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That is great, ladies! And I totally get it. These NSV's are so important as you go along, and it was really nice for me to see this today since my scale is *not* budging at all. I posted this somewhere else a while back, but being able to shave the back of my thighs with ease was pretty cool Keep up the good work!

Even though I am short, pre-surgery I've always worn a women's xl shirt and dresses. I am going on vacation and ordered some cute dresses and skirts from Athleta in XS and I had to send 2 dresses and a skirt back because they were too big. I guess that would be a NSV I am now washing so many of my clothes in hot Water just to get them smaller. Even jeans that I bought a month ago size 26. Enjoy the rest of your weekend- ~LA

I had my surgery end of December and was riding normally in April. Including saddling, loading, etc. I felt perfectly OK to ride a month earlier, but most of our trails were still under several feet of snow and I find arena riding too boring. In fact, I scheduled my surgery specifically so it wouldn't interfere with riding. My work partner did the same thing with her hysterectomy....she had hers as soon as my weight lifting restrictions were over so at least ONE of us could do our jobs! Her doctor's official orders were 6-8 weeks out of the saddle and hers was a much harder recovery than my VSG. Oh yeah, and start looking for saddles...one of my favorite NSVs was going from an 18" seat to a 15" seat! Love my new saddle and love being able to hop up there without having to find a log or rock to stand on.

Isn't that an awesome feeling!! Congratulations My first NSV is being able to trim my toenails without having discomfort and feeling like a contortionist!! I can actually get to them easily now!

Aside from getting into smaller sizes, I had my 1st NSV last night. We went out to dinner for the 1st time since surgery and went to a restaurant that we would normally wait for a table as the booths are so small and it'd be a very tight fit. Well I didn't even think about it until I went to sit and there was plenty of room to spare! I was so shocked I didn't have to try to wiggle my way in and pretend I was fine. It's definitely the small things! ????

While out on my walk during break time i caught sight of my reflection next to my friend (who is probably about 120ish) and i didn't want to crawl in a hole and die. In fact i felt quite proud. Also... i now weigh LESS than my husband!!! First time in my life I weigh less than the guy I'm with. Still very very far to go, and am a chronic slow loser, but I'm enjoying every little NSV!!

So this morning I'm getting dressed and pull on my sports bra and undies. Something didn't quite look right in the mirror and I realized I had put my bra on backwards....and it fit fine! Thats how pitifully tiny my boobies are now. I literally laughed out loud and flipped it around the right way. But I don't think that's what they meant by "reversible".

@@2babutterfly - I had enough of the emotional, and literal, roller coaster ride with the scale. My husband put it somewhere out of my sight & reach. I now weigh only monthly at the doc. For me it works, allows me to celebrate little NSVs. You do what works for you, just don't let it get you down. Let's celebrate eating clean and hitting the gym! YEAH YOU!!!!

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.