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it feels so nice to use the desktop application occasionally and feels really good to update my weight and see me drop 9 pounds. WHOOSH. Gone, never to be seen again..... YAHOO!! I know so simple and yet so not simple!

So! I did it! I reached my first goal. March 10, 2014 I had my lapband surgery and I weighed in at 343lbs. This weekend I weighed in at 298.2 and that is a number I haven't seen in probably 4 years. I had been over 300lbs for quite some time so I ate my first goal to loose 44lbs, to make me less than 300. I'm loosing on average about 2lbs a week. It is slow and steady but I am super happy with my lapband decision and everyday is a new day to learn and grow into a better, healthier me. I am down a pant size or two and I am loving all the compliments that I am getting. I feel like I am glowing! My next goal is to loose another 20 by September 6th! I have a wedding to go to so I am setting my standards high and reaching for the sky!!!!

Had an NSV I didn't expect. I packed for vacation tonight and my clothes didn't take up the whole suitcase. They actually didn't even take up half the suitcase. I guess that means I can just bring more clothes with me right?

I was sleeved 1-23-14 one week is not a stall trust me I thought that too and people with more time told me the same now that I'm 6 months out and have had no movement of the scale in a month This is a stall very frustrating but the "vets" told me it happens and to look at measurements and non scale victories and soon the stall would break I have seen my measurements come down still and I've had a couple NSV Hang in there you guys we are all gonna make it through this

I have an odd NSV. I got rid of my scale yesterday. That thing has become my enemy. I know they say keep you friends close, but keep your enemies closer. Lol! Unfortunately, we had to part ways. I am one of those people that will weigh themselves several times a day. Then I get discouraged and it's all down hill from there. You see I am used to losing one pound a day and if I don't do that I get upset. I am losing tons of inches, don't know for sure how many so far because I never measured myself. I should have. I have dropped 4 pant sizes, 26 to an 18/20 and have went from a 46c to a 42b in about three weeks. Going to the gym is really dropping the inches, guess I thought I would lose equal parts inches and weight. Anyways, that enough of my rant, thanks for listening.

I'm now four days post surgery and feeling great. I haven't even had much pain. I've only lost a couple pounds so far, but I know that's because I had so much Fluid given during my two day stay. I know it will start coming off soon. They ran lab tests before surgery that indicated I had low sodium - low enough that they were considering postponing it. There was that old part of me that was thinking "Yay! Now I can go have a costco hot dog!". Don't ask me why that was my fixation! Fortunately they got my sodium up and surgery progressed. I'm so happy it did. A couple of my big concerns were unbearable pain, which didn't happen, and just not feeling like myself. I don't know how to explain that other than the sense that I would be different if I couldn't eat the foods I wanted when I wanted to. And perhaps that part of me is gone, hopefully for good. I don't want food cravings to control my life anymore. I still want to be able to enjoy food but not have it the center of my universe, if that makes sense. Inside I feel young and I look forward to having my body allow me to be young longer. So far there has been one major NSV, I'm off one of my blood pressure medicines and only use a diuretic now. My surgeon thinks I will be off that soon. Kate

You are so right. The whole 'living normal' thing is what it's about. The numbers are just that...numbers. Great NSV and I'm so very happy for you!!

I've been feeling bummed lately because my weight loss feels slower and I'm having trouble finding food that my sleeve actually agrees with and won't make me sick. However, yesterday I went to an amusement park with my family. I was able to walk around all day in the heat with tons of energy! The old me would had throbbing feet and ankles and needed my asthma inhaler all day. Hell, the only time I needed it yesterday was because my brother dragged me on a rollercoaster with four loops lol. I only needed it because I shut my eyes and held my breath the whole time! That's another thing- I haven't ridden a ride in years because I was afraid the attendants would tell me I'm too big- I fit just fine now! One last thing- we had to park at the far end of the parking lot. Walking the distance wasn't a big deal at all! In fact, I walked ahead of my family and had to keep waiting on them! Anyway, yesterday was just what I needed to boost my spirits and remind me why I'm on this journey! It reminded me that success after WLS isn't just about what's reflected on the scale everyday!

I think the focus should not be only the scale but also non-scale victories NSVs....I fit xyz better, I'm able to A longer, etc. also remember you may not be losing weight but you may be losing inches. Take measurements and do comparisons. Also I think slower weightloss helps with your skin elasticity and having less sagging skin. Be positive the surgeries work and you're doing your part....it will all fall in place!!

I had my surgery on May 9th. It's 12 weeks today! Time flies! Here is the official report: HW: 265 (4 wks before Surgery) SW: 239 CW: 209 Dress size: 22w to 14/16 My post surgery wt. loss is not as fast as some. But I am very happy! It is headed in the right direction! And the total wt. loss in last 4 months is close to 60 lbs! No complains from me! NSVs: Started wt. training and loving it! Started Couch to 5k. On wk. 2. Day 2 At lowest wt. in almost 16 years Compliments/comments that made me feel great: Hey girl! You are shrinking! Looks like someone is bringing the sexy back here! food goals: Kept below 800 cals a day on non-exercise day Upto 1000 on exercise days Carbs no more than 70 gms on exercise & 40-50 on no exercise days Protein intake: 80-110 per day Here is the biggest one: I HAVE LOGGED MY FOOD IN MFP FOT 80 DAYS IN A ROW! hair loss: There is some so far only when I shower. I use Organic coconut oil couple of times a week. I massage it in gently and wash my hair in the morning. Hoping for the best. I will take the temporary hair loss to have a chance at permanent weight loss! Other: No weakness, no surgery pains/complications. Hoping for continued downwards journey and support from this wonderful community!

Wow! It's great not being alone here. My NSV's Sitting crossed leg (my new favorite) Husband saying your so small ( even though I'm not) Shopping where ever I choose Siting in a chair and seeing the the seat on both sides of you 20' something men trying to make passes The missed double looks the best * my son saying that's enough on the weight loss you look good

I know what you mean..I mean after I woke up from the nineteen day coma. I had some serious regrets. For five and a half months I didn't even get to eat.....lol hun..Everyone has buyers remorse. Seems to me that you are no different then anyone else who has had weight loss surgery. Even if you were to lose the weight the traditional way you would get sagging skin and all the rest eventually... Do me a favor and just take it one day at a time and as you change your thinking and the lbs. start to really come off and you start to see the results of who you are becoming..The NSV's and all the health improvements. You may still regret it at times but you will be healthier and have a sense of living life.... Hang in there....It will get better. The stall ( body at rest ) is there to protect you from harming your body. It will protect itself from the possible danger of starvation....It is an amazing machine.........Once it feels safe it will start to let go of the lbs once more..okay!

NSV *shopping at Victoria Secret for the first time EVER!! *going from a TIGHT size 24 pants to a size 12. (First time as an adult that I can remember wearing a size 12) *sitting with my legs crossed. *getting my wedding rings sized. *painting my own toenails. *mowing the yard in the Texas heat for my husband.(and I did not die) *working out at the gym and not feeling "FAT" and feeling like everyone is starting at me. Just a few.

For the first time ever at the gym today, I was the only one running. The 3 other people were walking, but I was running!! I was the "fastest", and I kept it up for a nice 15 min jog!! Made me feel so proud!! Then to Celebrate I went down to the weight room and busted my butt. At one point a skinny mini was on the bar to do hanging leg raises and I totally did more and faster than she did. I felt actually somewhat normally fit!! LOL I have always been a completely non-athlete my entire life until recent years. Today I felt like I belonged there.

NSV!!! That is a milestone! Congrats!

Linda, just keep posting -- about the good, the bad, the losses, the wins, the challenges, the NSVs.

Enjoy the coasters. I'm sure walking around the park will be much easier. Congrats on your NSV.

We have had our ups and down but I am 116 pounds down (6 below goal), I feel amazing. It's still a learning experience everyday. I celebrated with an a awesome NSV!! I was able to go on a ride without worrying if I could fit in the seat. I was actually a little scared because I was moving around so much from the extra room I had

I didn't really have to do much exercise wise to lose the 1st 100lbs. The only exercise I've done is walking. I had a lot of foot pain before surgery. I started out walking from the farthest parking spot to my office front door, with the goal to walk 10k steps a day. It was in the 2nd month post-op that I really tried to start walking as exercise. Here's my blog post I keep to track my progress: http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31216-nsv-2-you-best-step-off-b-hatch/

They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with 1 step. What they don't tell you is that the journey is a b*tch if you're on step 1! 1/14/2015 Well it's been a few months since I last walked. November to be exact. With the cold weather and injuries and sinus drainage, I was pretty much out of commission. We were at it hard during September and October, hitting new highs on speed, sometimes going as fast as 3.9 mph for 3 miles. But November, my partner hurt his ankle and was out for 3 weeks, then I got terrible sinus headaches from breathing the smoke from neighbors burning piles of leaves and then the cold rain set in. So here it is, the middle of January and we haven't walked a mile per day. Fortunately, I've actually lost weight in that time and kept it off. My new job keeps me moving quite a bit. 8/26/2014 Wish there was more the report, but it's still HOT in Texas. Most days the temp is around 91 with a heat index of 101 when I walk. I've had to start wearing a water soaked towel around my neck and a hat while I walk to complete 3 miles. I've come close to heat exhaustion a few times and had to head over to the water faucet and soak my head till the dizziness clears. I thought I'd have built up a tolerance to the heat by now, but doesn't seem like that is going to happen. Good news is, the worst of the heat is over, once we hit September temps will slooooooowly creep down to the low 90's every evening. And by October, we'll be back in the 80's. I can't wait to see how fast I can do 4 miles when the temps are down in the 80's. Hopefully, I'll break the 15 minute mile. :-) 7/30/2014 I know I keep saying this, but OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS! The good news is that today was a cloudy day and I managed 4.25 miles @ 3.6 mph. I should be up and above 4 mph by the time cool weather rolls in during October. The heat is still in the 94 - 95 degree range with a heat index of 101 - 104. And as Madge said on the Palmolive dish-washing detergent, "You're soaking in it." :-P I'm still walking 5 days a week and hugging every inch of shade I can find! But I had to cut back to 3 miles, down from 4. I was just getting too dizzy and sick - even with using a water soaked towel to keep cool and carrying a water bottle. Monday, I had to stop at 2.5 miles and go soak my head under a water faucet. I hit a point and knew I had better get cooled off or something bad was about to happen. 7/24/2014 OMG!!! IT'S HOT IN TEXAS! For the past week it's been between 91 and 94 degrees with a heat index of 101 - 104... during the evenings... when I'm walking! I've had to begin carrying a wet towel and carry a water bottle to prevent dehydration and heat exhaustion. But aside from that, I've managed to walk between 3 and 4 miles in about an hour, averaging 3.5 - 3.7 mph. And haven't missed a day this week. But you gotta believe it when I say I was looking for ANY excuse to skip walking after work. But alas, the weather has been clear during the evenings and all the rain has managed to miss my exercise hour. I wonder how much it would cost me to have a crop duster fly up and seed some clouds just around the time I supposed to start walking???? 7/04/2014 Another 3 miles (including 1 mile in total of jogging in short stretches) in the record book. It still amazes me when I think back to just 18 months ago when I would go to bed wondering how much it would hurt to walk from the car to my desk at work. The Texas heat is a monster and I was really dreading walking (I mean baking) in 94 degree heat with a heat index of 101. That was yesterday! But I got rained out at the last minute. :-) ****Does happy dance**** I know, I know, I should be like those workout gurus and tell you how much I missed not going out there and sweating my ass off. But I gotta be honest and say I will take any "HONEST" excuse to duck out on walking in this heat. When I say "HONEST EXCUSE" I mean just that.... a real, "believable", reason (rain, when my car had a flat 2 weeks ago, or I feel like I've been pushing myself to the point of injury or sickness). Skipping a walk just because I don't feel like it is not enough. So this morning the I had planned to walk with a friend at Claiborne Park just north of Vidor, TX. We normally do 3.25 miles and I've been increasing the distance I've been jogging. But the radar shows rain headed right for us in the next hour or so. So we cancelled it. Instead I ran around my neighborhood. One lap around my block is approx. 1/2 mile. 2 long sides and 2 short sides. In 70 degree weather, I managed to run 12 of the short sides for a total of 1 miles....And the amazing part was I could have done more! So we'll see how much more tomorrow when I'm back out at Claiborne. 6/29/2014 Can't believe how well my attempts to jog are working out. Averaged 3.5 mph for 3.25 miles today. I walk a figure 8 style track and managed to jog the 4 straightaways all three laps. My next goal is to jog 1 mile non-stop. Shooting to reach that goal by the end of July. If the heat gets to be too much for me, my fall back plan is to go back to wearing the 30 lb weight vest and speed walk the trails. 6/19/2014 Another 3.25 miles down. Speed is still slow at 3.1 mph. Temp 91 degrees. Managed to make the whole circuit on 13 swallows of water. It's a pain to have to carry a water bottle on the trail, but it beats getting heat stroke! It's been tough getting used to the Texas heat. The heat's really been kicked up a notch since the end of May. I thought it was bad when the temps were in the high 80's. Oh how I long for those days. My walking partner calls me the shade hunter. He's much more tolerant of the heat. He can walk in full sun for the whole 3.25 miles, while I zigzag on the trail - going from one patch of shade to the next. I think I may actually be walking farther than him, but he carries the GPS, so I have to go by his distance and time. Doesn't matter to me though, just completing the whole trail every day is a win. 06/18/2014 Man is it hot! The Texas Summer heat is just getting its stride and things are baking in the park. I'm up to 3.25 miles each day/ 3.1 mph while wearing a 30 lb vest. Fastest speed without the vest was 3.6 mph for 3.25 miles. Thinking it might be time to try the couch to 5k plan. Not really sure all this effort is worth the results. It's a vicious cycle - the more I get in shape the farther/faster I have to walk to burn the same amount of calories. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10/02/2013 Hit a new personal best time at the park. 3.2 miles an hour, did 3 point something miles in about 53 minutes or something close to that, I've forgotten the exact time. :-) But at least I'm getting better, both in distance and being able to recover enough to walk at the same intensity day after day. It seems like only yesterday (actually it was Jan 2nd) that I started my walking program by taking the long way around the office to the bathroom. :-P Just goes to show that taking small steps can add up to bigger things later on. 7/11/2013 Well, I lost Gilligan, my pedometer. I named him Gilligan cause he was my "little buddy". Not sure where he ran off to. I left the house with him on my hip and at the end of the day, he was gone. So now I have Gilligan the 2nd or Gilligan the Next Generation, depending on your point of view. Gilligan II is a little smarter, so hopefully he won't get lost. He keeps track not only of my steps and mileage, but takes into account my weight, lists calories burned, total steps, aerobic steps (meaning any walking continuously for 10 minutes or more) and tells me how long I've been aerobically walking . And he remembers everything from the past 6 days. The good news is that I've graduated to a 2 mile trail in a local park. It has lots of ups and downs - and the occasional rabbit/armadillo/snake/Pimp butterfly on the trail to keep things entertaining. And I'm able to make the walk 6 to 7 days a week. My 1st goal was to be able to complete the 2 miles every day 6 to 7 days a week. I have reached that goal as of July. The next goal is to start increasing my speed. See if I can break the 45 minute mark for completing the trail. Current best speed is 46 minutes. 5/17/2013 Finally! Made over 10k steps a day for 6 days in a row. My original goal was to do it for 5 days in a row. Plus as an added NSV, I have graduated from walking on flat, level surfaces to walking in a parking garage. I do the 1st 5k steps in the morning on level ground, but at lunch, I step it up (no pun intended) by going out to a 3 story parking garage. Having to walk up those inclines between floors add a whole new level to the phrase "pain in the butt!" :-P I was walking next to a coworker yesterday and she said, "I smell smoke." I said, "That's me. I'm not just hot, I'm SMOKIN!" For those out there that have feet and knee pain like me, it pays to move, no matter how little. That's how I started out 5 months ago. I could barely walk from the parking lot to the store without limping and being in a lot of pain. But I always parked at the far end of the lot and minced my way into the store. And I set a goal to walk the inside perimeter of my office every time I went to the bathroom or had to leave my desk. That was 4 to 10 laps a day. When we move to a bigger office in Feb. I set a goal to make 4 laps a day around the office (approximately 1200 steps plus the 500 steps from the parking lot to my desk got me up to about 1700 steps a day). When I got to the point where I could tolerate the 4 laps with no lasting pain, I added 4 laps at lunch. Then 5 in the morning and 5 at lunch till I could do 10 each time. That took several months to accomplish and I usually only could do that at most 3 days a week and be in pain for the other 2 days. Now 10 laps twice a day is too easy, so I changed to going into the parking garage at lunch. The inclined ramps are easy on my ankles and ups my aerobic activity. Plus it gets me out in the sun - gotta have my Vitamin D! That's how I did it. Little changes add up. Now I've got 2 ladies a work who SAY they want to start walking with me - but so far it's only been talk. :-) This is from today, 5/17/2013. It's gonna break my heart to reset it in the morning! 2/19/2013 Just checked my pedometer when I got home and finally crossed the 10k steps goal or 4.5 miles in 1 day. I usually on get in around 2.5 to 3 miles a day, but today I had a lot of extra walking at work and for the 2nd day this week I've been able to walk additional laps around the building at lunch. Hopefully my feet and hips will allow me to maintain or surpass 10k a day from now on. Update:3/28/2013 Still managing to get closer to my goal of 5 miles/day, 7 days a week. I'm averaging 4.5 miles/day 4 days a week. My hips no longer hurt, just some muscle soreness. And my feet are usually only a little painful after walking but the pain is almost gone the next day. The people at work are starting to take notice of my walking before work and at lunch time. Commenting on my weight loss, that may sound encouraging, but I'd rather stay unnoticed and unremarked on. Noticing my weight loss and exercising will only lead to questions - ones I'd rather not answer. I've had one or two people comment on how much they need to start walking with me, almost daily, but they never seem to find the time to do even one lap around the floor with me. I never made those type of comments when I'd see people working out, cause I knew that I wasn't going to make the effort. So why try to fool them and me? If I did, it would feel like I was apologizing for being fat and feeling guilty for not exercising. I didn't feel like any kind of exercise plan was going to do me any good. I was too far gone. As Ralphie May said, "This is way past a diet coke fix." 3/4/2013 I'm still walking 3 - 4 miles per day, 5 days a week, but getting past 10k steps a day is tough. My feet and hips are pretty sore the day after doing that many steps and it limits me reaching 10k more than 2 or 3 times a week. But I keep working at it. As long as I'm walking every day, I'm getting closer to my goal.

Congrats on a great NSV!!!!

Kind of an NSV I can feel my collar bones and hip bones now but they hurt! My collar bones are so sensitive! I'll be vacationing in Charlotte next week and going to carowinds to ride roller coasters all day which another huge nsv for me.

Life's pace has definitely picked up with being back and work and all. The challenges of time have definitely been affecting me. Especially - time to eat right, time to make good decisions and time to log what's been going on. I promised myself that I'd blog to keep up with my progress and empty out what's in my head so I don't lose track of the thoughts. So 14lbs in the first week is a LOT to live up to. I haven't lost that much more since - of course my scale is schitzo which is good in a way cause it keeps me off of there. But if I were to venture a guess from the last time i tried to sneak on there looks like i'm down another 2 or 4 lbs (depends on what direction I lean in on the scale LOL). So I'm down to either 222 or 224. I'll go with 224 just so that anything less will pleasantly be surprised. I started to get a little bummed when I thought to myself - i'm down past 230 which I haven't been in a long time AND yesterday when I got out of the car, the hubby called me "skinny girl". Clothes have been fitting WAY better... theres a bunch of NSVs to be had so I can't get wrapped up in the numbers. What I do need to do though is make sure I incorporate enough exercise EVERY DAY. I go in on the weekends but I get so caught up on the weekdays. And I MUST make time to make my protein shake in the morning otherwise, the rest of the day falls like dominoes with poor decisions -whether it means that I'll eat something I really shouldn't be or decide not to eat at all - which is an equally bad decision. Something I've learned since the swelling has gone down is that... I can totally eat just the way I used to. I think if I tried to throwback a bacon cheese burger... I could do it w/o getting "stuck" or "slimed" or any of that. But the beautiful thing is that... I HAVEN'T. The worst I've done was to have a hamburger patty with a little avocado. No bread, no bacon no nothing. And I ate it... SLOW. And I drank something 15 min later. So I get it. All this time before they actually activate you is to get you to train your own mind about what you need to be doing in order to be successful. Now i just have to keep it going, get some real activity in and watch the change roll in.

So, I'm not superstitious, but out of pure habit, I always wish on eyelashes when I find one on me (which is frequently). I have always, always wished to be thin. Today, without even thinking about it I said in my head, "Please let me get my term papers written on time." Oh, hey, look at that!

So things have gone pretty well to this point. My surgery was 10/21/13 I was around 245 at surgery and 287 at my highest weight. There are a LOT of food my new stomach doesn't like, eggs, frozen and some raw veggies, bread, Pasta, potatoes, which makes staying away from the naughty foods easy, lol. I definitely having dumping, only had to do that once to know I don't want to do it again. My hair, oh my poor hair, it's probably not even half as thick as it was before surgery and when I go through cycles of hair loss my head itches like crazy, this seems to happen any time I come out of a stall and loose weight. So there's no winning there. I've been fortunate in my surgical victories but just as lucky in my NSVs. Last weekend I got on the roller coaster that marked my rock bottom with my weight. Two years ago I had to get off the ride because I didn't fit, well I fit this time, with room to spare! I have zero regrets about my decision, except that I wish I'd done it earlier. I still have (probably more) body image issues than I had before, but I feel so great that it's still worth it.