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I have to second this NSV!! I just recently actually got into a pair of pantyhose, put on a dress and 3 inch heels. I felt SOOOOO hot. I used to dress like that all the time!! I LOVED that I was actually able to wear the heels all day. My new man was VERY happy to see me that day!! Good NSV! Thank you for reminding me to acknowledge such things!!!

@@Inner Surfer Girl - "I am still way too buoyant to swim under Water but maybe that is in my future, too!" NSV for me was sinking like a rock in the water, muscle doesn't float so well. Downside is I do have to really kick to stay up Congrats on getting back in the pool. That's great.

I'm three weeks out today, down 25 pounds, and even though I was leary I decided to try on some jeans today that haven't fit in two years...THEY FIT!!!!! I could button them! A little snug, but three weeks ago I never thought I would fit in them again. Too soon to declare myself a success, but I'm definately in the right lane

Congratulations Tiff. What a great NSV!

For years, I've had an elevated resting heart rate (110-125bpm), and even in July when I had my well woman exam, my resting heart rate was around 98. We (myself and my medical professionals) always attributed it to my obesity, and the fact that I do smoke. I had hoped that with my weight loss my heart rate would level off, but it maintained 110-125 bpm up until July when it registered below 100. I was absolutely thrilled, but my PCM was only willing to wait another 6 months before sending me for a cardio work up. After the orthrostatic hypotension diagnosis in March, it really became apparent that my body was still adjusting. I still have bouts of hypotension, and my bp drops to 80/45 occasionally which is downright scary, but I just increase fluids and sodium again, and then I won't have bouts of almost passing out for a couple of weeks. With all that being said, my resting heart rate is down to 82bpm. Yes, it's still HIGH, but for it to drop from the 100's is amazing. I would like to get it down to 70. I'm sure working out is attributing to this improvement, and I'm hoping when I go back for a follow up with my surgeon on the 20th, he'll be pleased with my heart rate. I know that quitting the smokes will definitely help, but we all know my story with kicking that habit. Just thought I would share because NSVs this far out are few and far between.

Hello my beloved V V's!! Today is my Bandiversary and I couldn't be more grateful, blessed, elated, fulfilled and proud. I've lost 81 pounds and am still in shock over my new found health and vigor for life. This last year has been a journey like no other. As I think back on this day last year, I was terrified heading into the operating room, yet committed to making the life changes necessary to make the band work for me. There have many up's and down's, including some nasty PB episodes that nearly put me over the edge, but the NSV's certainly outweigh (no pun intended) any bad episodes. I am free from the prison of food. I no longer obsess about food, use it as an emotional crutch or surrender to its temptations. I understand what satiation and moderation mean and can enjoy the balance of healthy food along with endulgances...and not feel guilty!! I have discovered what true self worth means and for the first time in my life can say 'I love myself". This self love has made my marriage stronger, my frienships more meaningful and my life generally more abundant. When faced with challenges, I don't use food as an escape, I face them head on. For the first time in my life I didn't have the New Year's resolution of losing weight! I enjoy getting my picture taken. I have more pairs of jeans than I did when I was a kid. I shop at Macy's. I'm going to Maui in two weeks and am excited that I won't have to constantly be self concious. I feel like I look 10 years younger. My blood pressure and cholesterol are NORMAL. But most importantly..and this is the biggest gift of all...I have been given the green light to get pregnant and my hubby and I are hopeful that this is the year we become parents!! Yes...I am blessed. Thank you VV's for being the true source of support, love, and encouragement. There is so much power in friendship and I will forever be connected to all of you....especially Rhapsody...my sister from another mister!! Thank you for letting me share my thoughts on this very special day. I'm not going anywhere and can't wait to hear from everyone else. I'm also posting a couple of recent pics. Lots of love, Amy

So, I've been MIA for the last 10 days or so because I went on a vacation. It was wonderful! I started out by driving to Myrtle Beach, SC to see my son and his girlfriend. We had a terrific time except that my son was totally taken aback by how little I eat. Both told me that I look fantastic, which is always nice to hear! I hit Planet Fitness (my gym) up there 4 times and it was a blast to workout in the "same" gym, even though the layout was a little different than my home facility. For anyone who is interested, it certainly seemed that there were more tourists than "home" members in there every time I went. I left SC to drive to Kentucky, to a cousin's house up there. She lives in a "holler" and her house is 10 miles back into the woods. She's surrounded by 1,000 Amish-owned acres and her nearest neighbors are all Amish families. I met the Amish family from across the street and they were as fascinated by the "Florida woman" as I was by the "Amish people". Beautiful people, literally the salt of the earth and they have a symbiotic relationship with my Kentucky cousin who I was visiting. The Amish provided a good portion of the produce for our family reunion dinner, including wonderfully sweet tomatoes and corn! Yum! Those family members who have seen me in the last few years spent a lot of time complimenting me on my weight loss, although I can still see every ounce that I need to lose. I kept up with everyone else, including my cousin's 20-something son and his wife, plus my cousin's three grandkids under 3 years old. I didn't do much "exercise" while in Kentucky. No branches of my gym in their small coal-mining town, but I did a lot of walking around the property and got to dig through tons of old family pictures. It was a blast to share memories of departed family members with them all. My scale tonight shows that I gained 3 pounds while I was on vacation, but I'm back at the gym and back on my strict plan tomorrow morning. I kept up with my Water and Protein goals while I was gone, but I indulged in biscuits and gravy one morning and I did some drinking Saturday evening with the family. I don't regret one bite or drink or one minute of the time I spent with them all! So, now I'm home, laundry done, clothes put away, car cleaned out and I'm back to work in the morning. I've missed the gym, though, so I'll be there by 7 am. I'm eager to get moving again! Oh, yes, two NSV's on this trip. The first is that I had the energy to drive a grand total of 30 hours without feeling sleepy. The second is that a distant cousin confessed that they have had a crush on me since I was a girl, and that they think I look better now than I did then!

dont get me wrong i am grateful for having the procedure. but there are moments i am so down. i have NSV and scale loss but just not enough even though im averging 2lbs a week. i might have to get off this foroum because i see ppl with larger amounts dropping and it is kind of upsetting to me makes me ask why am i not losing as fast. i am scared to wieght train because the scale will go up more and that will only freak me out. smh. i have good days where i am so happy and gitty and then there are these days where i dont feel progress. my daughter fussed at me and said mom you are you and just because someone is losing more dont mean you are doing bad. maybe i need to speak to my nut again and have her tell me again how im expected to lose 30lbs the first 3 months and i did in 2 months. so i guess i can look at it like in another 3 months i will lose another 30 which will put me an 60lbs in 6 months. ( light bulb over my head) lol. ok im breathing now lol

NSV: I've recently started dating again and It's been an entirely different experience for me. I've always dated men who were older than me by a minimum of 5 years and biggest gap 13 years. Nowadays I get approached by soooo many younger guys and I'm not talking 2 years younger. I'm talking WAY younger! It's like the older ones are scared to approach me or something. I went to a bar in Denton, Texas (college town) and these adorable college kids were hitting on me and thought I was 21!!! When I told them I was a 33 year old divorcee and MOTHER of an 8 year old boy their jaws dropped right before they exclaimed almost in unison, "HOT MILF!" I know it's silly but that was the most exhilarating experience in life! I felt so alive, young and vibrant. I mean ME? HOT? 21? I just can't wrap my head around it.

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?

For the first time in my life I ran outside in the real world, with the intention of running, and with a running buddy! It was amazing, we really ran, this wasn't just some slow walking, we kept up a steady jog pace up and down grades AND talked! I felt great and the only part of me to conk out were my lungs and throat which felt like they were sucking ice shards, otherwise I felt good. And ... we did 2.75 miles!!!! The most I've done alone on a tread was 1.5!!!! My running buddy is a former personal trainer and is in excellent shape and she said that I did really well. yay

renewed - saw you recent photo updates ; you look great, congrats on 15lbs in a month! great nsv - my oldest brother. he was scheduled in FL to have the lapband 2 times in the last 4 months and each time cancelled. he's a big wimp...LOL well he was in town 3wks ago and hadn't seen me since i was 200lbs - his surgery is 7.11 & won't be cancelling this time around. he was beyond impressed w/the results & that of my husband (also banded). he's a great guy, needs to drop 100lbs to fight some comorbids and be around for his 5 kids. sometimes these NSV's are more impacting that the scale!!

Ok I finally had a NSV. We have horses but I normally do not ride. I always felt sorry for the horses having to haul my fat butt around. Anyways even when I did ride I couldn't get myself up on the saddle. Either someone had to help me (my hubs pushing my butt up there) or I had to get a chair and hope the horse did not move while I was halfway up. So my hubs got the horses saddled up and said c'mon we are riding. He got a chair for me but before he could even get it to me I had swung my leg up and over and Voila, I was up. I got up so fast, in fact, that I almost went all the way over, lol. I guess I thought I needed to get the old me up and I am the newer me. It was a great feeling and we had a great ride. Yeah me!!

Great NSV's Renewed!! Congrats on all your accomplishments! Here are a few of my recent NSV's: ~I bought some "normal" bra's the other day. I used to have to buy the ugly white bras that had the huge thick straps and thick sides...you know, the ones that make the girls look pointy. Well, I was actually able to buy a cute bra that actually looked normal. The same with panties. White grannies is what I used to always wear but I bought some smaller colored and patterned panties that looked "normal" as well. ~a church member told me that my waist was getting smaller and they could see a nice shape to me. That was really cool! ~I went from wearing a 5XL mens T-shirt (OMGosh:eek:) to wearing a 2XL women's shirt. I can't believe I was THAT big, lol! ~I feel sooo much better. I have more energy, more confidence....and my hubby is LOVIN the changes in me.

I love these NSV's - as much as the before / after pic thread:) Congrats everyone!!!! So have a few more this wk - the scale has decided to freeze up like the weather, so I"m going to guess that working out has helped with: * New Wedding band bought last year, slips off * Watch that need links added (which I didn't) fits perfectly now * Shoe size gone from 8 1/2 to and 8 * Size 10 Jeans fit comfortably * Have only one chin now

what great nsv's time. It is really encouraging to hear other people's success

NSV? Is there a list of abbreviations somewhere?

Here are my NSV's: 1. When I run into old friends my weightloss is the first thing they notice and the compliments are flattering. 2. I am able to keep up w/my 5yr old son alot better instead of tiring out so quickly. 3. I save money on food bc #1, i don't do the soda's any more, and #2, leftovers last alot longer and finally, #3, when out to eat, i just nibble off of hubby's plate. 4. have gone from a size 22 to a size 18/20 and have 1 16/18 shirt! 5. i have bagged up 3 or 4 large garbage sacks of clothes and given them away to some of my girlfriends at church! and lets face it, fat clothes are more expensive, and i had good clothes, so it made others happy that i shared! :wink: which made me happy! 6. sex has never been bad, but a smaller me means less self conscience 7. working out is a reality now and not a nightmare.. 8. AND...i am starting to tone muscle that i had forgotten i had! YAY! 9. I'm overall healthier now 10. sleep apnea has improved a bit 11. no more gluccophage for diabetes needed anymore! my sugar is well controlled by my diet and exercise now! and thats a huge blessing! 12. overall, i feel alot better about myself, but still not where i want to be just yet. wish i was farther along, but happy i'm not where i was! xoxo, christie

I just love this thread - great work everybody! My newest NSV's: Went to the local amusement park - and FIT on the pirate ship ride!! Last August (pre-band), when I went to go on the Starblaster, I couldn't buckle the restraint and had to get off :thumbs_up:... my daughter (who was 9 then) said, "don't worry mommy, next year you'll be able to fit". :biggrin: Needless to say, when the bar on the pirate ship closed I yelled out the biggest YAHOO!!! with my arms in the air... It was priceless - everyone was looking at the strange wierdo who was screaming like the ride had already started - and it hadn't moved yet... I was so happy I almost cried. Went down a band size on my bra. Had a yard sale and got rid of shirts that were 26/28, and pants that were 24's. Currently buying 18's in shirts/pants - even got a size 16 :tt1: pair of shorts!!!!!!!!! Neighbors are starting to notice as I am outside gardening - they haven't seen me all winter (live in the northeast) and they can't believe how much smaller I am since last summer. I'm starting to feel sexy again. :wub: I no longer feel like the "heaviest person in the room". No more blood pressure meds (for a few months now) and @ last visit, bp was 112/65~~~ :eek: My daughter is proud of me - Brenda

My scale isn't moving much right now, so I'm really looking for NSVs. I went with my son to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, yesterday (a couple of hours from where we live). If you've ever been there, they have miles (OK, blocks and blocks) of subway halls. I've always gotten tired and had to stop and rest on our way to wherever the next appointment was, but yesterday I didn't at all! Yay! My son even mentioned it and was thrilled for me. So I feel great even if the scale is being stubborn! Emily

Donna. Great NSV. Congrats!

Donna, way to go. I love the NSV's. I went to dinner at the parents today and my aunt looked right at me and didnt know who I was. I havent seen her since before the journey began. Keep it up, you are doing great...Dave

Awesome NSV. Congratulations.

I bought new clothes!! Sizes 14 and 16!! For the first time in FOREVER, I had fun shopping and felt good in my new(or old) skin. I am no longer morbidly obese, just obese!! My dh is really noticing the weight loss lately. He keeps saying that he sees glimpses of the old me again. Not so much physically, but the energy, the spunk, and the fiesty attitude I used to have before the real me got lost under all these pounds. I can see her again too and it feels really good. I RAN ON THE TREADMILL!!! For 7 minutes I ran!! I couldn't believe it!! I used to run track. I ran distances, but didn't really think I could run anymore!! Maybe I will think about the couch to 5K. Maybe a marathon is in my future. Who knows!! Ok, here's the last one.... After church Sunday, we were coming home and dh said that he kept seeing this pretty lady out of the corner of his eye. Just at a quick glance, he thought, "She looks kinda like Jenninfer Garner, wait, that's my wife." I'm no Jennifer Garner, but it's so fun to have the love of my life notice me again!!! He loves me regardless of weight, but that look in his eyes is back. You know the look. I know this is a lot of NSV, but I am finally begining to feel like a new me, and I couldn't help but share!!