extra fat.

OMG - kids will for sure tell you the truth! My little niece used to, with awe and unconditional love in her voice, tell me "auntie, you have the biggest belly and bum in the whole family!" TO her bigger is better, so it was a compliment...ROTFL

I can relate!!!

oh yeah! Loving the feeling of not dreading if my shoe lace is untied or I need to bend over to pick something off the floor.

So cool! Congratulations!

oh yes, the exhaustion was intense. It was worst in the first 3 weeks for me, but really lasted for 4-6 weeks. I'm nearly at 3 months out and I still get really tired right after eating sometimes. I'm not sure why, but guessing my body isn't fully used to handling real food when it hits my tummy.