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I am 2 weeks out and have lost 10 lbs since surgery. I lost 7 pre op. Since the start of pre-op I've lost 37.5 inches! I measure everything from my double chin all the way to my ankle. NSV's are that little pat on the back I need to keep going.

You've gotten a lot of good information, but I wanted to add that it's not just "us" (we) who stall--everyone who is trying to lose weight does. As frustrating as it is, weight loss just doesn't occur in a linear fashion. There are fits and starts, weeks where you lose and lose and lose, weeks where you the scale doesn't budge. That's one reason that I think so many people in WLS-land have learned to focus on NSV's--because even if the weight isn't coming off, there are so many other things you can look at and say, "Wow, this is good!"

NSV shout that I can wear thong sandals because before I was so heavy my weight pushed down on my feet and made them cut the inside of my toe.

I just want to know how you're doing 4 months out! Hw?cw?gw? What do you do now that you couldn't before? NSV? Have you set any dates to reach goals? Do you have any events your looking forward to? How are you doing on your new lifestyle("diets") But more importantly how do you feel? Just want to know how your doing=) 4 months out I feel great. I'm struggling through some hardcore hair loss but my hair seems to be up 24/7 now so I try to ignore it. HW259 CW201 GW1 160 GW2 140 I now can cross my legs! Lol My NSV is I fit in a size 14 jeans. Pre op the only jeans I had were a size 18 and those were getting tight so I lived in leggings I was to try to be by goal 1 by june. Because I decided to become a zumba instructor and my certification is June 5 (3 days after my birthday!!!) My diet is a constint struggle. I work at a bakery which has caused me to rethink my career choice and focuse on myself. But it's hard now. I feel great. It's crazy to think I use to carry so much excess weight before no wonder I was miserable.

One of the best NSV's. 44D to 36C/D. And panties too!

I'm almost 3 years out and I'm 10lbs from my goal. At first, I was a little discouraged, but, I've lost 176lbs from SW!!!! I'm not worrying about those last ten pounds. I feel great, I've got my life back, and i look pretty darn good, lol!!!! I've got so many NSV's, they're too numerous to count!!! I'm concentrating on maintenance. You celebrate what you've achieved! I say, you've done an awesome job and you are AWESOME!!!! Celebrate

Hey BariatricPal Members! Spring is just around the corner, and it’s time to shake off the cobwebs and plan a little spring cleaning. If your diet and exercise routine need a little cleaning up, too, you’re in luck. This newsletter can get you motivated to get back on your feet so you’ll be all set for spring break. Here’s what you’ll find this month. Polls ‘n’ More: Your Opinion Matters Member Spotlight: Meet TheRealMeIsHere! Something to Celebrate in March So, take a few minutes to read the newsletter. Then log on to BariatricPal so you can give your opinions about it and talk about whatever else is on your mind. An army of BariatricPal members is waiting to help you out on your weight loss surgery journey, so don’t be a stranger. Sincerely, Alex Brecher Founder, BariatricPal Polls ‘n’ More: Your Opinion Matters BariatricPal is a pretty busy place, between the polls, other conversations, and member blogs and photo galleries. Not sure where to start? Here are a couple of places where your opinion is especially valuable! Something to Help You Decide About Weight Loss Surgery We asked members about their complications after weight loss surgery, and it turned into a hot topic! This poll may help you make your decision if you’re still up in the air about getting weight loss surgery or if you’re not sure which type is for you. Hint: the answers are pretty encouraging! Interested in answering and reading other members’ answers to more polls? Go to the BariatricPal Polls Forum and chime in! Should BariatricPal Launch an Online Store? BariatricPal is here to help you through your weight loss surgery journey. The social part is a big deal, and that’s what the forums and other parts of the community are for. But the diet is also important, and BariatricPal may be able to help out with that, too. We are thinking about opening an online store to sell bariatric nutritional products at competitive prices. Before we do, we need to know whether you like that idea. Please let us know what you think and give us your suggestions! You can either post on this thread or PM Alex Brecher. Thanks! Insure Nutrition We are always thrilled to welcome a new newsletter sponsor into the BariatricPal family, and this month, Insure Nutrition is giving us the pleasure of doing just that. Our latest sponsor, Insure Nutrition, is an online company that specializes in getting health insurance coverage for nutritional supplements. Its Post-Bariatric Surgery Nutrition products includes Premier Protein shakes in chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry flavors and OptiSource High Protein drinks in caramel and strawberry flavors. Checking if you are eligible is easy. Insure Nutrition encourages you to use its online form to find out if you qualify. Our sponsors help make BariatricPal newsletters and other services possible. We encourage you show your thanks by considering them first for your bariatric needs. Exciting News – We're welcoming Unjury and Opurity to BariatricPal! BariatricPal is proud and excited to announce two new sponsors for our newsletters. The new sponsors are powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, a supplier of wonderful tasting, highest quality protein supplements, and Opurity (from the makers of UNJURY), highest purity Vitamin supplements for bariatric surgery patients. Their support lets us keep BariatricPal newsletters coming to you each month. Unjury was founded by a master’s degree dietitian who has been helping patients since 1974. It is committed your health. You know the importance of getting enough protein after weight loss surgery, but you also know that meeting your protein goals can be challenging. Unjury makes your task not just easier but actually enjoyable. Product flavors include Chocolate Splendor, Chocolate Classic, Vanilla, Strawberry Sorbet, chicken Soup Flavor, and Unflavored. These ready-to-use protein powders come in single-serve and multi-serve containers, and contain high-quality whey protein to keep you full and nourished. Launched in 2007, Opurity is dedicated to using the purest ingredients in its supplements. Opurity Bariatric Multivitamins have two unique big advantages: First, each Multivitamin requires only one tablet per day*. Second, Opurity is so dedicated to quality that it is unique in using no ingredients from China. Choose from chewable orange-berry multivitamins for gastric bypass and gastric sleeve patients or for lap-band patients.Opurity also sells chewable Calcium, vitamin D and folic acid/vitamin B-12 chewables. All supplements come with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed. They return policy is: “Yes you can return it.” Support from Unjury and Opurity helps us continue to bring you the services you enjoy on BariatricPal, so please support these two brands! When looking for your bariatric surgery supplements, first visit Unjury.com and Opurity.com. Purchasing from these companies helps support BariatricPal. Thanks to Unjury and Opurity for your generous sponsorship, and thanks to BariatricPal members who support our partnership! *You still need calcium and sublingual B-12. Member Spotlight: Meet The RealMeIsHere! This month’s member spotlight is on TheRealMeIsHere from Ferndale, New York. She spent most of her life bouncing between 115 and 275 pounds. Life was great when she was closer to 115 pounds – she had energy and confidence. At her higher weight, she sat on the couch a lot, drank, ate, and talked on the phone. TheRealMeIsHere was not able to lose weight on healthy diets, and she developed eating disorders. She was anorexic and bulimic at times. When she gained weight, she developed high blood pressure and severe sleep apnea. She stopped breathing nearly 50 times an hour! Her orthopedic conditions kept her in pain and prevented her from moving much, turning it into a vicious cycle. When TheRealMeIsHere got health insurance, she researched weight loss surgery. She chose the gastric sleeve because of its permanence – unlike the lap-band. She also liked the fact that it did not cause malabsorption since she has ulcerative colitis. She got the surgery in 2012, as soon as her insurance covered it. TheRealMeIsHere just had her two-year surgiversary – and what a difference two years makes! She has maintained her weight at 115 pounds. Her sleep apnea and hypertension have diminished, and her energy has exploded. Other great moments have been realizing that she had the ability to get back to the weight she wanted, and getting a panniculectomy/abdominoplasty after reaching goal weight. food does not control her, but she still loves it and is able to enjoy in healthy ways. Instead of acting on every craving, she might make sleeve-friendly versions of her favorites. She loves salads and lean meats, and thinks of cauliflower as the “chameleon” vegetable that “can masquerade as Pasta, pizza crust, bread, or potatoes.” She delights in tricking guests with her healthy dishes. TheRealMeIsHere has figured out how to enjoy restaurant outing within her gastric sleeve diet restrictions. From the beginning, getting enough liquids and protein was difficult. She could not drink much without cramping, and she did not start hitting her 80 daily grams of protein until 18 months post-surgery. Her stomach was so small it was difficult to eat enough, so she had to stick to nothing but high-protein foods. TheRealMeIsHere was definitely grateful to be able to eat salads again! She mostly eats meats and vegetables now, and her sleeve holds about ¾ to 1 cup of food. She found out recently – the hard way – that eating too much still gives her severe diarrhea and cramps. Not worth it! TheRealMeIsHere came to BariatricPal before surgery to see success stories, learn about concerns, and look at pictures. Later, the site helped keep her focused on the goal and get feedback when needed. She also finds it helpful to answer others’ questions. TheRealMeIsHere has some tips for other weight loss surgery patients. Follow your surgeon’s and nutritionist’s guidelines. Keep your carbohydrate intake low. Stay hydrated. Stick with an exercise routine by being specific about your goals. Acknowledge and fix your mistakes. Use the surgery as a tool. Make one small change at a time. Enjoy the journey and the new you! Those are all great pieces of advice, and they are clearly working for TheRealMeIsHere. Congratulations on your weight loss surgery success, and thanks for sharing your story with us! Please let us know in the Member Spotlight Forum if you or someone you know would like to be in the member spotlight. We want to hear from you! You can also send Alex Brecher a PM to nominate yourself or someone else. Something to Celebrate in March In like a lion, out like a lamb. That usually does hold true, but it’s hard to believe that winter will soon be over when it’s been around for so long. Waiting for the sun to come back and the last bits of snow to melt can make March seem dreary, so we wanted to find something to celebrate. What’s special about March? Lots of things, it turns out! Here are just a couple of national food days in March, and some ideas for celebrating them. March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day Peanut butter…packed with antioxidants, Fiber, healthy fats, and 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons. And, of course, with a taste to die for. If you haven’t jumped onto the peanut butter bandwagon yet, this may be a good opportunity for you to do so! Of course, it’s high in calories, with 180, so don’t overindulge! Here are some peanut butter ideas. Make a shake with Protein powder, almond milk, and ice - and you can enjoy this when you’re still on your liquid post-op diet! Eat it with celery sticks or carrot sticks – lap-banders, be careful of the stringy celery and sticky PB. Spread it on a half of a whole-grain, high-fiber English muffin or some whole-wheat crackers. March 19: Poultry Day If you’re a weight loss surgery patient who struggles to get enough protein, you already know that chicken and turkey can bail you out. A 2-ounce serving of white meat has about 13 grams of protein and 60 calories. Vegetarian? Try soy bacon and low-fat vegetarian chicken! Add a serving of poultry morning, noon, and night, and you’ve already got 39 grams compared to the 65 to 80 you need for the day. Try: Turkey bacon with your egg whites for Breakfast. Low-fat white chicken chili with Beans and broccoli for lunch. Turkey roll-ups with low-fat cheese or fat free cream cheese and tomatoes for a snack. Ground chicken burgers in lettuce for dinner. March 28: National Something on a Stick Day You could celebrate this day with traditional fair food…fried Twinkies on a stick, corn dog on a stick, or cheese on a stick. Or, you could celebrate this day with something healthy and fun. The following can keep you on your weight loss surgery diet while you feel like you’re celebrating. Ham and eggs on a stick: Alternate slices of ham or any lean meat with quartered egg whites and cubes of melon. Grilled eggplant on a stick: Slice and salt eggplant, dip in a mixture of low-fat grated parmesan cheese and ground Fiber One Cereal crumbs, skewer the eggplant slices, alternating with low-fat mozzarella cheese, and grill. salad on a stick: Coarsely cut a head of lettuce. On your stick, put pieces of lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, grilled chicken or shrimp, and whatever else you like in your salads. To enjoy, dip it in dressing. Of course, you can also celebrate non-food celebrations. For example, mark your calendar for Good Samaritan Day on March 13, and everyone deserves to celebrate National Everything You Do Is Right Day on March 16! And, to be honest, every day is a cause for celebration when you’re getting healthy, whether you’re dancing on the scale or congratulating yourself for a non-scale victory (NSV). Don’t forget to tell us about it at BariatricPal!

Ugh I feel you. I am preop (no surgery date just yet) and I am way more excited for the nsv rewards than the scale. I want to be able to ride on an airplane ( I don't even want to deal with the issues of being an obese person on a flight) , be able to go to theme parks and ride rides, not worry about if I will fit in the seat every where I go. I am very excited for those changes. I'm planing an Orlando vacation as soon as I loose some weight and ride every ride I can at disneyworld and islands of adventure. Anyways people don't realize how exhausting it is to be overweight. Like I always make sure to be the first one to show up to the restaurant so I can request a table ( not a booth). One time I couldn't do that I was on a date with my then boyfriend (now my ex) and they had to get a chair for me and I had to sit at the end of the table in a chair because all they had was a booth. I wanted to cry the whole time it was so embarrassing. I wanted to leave but I didn't want to make a big deal out of it. I can't wait until I never have to worry about things like that.

My surgery was 12/11. I avoid the scale because it messes with my mindset so I only plan to weigh myself maybe once a month. I'm also trying to focus on the non-scale victories more than the scale. Bottom line, the number doesn't really matter because I know that I am doing what I can. And that is what I'm trying to maintain focus on. Without this surgery I would not be losing any weight and likely would continue to slowly gain more over the years (like my mother). So, in a way, even if I didn't lose I would be better off for just not gaining. That being said, I was down 58 pounds at the 2 month mark, so, I am very happy about that. More importantly I've had a lot to add to my NSV list including fitting into my coats (just in time for the cold) and lower BP! I've also had complications, but, my weight was giving me complications too. Life will be full of them. I just decided I wanted to choose from the set with the smaller stomach.

Haaaaaapy Friday everyone!!! So happy the weekend is upon us! Although the weekend seems to be the most challenging time for me, I'm really going to try and be more mindful of what I put in my mouth (and what comes out of it) hahah nah, that's no fun:-) The hubby and I have date night tomorrow which if I know him means eating at our favorite steakhouse which is great because they have a ton of different options on the menu that fit within my plan so that shouldn't create any pitfalls. Yesterday, let's just say I veered to the left a smidge, no stressing, it's all about balance right. I went over my planned calorie target by 230 so I consumed 1410 (silly things in the freezer). Finished the last day of my Water flush with 85oz, no exercise @@2babutterfly, I'm with you this is the hardest thing for me!!! Today the plan is pretty simple and I will be disciplined to stay with it!!! B: Yogurt & trail mix 250 cal 17p L: Protein bar and 1 cheese stick 270cal 27p D: 2 eggs with 2 slices of low sodium bacon and 1oz of cheese- 320 cal 21p S: Skinny Cow Ice Cream- 160 cal 80 oz water 1,000 cal 65p Being honest exercise probably won't happen today I have meetings at work and things going on this evening. I know excuses, excuses @@JustWatchMe your weekend sounds like so much fun! Italian is my favorite and that menu sounds to die for, send me some:-) I'm sure your friend is extremely thankful!!! Also what a wonderful NSV!! Life is great! @@s_suther I think splitting your shake in half is a great idea especially if it takes 1-2 hours to finish the entire thing, this will not only help your body consume all of the Protein and process it like you want it to but it will also help you fit it within that 30min window. My only question is if you do that will it satisfy you the same way? Since this is a first try maybe you should have a thought out snack on standby just in case so that you're not starving?? Just a thought. @@2babutterfly @@bacon sounds you have great food plans in place! I do believe we're rocking and rolling! We should all be very proud of our accomplishments!! Have a wonderful day everyone!

My NSV today is wearing a new company polo shirt and jeans for casual Friday. Size L. When I was hired, the largest shirt they had (2x) didn't fit and I didn't own a pair of jeans. I love casual Friday now.

On this subject, I wish folks posting a general question or comment that's not specific to a particular surgery type would put it in the general forums and not sleeve forums, etc. I like to see posts about NSVs and universal issues, but I don't want to scan the sleeve forums for them since I'm a bander.

Last night I was standing at the sink doing dishes, and my bf was just standing there looking at me...I said "what?" And he was like, babe you're so little now, I see you all the time so I don't notice how dramatic it is, but I'm just looking at you now and you're just little. By next year I'll be able to throw you across a field....lol, why he'd want to throw me across a field, idk, but it feels nice to hear the word little lol. I'm far from little, but then again, I guess compared to how I looked last September, I'm little lol. NSV! I'M LITTLE! lol

I was at work today and (I work with all guys in a warehouse environment) I've gotten a few "what are you doing? My wife is trying to lose weight" comments, but today our guy that doesn't speak much English from Ecuador came in my office to thank me for watching his kids at work for an hour when his girlfriend dropped them off. After much hand gesturing, he did the international sign for a curvy woman and smiled real big and said "¡Eres hermosa!" which someone told me is 'you're beautiful!' NSV! It was funny bc he's really shy.

@@Shadow427 Congrats on your shoe bows NSV. So cool. Last winter, I had to get my son to help me put socks on because I couldn't. Most times I would wear shoes without socks. I the winter not so comfortable. I also didn't buy shoes with shoe laces, for the most part I wore slides. Easy to get in and out. Now I wear high heels and all sorts of fun stuff. Heck it's so exciting I even wear high heels around the house, just cause I can. Right now, I am paying bills with my high heel black boots on and I am still in my nightshirt. Heck, I need to practice walking with these because it has been 10 years, at least, since I could walk in heels.

I got on the scale this morning and it read 199.0! I think it has been 18 years since I weighed below 200 lbs. I went shopping last week and I was able to buy XL tops and size 16 pants! That is down from 3X tops and 24 pants. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I am 52 years old. I was sleeved on November 4, 2015 (15 weeks ago). My recovery from this surgery was very easy and I am thankful every day that I had this procedure done. I now LIKE leaving the house to go places and I hope to have a job interview in the next week or so (telephone interview last Friday). I even took a picture of me in my new interview clothes and sent it to my daughter and I would not be embarassed if she showed it to anyone else. That is a big deal as I have stayed out of pictures for YEARS. Two weeks ago I took my son to visit a college campus and I was able to walk the the whole tour! That was about 2 hours of walking around the campus and different buildings. 6 months ago I couldn't have done that. HW: 265 SW: 243 CW: 199 Good luck to those just starting this process. All you post-op people please keep posting your successes and NSVs - they are appreciated and encouraging to all of us. Summer

I don't know if I'm the exception, but, I was sleeved on the 19th and I feel better everyday. I am getting my fluids in and I started walking for 30 minutes today. I still have a little pain from my incision but I am feeling better. The first two days home were rough, but when I woke up this morning, I didn't have to squirm to get out of bed. I guess that was a NSV! Good luck to everyone.

What a great thread! Been married for over twenty years, but it's so nice to hear these body-positive stories. My TMI NSV is to be on top without crushing the poor man.

Hi Everyone, I love this group. Although I am a Nov Sleever, I often peak in to see how you are all doing... you have such a positive vibe and I love your stories! And, since you are a month ahead of me, it helps me see what my future will bring! Congrats to everyone! I've started playing this very cool sport called "Pickleball"... google it! It is a combination of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong. It's lots of fun. Besides actually PLAYING a sport again, I had a NSV yesterday. It didn't even hit me until I got home. While playing, one of my sneakers got untied. I bent over. Tied the laces. Then, continued to play pickleball. And, because I could tie them without sitting down and pulling my leg up, the bows were perfectly centered! It's those little things! Hope you are all doing well!

My NSV is that after about 3 seasons.. i was able to wear these beautiful brown suede boots that i have not been able to zip up past my calfs ... this past weekend.. they zipped all the way up .. and I was showing them off proudly.. Looking forward to seeing the clothes this spring.. in the bins downstairs that i have labled " Don't fit but keep just in case I lose weight " yes i really have a bin that says that.. I have some great designer clothes that I just could not part with and had hopes that one day i would fit into them again... More to come folks ...

I live for NSV's. My favorite is not using a seat belt extender on an airplane as a matter of fact I had a great struggle putting on the seatbelt even with the extension. I have the biggest smile on my face every time I have to tighten the seatbelt because it is to loose from the previous traveler.

Reflections on month 2 of 6 pre op diet ~ Are we there yet? Contrary to my belief, I did not die waiting for my monthly weight in as I slowly get closer to my surgery date. Ok, so this is a good thing and there have been others. I am proud that I still have not had a carbonated drink since December which is actually a huge NSV for me. I have been faithful to drink a minim of 32oz of water a day. Some days I get 64 oz and plan to continue to increase until I reach 64oz per day, every day. This month I have marked a few things off of my pre surgery check list as well. For starters, my second month PCP visit and weigh in. The scale showed a gain of 0.4, but I think that could just be the clothing. I had my sleep study which shows that I do have sleep apnea. I will be getting my machine soon, and when I do I will get my pulmonary clearance as well. I am really looking forward to a good night’s sleep. I have also started attending the local WLS support group. It is a live version of this website and I find the people there are just as candid and helpful as those on this website. I plan to continue with the support group meetings just because I like them. I do occasionally have to give myself a personal time out from this site and obsessing about WLS in general. Everything in moderation, right? Overall, I have a good feeling about what I have accomplished this past month. I hope that the next is just a fruitful. Best wishes to all ~ mykdzmom

That's awesome Beni! I was told the same thing, don't push it. Yesterday I went to the movies, and the theater I went to is one that I've avoided for a while, because the seats were just so small..or rather, my butt was just too big lol. It was always so uncomfortable, and I was too big to cross my legs too. We'll yesterday, I sat in the seat and I had plenty of room on both sides AND I sat comfortably with my legs crossed. It was awesome! My best friend was with me, and she also had surgery, a couple of yrs ago, and it was her first time back too lol. We were bouncing around in our chairs all giggly like little kids lol! It's all those little NSV's that matter most! Like the towel thing. I can finally use a regular bath towel, and not a bath SHEET lol. Loving it! @@Beni I agree, you see people and you see yourself in them and you just want to tell them about WLS. I saw a very large woman walking around the mall yesterday, and she was very winded, she just looked so uncomfortable. A little while later I saw her again, sitting on a bench, she looked like she just left the gym. I thought to myself, that was me 6 months ago, and it made me so grateful for this second chance at life. It really is an amazing opportunity to change your entire life around. A year ago, I was so unhappy, so sad with myself, I couldn't look in the mirror, I wanted to cry. I couldn't walk without being in pain, I couldn't do anything without pain and being winded. I was so scared to take that next step and go to the WLS seminar, not just because I was scared for myself, but I was afraid of what everyone else would say or think if I did it. I didn't want people to criticize me because of it. Then one day I just stopped caring what they thought. I said I'm doing this, you all can say what you will, but you've never walked a day in my life, so you don't know. And I've not looked back, I have no regrets. So happy with my decision! One thing that sucks though, is getting tipsy from nyquil lol! I took some last night and I was all woozy, couldn't stop laughing at myself. Oh the life lol.