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OMG! I just ate 1/2 of a Lean Cuisine! I could have eaten 2 of them before this band. I am totally shocked. Also, just bought spandex shorts to wear under my bathing suit for my Water aerobics, and they're XL. I was looking for 2X, they didn't have any, so I risked the XL thinking I could take them back if they were just way too tight. THEY'RE LOOSE! OMG! (I guess I could technically have 3 NSV's since I'm starting water aerobics tonight. Wouldn't have done that before the band....). Let's keep going! This feels so good. I always thought the WW saying of "this ______ feels better than food tastes" was a little corny.....but......well, it's still corny, but it's feeling more true now!

Just want to say good for all of you. Also, what is NSV?

Dee Dee....it's been a few weeks now, I am wondering how you are doing? I am so glad that you got such supportive responses. It is hard to admit when we are struggling, but you know what, most of us struggle at times during this process. I am a slow loser, but after tracking for so long now, I see the pattern. My body holds onto the weight for awhile, then I lose 3-5 lbs overnight. I was going thru my closet this weekend and getting rid of the rest of my larger sizes and trying stuff on, I had this favorite brown jacket and it was my "small jacket" of all my jackets, I could snap it closed but barely. I thought I could get a few more wears out of it, and as I slipped it on and the jacket wrapped from side to side...the buttons under my armpits...I had that NSV my little private reminder that I am so much smaller. Lately the scale isn't moving...and I started to think that I was the same size I was before....I still have weight to lose and have my tummy fat to contend with you see....but I allowed myself to realize that I am already a success with my healthier me campaign!!! I am doing it .....and so are YOU !!

i have had several nsv's since i got banded on 4/22 - i inherited my grandmother's diamond dinner ring and i couldn't barely get it on my pinky (she had tiny fingers) and now it fits not only on the ring finger, it fits on the ring finger of my right hand which is my dominant hand and bigger than my left. i also put on a pair of jeans today that used to not go over my thighs and they are baggy. i have lost 62 pounds since my surgery, 4 clothing sizes, 2 bra sizes, a ring size and 2 shoe sizes. i got taken off my blood pressure and other meds and am feeling really amazing! katie

That is a good NSV congratulations.

My NSV is being able to do an hour on the elliptical without stopping. Ive been doing this over a week now almost everyday at the gym! #2 Went shopping b/c everything is big on me now. I Was a size 20. Grabbed a pair of pants in a 14 but took a 16 too just in case. Tried on the 16 first and it was loose so needed the 14!!!

Ok time to revive the NSV thread. On Monday my supervisor told me I was looking particulary thiner, I gave my low self esteem beating and made some comment. Didn't think much about it then today one of my co-workers said I lookd good today. Then while walking through the building I ran into someone I hadn't seen for awhile and she commented that we hadn't ran into each other and that she was seeing "Less" of me...... But wait there's more...at lunch someone who used to work next to my group walked by and commented on how much thinner I was looking.

NSV to report, yay!! I went to exchange dress pants that I bought months ago they were way too big when I tried them on this weekend. I was already excited about them being so baggy. Imagine how THRILLED I was when I found that I needed two sizes smaller!! I was so happy.

Now my "skinny" clothes that I bought a couple of months ago to get me through are now too big. Down to a 36" pants and XL shirt( but they are fair from a tight fit). My other NSV was a realization while in the shower the other day. I have a tube shower that I have always hated because it felt so small. As I was taking a shower, I realized that the shower felt alot bigger than the last time I thought about it(before the surgery). It was just one of those silly little things that make you smile and proud.

12/21/08 My name is Julie and I am a food addict. I thought I had my problem under control. I thought that I had learned so many lessons that I could jump back on the wagon if I ever took a little sip from the bottle…so to speak. I had a Christmas party to go to on Friday. It went okay. Not great. I had a half of a dinner roll. Except for an occasional thin crust pizza I have not had any bread of any kind for 2 months. I didn’t even want to know if it would go down. It was a dinner party and they served steak. If it wouldn’t have been for the drink I had and the bread with butter I would have stayed under 1000 calories and been okay with the carbs…but I did eat and drink those things so I guess that’s how it is. The next day comes and I weigh in and I lost another 0.9 lbs. I realize that it will probably take another day to see the damage on the scale. I did good at breakfast and took my lunch to class with me and I was a very good girl. Pizza for supper…not so good. Today I have screwed the pooch….so to speak. (Can I say that here?) It is Sunday which means I am home all day and the gym is closed. Sundays are my hardest days! I ate leftover pizza for lunch and then …..we made Christmas cookies. I feel like a toad for the first time in a month! I half heartedly did a cardio Firm work out for 30 minutes today. Not a great work out. Oh here is the kicker…Are you ready…I was only 0.2 lbs away from my New Year’s goal. The gym is closed Wednesday and Thursday this week and next week. I want to go out and eat everything I can get my hands on. Almost like a last supper before I hike my butt up back onto the wagon. I’m not going to. I have to hit the gym in the morning if I can get up though. I have class tomorrow night, so I can do it then. It would have been better it I had gained a smidge back after eating badly just to teach myself that I can’t get away with it. I have to go back to those lessons I thought I learned. 1. DO NOT EAT UNLESS YOU ARE HUNGRY or unless it has been 5 hours since your last meal. 2. PROTEIN FIRST then you can have your HEALTHY side dish. 3. STOP EATING BEFORE YOU FEEL OVER FULL! 4. DO NOT EAT BETWEEN MEALS 5. DRINK YOUR WATER but not during or right after meals. 6. YOU WILL NOT SEE THE RESULTS YOU WANT UNLESS YOU WORK OUT! 7. Getting the lap band doesn’t make you lose weight. YOU STILL HAVE TO EAT HEALTHY AND EXERCISE! Time for a reminder Julie! Eating is for survival! It is to get enough nutrition to live. That is its main focus. It is not a reward. It does not console us. It doesn't take away boredom. It doesn't listen to our problems. It is a fair weather friend....actually not even a friend at all. It is that bi*chy girl in jr. high that we thought liked us, but only pretends to until she can stab us in the back. Memorize it! Put it to song. Make up a dance…I don’t how you remember it… LIVE IT! Okay you addict, get your big butt back on the wagon! Stop putting it off. Remember YOU ARE AN ADDICT! Oh you were so proud of yourself for 2 months. Well the jokes on you. Two months is not enough to give you permission to go back to your crappy eating. It only took two months to take off 45 lbs. I bet it would only take 2 months to gain 45 lbs. Didn’t you have some NSV along the way? Remember what it felt like to sit in a chair and feel like you didn’t know what to do with your fat stubby arms except cross them over your too big belly? Remember how it felt when your husband put it arms around you and you felt like he had to try too hard to hug you? Remember the first time you crossed your legs in YEARS. Maybe not as comfortable as you want, but you did it without even thinking. Remember putting those size 22 jeans in the give away and lounging around the house in the size 18 jeans. Remember putting on the shirt that hasn’t fit you in years. Do you really want to be back to that person that you see in all the pictures that have been taken of you over the past years? Remember when you started out and your goal was to feel comfortable sitting on the bleachers watching your kids play ball. Have you even thought recently that you have felt more comfortable doing that? What is more important to you? A slimy greasy piece of pizza and doughy cookie dough that sits in your stomach and makes you feel like crap or feeling great about yourself. What is more fun? Seeing how long you can go in between meals without getting hungry and being surprised by how little took away your hunger….or greasy butter garlic bread with a bowl of sodium filled tomato sauce. You are paying $265 a month for 5 years to have this tool to help you be healthy. You are so cheap…do you really want to throw all that money out the window for a crappy meal that will make your chest hurt and your feet swell again like they had been up until a month ago? Go to bed now and when you wake up you need to decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life. Are you going to live the life of a “user” or as someone in “recovery.” It’s all your decision Julie. It’s up to you to be a wonderful, healthy successful person who loves not only life, but herself as well!

I had to stop in and say nsV; I bought my first size 14 capris today !!!!!!! i started this wl in a size 24/22 !!!!!! i was doing a dance !!!! happy memorial day everyone see you in the june challange !! Amy

I'm glad that I'm not the only one for whom picking up dog poop without pain is a NSV.

Oh my goodness, Stace! You look great! What a wonderful NSV as to see your own pictures and realize how far yu've come! Congrats to you, keep up the great work. Karen

I was just thinking the same thing, about making my own NSV goals. Or whittling them down to a small list, anyway. 1. The ability to sit on the floor/ground, so that I can play with and train my dog 2. Walking more and eventually being able to jog and do 5ks 3. Kayaking 4. Swimming. My late grandfather swam competitively until he was in his 80s, so I'd love to get lessons at his swim club. 5. Wearing a bathing suit that's not a swim dress, and not feeling self-conscious about how I look 6. Shopping for non-plus size clothes 7. Reducing/eliminating meds & sleep apnea. Would love to not have to use a CPAP

I've had a couple of clothing-related NSVs this week. I bought a skirt online last summer that was too snug when I got it. After reading about people waiting too long to try on their smaller sizes, I decided I better give it a try. The waistband was three inches too big! I had to pin it! Also, today I put on some true size 16 jeans -- not 16W -- and they fit great! When I started this, I was wearing 18W or size 20 -- and they were snug. So I believe I've lost at least two sizes. My SV for this week is that I lost four pounds! That's my biggest loss since the first week after surgery. Do you think my last fill made a difference?

My NSV that I've been noticing lately is that all the people I met last year when I moved, and I thought were so skinny and tiny, aren't really all that skinny and tiny after all. I feel like I'm finally fitting in a bit and that's all I ever wanted.

Here's a new one. I am currently in grad school. Returned to college after many years. My school has those annoying little desks with the chairs attached. Until my banding, I could barely sit at those desks and had to suck it in and barely breathe. Imagine sitting in this position for 2 1/2 hours! One month in and I can sit at the desk almost comfortably. I can lower the desk withour bumping into my belly. Another NSV is that I can easily fit into a size 16. My 18's are loose and if I want to, I can now shop in the misses department instead of womans. How I miss that! The clothes are cuter and there is a larger selection. I own clothes from size 6 thru size 18. I could open up a boutique! It will be fun to shop in my own closet too.

I love hearing NSVs. With us all being around the same time, I can relate to a lot of it. I'll share a couple of my own... My work pants are getting too big. If I wasn't wearing an extra insulating layer underneath them, I could probably pull them off without unbuttoning. LOL I'm noticing a single chin when I smile. Yay! I tried on my REAL wedding ring yesterday and it goes on without forcing. It's not LOOSE, but I was able to slip it on. I've been wearing a silver band since I got too heavy for my ring (it made my finger hurt!). Now when I'm not at work and don't have to worry about the setting, I can wear my real wedding ring. :clap2:

You're right! It stands for "non-scale victory." I'm hoping for some NSVs today as I need to go through my clothes and pack up summer clothes and unpack winter clothes. I've kept all sizes down to size 10 when I lost weight four years ago. I'm nowhere near a 10 but I'm hoping maybe a few things will fit that I haven't been able to wear for awhile. I've already been wearing some things that technically fit before but didn't look good. I'm not as lumpy as I was before the surgery so I can wear them now.

My pants are loose, although, I don't really think I've gone down a pants-size, YET. My shirts are a lot longer....if you're like me, you spend a lot of time pulling shirts down to cover everything up. I haven't been doing that at all lately. My wedding/engagement rings are no longer tight. My greatest NSV is my face is much thinner. I have a picture of me taken the day of my surgery, and took one 2 days of ago of me and my youngest son, and there is a marked difference. That makes me so happy. I have been so self-conscious about my face, chins and neck, and I love seeing the improvement so soon. Keep going....this is all so exciting! I love reading everyone else's NSV's!

Kristin- Look at the ticker, you are doing great. I too love all us November Nymphs too! I would love to start a thread that tracks how much weight we are losing as a group. I think that it would be awesome to see how much weight we have lost all together. I am sure it is a lot. I have an NSV..I own a country store here in MA and all my customers cannot figure out what is changing about me. Usually they ask if I have done something different with my hair but then they say that boy you are looking younger. I finally break down and tell them that I have lost 53lbs. they are like wow it is amazing how much younger you look. I just love that because in a few weeks, I will be turning 40 eeeek! This Band was a gift to myself for being overweight over 35 years and wanting to change my life for next 40 years. Did I mention I love this band.

So glad to hear how successfull you are and feel! Great NSV's. Shawn

yeaaahhh Theresa! You are right, that is truly a wonderful NSV.

Saw a friend today that I haven't seen since before my surgery and when she saw me, she was excited because she could see my weight loss a lot she said. It made me smile from ear to eat. I'm down 22lbs. Tomorrow I will be one month out.

For the past week, my family spent time in our home away from home, South Lake Tahoe, CA. If you haven't been, it's a place you need to visit and fall in love with. We visit there quite often since we are only 90 minutes away. Anyhow, the week was filled with many NSV's and bucket list items for me. Tuesday: Kenny Chesney concert Wednesday: Beach day, parasailing, watching fireworks with friends and family Thursday: 8 mile hike followed by 4 miles walking around Casinos and shops Friday: 6 mile hike and beach day, rented jet skis. Saturday: Top of Heavenly- First time ever ziplining, rock climbing, ropes course, mountain coaster. It was amazing getting in so many first time things, and actually being able to climb to the top of the rock wall, complete the ropes course, be under a certain weight limit to fit into harnesses, etc. My kids were so impressed and proud that I was able to keep up with them, and in some cases, out do them! I'll take the memories and NSV's like that over and over again.