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I am a type II Diabetic. Without meds my blood sugar is in the 300's. With meds my fasting is about 190...which is still to high for fasting. Before I decided to have the surgery I was put on three different blood sugar meds and that was my breaking point. Well - I have to report that I have been checking my sugars religiously all week. I have not been taking any meds and my fasting runs 85-109 in the morning!!!!! It hasn't been that low in 10 years even with meds!

Hang in there. I am coming on being 18 months post band and only lost 25 pounds last year despite all my efforts including exercise x 8 hours a week. The body does get thrifty and I was extrememly frustrated but was seeing NSV (non scale victories) then boom My body has go9ne back to losing significant weight again. So keep pluggin in as we are all in this for the long haul

Terri, you're a better woman than I am! That's a big NSV!

That's an NSV if I've ever seen it!

great work! these are great NSVs!

I have a dimple! Not like the kind that is on my thighs...the FACE kind! Who knew. Ive never been small enough to see it. This is by leaps and bounds the best NSV Ive had so far!

I noticed an NSV today... I don't meet with my boss very often, it has been a couple of months since I have been up to his office (where the nice furniture is!). I remember when I first sat in his office chairs and I was sorta "wedged" into the chair. Today I sat in the chair and there was no "wedging", I just sat in the chair. It felt so good as I knew I looked "wedged" into it before. This is all so exciting, I can hardly believe it sometimes!! I love my band, and it has only been two months...

It's sort of a "Petite" NSV?

Becca, thank you so much for that. I cried as I watched the NSV portion. (The emotion-manipulating music didn't help that! LOL) I can so relate to many of your NSVs. I've lost 60 lbs now, too. My almost 8 year old dd loves to put her arms all the way around me now. I haven't been to an amusement park since I was about 300lbs and I can so relate to the not-fitting-on-the-ride thing. Crossing legs, check, throwing away plus-sized catalogs, check, losing clothing sizes, check. I am so grateful for this blessing in my life. Thank you for expressing it so beautifully in your video blog.

Talk about some awesome NSVs! WTG Patty!

What a great NSV and boost to your self-esteem and determination to keep going!! Congratulations, that's awesom! Emily

Congrats on that super NSV!

Hello! I should be getting sleeved by mid-March. I am excited and nervous. Can some of you please share two things with me: 1. What (if any) complications did you have and were they remedied? 2. Any NSV's you have had and about how long into the process you had them?

Great NSVs! Has anyone been told that they don't look like their driver's license picture? I'm still waiting on that one.

Weight loss has helped me and so has cutting back on caffeine. Awesome NSV!

I am fairly new here. What does NSV stand for?

I didn't have quite as much to lose (I started at 325) but I was overwhelmed for sure. Even when I was down quite a bit I felt overwhelmed. Every time the scale stopped I was worried that was it. But I hung in there and ten months out from surgery I am down 125lbs, am down 6 pants sizes, and I feel (and look) like an entirely different person. It's scary and frustrating at times, but sooo worth it. I kept trying to tell myself that the next year would pass whether or not I got the surgery or followed the plan, and that I'd rather be on the track of looking back at how far I've come than wishing I had made the choice. Making a list of reasons I want to be at goal weight helped me. When I was stressed or when the scale didn't move I would pull it out to remind myself. And as you progress write down all your successes, even the smallest NSVs. It will get easier over time, I promise.

I had mine in March I'm down 26 lbs. Just keep going it will come off. Like everyone says. It will happen. I've been bummed that I haven't lost much. But I have NSV all the time. Everybody's different. ❤❤

I'm almost a year and a half out from surgery and I've almost reached goal weight- have completely changed my lifestyle, and I'm pretty proud of my progress. I went from a size 22 pair of jeans to a size 8 (I'm 5'9"). I walk close to 4 mi./day. People that I knew from before will walk right past me in the grocery store without recognizing me. Talk about a NSV... Then, a couple of weeks ago, I fell and broke my jaw! Ugh! It was competely wired shut for 2 weeks. Hello liquid diet again! Fortunately I had previous experience with that, so I knew to make home made chicken and beef stock, Protein drinks, and I ordered powdered supplements from Celebrate. I knew that RNY peeps are not really supposed to use straws, but, what choice did I have? I lost an 10 additional pounds, which I didn't really need to lose... Now, they have replaced some of the wires with rubber bands, so I can barely bit a baby spoon between my jaws. So, on to the puree stage! Can anyone say deja vu? Again, I knew just what to make/buy for this stage of my recovery. Next week, I move on to mushies. Needless to say, I can't wait until the final stage of this, but it will be a while before I eat anything crispy or chewy again. Then I will buy a 3 oz. portion of filet mignon, season it, sear it in a pan, and rip it apart with my fingers and teeth (I adore meat lol). So, I had a little set back but, ironically enough, my RNY experience has helped me to successfully and HEALTHFULLY navigate this episode.

Definitely, definitely, definitely STOP WORRYING If you search past (and even current) posts here you will read about the dreaded week 3 stall....there is even one by me!!!! You have to keep in mind that after losing so much weight so quickly your body needs time to adjust to that weight. I will also tell you that stressing out over it can make it worse. Just keep doing what you're doing and TRY not to focus on the number on the scale....it's just a number!!! Instead, focus on the NSV's (non-scale victories). When I hit the 3 week stall (which lasted 2 weeks BTW), I took my measurements and even though I hadn't lost ANY weight in two weeks, I had lost several inches....proof that the scale can, at times, be my worst enemy!! So, don't beat yourself up....you're doing great!!!!

The dreaded 3 week stall strikes again!! You are NOT done losing weight!! Don't even let yourself think that! This is a great time to take your measurements and see if you are losing inches. If you didn't take them before surgery, then do it now and watch those inches shrink! I lost my first pants size during a stall. I was frustrated by the darn scale and, while I was getting dressed one morning, my pants fell off my booty! That's when I realized that there are lots of NSVs (non-scale victories) to be found. If your clothes are getting bigger and you are more able to do things, then you are still getting the benefits of the sleeve, even if the scale isn't moving. Remember that muscle weighs more than fat. It's definitely true! If you are exercising, even walking and very light weights, then you are building muscle. Even if it's a tiny bit of exercise, it's more than you were doing before surgery and your body responds very quickly to that little bit of exercise. Believe me, I don't work out intensly and I'm seeing HUGE results from my 30 minutes of walking per day and my 3 pound hand weights 3 times a week! At just over 5 months out, I'm seeing definition in my arms and legs, plus my weight is redistributing itself into more feminine lines, instead of the sponge-bob squarepants look I had before! Put the scale away, get out your measuring tape and work on drinking your Water. You will start losing again, and very quickly! Good luck!!

Hi All, I thought I'd share some of what I thought were the odder moments of surgery. First off was I had been in my room several hours before I noticed the gown I was wearing when I was willed in was a different one. Now I know during surgery we are all laid out like Sunday chicken but it still felt odd to think of someone undressing and redressing me! I also had something called an On Q pump an odd little gizmo that pumps in a novacaine type drug into your stomach area. The last was a bit of a NSV well not really but felt like it they came to take me to x-ray for the upper gi they brought this wheelchair big enough to almost fit two of me in it. The barium stuff was nasty as could be but with someone like me with bad reflux I was able to do it. Oh and a last bit of advice for anyone waiting on surgery, when they bring you your first liquid tray do not go crazy mixing in the unflavored Protein into every thing (G) Nancy

So I'm now a little over three weeks since being sleeved. I actually typed this up once before but somehow lost it and was too tired to type again until now. My time in the hospital started off with a glitch and ended with a glitch. At first (after being at the hospital for over 5 hours- also had a vena cava filter put in) my bloodwork showed I had low potassium. If they couldn't get it raised by taking what I call potassium "shots", which were super nasty tasting, then my surgery would have to be post-poned. Yeah...I freaked, but my levels did raise about 40 minutes after the potassium shot- so yay surgery! Everything with surgery went fine. The surgeon said if I hadn't lost the 63 lbs. ahead of time she would've had to have done an open procedure because my liver was still pretty big but thank goodness that didn't happen! I was so happy to wake up alive and with the laproscopic option! My other glitch was one night I woke up with a nurse sitting by my side. Apparently my oxygen levels went really low and I stopped breathing. The nurse had to stay with me as I slept that night since it kept going low- scary! Anyways that led me to staying in the hospital another night and I was supposed to stay a fourth night but they decided to let me go home if I slept with oxygen at home and scheduled some heart tests and a sleep study. Whew- I was glad I could leave the hospital! I was so ready to be home! Finally after a couple days home I got on the scale- oh I so shouldn't have- I had gained 15 lbs!!!!! What... I thought I was supposed to lose weight! So I know it was due to receiving fluids for 4 days and the air they pump into your stomach during surgery but still it was depressing. I've since lost those lbs- thank goodness. Then came the appointments. Had an echocardiagram and bubble tests done on the heart, potassium checked, additional bloodwork done, follow- up with the surgeon and nutritionist, and more bloodwork done to see if I had infection (had some bad stomach pain). All of that came back good. And then I had the oh so fun sleep study last night. Wow- that was an experience! How weird to be hooked up to so many wires and to have someone watch you sleep. The strangest thing was waking up in a pitch dark room while someone was saying my name. Of course I woke up forgetting where I was and I kept looking around trying to see who was calling my name- well duh it was over the intercom. he he . I haven't received results yet but the technician said I definitely didn't have severe sleep apnea and she wasn't even sure I'd be diagnosed with sleep apnea/need a c-pap. Both she and my surgeon guess it may be because of the pain meds why I had issues in the hospital- but of course I won't know for sure until my follow-up with the doc. Whew- well there is my story. Overall things went well. It is definitely an adjustment but I continue to tell myself it will get better and better. I've really enjoyed reading all your stories and NSV's and can't wait to be there with you soon!

Kyleigh, 70 pounds! Gone, Gone, Gone! I am so proud of you! Great job! Now what are some NSVs that you've noticed? Keep up the fantastic job!