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You are doing so good! I don't think I would have been that good! Great NSVs for the New Year! Thanks for updating!

As a proud member of the 'Slow Losers', I promised to start a thread of my NSV's. I'm wearing clothes I haven't worn in years. Before my surgery I ordered a pair of custom fit khakis from Land's End (if you haven't tried their custom fit service - it's awesome - but I digress) By the time the pants showed up 6 weeks later, I had gained enough weight that they didn't fit. I, of course, blamed it on bad measurements and threw the pants into the closet, meaning to return them. I was digging in my closet yesterday and came across these same khakis. I tried them on - they fell off! and I mean FELL OFF. I'm going to take them to the tailor today and see if she can fix them. I have bones!! When I lay down flat, I have hip bones! I also have wrist bones and knuckles on my fingers. I'm beginning to see a little clavicle action. and some cheek bones. I had to retire my XL belt from Target. I got an identical one, size large, and I'm down to the 2nd to the last notch. I can cross my legs! (this is probably my favorite) I was at the gym doing some weight work. I picked up the 35 pound dumbell to start - and it hit me - this is how much I've lost. Holy Cow - This thing is HEAVY! I know I have more - and I'll have to think about them and add to this list like Vines does to hers.

Major NSV today - got into (cant wear yet but did them up!!!) a pair of Size 18 Sussans jeans. That's a regular store size 18 (I think it's about a US 16), not a plus size 18 - 2 entirely different things in Australia, plus size sizes are really generous. So.......... I'm going to wait, five or six kilos more and I'll be able to wear those jeans in public, I wont buy any new clothes till then. By then I'll be able to shop in a regular store. My Size and 1626 (our two major plus size chains) have served me well but I have just resolved NEVER to set foot in either one of them again. YAY!!!

I think starting a diet or new lifestyle is one area where nature is kind. I always find the weight pours off at first and just when that fast ride stops is when the NSV's start, keeps you going a bit longer. You're dong great.

Great NSV's Karen! Keep it up!!

Great job! You will experience many NSVs during your journey but sometimes, the first ones are the best. I think my first real NSV was being able to button the 3X shirts I wore. Till then, I had to wear them open with a cami underneath. I really think that this was the first time I realized I was losing weight other than number watching.

New Friends and Triumphs I had the greatest 5 hour chat with my newest friend from LBT last night, who is now back on her feet with her weight loss after regaining and then at some point, standing still with her weight. I am extremely proud of her and happy she is seeing instant results this past week after working extremely hard physically and really cutting back on food. I also have another friend whom I am extremely proud of. She has lost 8lbs on her very own in the past week and is not even banded. She's learning from the forum threads on what to do and what not to do and she's doing it. I have no words that would describe how proud I really am of her. It was refreshing to know that some of the threads and posts I have done or participated in have somehow helped motivate some people to do more, eat less and switch things up to get the scale moving again. What I Post Everything that I post here is not sensationalized. What I post here is what I really do and I live by my word. If I promise to do something, I 100% wholeheartedly do it. I won't sugar coat anything and I won't lie about what I am doing. I will never lie about my weight, about what I eat and what I drink. I will never cheat myself in that aspect. If I mess up, I will honestly tell you that I messed up. I have gained momentum in my weight loss journey, more so now since I found LBT. I am learning so much from other members on here. Especially what not to do. I enjoy reading NSV's, 100lb weight loss accomplishments and New Onderlanders. Reading positive posts is what keeps my momentum going. What Are We Doing? Not Doing? People, EXERCISE, PORTION CONTROL, Water, CALORIC INTAKE AND CARVING OUT CERTAIN CARBS (JUNK)is the key. Let's not play ignorant. We all see it repeatedly here in the posts we read. We see what people eat and that they don't exercise and wonder why they aren't losing or are slowly losing. :violin: Yes It is hard to give up certain comfort foods. (Hard is a 4 letter word) Yes, there are genuine reasons people can't exercise everyday (Health issues, arthritis, excessive weight/pain or new to surgery, etc.) BUT there is no excuse for the kind of food you put in your mouths. The choices we make is all free will, will power and all that jazz. If you are in the supermarket and are thirsty... pick up Dasani water instead of Mountain Dew. You honestly know that you are not supposed to drink that stuff. I don't need to tell you that you shouldn't have that crap and I'm sure you don't want to hear it from me either. If you are here to lose weight, equip yourself with knowledge. I'm trying to share with you here what I am learning. We are all here to share our stories of triumph and loss and to learn from them. It makes no sense to ask a question, then get really good answers and advice and then not take it or brush it off and say that's not what you are looking to hear. What Got Me Here Food - Bad eating behavior Self Abuse - Exercise (lack) How I Changed That Got a home equity line of credit to pay for surgery My bike My treadmill My jumprope My bodyball My freewill and willpower My waterbottle My Own Personal Triumph My latest triumph is losing weight after my band surgery and keeping it off 3 weeks yesterday. My Blessing My blessing - having a home with enough equity to get funding to have the surgery. Everyone knows what they are eating and knows honestly if they are not working out. Don't lie to yourself. I don't care if I annoy you or if you turn your nose up at me. I am not here to hug you when you binge on a pint of Haagen Daas and tell you that it's ok. It's not ok! We all got here because somewhere along the lines we have done something we shouldn't have done. Some of you continue to do it. Something To Think About If you take the total cost of your surgery, plane or airfare, repeat fillings and other operations associated with weight loss and divide it by the amount of weight you want to lose, you'll get a cost per pound. My cost per lb. $10,600.00 for surgery. $580.00 for airfare. No fills so far and no other surgeries or doctors visits. Totals = $11,180.00 divided by 105lbs (I plan on losing) and this does not include the 7% interest I am paying on the loan. It has cost me soo far, $106.47 per pound. Hypothetically speaking, if I stopped losing weight and stay where I am, which is as of this morning -27lbs down, that would mean it cost me $414.07 per pound. I can't live with knowing I'm spending that much money for nothing. I am here to lose weight and to help motivate others to do so. Yes, I am a new bandster and I don't know half as much as other bandsters but I do know that what I am doing is working.

Gingerbug, A year does make a big difference. I do not see my weight loss on myself except when I look at pictures, then I see it. but looking in a mirror or looking down at myself, I still see the old me. My Laundry NSV is when I fold my underwear... Not Tent-N-Awning anymore. 40ismyyear. congrads.... How wonderful. scale Victories are just as important. I know this band IS the single best thing I have ever done for myself. Self pay.. yep, and I would pay it all over again... Double it even. I AM WORTH IT. Again Congrads.. I need to set my final goal. How did you set yours? Lois

Hello everyone! I was banded 5/6 and yesterday had my 1st nsv! My mom and dad have been telling me they could tell I've been losing the weight but honestly I hadn't been able to tell yet. I've been working hard though this past week when I started feeling better from surgery. (19 lbs lost) Well yesterday was my nephews bday and usually I hate getting dressed up to go places bc I've felt no matter what I wear I look awful.(might I add both of my sisters put together weigh as much as me by myself) Well I pulled out some old clothes I haven't worn in a yr or longer. Clothes actually fit!!!! And we're loose!!!!!I actually thought I looked really pretty and when I got there my sister told me how great I looked. I'm so excited! Great motivation! !!! I will be working really hard this summer to keep this up!! What was your 1st Nsv story?!

What an exciting and amazing NSV!!! I love the pic!

I'm almost choked up here reading your WONDERFUL NSV! I hope that someday I am also able to do that. You are one of the people here that I find most inspiring and I am so happy for you that you've gotten to this point. CONGRATS!!!

I know each surgeon's post-op instructions vary (quite wildly, in fact!). I myself was not eating solids until 4 weeks out and started out very gingerly at that.........eating mostly mushies! A 1 lb increase is very normal when you're weighing yourself daily. As you mentioned, extra salt can cause increased Water retention. For women, hormonal changes cause all kinds of water fluctuation. A lack of bowel movements can also increase our weight. And as SMP1126 mentioned, "starvation mode" can throw us into a stall and cause fluctuations as well. The "Week 3 Stall" is a VERY well known topic here on VerticalSleeveTalk. If you were to type that into the search bar (top right hand corner of the page), you would be AMAZED at the number of posts and amount of discussion about it! Don't get discouraged, and stay your course. Keep drinking your fluids, go slow and easy with your foods. Try to get moving if you can (not sure swimming is a good idea yet, especially if you had a drain.....it takes time for those incisions to really heal up, and chlorine in the wounds won't help!). I do quite a bit of walking and I started swimming around week 6-7 post-op. Keep up the great work, and if you can manage it, put the scale away for a few days. The stall will drive you crazy (up 1/2 pound, down 1/2 pound, up 1 pound....ARGH!). Instead, try taking your measurements and monitor them. And take note of how your clothes are fitting. These are very motivating NSVs (non scale victories) that are not tied to the evil scale.

Harold - I will be sure to send candies - sugar free of course !!! David - thanks - I'll take any and all inspiration. Honestly, I'm not upset, actually quite happy where I am. I see other NSV's all along (especially clothes) that keep me happy away from the scale. I bust my butt at least 5 days at the gym, eat like a "normal" human being and when I don't, the band is there to remind me. I feel better now than I have in years. I know its just a number, but would like to see myself at overweight, not obese sooner than later....

Great NSV!

Wow!! What a difference losing 113 pounds can make!! This theme park experience was so different from before!! Last time I was publicly humiliated when I couldn't fit in the roller coaster. I was just crushed. This time, I rode every ride possible!! I fit comfortably in every ride we went on and had the time of my life!! I had energy all day long to walk the park. I still want to lose quite a bit more, but I finally feel like I can be free and just live again!! I am overjoyed!!! Oh, and another NSV, I went to a Cardinals baseball store and was actually able to purchase a women's cardinals tank top! I usually have to buy the men's size shirt because the women's just do not fit in that type of official sports shirt. I was very happy to be able to buy a girly Cardinals shirt instead of a baggy men's style!

@@The Candidate thank goodness for slippers feeling healthier, able to walk easier great feelings and experiences to come your way look forward to all those wonderful NSV's to come your way new clothes not needing those seat belt extenders not having to sit in handicapped toilet you'll have many more NSV's, things to look forward too excited along with you for your surgery next week you know i wish you the best speedy healthy recovery good luck kathy

Here is a NSV 7 days post op- this am in my closet for the heck of it I grabbed a pair of size 20 Capri jeans I couldn't get over my hips let alone ZIP 4 weeks ago. Guess what? I'm wearing them right now!!! And they look good on me!!!! Yahoo!

NSV is short for Non-Scale Victory... anything weight loss related that does not relate to numbers on a scale.

What is a NSV? Sorry..

To say I am very proud of myself is to put it mildly. Yesterday, after the call from my surgeon's office about his fee, due tomorrow at my Pre-Op, I cried most of the day, stayed pretty depressed, but stayed determined it would all work out. I have to claim my 1st NSV!!!! In any high stress situation, I always turn to food. I am so proud to say that last night, I stayed on my pre-op diet and did not let food control my emotions. That is a major step for me. One I will have to continue on forever!!! Pre-Op tomorrow, Surgery 10/8! I can not wait!!!:smile::thumbup:

what is NSV. boy do I feel stupid.

As I was losing weight, I noticed that one of my NSV (non scale victories) was going in and buying a piece of new clothes that were slightly smaller than my current size. You know, the kind that if you took a deep breathe, you would pop a button on the pants. And then a week later, that piece of clothes would fit me like a glove. It was quite a thrill.

Somehow my post went somewhere else so I will say it again here... Pookey, you look great! Your glasses are now too big for your face. You need to get smaller frames girl! What an NSV! Woohooo!

I don't think anyone appreciates being referred to as a "cow"... ouch. Congrats on your NSV and for achieving another milestone.

NSV: Starting out at 350 lbs looking at my pre-op diet and thinking how am I going to do this? Dieting is not my strong point and I have to go on a liquid diet? My surgery is next Tuesday and this morning the scale reads 307!! I have to admit the first few days were not fun, but I feel like I scored!