Search the Community

My husband and I went shopping yesterday(I make him take me and watch while I model for him). He picked out a dress for me. I tried it on, and it was short, I said so, he says" It only 3 inches above yoyur knees!". I chose not to get it, but smile to myself that he thinks this 63 year old should wear it! Love NSV's too! Karen

I am just over 6 weeks out. My main protein source is still a protein drink. I personally am scared of food so good for u for trying food. But I always read if a stall increase protein and go back to basics. Try liquid only for a few days and see if that helps. I was also told that even at 6 weeks out I should be at about 600-700 calories a day. And start to measure ur self!!!! Weeks that I only loose a few pounds I see my inches change and that helps. I personally haven't dropped many pant sizes, although I'm at a total loss of 67lbs. By belly is still to big. Look for NSV too. Like can you tie your shoes better or are you walking better. Little things that don't always show on the scale. Good luck to you!!!

Congratulations! But, I don't believe it was your first NSV...there had to be size changes, seat belt changes, etc...so, fess up! I am so excited for you! Cindy

I was talking with my hubby this weekend and we started listing all of the NSV's Ive experienced so far and the list was so long that I thought Id share with everyone and hopefully encourage some...here goes. 1. sleep apnea - GONE 2. Planters faciitis - GONE 3. Night sweats - GONE 4. Can tie my shoes without cutting of my air supply 5. Allergies to makeup - GONE 6. Can paint my own toes now 7. No more excessive sweating just to get ready in the morning 8. Can go shopping for hours without my feet and back killing me 9. Have TONS of energy 10. I get up early now, even on the weekends! 11. No more seatbelt extender on airplanes 12. After the 3 months of hairloss, its finally subsiding (Im at 6 months now) 13. Eczema - GONE 14. Swollen ankles - GONE 15. Need to get my rings resized 16. Can finally shop in non-plus sized clothes and even wear some meduims!!! 17. Had to buy smaller panties (shhhh) 18. Can wear high heels again 19. Look forward to naughty time with the hubby!!! 20. Today alone Ive been called 'skinny mini' 3 times so far. I am FAR from skinny but its still nice to hear. Im sure there are more but 20 is a pretty good number so far. I love my teeny tiny tummy! Have a great day

I began to ponder my reasons for seeking WLS (RNY in my case). i'm barely 30. I don't have much in the way of comorbidities. Pre-diabetes (Which came from pre-op testing) and back and joint issues. It was bugging me because I wanted make this drastic change for the right reasons. At first, I was all about being healthier and active. Joint problems keep me from walking too far and I hoped weight loss would fix it. Then, as silly as it sounds, I began to look at the NSVs. Smaller and cuter clothes. Window shopping without stopping to catch my breath. Roller coasters. Weighing less than my boyfriend. In short, maybe surgery would make me happier. Health reasons went by the wayside at this stage. Fun and vanity took over. Later, I came to this conclusion: I'm being proactive. I'm doing this BEFORE I come down with other problems in the next decade or two. I'm taking care of this obesity problem before it gets the best of me. And I think this is the reasoning I settled on. So I ask you, not your reasons for WLS but if you or someone you know did it for the "right" reasons. Heck, am I doing this for the "right" reasons.

Congrats!!! What a great NSV!!!

hey tex, your success doesn't sound silly at all shopping/new sizes is one of the greatest NSV's you/me/we all have nothing like going into a store (ie JC Penny's) and buying "normal" size clothes not having to buy plus sizes (where i used to live ) you're soooooooo close to onderland i'm getting goose bumps for you keep up the good job kathy congrats

Emilee - wow girl! What a cool NSV to walk in a store and buy off the rack! You give everyone such encouragement -- looking fantastic, smiling and losing!!! Thanks for sharing!

Well, it seems I have a bit of an NSV today. The wife went out to buy me more pants... and it seems I am no longer a memeber of the "Big and Tall" section. It seems she had to visit the 'Regular Sized Human" section to buy them. :rockon:

1. Wore a minidress for the first time in my life 2. It is a size 4!!!!! 3. No spanx 4. No thigh chafing!

jenien no, no, no!!! no such thing as minor victory kindof conflict in terms keep those NSV's comin' they all count, and make our day kathy congrats

Alex, I apologize in advance for the length of this post. Here are a few things I wondered/thought of to ask you about the local groups: Where would these meetings be held? How long would each meeting run per session? How often would meetings be held? As a teacher, my daytime availability is limited from September to summertime, but I would still love to be a leader--would that be possible for me?Regarding size of each chapter--I would think as long as there are enough members interested and regularly attending, small groups would be acceptable; groups of more than 25 might need more than one leader, to organize and interact effectively with all members. In my opinion, co-leaders would be helpful across the board, really, since there's a good chance that now and then a leader may be sick or unavailable. Co-leaders could help cover for one another to make sure the meetings still happen when life gets in the way. Also, co-leaders may have different strengths; although I'm a teacher, I'm not a nurse. If I were paired with a nurse, our group would get double the benefit...and I'm a sleever. Having a partner that's a bypass patient would make our group stronger for our members.As a teacher, I definitely thing having a "core curriculum" across-the-board set of agendas from BariatricPal might be very helpful, as long as there is some freedom built in to the agendas to allow groups a chance to tailor them to individual concerns/needs. I think it's a good idea to have a common basis to start from as we get groups up and running. It would also ensure that BariatricPal's presence or "branding" is consistent and unifying; rather than a collected hodgepodge of disorganized WLS groups. Along those lines, I think agendas that divide by topic would be a great idea. For instance, a meeting agenda that covers general nutrition guidelines to begin the meeting; then after that introduction, the group could break up into smaller sub-groups to talk about the different nutritional needs between bypass and sleeve post-op patients, and then get back together to discuss healthy recipes or share great websites for developing their own post-op recipes for a whole family to enjoy. The wrap-up could be a question-and-answer period either based on that meeting's topic, or based on questions and concerns for that particular group. Another meeting agenda might be about the mental and emotional challenges that WLS'ers face post-op and sharing ways to combat things like "head hunger" and less-than-supportive friends and family members. Another one might be geared towards offering inexpensive ways to get more active (like using one's body weight to exercise if joining a gym is financially unreasonable or emotionally daunting). It might also be a good idea to have chapters organized into districts (if there's enough interest to have multiple groups in an area) and the leaders in each district could consider developing newsletters to publish information on events and celebrations/milestones for members. Would it make sense to develop a system to reward members who attend regularly, to encourage active attendance? A similar idea: could there be a way to formally recognize members for hitting milestones in their journey? Even something small like a ribbon or a lapel pin, or a keychain, can be very motivating to receive when you've worked hard to reach a goal. They could be organized by weight loss or BMI milestones (moving from obese to "overweight" is a big one for me personally!), or becoming a "veteran" WLS-er--recognizing the 3 month post-op milestone, the 6-month post-op, the year, etc. Sometimes recognizing those NSV's is what gets us through a stall, or keeps us from feeling like we're falling behind everyone else.Thanks for taking the time to think about offering BariatricPal groups in "real life", Alex! I hope this is a successful venture, I know it could definitely help a LOT of people.

My most recent pre surgery NSV was having my husband remove a link from my watch so it doesn't just slosh around my wrist and realizing that it won't take too much more loss for another link to come off! I was almost giddy about it, and it made my husband laugh (in a nice way). Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-T989 using VST

December 1st.. I've been sleeved... The surgery part not so bad... the team just ran a little behind. While waiting all the different care teams came in to introduce themselves and explained thier roles. My surgeon came in last. Asked me if I have any questions and introduced his Resident. I was given an anti nausea patch and pull then sent to the Surgery Theater. In recovery I have no recollection. However in my room the pain immediately hit me. I have been dealing with pain management all day. It would subside then start back up. It's only the side where the stomach was removed. Aside from pain, the other issue is my bladder. It's been full the entire time... every time I go tinkle... they take an ultrasound to determine how full it is.... hoping for no catheter... especially since I am "girling" right now. The walking... I haven't managed to do much because of the pain and being slightly dizzy. But when the pain has intermittently subsides... i am up and at em. I have 6 incisions. All the staff has remarked that I look extremely well for just undergoing serious abdominal surgery. .. guess that's my 1st NSV!!! TIRED & Optimistic. Much success to the rest of you.

SerendipityHappens what are you looking at me for??? I didn't take it so happy for you entering the century club is a great feeling terrific NSV buying running shoes - instead of running for ice cream keep up the terrific job/work kathy

Yay. NSV!!

I posted this 15 days into pre-op approximately. Now I'm 3 weeks in and I've lost 13 pounds as of this morning. I am sluggish due to the all liquid part of the diet but all is well! No new NSV's yet though.

Have my first post op airplane ride tomorrow. So fricken nervous. The last time I was on a plane, I weighed around 324 lbs. I flew southwest and the buckle didn't close, I was so damn embarrassed I covered the buckle with my arm against myself and just prayed the attendant didn't notice. Now im about 270 lbs, still have a ways to go but im terrified the buckle won't fit again. I've flown at 280 and the buckle fit on jet blue and coach american. I'm hoping it'll be okay but still have so much anxiety. I got the bigger seats in the front on American Airlines this time but Ughhhh can this weight come off already? This is probably one of the worst parts about being obese. I love traveling but hate that I'm so scared and embarrassed of not fitting into plane seats. I know it'll be huge NSV when the buckle isn't suffocating my lower stomach and sides but just being confident enough that I fit any plane seatbelt is so annoying. I'm trying not to beat myself up but it's so frustrating when you've lost 70 lbs and you're still dealing with things like this. Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you all for your opinions! It is such a help since I was so undecided. I have always been leaning toward the one without the ruffles as well but everyone's opinions have helped push me in the direction of the other one! Shortgal, my future mother and sister-in-law like that one, too. It IS different and that would make it stand out, but I just don't think it flatters my, as I put it, "24 hour glass figure"!! Thank you all for your compliments. It makes me feel so good to hear people say I have a "small waist"! It's been a long time since I've been told that! I guess even if you don't lose many pounds you can still lose inches! A fabulous NSV for me!! Welcome to you Sharon. Your weight loss is wonderful, believe me! Everyone on this forum is going through the same thing and everyone here is so wonderful! They are all so very supportive and have helped me through some rough times. I couldn't have got this far without the support of my "slow loser friends"!!! Stick with us and post often with updates. You'll be glad you did!!

This journey is about HEALTH. If you focus on the weight part you will miss the beauty of regaining your health. So, you want to go back to nebulizers and oxygen tents? How on earth can you say that this is not working for you?? You are not gaining new weight, you have a list of NSVs a mile long. I know, I know, I know. Just about EVERYONE has gone into this thing with the intention of losing "weight". How much more rewarding, though, is it to be GAINING LIFE. And every single person here who has had an NSV is GAINING LIFE, regardless of what the scale says. I can't really tell what your total weightloss has been - your first post says 35 pounds came off before a full three months, and then a pound a month since. If you were banded in 3/05, and have lost 47 pounds (my best guess), then you are AVERAGING almost 4 pounds a month. That is nothing to sneeze at, and is a completely healthy rate of loss. Your BMI has gone from 47 to 39.6. How on earth can you say the band isn't working for you?!?!?! This fixation on the scale is your personal way of sabotaging yourself. You can argue as much as you want, but the truth is the scale is NOT a good indicator of your success, and if you really insist on using it that way then you must WANT to be disappointed in your progress, because girl, you have NOTHING to be disappointed about. The scale is one of the many reasons that "DIETS" DON'T "WORK". People rely on the scale for feedback on their progress, and as soon as the scale stops moving downwards they quit, give up, say "What's the point???" The POINT is your HEALTH. And Vines, if you can't take an honest look at the HEALTH you have gained then nothing I can say is going to make a difference. Patient: "Doc, it hurts when I press here." Doctor: "Don't press there." In a world without scales, can you honestly say that you would not be THRILLED at all the positive changes in your life since 3/05? In a world without scales, wouldn't you just be OVER THE MOON that you no longer carry a puffer? That you can run for the bus? YOU are in charge of your world. Make it a world without scales, and see the truth about the transformation you are making into a healthy being. The end.

Tonight I went to the movies with my parents to see Think Like A Man(good movie by the way). Usually I fit uncomfortably in the seats with both armrests down, the showing was sold out so I had to have the armrests down. I still spill out of the armrest BUT it wasn't painfully uncomfortable. My mom even noticed how I sit comfortably now, I was able to seat peacefully and enjoy the movie .PLUS another NSV I fit comfortably in my dad's tiny Hyundai Accent now, no hunching, looking uncomfortable or praying for a short car ride. Sat comfortably and ran errands for two hours. So excited with these results, can't wait to see what's next! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Have to share a NSV, even though I'm not sleeved. LOL The other day I dug out my tape measure because I thought I should get a baseline before surgery. I have in the past measured myself, and would put it away in disgust. So, I drag it out and start with my waist. I couldn't believe it. I am 7" smaller in the waist. WTH? I thought that was unbelievable, but then I was weighed today at the doctor's office. I have lost 13 lbs. in the last 3 weeks. I started my pre-op diet Friday, but still... I am dropping weight like a weightlifter. As of today I have lost 63 lbs. from my highest weight. I can't even imagine how much more I'll lose as I still have 10 days to go on the pre-op. And then surgery ... Wow!

We had a big BBQ and usually I can eat as much as 3 grown men. I kid you not! But this is the first holiday I've had the band and I only ate 2 ribs and a serving of greenbeans. I was so full! It felt great eating like a normal person!

Congrats on your NSV! I can't wait for my first cookout! Hopefully I can eat on my birthday that is on Aug 2nd. I am 4 days out from being banded and hopefully I can have some of my birthday cake! lol

The NSV's are already rolling in! Well done, doesn't it make you feel good? I'm so excited for you!