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Yasman, the 1st time I sat on the couch and pulled my heel up to my rear to give myself a pedicure was a complete shock ! It had been sooooo long since I had been able to do that ! Woot Woot !!! No more big tummy in the way or getting my air supply cut off when I tried to bend ! That was a fun NSV !!! Congratulations to you !!!!

Years ago, my favorite song to exercise to was "She's a Bad Mama Jama," (even though I didn't then own the words for myself). Now, from the song "Blurred Lines," I love/embrace the words when they say, "You're the hottest bitch in this place!" and "...swag on, even when casual; it's almost unbearable." [A great NSV since surgery is being able to just grab and go when it comes to clothes, so it's easy to do that now]. I agree with jessi...wearing a dress isn't 'trying too hard.' A dress/skit is a normal feminine thing to do...and with less fat, better curves, hey! But do what you'll feel works for you and you won't be self-conscious. If you don't usually wear dresses/skirts (maybe because of the then-weight), it might feel unusual; but I say go for it: a dress and heels. Maybe put on a dress and heels, play some music with a good beat, and dance around your house to see how you feel. In any case, have a good one; and have fun.

Nothing's up with that Janice. A half pound is just a good dump away. Sorry for being crude but it could be anything...your tom, a full colon, too much salt last night...anything. Take it from someone who's been at this for a while...stay off the scale. It will drive you crazy. If you are being compliant, you don't need to weigh yourself very often. Pay attention to how your clothes are fitting or other NSVs. They're better than any number for sure. I list my stats just for informational purposes but I never weighed myself more than once a week even when I needed to get to 200 lbs. in order to have my hip replacement surgery. I've lost more than 140 lbs. and never lost more than 3 lbs. in a single week. It will come off, I promise. Follow your doctor's protocol and you will be fine. Good luck to you.

I was freaking out from the day before my surgery date, but lucky for me I was too embarrassed to show it. The morning of the Big Day, I arrived at the hospital with my best friend and got checked in. As we waited for the nurse to come and take me back, I so wanted to turn to my friend and say that I'd changed my mind and we should go home, but embarrassment kicked in again. How was I going to explain running out the door and blowing off the surgery when I'd spoken of nothing else for the last three months but getting that sleeve? So I stayed and I did it, and I'm so glad. Aside from a respectable beginning weight loss (I still have a long way to go), there have been many NSVs. It has already proven to be not only worth it, but one of the best and smartest things I've ever done. I'm glad you're rescheduling. Be brave and go for it!

I think in the next week we should start our post op page. That way once someone finishes surgery they can move over to the post op page! Also, what is everyone's goal for after surgery? What size/weight do you hope to end up as? What are some nsv's do you hope to accomplish?

Wearing belts is one of my NSV! I NEVER wore them when i was obese. I don't always wear them, but since I have no butt, it keeps my pants in place - ha! I feel like my words often don't come across as supportive, so I was hesitant to respond to the very sobering wakeup call of the scale and clothing sizes - I have been there countless times and really do know the pain. My intention is to be supportive, but my own views of things are perhaps not commonly shared - I don't know. If what i have to say does not reasonant, then just leave it be - we all need to find our own way of the emotional/mental part of this weight management thing. What I can share is my personal experience - I come from a LIFETIME of obesity and overweight. Seriously, starting about age 5-6 until my sleeve I was overweight, obese or SMO except for maybe about 2 years total during my teens and early 20s - I got slim a couple of times but freaked out and quickly regained, so I am probably exagerating to say I was normal weight for a total of 2 years - maybe 2 weeks - ha! So, lets say I have about 40 years experience beating myself to a pulp over what the scale says and how awful I felt like I looked. It didn't work and just made me feel bad. I look back and remember weighing say 160-170 and feeling like a huge cow - ridiculous! How much better my life would have been had I been able to accept that weighing more than other "girls" was okay and natural for me? Heck, this morning I was at 145.8 and you know what crossed my mind? A close friend that is my age, is 2" taller and weighs 117. She weighs 30 pounds less and is a real hottie - damn, why can't I be that? Totally ridiculous line of thinking and I shut that down right away! That shame cycle is part of why I gained and got to such a high BMI. Shame and self loathing never really helped me and I have alot of practice at it. I no longer feel humiliation over being up a few pounds. I don't want to regain, but I know statistically it is very likely to happen to me - at least a partial regain. I am diligent but I also recognize I am worth more than the scale or a clothing size and you are all too. I think we all need to remind ourselves that we are worthy people, we are not the only ones who struggle with maintaining a healthy weight and our value as a human being has nothing to do with how we look or what some chart says we should weigh or what society says we should look like. (or what a close friend weighs or looks like!) Yeah, easier said than done, but for me personally, I need to be in that head space or I risk freaking out and needing to use food or SOMETHING to feed the internal demons that rear their heads. I am making alot of progress on slaying those demons and not feeding them to keep them quiet... it is an ongoing process but it feels like a good direction for me.

WLS stands for Weight Loss Surgery. You will find other texting abreviations on the forum. Another is NSV which is a NonSurgical Victory, such as being able to tie your own shoes, someone you haven't seen for a while doesn't recognize you, being able to cross your legs....happy stuff like that. You will also see the term "Onderland" which stands for 199, meaning that your weight is finally below 200 pounds. I have had to look up many text abreviations and street slang terms in an on-line urban dictionary to be able to keep, but it helps me stay current.

Janette so glad you had a great trip and experienced so many NSV's! Great job on your follow up Claire, so glad your doc is pleased with your progress. I hope the suggested things help with your diarrhea. That must be tough to be so unpredictable and having to be near a toilet all the time. Do you think insurance will help with the skin removal? I definitely want a tummy tuck, but not sure it will be covered. I'm also going to pursue a breast reduction and lift.

I am glad you commented, I have a friend who feels the same way you do. She is enjoying the new me and loves and laughs that I now have a voice. She also sees this as a NSV. She understands this is such an adjustment for me and change from not speaking up to always having something to say.. She does say it is very different to have me make comments on topics or to people who I would never of called out before. To her this new voice is fun and enjoyable to get to know a different side of me. She doesn't think I am being rude or too harsh and others should deal with it. She believes others are taking it harsh or more shocking because I have never spoken up before, not how I am saying things just that I am addressing issues at all. Instead of beating myself up over this change, I think I will learn to adjust to it. It will mellow out as you said and I will find a groove.

Interesting topic... I find it interesting and amusing that you are speaking up for yourself and recognizing that in the past you would have chosen to eat. I would call that an NSV, for sure. I might also suggest that your replies may not be as harsh as you think. Cruel is never good, but heartfelt and honest is... As you noted, so many of us have spent so much time energy and focus on the care of others without EVER expecting anything back, and thank God, we have been given the chance to rectify this. Embrace your inner "Tawanda" (Kathy Bates, Fried Green Tomatoes reference), she will mellow out and find her groove!

Hi everyone - great to catch up on all your news (I've been mostly without access to the internet while in Scotland). Tammy - so glad you found us again! I had the same problem so I've "bookmarked" our group. Sorry about your weight fluctuation - in my own experience, exercise has been more of a factor in my weight loss than just what I'm eating. Good luck! You can do it! Deanna - what a huge difference - you look amazing! Erin - you look fantastic too - I can't believe you've still got 25 lbs to go - you'll be downright "skinny" I had a lovely visit with Claire - she's exactly as positive, kind and supportive as you would imagine from her posts - and she looks great. I loved a comment that she made - she said we are "melting downwards" (maybe a British thing?) - it's true! - we've both lost lots of weight in our faces, shoulders, arms etc. Can't wait for the "melting" to reach my belly!! (We're both still "apples") In fact, Claire has lost so much weight from her face that it was her yellow VW Bug I recognized - not her Change that picture, Claire! We had so much in common - not just WLS - and her husband is a sweetheart - hope to see them again soon. Lots of NSV's on my trip - no seat extension on the plane (in fact I had to tighten my belt!); easily got in and out of the back of my brothers tiny car; walked everywhere without difficulty etc. My mother lives in the city of Glasgow so I took the train or bus "into town" to go shopping several times and walked for hours around the pedestrian precincts checking out the latest styles, visiting large book stores etc. So much fun - I was really "chuffed" with myself. And I lost weight over the past few weeks - despite having my fish and chips, sausage roll and haggis (yes haggis!), I've finally entered "Onederland". Still got a ways to go but I'm feeling so positive - it's definitely worth it. Glad to be home - missed my hubby!

NSV?

NSV stands for non-scale victory. I do weigh myself every day (along with journaling every thing I eat and all my exercise) and i notice that my body goes through stages of losing... i'll hit a new low number, fluctuate around that number bouncing back up a few pounds, back down some, then hit another new low or stall for a week or so before it starts moving again. I'm ok with this. What helps is also measuring yourself every once in a while because usually when the scale isnt moving my body is busy changing shape or working on muscle or something else. one recent NSV I can claim is losing 2 dress sizes. So, my 40 lb weight loss in 3 months may not be as much weight loss as lots of others can claim, but I'm happy with it. I also have picked Friday as my weekly day to evaluate how well i'm losing and it seems my rate of loss is 1-2 lbs per week which I think is pretty healthy and I'm happy with that, too. Anyway good luck to you and I hope the burning when you drink stops soon. It may just be some wounded tissue from the hiatal hernia repair and when it heals that will hopefully stop.

Thanks so far for the advice everyone. Believe me I am definetely taking tiny tiny sips. I am most definetely going to put the scale away until my doc appt. next Thursday, maybe this will help me keep my mind off that area for a bit. I'm not too sure what NSV stands for since I'm kinda new to this. I did really well with eating right from the day I began this journey 6/19 and lost 33 lbs. before my surgery. I am fully committed to this new lifestyle and can't wait to see what kinds of new things my future holds. Just praying the pain lessens as the days go by.

Congrats on your NSV.... I had to put my scale away for fear of weighing myself daily or hourly. Now I just weigh myself on Wednesdays....

Hi. I'm new to this site but had my VSG 8/14/14. With the liquids, you are doing the right thing with trying different temperatures. You may want to take smaller sips. At one point my sips were just getting the tip of my tongue wet. What really helped me was walking while I drank my Water. I don't mean a stroll. I was moving my legs! The moving helped the water pass without feeling like someone kicked me in my chest. May I suggest that you put the scale away. You are three days out from surgery. Standing on the scale every day will do nothing but drive you batty. I still don't have a scale in my house because I am compulsive. I would weigh several times a day if it was right there in my home. In the beginning I just waited until my surgeon visits to find my weight. I was never disappointed. I didn't have that dreaded 3 week stall everyone gripes about. I weighed in the doctor's office during the week 1 visit and weighed again during the week 3 visit. Guess what....the weight was down. No stall. After a few weeks, I picked Monday as my official weigh in and just plot my weight once a week on a graph. Some people plot their weight once a month. This way I don't get caught up in the day to day fluctuations your body will make. Before surgery I wrote a list of NSVs I wanted to achieve. This way I could Celebrate something in the event the scale doesn't move from one week to another. Who cares that I didn't lose 1 pound this week because I was able to button a pair of pants that I haven't worn in yearssssss!!!! Just find other ways to celebrate.

Hi everyone! Thanks for all the well wishes. They worked! I am now feeling a LOT better, dare I say "normal." I am down 65 lbs from surgery and I am really happy with what that looks like on my body. NSVs that made me smile include... Other day, we pulled up to the bus stop as the bus was at the corner but there was a line of about 10 cars. i jumped out and started running full on towards the bus with my 7 year old daughter. She yelled, "HOLD UP MOM I CANT RUN THAT FAST!" I was not out of breath and wheezing when I arrived at the end of the block. I've been demoted from "Womens" to "Misses" section aka 85% of clothing stores are open to me now, not just Lane Bryant, Catherines and Avenue (none of which I really like the style of.) I also do not have to purchase specially sized bras that cost $50 a piece. Had to buy an anniversary ring in my current size to hold my other rings off cause they literally were falling off. Darn, more jewelry. A Male coworker, married and platonically friendly, saw me washing my soup bowl in the kitchen and said "DANG you have lost a lot of weight! What is your secret?" "High protein, low carb!" What made me smile more than usual is he only saw my back side to make him say that I have collarbones and a dip at the bottom of my neck. They are concave. That's new.

I may be the only one on this post that is excited for the change in Temp now that Fall is finally here. Fall means being able to go out side for me. that the temps are finally low enough to get out and enjoy. mind you it's still in the 80/90 temp range but i'll take it over 115 or higher. :-) so i had a NSV today.. i finally decided i needed a belt for my jeans so i went to grab one of the one's i've been saving from that time before...not a one fit me.. i was really confused i was like how can that be.. than it finally dawned on me they don't fit because they are too big. LMAO.. what a nice surprise. will have to pop a few extra holes in a few so i can still make use of some of them.

Well, you're just amazing wrapped up in awesomeness now, are'nt you ! Congrats on your NSV ! It feels really good when those old too tight clothes start fitting , does' nt it ?? I remember cleaning out my closet of too big clothes, bags and bags of them ! Now, THAT was fun ! !! You' ll be doing that too, soon enough !! Congratulations, keep up the goid work !!

My most recent NSV was at the jewelry store. I ordered a size 5 ring and it is way too big. Probably getting it sized down to a 4.5. Also saw my Primary care doc for the first time since surgery. She called me "skinny Minnie" and her nurse thought my medical record was wrong and tried to change my last recorded weight (which was preop) to 145, she assumed 245 was a typo.

Was feeling kind of down because I had a week where I didn't lose any weight. A very wise bander suggested enjoying a Non-Scale Victory -- I thought, nothing feels as good as seeing the numbers go down on the scale. Omg was I ever wrong!! Just for the heck of it, I tried on a pair of jeans that I could not even wiggle past my hips prior to my surgery on September 5. Lo & behold... they slid on easily!! I immediately dissolved into tears because it was a precious moment for me. And, then, I got it -- I had a NSV!! I won't call it my first because, quite frankly, I've had many that I've failed to acknowledge - all equally important to my journey but overshadowed by my obsession with the numbers on the scale. I'm not getting on the scale every day anymore, I'm curbing that -- slowly. It's more like every other day (I know, I know... not much better but I said slowly...). I don't use the numbers as validation anymore because I know the weight will come off. Why? Because I'm doing everything right -- I'm not cheating & I'm committed to a healthier me! I deserve this & I'm not going to stop. And, once I found some peace -- I lost 2.5 pounds. Who knew? Lol! Anyway, thank you for all the words of encouragement, sharing your stories & the sound advise. This journey forces you to get to know yourself in ways that are unfamiliar & sometimes scary, but there's so much joy when you just trust the process & believe in yourself!! Thank you for listening!!

I WISH I'd taken many pictures before surgery, but I only had a few. I'd suggest definitely taking some photos now, before WLS. See post here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/310322-are-you-pre-wls-take-pictures-now/. I also wish I'd taken measurements pre-op. My first measurements were 2 weeks post-op. Do it now as a baseline. --I only post and read messages here at BP. --I keep a small [5.5" x 7.5"] notebook on my bathroom countertop and I weigh every day, or every other day, and record numbers in columns: Date/POD#/Wt. At the end of each month's mark (my surgery was Dec 4th), I might tally my weight loss for that month. Oh, that notebook has my SW and date noted somewhere in the beginning. Also, on the back pages of the previous logging page, I sometimes have notations about [whatever--NSVs; potato chips I ate; how much I "danced, and wow, look," etc.] So the notations are opposite the page for the curent weights/dates. --Every month (or two), I measure myself: Neck, breasts, waist, abdomen, hips, rt/lft thigh. And just last week I added measurements of my ankle and a wrist. I want to see the tally of pounds and inches at one year.

@@n0ble199 Wow you look great!! Congrats! Today is my 3 months surgiversary! (Sleeved on 07/07/14) I've lost so far 39 lbs, and today for a tiny NSV -- I went to H&M and bought a cardigan because it's getting colder. I can wear a size M! M!! I almost couldn't believe it. Before I couldn't squeeze in even size XL of this shop and now I'm fit perfectly in a size M (not even tight!). It's a good day, wish you guys all the best!

Girl, you need to jumping up and down and celebrating! That is a major NSV, congratulations!

Thank you ClaireC. I have been practicing my post op behaviors now so when it's real it will be second nature. I am quite ready to be thin and healthy again. Next week I have a follow appointment with the NP and dietitian. Just by being mindful of my eating, according to my him scale I have lost 10# since my first appointment sept 23. I have many post op nsv's on my bucket list. Thanks for the encouraging words. Hope to talk again :-D Bear