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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.

So, people are starting to notice that I started losing again. I'd been at a plateau for a little more than 3 years and after the fill I had in late April/early May, started losing again. Slowly but surely. I'm back to reaching weights I've not been in 19 years! And I'm fitting in some jeans that I bought at the thrift store, before I could really fit in them. Wore those last week! Some shirts and other things are fitting better as well. I'm starting to try and break out of my shell more. And I'm feeling a little better about myself, because of the slow & steady weight loss. These are all little victories. If you're stuck or frustrated, don't give up. Keep on keeping on.

I had my RNY last December, 12/10/13. I'm having trouble with my surgery group. My surgery group says that RNY patients usually lose between 60 and 80 percent of their excess weight. But they don't say if that excess weight is more than you weighed as a young adult or more than the height weight charts say. They seem to mean, although they haven't ever said it plainly to me, that the excess weight is more than a normal BMI. But then when I've tried to pin that down, they say BMI's only work in general terms because each person is different. They add that having the goal of improved health is more important than weight loss. So I'm left with liking my improved health and all the NSV's of losing the weight. And I do, because those are really great feelings I haven't had for decades! But that doesn't stop me from bragging! For example, so far I've lost 85 pounds since I started this journey; my starting weight was 290 and my current weight is 205. My weight in college was 210, when I was really physically active and scrimmaging with the college soccer team. My "normal weight" from the height/weight charts is 187. My "ideal weight" for the BMI is no more than 189. So, here's the brag: If the excess is more than the height/weight charts, I've lost 82%! If the excess is more than the BMI ideal weight, I've lost 84%! And if the excess is more than college weight, I've lost 106%!!! No wonder my surgery group has been telling me since I've weighed about 230 and less, that I've lost enough and could stop at any time! I hope you've all experienced that kind of excess weight loss! I'm confident your health has improved as mine has!

I have gotten the double takes and shock responses. I tend to take it all in stride. I guess I don't really care what people think of the changes, I know I am on a journey and I have not reached my destination. I have achieved many NSV's and that has been the best reward possible. I am comfortable in my stretched out skin and I am still the same me on the inside. I still love, cry, fear, dream, throw tantrums (rarely), but I do it in smaller sized jeans. Maybe I am just used to people being people and reacting how they will. I choose to be happy. Hope this helps. Love my Band family

Weird NSV ,the two rolls of fat on my back are gone! Good riddance!!

I celebrated my 10th month surgiversary 7/24 while I was on a cruise to the Bahamas. I was nervous about the "all you can eat" aspect of my cruise, and it was a non-issue for me! I have always hated buffets because of the temptation to over over-eat or shame . It turns out that I loved the buffet because I could literally take a bite of something and then be done with it. I enjoyed many different tasty meats, salads and the occasional treats. No weight loss or gain. I used the gym to my full advantage and thoroughly enjoyed my trip.

Thanks JCP. You will be riding before you know it. And hopping into the saddle without having to climb on a log or rock is another great NSV!

I am in a stall. Totally sucks. I've only lost a couple lbs the last three weeks. I was sleeved June 5th, just over 7 weeks ago. I have decided to try carb cycling. For me that will mean NOT being ridged about my carb count for just one day a week (today was my first day) and im hoping that will jump start my metabolism again. I have been exercising every day since I hit 6 weeks and eating around 700 cals. I know some people are really against this but im tired of being stuck at this weight when im working so hard and following the rules. We'll see what happens! At least all this exercise is making me feel fantastic! Plenty of NSVs even if the scale isn't moving. Good luck to you!

Ok, I'm almost three years out and at goal ... Last week I walked into a dept store and bought 3 pairs of size 6 capris -- off the rack -- and they all fit!! One pair was tight, and when I looked at the tag, they are a size 4 that I picked up by mistake. Now, I have not lost any pounds on the scale in quite some time, but with my continued exercise and weight lifting, my body shape continues to get smaller. Whoo-hee! I feel so darned "normal!" Lol. Stick with it, everyone, there are many NSVs as the years go on!!

I just want to share, now that I have finally broken through my carbohydrate-binge after entering Onederland May 13th (and celebrating with occasional chips and ice cream). Because of my own actions--and the pull of carbs, causing hunger and cravings!--I got stuck in the 190s for two freakin' months. But I regrouped and finally got back on track last week. This morning I was 189.6! That's still too close to 190, but I'll take it; and I've been a really good (and motivated) girl all day. With my next milestone goal of 175 [hopefully by September], and the 180s now in view, I purged another component of my past weight-battle life: I gathered ALL the weight-loss crap/diet supplements I had around the house, in cabinets, and dumped them in the trash can [see picture]. Sensa. Xenadrine. Boxes of Optifast shakes and chicken Soup. Medifast. Venon (diet pills). Some other stuff--some chemicals that work on the brain to affect mood and the satiety center, etc. A bunch of stuff. It felt good to say "no more!!" Another NSV. Yeah. This reinforced a life lesson: It's easier and better to not get into trouble [don't even start the bad carbs], then to try to get out of it [fighting cravings].

Today, something happened to me that I thought would never happen. I was called a gym rat, because I chose to go 6 days a week instead of 5. I love it! It's better than being called fat.

So I was able to make my old saddle work by adding a seat shrinker pad. It was actually quite comfy. But now my butt has shrunk so much that even that is too big. So I splurged on a new (used) saddle this week! I've always ridden western until my last saddle which was an aussie with a horn. SO comfy! I will never ride anything but an aussie again. So in my search for one that fit both me and my horse, the winner was a Muster Master from Australian Stock Saddle Company. It is a crossover saddle, which basically means it fits and looks like an aussie, but takes a regular western cinch and has a western fleece bottom instead of the aussie serge panels. The other thing is this one doesn't have a horn. This will definitely take some getting used to and some creative rigging options, because I mostly use the horn to dally my lead rope, hook my drink holder onto, and drape my head stall and reins on when trailering. First ride is tomorrow....can't wait!

Thank you..I appreciate your comments. I have had several nsv. This is a really tough time in my life. Trying to stay positive. My fiance keeps telling me to stay off the scales! Lol. I really think I'm not getting enough calories. Haven't been able to take care of myself the way I should. I'm going to start though! Ty again.

My most favorite NSV so far! I thought I'd never have to be a bridesmaid again, but after a whirlwind romance, my little sister wants a big wedding. So off to look at dreaded bridesmaid dresses we went. It was so liberating to not be the fat girl worried about them having a dress in my size or what it would look like. I was prepared to wear whatever she picked. And....I ended up looking really good on the dress she picked! The picture doesn't even do it justice. I'm the one in the pink dress. The actually dress is going to be blue.

I hate how those out there in the world think that just because we are big girls that we are automatically stronger than other's in shape. I get this all the time. When I go to Costcoe and buy big items that are too heavy for me to lift I get the sarcastic attitudes that say, " You are a big girl so of course you can maneuver this 60 pound bad of dog food all by yourself. I have never understood why folks think we big woman are also very strong woman because of our size!! To hell with those people. It is hard moving around this store hauling really heavy items. The attitude we are treated with is, "She is a big girl so she can lift that 85 pound bag of dog food all by herself" Fat doesn't mean strong. We walk around all day with various amounts of weight on us. Walking is harder, Carrying heavy items is harder. So to hell with others preconceived ideas that we big girls are also strong as an ox. I find the opposite true. Sure I am staring to exercise by walking but I need to do weight lifting at the gym. We overweight people have more difficulty moving around and carrying heavy items. But the population doesn't see it that way!!! Fat people are often treated as invisible. Like we don't exist. But all that will change as our program goes along and the weight starts coming off. People are going to treat us differently once we are thin. That will be a real good NSV. Being noticed and having doors opened for you will be more NSV's. This is a life changing endeavor. I am going to make it. How about you others out there? What do you think?

Sorry i am a French speaking Canadian,I have sometimes a hard time with abbreviation...what does NSV stand for? Thanks

Thank you, RJ, that's a great idea! I'm going to keep a list of NSVs! Pookeyism, you're so right... Slowly regaining my health is an amazing feeling!

I have four more months left of insurance mandated weight loss. I needed to go to Wall-Mart this A.M. to pick up some Torani syrups to flavor the Protein shakes that I'm using as part of my weight loss efforts. While there, of course, the bakery was baking and my appetite raised its ugly head. I wanted EVERYTHING!!! Since I couldn't make up my mind on what to get to eat, I decided to get a hamburger (who am I kidding? I would have gotten fries too) on the way home. When I started the car to leave Wall-Mart, the car radio came on. You need to know this about me. I almost never listen to the radio in the car and if I do (like this morning) I always turn it off when I get out. I can't stand having the radio come blaring on when I start the car. For some reason, I didn't turn it off this time. The song on the radio was a Praise song that I've taken as my personal anthem in my journey through RNY to take my health back. I sat in the car listening to that song and thinking about all the reasons I started this journey. I drove home past all the burger places, got out my bottle of decaf iced tea (that I'm drinking as I write this) and am looking forward to using my new Raspberry Torani syrup in a shake for lunch. I have a feeling it will have the sweet taste of victory!