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My exercise has only been walking since surgery. For years I've had foot and knee pain. I started out by parking as far from the entrance to my office and the stores as possible to force myself to get in some extra walking. Then I graduated up to walking around the inside of my office several times a week. After about 8 months, I was walking up to 5 miles a day. Now I'm focusing on speed walking and jogging. Take it a bit at a time and do just a little more each day. Here's my post where I keep track of my progress. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blog/9018/entry-31216-nsv-2-you-best-step-off-b-hatch/

There are many of the NSV (non scale victory) that make all the hard work worth it! It's an awesome feeling! Sometimes I just do a little jig for the sake of being happy!

So from the beginning of this path towards and following VSG, one of things on my list that made me make the decision to invest in WLS was when I travelled by air that the meal tray no longer lay flat because my belly would get in the way. Travel is a big part of my job, so this was a constant embarassment for me. There is nothing more embarassing than a flight attendant handing you a meal to a tray that won't lay flat, and at first they just think it isn't fully deployed, then they realize oh no, the tray is stuck on her and the look on their face changes. Total humiliation, right? Not to mention always having to ask for an extension for the seat belt, but at least the flight attendants don't seem phased by that request. Well I am happy to share that today I flew for the first time since my surgery (it was exactly four weeks since surgery and 5 weeks since pre-op diet start - I have lost 31lbs since June 1st) when I boarded that flight I dread two things, fastening the seat belt and using the meal tray; NSV #1 - the seat belt fastened without an extension! it was tight but I was able to fasten it! NSV #2 - the below attached picture is a shot of the fulley deployed meal tray and my belly - it is a little blurry but the white solid mass is the tray and the black and white flowered area is my t-shirt - there was 2-3 inches between my belly and the tray which lay perfectly flat!! You know I have been saying that this first month and 30 lbs was just a drop in the bucket, that I would not start to see benefits for another 30-40 lbs( I have 145 lbs excess weight) - but I was wrong - even 30lbs makes a difference!

So I just finished my 3rd twelve hour shift as a nurse (since my surgery) And I am so not tired! I was able to come home and play with my kids Instead of hitting the bed! Sooo happy about that Surgery date May 6th SW 240 Current weight 200 Living my life again!

I went out with my Texan last night--and here's a little NSV. Sometimes it's these little things that add up to feeling like it's all been SO worth it. A year ago, there's no way I would have been willingly photographed. Also, a year ago, he couldn't have done this without grunting, straining, getting red in the face and out of breath. Kind of fun to be lifted up like you're dainty. I haven't felt dainty in years.

@@boccob81 I read somewhere on the forums that posture problems and weird muscle deficiencies that cause you to walk funny happen as the weight is rapidly lost. Basically your back and shoulder muscles are overcompensating for a stomach weight that's not there anymore, plus your abdominal muscles aren't fully healed from surgery yet. Best advice I found is to simple walk tall, sit straight up. If you're having trouble with your leg muscles though I'd be worried you're not getting enough Protein and your body is eating your muscles as fuel instead of fat. NSVs: I had to wrap string around my wedding rings today to tighten them up because they fell off my hands while washing in the bathroom. I also researched how to alter button up shirts so I don't have to buy all new for work just yet, just have a lot of sewing to do. I also went outside wearing a sleeveless shirt, to the grocery store, without an overwhelming sense of shame and self-consciousness. My upper arms still aren't nice to look at, but I just felt better about myself so I did it.

If the many diets that you have tried over the years don't help you lose weight, weight loss surgery may turn out to be the only strategy that is able to get you to your goal weight. Still, weight loss surgery is just a tool, and your weight loss depends on your hard work over the years from when you first plan your surgery to when you are maintaining your goal weight. A healthy lifestyle includes eating right, exercising regularly, and silencing the doubtful voices in your head and of your family and friends. Measuring each bite of food, and getting up before dawn to take a walk, and passing up your aunt’s homemade peach pie can get tiresome. Motivating yourself and setting good goals can help you consistently make the right decisions for your health. These are a few tips to help you. Why Are You Losing Weight? It’s easy to remember why you want to lose weight when you are having trouble finding small-enough clothes or your weight is above the limit for a theme park ride. It’s harder to remember why you want to lose weight when you and a group of friends are at the dinner table with a large chocolate cake. Making a list of the reasons why you want to lose weight and looking at the list often can keep the reasons fresh in your mind and strengthen your resolve to resist temptation. These are some of the common reasons for getting weight loss surgery. Live longer. Be healthier – get off medications or manage your health conditions better. Participate in more activities with friends and family. Go shopping in regular stores with great clothes. Fit comfortably into car seats, restaurant booths, and movie theater and airplane seats. Feel better about yourself. Make It Personal Deepen your motivation even further and use it to help you stay on track if you think about some of the reasons why you are losing weight that have to do with people in your life. These might be some of your reasons. You want to be an active parent who is able to play with your children. You want to be alive and healthy when your children graduate from high school or give you grandchildren. Obesity is making you miss out on important moments like family hikes. You watched an overweight parent or aunt or uncle suffer from diabetes or heart disease at a young age, and know that you may be headed in the same direction. Your siblings also suffer from obesity and its consequences, and you want to break the pattern. Think About the Short, Medium, and Long Term The weight loss journey is a long and difficult process, to say the least. You need to spend months or years preparing for weight loss surgery by getting the payment sorted out, choosing a surgeon, and following the pre-surgery diet. Then there is the actual surgery, followed by months of recovery that can include pain, nausea, and complications. As you recover, you need to learn an entirely new way of eating and living, and may be hungry, cranky, and tired. Finally, there is the rest of your life, as you lose weight and stay on your new eating plan. Every day can be filled with challenges such as tempting but forbidden foods, the need to exercise, and how to deal with people who may not be supportive of your surgery. Goals give you something specific to work towards. The long-term goals are the big ones. They may be the ones that you have in mind when you get weight loss surgery or that you tell other people. Some long-term goals might be losing 100 pounds, or jogging five miles without stopping. Those long-term goals can take years to accomplish, and setting some short-term goals can keep you focused as you work toward the long-term goals. They can include losing 5 pounds this month or speed-walking for a mile. These are some other short-term goals that can keep you on track day-to-day. Lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol or blood sugar levels enough so that your doctor tells you to lower your dose of medications. Going for a month without going to a fast food restaurant. Hitting your protein and water goals every day for a week. Vary Your Goals Victories can be few and far between if your goals are too narrow, and this mistake can leave you feeling unmotivated. Consider what happens if the only goals that you have are to lost certain amounts of weight. What happens if you do not hit a certain weight loss goal? Does that mean that your hard work has been pointless? Of course not, but you might feel that way if that was the only goal that you were working towards. Learn to look for and recognize all kinds of progress by setting goals that go beyond your weight. When you achieve them, you have earned a non-scale victory (NSV). While a lower number on the scale is easy to see, NSVs are what make life worth living. They can include the following. Getting in good enough shape to be able to walk briskly with your husband. Making it through an entire dinner at your parents’ house without taking offense at any negative comments about your surgery. Going out with your friends and enjoying their company without giving in to the food. Celebrate! We’re all a work in progress. With weight loss surgery comes years of working on improving your health. The only way to keep up the effort, and the only way to make the effort worthwhile, is to celebrate! Celebrate the small victories to be sure that you realize how valuable your efforts are. Buy yourself a new kitchen scale, get your nails done, go out for coffee with a friend, or plan a hiking trip. You are worth working for, and your victories are worth celebrating. You can lose more weight and keep it off when you stay focused, but that can be challenged. Remind yourself of your motivations and celebrate all kinds of victories to keep yourself in the game.

. Just remember your body has no clue what's going on just like you. It's in a constant state of shock. When I weigh everyday the scale is all over the plAce. I only weigh on check in day now. Focus on NSVs for now. It will happen sweets. just keep making healthy choices. I have banned myself from elevators this week. Next week I'm going to park the furthest from the doors to places. Let's hope I don't die of heat stroke. Lol. Hugs!

Save your lists! Hang them where you can see them and use them as a way to measure your success! All your NSV's (non scale victories) will be a better measure of success than the number on the scale. Check off each one as you reach it and CELEBRATE each one because it's YOUR hard work and sacrifice that made you successful. Look at your list when you hit a plateau to remind yourself of why you're doing this and how far you've come. The scale is just a number - the things you achieve are your LIFE! :-)

I was sleeved on 5/28, an in down 33 lbs! It has been an amazing journey so far, an can't wait for the more to come;) Still having hard time getting Protein in but I recently heard about click espresso drink, and ordered online. So looking forward to try it! NSV Since being released from hospital I Went from a size 22 to a 16! This is so amazing an I'm glad I didn't back out of doing this;) Good luck everyone:) SW 290 CW 257

Why Are You Losing Weight? It’s easy to remember why you want to lose weight when you are having trouble finding small-enough clothes or your weight is above the limit for a theme park ride. It’s harder to remember why you want to lose weight when you and a group of friends are at the dinner table with a large chocolate cake. Making a list of the reasons why you want to lose weight and looking at the list often can keep the reasons fresh in your mind and strengthen your resolve to resist temptation. These are some of the common reasons for getting weight loss surgery. Live longer. Be healthier – get off medications or manage your health conditions better. Participate in more activities with friends and family. Go shopping in regular stores with great clothes. Fit comfortably into car seats, restaurant booths, and movie theater and airplane seats. Feel better about yourself. Make It Personal Deepen your motivation even further and use it to help you stay on track if you think about some of the reasons why you are losing weight that have to do with people in your life. These might be some of your reasons. You want to be an active parent who is able to play with your children. You want to be alive and healthy when your children graduate from high school or give you grandchildren. Obesity is making you miss out on important moments like family hikes. You watched an overweight parent or aunt or uncle suffer from diabetes or heart disease at a young age, and know that you may be headed in the same direction. Your siblings also suffer from obesity and its consequences, and you want to break the pattern. Think About the Short, Medium, and Long Term The weight loss journey is a long and difficult process, to say the least. You need to spend months or years preparing for weight loss surgery by getting the payment sorted out, choosing a surgeon, and following the pre-surgery diet. Then there is the actual surgery, followed by months of recovery that can include pain, nausea, and complications. As you recover, you need to learn an entirely new way of eating and living, and may be hungry, cranky, and tired. Finally, there is the rest of your life, as you lose weight and stay on your new eating plan. Every day can be filled with challenges such as tempting but forbidden foods, the need to exercise, and how to deal with people who may not be supportive of your surgery. Goals give you something specific to work towards. The long-term goals are the big ones. They may be the ones that you have in mind when you get weight loss surgery or that you tell other people. Some long-term goals might be losing 100 pounds, or jogging five miles without stopping. Those long-term goals can take years to accomplish, and setting some short-term goals can keep you focused as you work toward the long-term goals. They can include losing 5 pounds this month or speed-walking for a mile. These are some other short-term goals that can keep you on track day-to-day. Lowering your blood pressure or cholesterol or blood sugar levels enough so that your doctor tells you to lower your dose of medications. Going for a month without going to a fast food restaurant. Hitting your protein and water goals every day for a week. Vary Your Goals Victories can be few and far between if your goals are too narrow, and this mistake can leave you feeling unmotivated. Consider what happens if the only goals that you have are to lost certain amounts of weight. What happens if you do not hit a certain weight loss goal? Does that mean that your hard work has been pointless? Of course not, but you might feel that way if that was the only goal that you were working towards. Learn to look for and recognize all kinds of progress by setting goals that go beyond your weight. When you achieve them, you have earned a non-scale victory (NSV). While a lower number on the scale is easy to see, NSVs are what make life worth living. They can include the following. Getting in good enough shape to be able to walk briskly with your husband. Making it through an entire dinner at your parents’ house without taking offense at any negative comments about your surgery. Going out with your friends and enjoying their company without giving in to the food. Celebrate! We’re all a work in progress. With weight loss surgery comes years of working on improving your health. The only way to keep up the effort, and the only way to make the effort worthwhile, is to celebrate! Celebrate the small victories to be sure that you realize how valuable your efforts are. Buy yourself a new kitchen scale, get your nails done, go out for coffee with a friend, or plan a hiking trip. You are worth working for, and your victories are worth celebrating. You can lose more weight and keep it off when you stay focused, but that can be challenged. Remind yourself of your motivations and celebrate all kinds of victories to keep yourself in the game.

Down 55 lbs. from my highest weight - now, at 233, I can: ride rides at Legoland with my son comfortably, go to the pool and not feel embarrassed, cross my legs (!!!), climb stairs with ease (up and down), go shopping or work all day without feeling like I am going to die. No more knee pain, foot pain, swollen legs, feet and ankles! So happy and so looking forward to even more NSVs!! I need to edit my stats and ticker - very out of date!

This is my first time posting, however I have been following since right before my surgery. I had a NSV that brought me to tears this 4th of July weekend and thought I would share. To some it may sound silly. I have 3 children 14, 4 and 2. I have been over weight all my life. When my 14 yr old was younger I was never able to take her on rides at carnvials or things like that as I was to big. In fact one time I tried but, had to get off because the lap thing wouldn't go down. Thankfully, she was to young to understand or remember. I of course was embarrassed beyond belief and remember it well. This weekend we took our kids to the 4th of July carnival and I was able to take my youngest on rides. I was able to sitwith them on the ride and I was able to get in a Trauma one helicopter without being told I was too big. I still have a ways to go but finally feel like a good mom to all my kids. Thanks for letting me share!

Aww, cute NSV. May you and your hubby thoroughly enjoy!

So yesterday was my 11th anniversary. I have lost about 65 lbs since surgery and nearly 90 lbs since my highest weight. So my husband brings in a Victoria's Secret bag and I'm thinking to myself, that had better be body spray because that's the only thing that I can wear from Victoria's Secret. But no, he bought several pair of "cheeky" panties. Mind you, I have been shopping for undies at Lane Bryant for nearly all of my adult life but my cute LB panties have become Granny panties. So my husband decided to take matters into his own hands and buy me some new ones. But from VS? I would never dream of buying anything from VS. so, I reluctantly try them on. Drum roll... They fit! And my butt actually looked good in them. Score one for me... And my Hubby.

Had a nsv today. I fit a size 14 not 14w boyfriend capris. I'm down to 209 losing slow according to the scale but losing inches.

There are many reasons for plateaus and everyone experiences them from time to time, some more often than others. It could be Water retention (possibly from Aunt Flo), less activity, not enough Protein, or your body could be going through an adjustment. You could be losing inches during this time. Don't cut back on food (if you snack you could back on that) and DO continue getting your protein and fluids in. Stay away from the scale for a week or two. Focus on NSV's (non scale victories) like clothes fitting better, not needing a medication, climbing those stairs w/o being winded, or whatever changes you are noticing in your life. These are the little things that mean so much more than a scale number and are the things you are working hardest for. Celebrate every one of them! The scale WILL move again, and most likely you WILL stall again eventually. Note: My first and only stall happened at 7 months out. It was a doozey, lasting almost TWO WHOLE MONTHS! :-)

@@QueenA yep airplanes stories are great no bruises, able to buckle can't get much better than that you'll enjoy many, many more wonderful NSV's greet each one with a true sign of continued success pre-WLS i tried to "hide" the fact that i couldn't buckle my seat belt the attendent discreetly leaned over to me with an extender i felt so horrible, embarrassed (at least she was nice) after a lot of weight loss, i sat in the middle of a 3 people i just "plumped" down in the seat there was so much room on each side of me - no embarressment sitting so close to two others really cool feeling you've lost 39 lbs!!!! keep up the great job (i know you will ) good luck for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life kathy congrats

Yea for girlie parts NSV! MY NSV for today. Fit into some size 18 pants that I've had for ages. First button up pants in a year (minus the size 24. Shorts I wore in april) . A tad tight but look good! I have a whole wardrobe of 18s. Time to sort my clothes!

I am so sorry, but your venting made me laugh..So many things that we all experienced and the buyers remorse shining through your complaints. Hold on kid it is going to get better. I promise you. Life is going to start to hand you some pretty cool experiences called NSV. And then you will say I am so glad I did this. Mean while it takes time to get used to all the changes and rules..of our new life style. But it will become very manageable for you as well as routine very soon. Take the time to really enjoy exploring new foods that would be interesting to try. And then for sure you will have conversations about food. The whole reason you had this surgery in the first place was because of your addiction to the chemical reaction in your brain and lack of self control while enjoying the chemical reaction in your brain. But if you learn to make good, nutritional choices and make them tasty. There will be lots to talk about and you will be helping your body as well. I am never hungry either and have not been hungry all along...If i did not have Reactive Hypoglycemia I probably would not eat as often as I do and then I would be smaller then I am now...... Trust me girl it will all come together and you are going to be so proud of yourself!!!!!!!

One of my big NSV is not being terrified of a camera...I had to make a conscious decision to not hide when photos were being taken. Was so glad I did! I even posed in a bathing suit!

Went to my primary care physician for my annual physical today...everything is good, blood pressure, etc. but the best thing was I only had to use one gown and I could tie it without any gaps....that is my NSV for today!!!

Yesterday, I celebrated an amazing NSV that I know a lot of you had already experienced. The last time I had been on a plane was in February and I can never forget that trip. The seats on both flights were small and I was absolutely MISERABLE and was left with hematomas and bruises on both hips that took weeks to heal. Since then I have been dreading getting on a plane again and mind you my job requires I travel so the leave of absence was a huge blessing and I was also blessed to work from home for the last 3 years. Well yesterday was AMAZING, not only did I fit into my seat and the belt had some space after I buckled it BUT I was also able to cross my legs. No bruises nor hematomas to report! I love this weight loss journey! Good luck to ALL and happy 4th! Let's all eat sensibly :-)

SW 204 CW 181.4 NSV found size 12 shirts at old navy that fit! Trying to get 10,000 steps in a day! Doing good!