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I think we all go through periods of feeling like it is not coming off as quickly as we would like. However, the important thing is that the weight is coming off. I was banded on 3/15/2012 and have lost 47, but that is 47 that I would not have lost without the help of my band. I have had tons of NSVs to make up for the scale not moving as quickly as I would like. More importantly, I am exercising and eating better, which is something I wasn't doing before. The clothing sizes dropping are the biggest thrill! When I first met with my wls doctor, I told him it wasn't about how many pounds that I wanted to lose, but I wanted to be healthier and be in "normal" clothing sizes. I have made both of those goals, so although I may have a lot of pounds to go, I know that I have been successful at my own pace. Try not to compare yourself to other's weight loss. It is an individual journey, we all have different lifestyles, body frames, stress levels, and hereditary factors that will affect how quickly we lose. In addition, depending on how much you have to lose also makes an impact on the speed of loss. Any weight loss is better than none! Go see if you can pick up 3 ten pound bags of dog food or 33 bags of sugar. It gives you a different perspective

Today I had an awesome NSV!!! I work for the State Patrol and they are supporters of the Special Olympics. They were looking for people to run our leg of torch run. So I participated. It wasn't pretty but I got it done. From Olympic Drive in Gig Harbor to the war memorial SR16/Jackson. It was a good 4 miles. Doesn't sound like much but considering this time last year the only way I would have completed it would have been in the back of an ambulance... this was a major win for me. Not only was it a win for me but it was for an awesome cause.

Today has been 3 wks since I was banded and I am feeling wonderful! I am back in the gym every day, was able to get in the pool last night for H2O Fitness Class. And I am training for my first 5K. Total loss so far is 27.2 Lbs Total loss since Banded is 13.9 Lbs ! YAY!!!!! 100.8 Lbs to go.. I love this pic and how true it is. I think sometimes its hard not to say well ABC has lost _______ already or why am I working so hard and the weight is not justt falling off. BUT if we really evaluate who we were yesterday as long as we are more healthy today, we are moving in the right direction. Can I run on the Elliptical 30 seconds longer today than yesterday before I have to slow back down to a walk. Are my pants fitting better or are they loose. Here is one of the first thing I noticed and it sounds silly.. I HAVE SAUSAGE FINGERS there you go I said it. Like had to hold my hands under cold water and really work to get my rings off prior to surgery. About a wk ago I noticed not only were my rings spinning I could easily get them on and off with little to no effort. HELLO Christy!!! that was a HUGE NSV for me.... that same wk the scale did not budge but I knew other parts of me were changing and for the good.

Way to go!! What does NSV stand for though?

My wife and I were banded 9 months ago. So far I have lost 50 lbs. She has lost about 40 lbs. Also her sister was banded a month later and is doing well also. It has been the best thing the three of us have done. We both saw the doctor yesterday and felt we were doing fine. He felt that the wife did not need a fill. I will get another fill next Monday. He did say that ice cream is one of the things that will put the weight on and cause you not to loose. My wife and sister-in-law are now calling me skinny. While at the regular doctor yesterday he said that my BP was good and do not need to come back until January. Then will do more bloodwork to see how things are going. He did ask about goals and I told him I was looking at about 165-170. Not going by the charts. He felt that was a good weight to shoot for. I will say it is the best thing we have done. There is a lot of NSV that have happen etc. Next week I go to see my partents and they will see the results. However they or my sisters do not know that we (I) have done the band. Good luck and keep us updated on how you are doing. Chris

Good for you! That is a great NSV!

When I would buy a new Harley shirt I almost always bought a mens because I refuse to look like a stuffed sausage on the back of the bike. I now have a wardrobe of really good Harley night shirts to sleep in and bum around the house because they look like dresses otherwise. It sure feels good doesn't it Good for you on your NSV! That first "wow it's really working" is actally a bit more than a small NSV...you go girl! YAY FOR YOU! Skye And....who cares if folks think you look silly dancing into the store in your Sturgis dress :grouphug: you feel good....you look good....you are doing GREAT!

@@mstrice oh dear, another long post from me interesting timing of this post - saw my doc yesterday blood pressure and diabetes are both usually helped by WLS (lower the dosage, or have med removed totally) i was taken off my blood pressure and diabetes meds shortly after sleeve (5 years ago) my epilepsy dosage was cut in 1/2 after a year!!! (biggest unexpected NSV) i told dr yesterday i thought we needed to talk about my BP and diabetes both #'s have been going up i did go back on BP meds a few months ago - doc agreed i now need to take more my diabetes meds should also be restarted doc "thinks" epilepsy meds should remain the same, no prob doing blood work once a month for the next year - gotta make sure no problems with seizures the above is about ME only many OP won't have to ever take meds again or will have a lower dosage sleeve has been around for a llllllong time initially did it to help OP with stomach cancer docs were realizing people were losing lots of weight PO docs then decided to make sleeve a WLS as time passes, more stats will be available from the sleeve (since they want more time for averages/stats) docs might realize that meds might have to be restarted for some don't mean to be a doubting dora just saying stuff i heard (if i'm mistaken please don't throw Protein shakes or bars at me ) good luck with surgery kathy

@@White Sale Your topic seems to be common for many of us. My invisibility was also a comfort zone What people seem to be attracted to may be your positive happy vibe and your healthy/attractive appearance. When you go from invisible to people going out of their way to help you, holding doors open for you and getting attention from the opposite sex. It is seriously an uncomfortable and a strange phenomenon to experience. After weight loss, I truly realized how society places value on appearance. Family & Friends You will find out who is supportive and positive in life. They will except this is you and life become's normal. No more shock and awe over your changing body. I have had people be unnerved by my weight loss. Unfortunately, things became awkward. The relationships faded I cut off negative unsupportive people. People that wouldn't give me the time of day, Now want to be friends....LOL they don't get to do that. Dating: I'm married. Can't wait to see posts on that Attention from the opposite sex: It's flattering but uncomfortable when your not used to it. It take's time to figure how to respond and interact in that arena again. I had to give myself a compliment scale... Appropriate - I give a quick thank you and move on. Makes a great NSV. (please post them if you have one) Hilarious - Also makes a great NSV. (again, Please post them I would love to hear it) Creepy - need we say more Here is what science has to say: Physical appearance Our society places particular value on physical characteristics. Curvy body shapes, long legs and luxurious hair are characteristics that are often seen as desirable in women. For men it might include characteristics such as muscularity, tallness and a firm jawline. For both sexes there is youthfulness, white even teeth, and facial symmetry. There is a vast amount of media coverage implicitly favoring, and in the case of the advertising industry explicitly promoting, these models of attractiveness. Films, magazines and television all contribute to what might be termed the tyranny of body shape images. There is a whole industry that aims to mould consumer preferences, and so sell products, by distorting the reality of normal into the unreality of ideals such as the so-called ideal of women being size zero. Because the ideal of attractiveness based on physical characteristics rather than personality traits (such as kindness, intelligence, thoughtfulness, sense of humour) is continually being promoted in western societies, you might assume that relationships in the west would be based on physical characteristics. This assumption has been found to be true, but only up to a point. Whether or not it is true might be to do with the reason for the relationship, short-term fun or longer-term commitment. Some psychologists suggest that in order to understand why particular physical attributes are deemed attractive we need to consider human evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection states that characteristics that give an animal or human the best chance of survival and of reproducing themselves will be prized. These psychologists would suggest that attraction based on physical characteristics is related to features which indicate healthiness and especially fertility. Viren Swami and Adrian Furnham (2006) have undertaken an overview of recent research which examined this suggested influence on attraction based on physical characteristics. Their research focused on the heterosexual male perspective. They pose the question of whether there are physical characteristics that are found to be attractive across cultures. If so, do these characteristics signal procreative potential as predicted by psychologists taking an evolutionary approach to explaining behaviour? Swami and Furnham conclude that there is research evidence to suggest that there are characteristics that have been shown to be attractive across cultures. The physical characteristics for females focus on body shape, especially the waist to hip measurement ratio (WHR). A WHR measure of 0.8 means that a person's waist measurement is 80 per cent of their hip measurement. The full article if your interested: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/psychology/starting-psychology/content-section-4.5

Hi. I recently hit a major plateau and was looking for something to feel good about/keep me motivated/celebrate, since the numbers on the scale were certainly not moving. I remembered that I had taken my measurements when I began my journey. I dug out the card where I had written them down and measured again. (bust, waist, hips, thighs, calves, neck, and upper arms). I had lost a total of 28.75 inches. Suddenly I felt better. If you are new and have not measured yourself - do it. Good luck to anyone who is just beginning this wonderful process!!! Becky

Mary - you my friend have accomplished what so many of us really need to do, focus on our health and not our weight. This is a major NSV. Congratulations!

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

Ok, So I'm kinda new here..... sorry if this sounds dumb but what does NSV mean?? Congratulations on the smaller size. I was banded on June 20th and am already down over 25 pounds from my high point. Made an unplanned trip to a local store just before the 4th of July and bought a pair of denim shorts, ONE size smaller and was so excited! I know in the beginning it will go a little faster, but I'm ready for the slow months too. It took years to get to this point and it's not going to disappear over night. I know it's not going to be easy all the time, but I'm ready! Again, congratulations!!! When I get this all figured out, I'll try posting a picture. Soooo glad I found this website! Barb banded 6/20/2006 UNMC Omaha Nebr Dr McBride highest 275 pre surgery 264 current 246

Awesome that you're getting the attention you deserve for your success. Now the package that the attention came in....well I'll leave that up to your interpretation. Congratulations on a huge NSV!

Congrats on the story! When I get a compliment on my looks, I feel like it's a pity compliment or like what they really want to say is, you're really pretty for a fat girl. It will be interesting to see if my thoughts change after my surgery. I feel really stupid but can someone tell me what NSV stands for?

What does NSV stand for? I feel like an idiot asking. Ha.

That's fabulous! I too am a scalaholic.(Confession time) I will try also to only get on the scales on Monday morning as I belong to the holiday challenge and need to record my weight for the week. I think you belong to it as well. Anyway, I do think that's a major NSV!!!! It's certainly a huge accomplishment and means you're on well on your way to 'skinnydom". I wish you the best and hope I can follow your example!!! You go girl!!!! Cindy

Had my port revision yesterday. Glad it's over is all I can say. But here's my takeaway story for the day. So I'm wearing the horrible hospital gown with the sock thingies on as well and waiting with the BF for my surgeon to come in to see me. Already got alot of comments from the nursing staff about the weight loss and was OK with it knowing it would stop once I went home. So as you likely know, the surgical floor is kept fairly cold and while waiting for the surgeon, I tucked my legs up under myself to keep warm. The surgeon walks in and first thing she says after good morning is 'well...look who's all curled up in the chair there.' Figures she would spot that right away knowing that was an impossible position for me at one time. A NSV is a NSV no matter where it happens...

I get to join the didn't eat any club too! First time ever! Thought about it but it just didn't seem that important. NSV???

Hi, I am looking for a couple of people who would like to join my little support group. So far our group consists of : Me- I was banded in November and have lost 35lbs. My Sister- She had the by-pass surgery 2 weeks ago. My Mom- She is scheduled for the Lap-band. A couple of our kids who are over weight and we're taking them on this journey with us! I have created a website where I post a suggested menu for the week. We do weekly weigh ins, post food and exercise journals, share recipes and NSV's with each other. Basically it's a very family oriented support group/website. If you would like to join, let me know and I'll send you a link to join our group. Good Luck to all.....We can do this!!

Way to go Penni. You must be on cloud nine. I would have bought every color also. That is a great NSV. So...when is your next shopping trip for clothes.

Mary - Look at those NSV's!! What a fabulous thing - no reflux, work-outs without gasping and flopping like a fish and your body is starting to function normally - on it's own. Not to mention 40 lbs lost. What's not to like? *Why are you keeping the RNY rules? Just curious. It is my opinion that the best thing to do once you have a band is to forget that you ever even HEARD of the RNY - since comparing your progress to a By-Pass patient only leads to the kind of disappointment that you are experiencing right now. I recommend that you follow the bandster rules - and forget about those RNY folks altogether. YOU ARE DOING GREAT!!! Go buy yourself something sexy to wear that fits - and relax for a day or two. The best thing about the band is that it will wait, if you need a break.

A new NSV!!!!!!

Congrats on having such a great recovery. I would count that as your 1st NSV if you haven't started counting them yet!

My bad, what's NSV?