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I never, ever thought I would reach this NSV before I was even 2 months post-op, but I'll definitely take it! Today I was taken completely off of my blood pressure medicine. The day of my first fill, my blood pressure was 95/53. Well, that sure explained my light headedness! I saw my primary physican the next day and still had a very low reading, so he decided to cut my dose in half. He instructed me to record my blood pressure 2 times a day for several days and I still never got a reading above 103/68. Today, my physician told me that there is no smaller dose and to stop taking it completely. I am supposed to keep monitoring it twice a day and report my readings on Thursday. I pray that it stays normal and needless to say, I am definitely doing the happy dance. ( / ) ( l ) ( \ ) ( l ) ( / ) ( l ) ( \ )

Prior to my VSG I swore I would never wear skinny jeans. The couple times I tried them on in the past was not a joyful experience. If I was lucky enough to get them above my calves they did nothing for my figure. I would wiggle around trying to get them on and then feel like an udder shame when I looked in the mirror. I was solidly a boot cut jean type of girl. Well..... I not only found a pair that fit but I love the way they look on my figure. Also, I'm wearing white! White is not a forgiving color, I've always been a black/dark solids girl but not anymore!

I had the same NSV. I always wear leggings because my body is curvy and i'm short so it's hard to find jeans for myself. But also, since I had gained a lot of weight, I did not want to know what size my pants actually were so I never went to go buy jeans. But since I've been losing weight, I was feeling more confident and decided to go buy a pair of jeans. I had one pair before surgery and I was a size 18. I went to Old Navy maybe 2 weeks ago and I was a size 14 (stretchy jeans but still...) lol then I saw a pair of white slacks I bought from Express a couple years ago (size 12) and I thought, let's see how these fit so I know when I might fit into a size twelve soon...they zipped up and buttoned, a little tight but they actually fit. I dropped 3 pant sizes and I'll be 3 months post op on the 14th of this month. How awesome are we?

Congrats! I would count that as an NSV! Frankensleeve didn't like any vegetables till around the 6 month mark. Lettuce was just too tough for him. :-)

@@rydersmama, What a funny NSV! It is wonderful to have that sense of confidence, isn't it?

NSV - Shopping - Walker Tracker Challenge! Posted by AngieB, Today, 09:57 AM Admin/Owner Options Make This Entry A Draft

I'm finally beginning to get nsv's. Whoo hoo! 1. I haven't taken my diabetes medication since the night before my surgery. My numbers have been wonderful, except when I stupidly try some of the foods that I know will shoot them up. I don't do that very often. 2. I wore a pair of my FITTED size 24P slacks today. :bananapartyhat: No elastic, no spandex, no stretch. Honest to goodness khaki slacks. And I could breathe all day long. :high5: Audra

That is a great NSV whipple. Made me smile. We got the giant 5 gallon water bottles which are heavy too and they always remind me how much I have lost when I have to carry it in. Your doing great! Teresa

Sounds like a huge NSV to me. What an eyeopener. Oh yea, should you be lifting anything that heavy yet?

Just wantted to share a few victorys with my banded friends. first off i carry most of my weight in my hips and legs. i have big calfs and have always wantted to be ableto wear knee high boots, after my shower this mornning i was able to get my hand around my calfs, dont know if i can wear boots yet but maybe by fall. Second sale victory the scales read 190.1 this mornning. thanks for letting me share.

I took my granddaughter to ihop today and i could fitin a booth!!!!!!!!! Check one off my bucket list! Many more to come...........It's only the beginning.

Congrats, great NSV! I don't think it's crazy at all to make a big deal about it (because it is a big deal), it's these crazy NSV's that help us get our confidence back and feel good about what we have accomplished. I can feel mine when I'm laying down, but I can't see them yet.........I'll be sooo excited when I can!

What a great series of NSV's. And I love Vegas - so that makes it even better. Good for you. Happy Band Journeys to all.

Super NSV!

This past week we went on vacation to vegas. The last time I flew (13 mos ago) I could barely get that seat belt done up. I had to use every ounce of strength to get it buckled (my arms were shaking I was pulling so tight). Also, I thought I had the "bad seat" all the time because my seat would go back when it was supose to stay in the upright position. That turned out to be a little button that my leg would depress in (I had no idea that button was even hiding there). Anway back to the NSV. I fit! Whoohooo, I FIT GOOD! I was able to buckle up and have a good 6 inches of extra belt (never had extra before). AND I finally saw that button and no, my fat does not push it in anymore. I too can keep my seat in the upright position!!!! We literally walked miles and I was able to keep it at a good clip and didnt get tired out and could speak while walking! All good things! I get so concerned with the scale that every now and again it is just so good to see there are changes happening that the scale does not show me. Life is good! :scared:

What a great NSV.. even though it was a bit scale related... great anyway! WTG!

I agree with you....I had listed on an NSV thread somewhere that my house is so much cleaner. No more dust bunnies or being able to write things in the dust. I have cleaned out closets and made more space for things. I love my band too (except for the dreaded vomit episodes but hey at least the toilet is clean). It is like a dream world. I cannot believe that the old is back!

I had the same NSV last weekend! DH and I went to see GI Joe, and I was jonesin' for some popcorn like I couldn't believe. He helped me stand strong, which was unusual, as he's usually the one convincing ME to waste $8 on a bucket of popcorn.

That is the best NSV I have heard in a long time. I am so happy for you.

that is a great NSV!!! congrats

Hey everyone! I cant believe a year has flown by so fast. I know when I was pre-op I used to seek out these threads to read other's experiences, so I wanted to share mine too. My start weight was 277 the day I scheduled the consult for bariatric surgery, and I was 255 the day of surgery. The first 3 months were a bit of a whirlwind. I dropped 20 pounds in the first month, and I thought it would stay that fast, boy was that some realistic thinking on my part. As real food was reintroduced during my second month I learned what the foamies were...oh my goodness, so not fun. I lost 10 pounds during month two and I remember feeling discouraged and having to reassess my motivation for this surgery. Having to remind myself that this was a change for the rest of my life and that it was okay if the weight didn't just fly off, because if I kept working with my body, then my body would have no choice but to become healthy. The next month I lost 9 pounds and learned that if I didn't chew my food really, really well, that it could get stuck and hurt like hell until it made me vomit. This was not a fun time, but alas I learned, and learned relatively;y quickly. Month 4 came and two things of note happened. I lost 5 pounds and felt confused and a little lost as to what was happening with my body. Also, my hair started falling out like there was no tomorrow! That became my new normal for awhile. 5 pounds a month, hair falling out. Somewhere around 8 months out my hair loss stabilized, but by then I had lost about 2/3rds of the volume I had. Biotin never helped, but I took it from the day I was cleared to begin vitamins post op. Around March I was 6 months post op and I had my first month with no loss, where I actually gained. I was aghast. I had this weird feeling like I wasn't going to get where I needed to be unless I started working harder. So that was the point where I finally changed. I started counting every macro, and working out 3 days a week in April. Initially walking and increasing in length/intensity. That was the beginning of my adventure into exercise. I currently run/walk in intervals a 5k a minimum of 4 times a week. I have never felt stronger or more alive. I was the girl who only ran when chased, I had no idea that underneath all that weight was a body that felt happy when it ran. A brain that felt at peace when it focused on my breathing. I'm still losing at the rate of 5 pounds a month, total weight loss since March of 2016 is 110 pounds. Biggest change has been my brain. I stopped worrying about the scale. It goes down because I'm living the way I am supposed to be. It doesn't have to be big numbers, because this is the way I live my life now. I don't know if that makes sense anywhere except inside my head, but I hope you get it. I only this week made it into the "overweight" bmi category and I have 27 more pounds to go before I am considered to be of a healthy weight. Loose skin? Yep! I'm not even mad about it. To be honest I didn't expect as much on my thighs and thought most of it would be around my midsection, but it's everywhere. I don't think it will ever bother me enough to have it removed, but only the future knows for sure. Dumping. Now to be fair I had my gallbladder removed a few years prior to gastric bypass surgery, so I already had issues with dumping. Bile buildup has a laxative effect on me. If I go more than 12 hours without eating, then just a sip of water can send me running to the bathroom. Fats don't typically bother me and I avoid sugar because I don't like the way it feels when my insulin spikes and then drops. It's scary and not fun. I get fuzzy and light headed, my stomach feels blah and my heart races. I'm human though and I challenge my biology on occasion. Ice cream doesn't love me anymore. It melts in my pouch and foams back up and just feels like it's sitting at the top of my esophagus and making me burp little foamy ice cream burps...I think the only reason I am okay with halo top is because the sugar alcohols scare me enough that I only ever eat a tiny bit because I don't want to live in my bathroom lol. Support systems! These are so important. My spouse is amazing. He's my biggest cheerleader and my companion in all things, including exercise! Make sure the people in your life only want what's best for you. Current diet is low carb (under 20 grams a day) moderate protein (60-80 grams) and moderate fat. This will likely be how I eat the rest of my life and I am okay with that. When I do consume more sugar, my brain starts to crave sweets and I feel like I have to fight with myself. For me personally it's not worth it anymore. That last sentence is a huge nsv for me. It's so weird and amazing/awesome to be nearing 40 and finally feeling like I'm not powerless to food anymore.

Experiences seem to vary widely as far as surgery and recovery. I felt only discomfort (no pain) after surgery. The discomfort was the feeling of a foreign object in my chest that felt very heavy. This feeling went away in about 10 days. I also experienced a strange rash on my hands and arms that went away by itself. I believe this was an immune response to the band. You may experience discomfort from the gas used during surgery. Most people feel pain in the shoulder area. I did not. I felt the surgery was a piece of cake compared to other surgeries I have had. Your surgeon will put you on a post-op diet that you should follow to the "T". You will get really hungry between days 5-10 but you must not deviate from the post-op instructions no matter how hungry you are. I recommend you focus on drinking Water during this time to keep the hunger at bay. The period between recovery and your first fill are called "bandster hell". It is called this because you will have no restriction and will have to use a great deal of will power to get through it. It does take some time to reach good restriction but once you do, you will not feel deprived of food and weight loss will be relatively easy. I highly recommend you begin walking immediately following surgery and increase the amount of time you walk each day as you are feeling better. My experience has been that you will lose rapidly the first few months if you walk a lot. As soon as your surgeon deems you ready, start a routine/daily exercise regimen. I joined Curves and go 5 times/week and ride my bicycle several times per week for an hour or more. Be sure you get measured at your chest, stomach, hips, arms, legs so you can see non-scale victories (NSV's) for when you can't see the loss on the scale. It is normal to hit plateaus during your weight loss. I find this to be very discouraging but just keep in mind the loss will start up again. This is why measuring is important. I will be happy to answer any other questions you may have if you would like to message me. Best of luck to you!:cursing: Donna

@@cuchas hmmmmm i was 6 months 3 years ago at the time i think i had lost about 70 lbs it took me almost 6 more months to loose my final 35 lbs (reaching goal) if your stats are different (they probably will be) nothing to worry about we all loose lbs in various time periods never, ever compare your weight loss to me or anyone else people have been shot for less don't worry about the time period it takes to loose the weight some people think they will go to bed one night weighing 235 lbs and wake up at GOAL doesn't work that way 11 months or one year, or whatever to reach goal whats the big deal?? you will be looking/feeling better month to month smaller clothes sizes many more wonderful things will happen (NSV's) not sure if you are pre or post op either way good luck kathy

Amazing. I can cross my legs now, without having to lift them up with my arms. I have not been able to do that in five years. I can bend down and not have to have something near me to help push me up. I can get into the car without feeling like I am a contortionist. I can fit in a restaurant booth without my stomach touching the table. Amazing.

Hi, friends. Just sharing, as I'm so excited. Wednesday made 16 calendar weeks post-op VSG, and as of today, I've lost 50 pounds! Holy cow. I am halfway to goal in just four months!! SW =257.2 Dec. 4th--->Today = 206.0 ---> 170 (or 150--ultimate goal). I was hoping to enter Onederland by June 1st, but I think I'll get there before that, do you think...? I need to do monthly weight-loss tallies, but oddly, I lost 13 pounds this month! (I don't know why, but I'll take it!) OMG. And the NSVs are occurring every week. I really need to take pictures; I think I'll regret not having done so along this journey. Just sharing. This feels good...and I really needed that to happen. For any still wondering whether to have WLS, VSG or any type, I can already attest that it does change your life, energy, attitude, appearance, style, confidence, socialization, sexiness, etc. It all gets better, with more to come, it seems. Have a great day.