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I reached the lost 58/ 58 more to go stage a couple of days ago and even though I get stopped multiple times at work about my weight I still find it hard to not say I have ONLY lost 58. Its actually 74 from my highest but it is hard to not feel like it should be gone in a *snap*, even though I know like @@MrsKarenC2008 said the weight gain didn't happen in a *snap*. that's why I really appreciate my NSVs - those make it REAL!

Please don't be discouraged. I know it isn't easy when you don't see the progress on the scale. It can be very frustrating!! I have found that my body goes through adaptation periods especially to something new. It's been 5 weeks and your body has gotten used to what you are doing. You need to confuse it to get it going again. Have you tried different cardio to change it up? Different muscle groups? I have had stalls and when I see that the scale is hanging up, I know its time to change it up a bit. I have numerous different cardio that I do, cross country walking, biking, Zumba, treadmill, Kinect with numerous DVD workouts, numerous exercise DVD's, Hatha Yoga, swimming, occasionally canoeing, and kayaking (I live by 2 lakes and multiple rivers). I try and switch those up and rotate them often so that my body doesn't get used to the same routine, which keeps my body guessing and get it jump started. I promise that you are still transforming and most likely losing inches!!!! During stalls, focus on how clothes are fitting and also how you are tolerating longer cardio, which feels amazing when you couldn't do something the week before and the next week you can! Celebrate and focus on the NSV's (non scale victories) during stall periods. Significant weight gain doesn't happen overnight and neither does significant weight loss, although wouldn't that be awesome because it would make our journey's so much easier right? One stepping stone at a time, 1 pound at a time. Don't worry, it will happen and you are just beginning!!! Keep going you are doing great!!!

@@OKCPirate Love your NSV ideas. You have to tell us how it all worked out. Starting weight..oh yes staying afloat would be an issue Current weight I had to lift my butt out of the middle of the innertube lay flat on my back to reach the Water. It was the only way I could paddle and navigate down the river. Maybe I shrunk in height with my WLS.

Awesome NSVs, @@Elode!! Congratulations!! I know you're enjoying the rewards of all your hard work and perseverance! You're a great inspiration!

Great NSV Elode!

That's too funny! Congrats on a hilarious NSV.

I teach high school and thankfully this happened before students were in the hallway. I left my room and started to walk down to the workroom. A coworker was walking several steps in front of me when my skirt fell down. Thankfully he did not turn around when I gasped and ran into the closest classroom. I also had a slip on so I was covered. I'd love to see our security coverage of that one though! Love that this is the first year in the 13 I've been there that I've worn a skirt or dress and LOVED it!

Much more concerned about continued progress than a goal. I've been tickled pink by the scale, but much more concerned about body fat percentage than BMI's. My goals have been NSV's. My first 5K, mountain climb etc. My eventual weight, getting off my meds, no more CPAP - these were factors that I classify as "hope for" because I really can't control them.

I'm digging the NSV - mountain climbing, took a fencing class, one lady is getting me into a dance class (which is terrifying to me). We shall see, I know I am LITERALLY lighter on my feet than I used to be.

At my first appointment with my surgeon he told me not to focus on numbers but to make my goal "health." However with that said, I did pick some scale and non scale goals. My scale goals: first one was 1/2 my weight from my first appt with my surgeon. I met that about a pear post op. My second is a "normal" BMI. I'm 2 lbs from that goal. My final scale goal is to be in the middle of a Normal BMI which will give me a bit if my cushion. Trying to stay in my surgeon's goal of "health" I decided that my NSV goals would revolve around fitness. At the time of my surgery my goal was to run a half marathon. I met that goal 2 days before the one year anniversary of my surgery.

I am a daily weigher and I am on vacation with no scale! 2 more weeks. I had just finished a long long stall at 7 weeks when I went away and lost 3lbs in days and maybe more but no scale. I'm feeling anxious about my progress. I am hoping for a very good number when I get home. I've been eating 700-800 per day. Pretty low carb and 70-80 grams of Protein a day all from meat, fish or eggs. The best nsv is that a few months ago this vacation would have killed me alone with my 3 and 5 year old all day. We are having a great and active time!

My surgeon didn't even want to hear my weight goal. He asked me what my other goals were. Being confident and active was what I told him. I want the NSVs more than a number. Walking and biking with my boyfriend. Hitting up the theme parks. Feeling better about myself. Spending time with friends I'm too ashamed to see. I even have a goal to be at a friend's anniversary party when I should be 8 months out. I would never go otherwise. Numbers? 200 lbs. No date. Just gotta go. That came from the bariatric nurse/patient liaison being frank with me ("Honey, you got 200 pounds to lose."). So it became my goal. If I get under that? Yay me. (I have a secret goal. Shhhhh. 150. Upper limit of my normal BMI. But that seems a million years away.)

@@jenn1 can't have too many NSV's your accomplishment/bravery must have felt great!! you have lost your "excess" weight enjoy what you are now able to do 122 lbs down keep up the good work kathy congrats

Losing your pants is the gold standard of NSVs. Congratulations!

Summer NSV! Had a great day with family and friends on the Boise river today. We rented innertube's to float the river. The park staff called my name to pick up my equipment. He handed me a child's life jacket to wear. He said the adult size would not fit me.

costco just opened up in my town. I went there and I was so excited bc it has all sorts of amazing things designed for people with WLS--little individual mozzarella cheeses, 4 oz containers of chicken salads (so delicious, 14 grams of Protein, 140 calories) individual hummuses. Boxes of small Greek yogurts! Lots of Protein shakes (although I hate almost all such shakes and am desperate for other sources of protein). It is amazing what makes me excited these days. Also, although I thought my weight loss was slow (and it is compared to many people) today (six weeks post op) my pants literally fell off me. That was pretty exciting.

Elode, you have had so many great moments recently, and you deserve them all! Congratulations on your most recent NSVs! It’s great that you’re getting the rewards you deserve from your hard work after surgery. It’s also neat that other people are noticing – that makes it so much sweeter!

I love this thread so much! I have been reading and decided to join! So I'm only about 3 1/2 weeks out (in my dreaded "three week stall" right now - ugh!) and I had an NSV the other night. We went out to dinner with some friends and I wore a maxi skirt that is elastic at the waist (so it is more comfy than my jeans that fall off of me!) and it kept hitting the tops of my feet. It's never done that before so I was highly confused until I realised that it's because it doesn't have to stretch so much to reach around me anymore! My skirt is actually longer, lol. Didn't see that coming! It was silly, but so fun when I finally made the connection!

I have an NSV I'm excited to share. Yesterday I went to the store to return some things and while there, I saw some jeans I liked. I had some issues with pants since I've lost everywhere except my hips and tummy. I worked up the courage to try on but had no idea what my size is now after losing close to 50 lbs. I selected a range from 16-12 and took them into the dressing room. Size 16, too big, size 14, baggy and I finally ended up in a size 12. To my amazement!! Of course I bought those puppies because they fit perfectly!! These little NSVs are my "rocket fuel" to keep on going on my weight loss program. Still have 35 pounds to lose.

​My NSV for the day - 3 mile walk this morning and NO low back or hip pain! Wow! That is huge. I don't love walking that much and won't do 3 miles walks very often (not great at the exercise part yet), but it was so encouraging to know that I was physically capable of doing it without having to stop and sit down and "release" my back pain, before I could continue. This time last year, I went for a walk on the beach on vacation and had to stop and rest because my back was giving out. Can't wait for my next walk on the beach!

Congratulations @@nprcowboy on your success and I am glad to hear you are not discouraged as it sounds like you are doing great.nI agree with @@cjnorris about one day at a time, something I try and live by. I know that moderate or slow loss can be frustrating although I've seen many others on this site with slower loss than yours, but I also see many folks with amazingly quick losses and it is so hard for me to not compare myself. Forgive me if you already read this, but I posted this last month and have to keep looking at it myself as I am in a bit of a stall... thought I'd share in case any resonate or are helpful. Best of luck! I am tired of focusing on how much I have not lost. I’ve been eating 80-100 g of Protein, drinking at least 70 ounces Water, staying under 1000 calories and am active. I started at very high weight and expected to lose more than 45 lbs my first 3 months, but I am tired of focusing on what I have not lost instead of what I have gained. I am so grateful for my sleeve and my chance to live a healthier life. This is my ode to losing weight more slowly than expected and the benefits: More time to develop healthy eating habits before maintenance Skin has more time to catch up (more time to lotion!) Shifting focus to NSVs like sitting in booths and chairs with arms Less chance of gallstones Opportunity to practice loving kindness towards myself and being grateful for any positive change Chance to manage expectations – if it wasn’t for WLS, I’d be thrilled with my loss, so why not be thrilled now? Practice focusing on my own wins and not comparing self to others Not having to explain to others since loss isn’t dramatic (yet) Chance to trust the process and not focus on the end (self-care, water/protein/low-carb/active) Redefine success as how I feel, not numbers on scale Understanding this is not a diet, this is my lifestyle now, so what is the rush? Have you had a benefit to a stall or slower than expected losing?

For me: I have just past the 3 month mark (surgery was May 18). The first few weeks were tough because of my internal stitch pulling, but at the 3-4 week mark it just popped and everything got much better. No real nausea and I could do liquids pretty easily so that was a blessing. However, I didn't lose much weight in first few weeks. I think it was like 4-5 pounds. Most of this was probably due to swelling and healing so I didn't sweat it too much. I was even able to do a trip to Mexico City for work without any issues (I did take some Protein mixes as back up in case the food wasn't going to work). July was a bit more challenging as I hit my first real stall. Thanks to everyone on this board posting about stalls, I didn't panic and kept to my plan. After about 1 1/2 weeks I suddenly started losing again. Yea! Also, I started telling people that I had the surgery, but only if they ask. I did tell my family after the 6 week mark just because I hate that feeling of being evasive when they know something is going on. I had wanted to wait until I was past the most risky time for complications so they wouldn't worry as much. Everyone seems fine with it, but if they aren't I have decided just to shrug and keep moving. It isn't their life and they don't have to live with it so their opinion isn't really that important. Not thumbing my nose at them, just deciding not to let it bother me. August has seen some good changes and a little bit of a concern. I hit Onedurland on my 3 month surgerversary, which is a total loss of 57 pounds. I have also dropped several sizes which lead to a closet purge and a day of trying stuff on. That totally counts as a NSV in my world. People have really started to notice and are asking me what I am doing. If they ask me directly I am honest. I also try to say that there are other ways to lose weight and just doing a high protein - low carb approach can work just as well. I just knew I wouldn't be able to stick to it. I think I am really helping out the sales of Premier Protein which seem to be flying off the shelves of my Sam's and costco. Maybe I should ask to be a sales rep. The one concern I have is rather recent, and I am not really sure if it is a real concern at the point. Over the last week I have noticed an increase in what might be a little bit of heart burn. I am really hoping that I don't get GERD from this so I am watching it closely. I was taking pepcid for the first 3 months on DR. orders (I also had a hiatial hernia fixed when they did the VSG) so I just went off it recently. The other thing is a small pain just to the left of my belly button. This just started in the last few days so I am going to watch it and talk to to the PA about it next week if it doesn't go away. I should be well past the point of having stitches pull or anything like that. I still struggle with eating out and limiting carbs (insert Mexican restaurant chips here...). I am also still figuring out how to fit in exercise but that has always been a challenge for me. Anyway, I would love to hear how this journey is going for everyone else. I know it isn't the same for everyone and I love to hear the different perspectives. It helps so much to know you aren't in this alone.

Hi May Sleevers I thought by now everyone sleeved in May would probably have settled into a bit more of a routine or at least gotten past some of the initial surgery questions. I imagine some of us have some great NSV's as well as some challenges. Soo.....I thought I would send up a general question to get a discussion started. I would love to hear how everyone else is doing. I am going to post my progress/thoughts below.

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.