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Yesterday( here in Canada) was 1/2 price day on clothing. I was determined to go as I no longer can wear ANY of my old clothing and I don't have much $ to get new clothes. I am a head baker at a bakery and had a bread competition yesterday, so I started work at 1230 in the morning and did a 17 HOUR DAY!!!! Can we say exhausted???? Talk about an NSV too cause I did it without consuming boat loads of sugar (like I used to have to) just to make it thru the day!!! Anyways, as soon as I was done, I went to 2 VV's and got 2 pairs of jeans, 2 casual dress pants, 6 shirts, and a light zip-up hoodie for 45 BUCKS!!! Yahoo!!!! AND I bought a size 14 jeans that I can get on ( but not go out in yet)!!!! I haven't worn a size 14 in about 10+ years!!! Exhausted from yesterday's marathon work day, but here I am, posting from the sauna at the gum, after having such an intense lower body weights day that my legs are still vibrating ; ) MAN do I love the sleeve! And I love the support I get here! Thanks everyone!!! Off to work I go again......

What a lovely bunch of ladies. Your mom must be very proud. I feel sorry for your brother though. He gets left out every Mother's Day! *grins* Grats on your NSV. I knew you used to be the largest of the sisters and you once said you were afraid that they would all treat you differently once you were no longer the biggest. So... now that you're one of the little sisters, how is it?

One year. 110 pounds. As I sit here munching my egg beaters Breakfast, the first thought that pops in my head is thank goodness I love eggs and they agreed with me after my surgery! When I started this journey, I intended to blog about it. That never really materialized. I guess I expected to need to write down everything that happened. But it turned out just to be life. And normal life. That was totally unexpected. Anyway, I know this is going to be a long post and if you indulge me by reading it, thanks. If not, I'm ok with that too. I started at 275 pounds. I couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes without my back hurting. I was on medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. I was honestly afraid that I would not live to see my grandkids. (I was 55 years old at the time of my surgery). Today, I am off of all medications. Today, I weigh 165 pounds. I want to lose another 5 to 10 pounds but my doctors are happy where I am. Everyone I know tells me that I'm thin enough. We'll see.At the beginning, I was wearing size 24/26. Today, I wear size 12. I haven't been a size 12 since I was in junior high. I know how blessed I am. I had zero complications of any kind. This honestly seems like a miracle to me. The biggest blessing has been my family. Not only did they completely support me, but my husband went high Protein, low carb and started working out with me. (He has lost 60 pounds!) My biggest NSV was in November in Las Vegas. My husband and I were walking through a shopping center on the strip. I spotted these gorgeous party dresses in a store and decided to walk in. A sales girl told me that i should try one of them on. The largest size was a large and I thought "no way this will fit me". But, I decided to try. I went into the dressing room and slipped into the dress. I was stunned that it seemed too loose. So the girl brought me a Medium. It fit beautifully. So, I bought it. (It is the sequinny dress I wore at the Christmas party in the attached photo). After my hubby and I walked out of the store, I broke down in tears. Never in my wildest dreams would I have been able to wear a size Medium designer dress. Just a couple more things. The weirdest thing for me has been that I don't recognize myself in photos. The attached photo of me looking at my phone in the snow was taken last week by a friend of mine. I didn't realize it was me when I looked at her photos! My biggest challenge -- finding jeans that fit. I've settled into skinny jeans because they are the only ones that don't sag on my butt and thighs. How are things different? Well, I can't eat much and I know better than to overeat. I get drunk easily. I love going to the gym. I ride a mountain bike. I don't worry about dying. I can walk for hours. I could run if I didn't hate running so much. For anyone who is considering this journey....it is not easy but it is completely worth it. Be patient with yourself. The only way to be successful at this is to have your mind in the right place and commit fully.

Good morning all, Just wanted to share an exercise/fitness NSV. I ran the Hot chocolate 5K this past Sunday in Chicago, and my time was 43:48. Last year, pre-VSG, I did a 5K (walked pretty much the entire thing) and came in at 53:55. This time I was able to do a substantial amount of running/jogging, and shaving 10 minutes off my time felt awesome! Yay! I guess next time I need to shoot for under 40 minutes

6 months ago today I was shuffling around the halls of Northeast Medical Center as best I could after lifesaving/life changing surgery. Now one of my biggest goals will be achieved next Saturday when I complete Charlotte's Race Fest 10k...on my 34th birthday!! What's your favorite or most astounding non-scale victory??

I have this killer LBD. I've had it for a while, but I've only worn it out once. It's made of a thick stretchy fabric, and I love the way it hugs my hips and bottom and comes in at the waist. It's the ultimate hourglass shape. The only thing I don't like is the way it clings to my stomach. When I wore it out before, I put something on over the dress to cover my tummy, but that pretty much defeated the purpose of the dress. I decided that I would wear the dress again only after I'd lost a little weight and my stomach wasn't trying so hard to be the star of the show. Fast forward to just a few minutes ago. I went to my closet to try the dress on. I keep it on the hanger nearest the closet door, and when I walk in it's the first article of clothing that I see. It taunts me hanging there all smug, waiting for the body I wish I had. I took it off the hanger, stepped into the dress, tugged up the zipper, and looked at myself in the mirror. It still doesn't fit! All of this work and the stupid dress doesn't fit. It's too big. How's that for an NSV? My little black dress doesn't seem so little anymore!

Hi, My NSV this week was that I jumped into my pool midday and just enjoyed myself and my evolving body in my bathing suit(which is getting to big ). Just happy!

I am currently trying crossfit because a friend (RNY a year ago) is obsessed with it and there was a Groupon for the one near me. She wants to be a trainer. I feel like I'm not quite ready for it, because I have to be shown lots of stuff. But they haven't thrown me out, and I'm not giving up half-way through the class. And I can move the next day. I think the most telling NSV is one my Mom pointed out. We were chatting about crossfit and my Planet Fitness adventures and she said "Kathy, do you realize we've just spent 5 minutes talking about exercise?" LOL. NOT the old me at all! Kathy

What is your latest non scale victory? My current nsv is that I can fit in a size 36 men's jeans. Woo Hoo!!

My thrilling NSV (which demonstrates how lame I am!) is using the dryer. I hadn't ever used it for fear that my clothes would shrink.

hey bud wow - look at those NSV's!!! I'm sure you have many more too!! Make a special icon on your desktop to keep records of all your NSV's. ( ie the 1rst time you wore a smaller clothes size) you will see all your accomplishments and should be proud!!!🤗 Many OP go through different rough spots on their journey. Might gain a little too - but try not to upset yourself - causing you to possibly eat like the "good ol' days" (conflict in terms)!! Sounds like you still need to weigh your food - that way you can't / shouldn't overeat. Or keep a tally of how a much a portion/calories for foods you eat a lot. IE a certain chicken dinner. it is hard when you don't see that bloody scale move - but you know the drill about stalls - their a bummer, but we must deal with them. Don't weigh yourself daily for awhile. then you won't see any possible fluctuations. I get that that you are scared and frustrated now!! But you know where you were - where you are now, and where you want to go. I know you can get back on that horse - might be a little hard at this point - but you can, you can!! btw - i'm almost 7 years sleeve PO - going strong weighing in this morning .9 of a lb over goal. Also i'm still cute as a button LOL good luck bud kathy

Today after my morning shower I grabbed for the first towel I could find and wrapped it around myself. After stepping out of the shower and heading to the mirror I discovered that it wasn't my "normal" beach towel sized towel but one of the "regular" towels that everyone else in the house uses! What a happy way to begin my day! It motivated me to spend an extra 30 minutes at the gym too! Yay me!

Not a small NSV at all. Kinda reminds me of when I realized I didn't need the extra large blood pressure cup. Congrats!

I would like to challenge everyone to think about weight differently. Not in pounds and kg, but something different, some other measurement of weight. This is the site I used for weight conversions, and I find it facinating. (but I'm a geek, so there you go) http://www.onlineconversion.com/weight_all.htm What got me thinking about this was a converstaion on the official Turtle thread, Slow Losers Unite. We were talking about how easy it is to discount NSVs because they are not a socitial approved measure of success, like pound on the scale are. But pounds are just as arbirary a unit of measure as kegs and stones and Kg and firkins and pfunds and atomic mass. They are conventions that we have agreed to judge ourselves and others by. Arbitrary as they may be, we give them power they do not deserve. This is why I always list my weight in some weird other unit of measurement. To attmpt to take power away from the scale, to take power away from the scale. And if I can take it away from the external, I can reclaim it for myself. I know that this isn't an issue for many of our celibrated Rabbits. But maybe it is. Maybe Rabbits are devistated when the scale doesn't move at the rate they are used to. Maybe Rabbits are hit harder by plateaus. I don't know these things, but I suspect that it might hit you harder than The Turtle Tribe because if we don't lose our 4 ounce a week, well, it's hard to tell. But if ya'll are used to losing 3 pounds a week, and some of our Rabbits do lose like that, a week where you don't lose must be really hard. I know that think women are hit very hard by body dysmorrphia, that they stress just as much, if not more so, than those of who who are zaftig. So anyway, I would like to invite everyone to challenge the way the view weight. Change your weight to cloves, or dynes or even your atomic weight.

Yay to all of you! Keep on sharing! NSVs encourage me more than seeing the scale go down. I can't wait until I can cross my legs...no biggie for a lot of peeps but I haven't been able to cross them since high school.

Yeah for you!!! I too had a nsv this week! I can see my toes and I can get up and down from sitting/ lying way easier! Woohoo!

NSV's are the greatest.......Keep up the good work!

Now that's a NSV! Way to go!! I can't wait! :hurray:

Just had to share. I went to a water park tonight with my 2 children and my church and I went down the water slides. It has been over 20 years since I was comfortable enough to even attempt going on them. My girls were so happy and we had a blast. I will be attempting roller coasters next. BTW, I am 4 months out and down 94 lbs. Started at 330 and down to 236.

I have a quick question on the acronyms I am seeing here. What is PB, NSV and DH? There may be others but these seem to be recurring. Thanks, Mary:confused2:

i know that i haven't written in a while... i've had a lot going on with just LIFE in general... nothing bad, just busy with kids and family... :eek: soooo.... according to my Wii Fit, i am down 34 lbs. YIPPPPEEEE! I've had another fill of 1 1/2 cc. 2 weeks ago and have really good restriction. i tend to be realllllllyyyy tight in the mornings and early afternoon... by the time i'm ready for dinner, i can tolerate my food better. i have experienced 'sliming' for the first time... mmmm, not pretty. who knew that could feel so weird. :sad: i mean, i need to burp, but it won't come up... and i can hear gurgling... and then if i just give up and let it out, no FOOOOODDDD, just slime. :mad2: i used to have a problem with my esophogus being too tight... they dialated it and that was corrected... i THOUGHT being 'stuck' might feel like that did... a choking sensation, but the air still moves... NOPE, it's more than that... i still get the choking sensation, the air is moving, but i am salavating... i mean, like a dog. so i have to let it go. I assume this is what sliming is. So, now that i've been disgusting... i will share a NSV, well 2 NSV's. NSV #1- :thumbup: i have a pair of jeans that i could get into about a year ago, they were tight but i could wear them (with a muffin top of course!) i gained so much weight, i couldn't button them... well, i grabbed them out of the closet last week and BAM! they fit. i mean, they buttoned, zipped and NO MUFFIN TOP!!! Whoop Whoop!!! NSV #2-:w00t: i have a gorgeous evening outfit, sequined top with palazzo pants that i couldn't wear last June on my cruise. I was pissed. So, i put it on Sat and guess what? YES! IT fits!!! we are going on a cruise in March, so i am SET! Maybe it will even be baggy by then! (one can hope!) I am really doing well on this journey. i am not dropping weight rapidly, but hey: i got the lap-band®®®®, i didn't have gastric. I figure i put it on here over 38 years... i need to take it off slowly. i wish i had done this years ago. :crying: BUT, i am doing it now! i already feel soooo much better... my clothes are looking better on me & soon it will be time to go shopping for a new bra. This one is a little baggy in the cup (which is disappointing, but hey... i can always have plastic if i need it, later.) Maybe. Anyway, i hope that you are all doing well... I have lost from 306 day of surgery (DEC. 30, 2009) down to 283 (Feb. 20, 2010) That's 24 lbs. since the surgery!!! 7 weeks & 24 lbs. YYYYYIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE! that my friends, is 3.428571 lbs a week. Average. YAYAYAY!!!:tt1: BANDLANDIA is AWESOME!!!

Hey guys i just wanna announce.....I am in Onederland!!! Officially 199.0!!! Surgery datw of 10/25/12 starting weight of 243!!! Also I am officially a size 10 in Express...this is a very big deal becausw I nevee have been able to buy ANYTHING from there...I use to b a size 16!!

I know what the scale says I weigh, but sometimes it doesn't seem real. I have worn a size 2x pantyhose, and Queen sized knee highs for years. Yesterday I decided to buy some hose, and I was lost in the store. After buying several things and them not fitting, I found out, I'm a size A hose, and now "One Size Fits All" applies to me! I love my sleeve!

Stalls are very common especially with sleeve surgery. That is why someone on this site a long time ago created the phrase "Embrace the stall". Many sleeve patients remain in the weight loss phase for up to 2 years, so you have many, many months to go. Just follow your program guidelines and shift your focus to NSV, non-scale victories, such as fitting into smaller clothes or the remission of serious medical conditions.

I went walking yesterday and the armband that hold my IPod kept slipping, so today I tried it without the extender and it fit! I know this is small, but it did make me smile!