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Hiya HH! and one more thing........ I actually splurged on a few clothes yesterday at Dress Barn...... I NEVER buy anything that is not on sale, but yesterday I said screw it and I bought a very pretty sweater type jacket.. it is of course varying threads of purple! It is gorgeous and $59.99 (this is a lot for me to spend on 1 article of clothing) Also a couple layering blouses that WERE on Clearance.. one is white (to go under the jacket and one is a light green (to go with my eyes) The jacket is an XL and the blouses are size L. I think its time for me to go through my closet and cull out the things I don't like (its just hard for me to through out stuff that actually fits!) WEIRD NSV.

Hi MrsShep! How did swimming go? I think at 3 months out you're okay as far as healed incisions go. 46 lbs is awesome! Hi Amica- yay for the nsv's! And the great thing is this is for the long haul, so if you have a day or two that aren't as good, you can get back to working the band. I'll bet you can make your goal of 50 lbs by 5/25. Good elliptical workout yesterday, zumba for tonight at the Y. WID is tomorrow, it's not looking like it 'll be a huge loss, even though I'm doing the same stuff I've been doing, but any loss is a good loss- since it's not going up! My parents will be here for the kid's b-day and we almost always go to the Angus Barn (Prez Obama went there when he was just in NC- it's an AWESOME steakhouse!!)- but I can still make good choices. Everyone have a great day! PS- call out still! Mags, where are you? Horsegirl, any updates? Kymie? All y'all??

Welcome mrshep12! Hey peeps! Hope you had a great weekend! I was a BAAAAD girl and ate lots of things I shouldn't have, but I had my 4th follow-up and fill today and the doc was very happy with my progress and wants me to write a testimonial. I'm down 40.5 pounds since surgery and my fill today puts me up to 5 cc. My next checkup is in 2 months. My NSV for the weekend was that I was able to stand for 3+ hours for an event we were doing! Might not seem like a big deal, but with my arthritis and the extra weight I was usually in misery after 30 minutes on my feet. I was also able to walk from the far end of the parking lot yesterday which would have been impossible before. YAY! I'm back on the bandwagon for food and exercise this week! I'm still hoping to be down 50 pounds by 5/25!

my nsv well i dont get on the scale as a rule except at the dr. office but today i put on a pair of capris frm last summer size 18 well they felt loose in the waist and when i went to take them off yeah did not even undo them....they are jean ones at that !!!!!!!

NSV non significant victory. As in not a weight loss victory but say something new like things being to big, being able to do something you couldn't before. Bidi, but I did it anyway. 50 lbs lost here. Started about 355. Almost under 300#'s

Hi everyone, Memorial Day weekend coming up got me thinking about last year at this time. I was dreading putting on a bathing suit, dreading trying to fit into rides at our local amusement park, dreading going to the beach on vacation, etc, etc, etc. Fast forward to this year: looking forward(mostly to wearing a bathing suit, super excited to take the kids to the amusement park, beyond excited for our beach vacation, etc. etc etc. I am looking forward to wearing shirts with no sleeves! That is a huge NSV for me. I was always so HOT in the summer because of all the clothes I felt I needed to wear. I would always look enviously at the women in sundresses, sleeveless tanks and other cute stuff. Finally get to wear it myself this year! What are you looking forward to this summer?

Sounds like everyone is doing well as usual! Erica, that's a bummer that somebody blabbed at work... I haven't told anyone except a relative at my workplace either, but I have a feeling some may know because no one ever asks me about my current eating habits and they always used to on every diet (many!) that I've been on. That's one of the reasons I didn't tell people, because I can't stand it when people ask for updates (how much have you lost? How much do plan to lose? Etc). It could be that they are just not that interested anymore, but either way, I've decided that I won't make it an issue anymore. Glad you're taking the "super-model" approach! Kymie, thanks for the info link ... And Amica, for the recipe. Crissylu and JustDoIt, you guys are my role models and so inspirational! Nicole, congrats to you on some revved up positive attitude, you'll do great, and Meredith, great NSV. Last time I posted I was having irritation when I swallowed food. I guess I was overreacting, because it went away after a couple of days eating soft foods and has been OK since. I went for my fill on Wednesday and even though I've only lost 4 pounds in the 2 months since my last fill, the doc gave me a .2 cc fill and said I was doing quite well, slow and steady. He asked how long did I feel "something" after the last fill and I told him for about a month and he said I was probably getting very close to where I needed to be, and that very small amounts make a big difference at this stage. Anyway, I totally forgot to ask how much I have in my band at this point!! I think it's like 3.5 or something. My goal to the end of the month is to crank up the water, get in more exercise, eat only "healthy" choices as well as small portions, and to rev up this weight loss! Cheers to all of you, love reading your posts.

Hello everyone!! I have not been posting a lot but I have been reading and taking notes!! That is the only way to make sure I write the correct comments to the right people!! LOL! Lady-I am at the same size as you!! 14-16 depending on the store. How exciting to look in the mirror and see your collarbone!! You stated you wanted to be able to be full at 1/4 cup, but I do not think that is the right amount. At the beginning right after surgery it was 1/4 cup, but as we have healed our stomachs have stretch again. My doctor always asks me if I can eat a full chicken breast in a 20 minute setting and I respond I eat slow so I can eat a full chicken breast (about 1/2 cup) and veggies (1/2 cup or more) in 30 minutes and he was very happy about that. As for being able to eat bread and pasta, I haven't even tried pasta, rice or soft bread. I have eaten a Panini, extra crispy and felt uncomfortable, like almost stuck. Oh and I am at 3.4cc in a 10cc band and I am not tight in the morning yet. I think you might be close to your "sweet spot" maybe just a .2cc away!! Horsegirl and Otaknam-I was stuck at 220 for awhile and it took over a month to kick that plateau, but it happened very suddenly!! Good luck! Also I was told by my doctor that the weightloss will slow down quite a bit after the first 6 mths, the body looses a lot when it has a lot to loose and looses a little when it has a little to loose. I know it sucks, but we have all lost a lot, more than any diet we have ever been on!! I keep reminding myself I know it will take over a year to hit my goal weight so why am I rushing myself!!! And I hear all of you on the water retention!!! I can't wait for Fall to get here so I can see the scale go down a little faster! Horsegirl- congrats on the new workout clothes!! That was one of my favorite NSV when my XL workout clothes were loose!! I now love shopping for workout clothes now since I can get them from anywhere instead of having to order online and hope for the best! I love to shop too!!! JDI-Don't beat yourself up for eating solids during your liquid/mush stage, I've done it too! This time I am trying to be good, but I too am hungry!! I was wondering, did you get stuck at all?? To me it is kind of a test to see if the fill did any good. You should be so proud of yourself to handle all of the stress and still loose!! In the past stress would cause us to binge, now we just have a cookie, enjoy it and move on! Go us!!! I can't believe you are down 72lbs that is amazing!!! I am looking forward to my 71lbs lost putting me for the first time in 16 years below 200!!! Erica-you made me realize I am over my halfway point too! I didn't even think of it that way!! I was spending all of my energy trying to get to Onederland that I did not thing about my 1/2 way point!!! I have lost 53% of my goal loss!!! Thanks for helping me see the good in what I have accomplished!! Chrissy-you are so right about comparing our self to what we looked like last year! My sister took a picture of me while on vacation and it is now my FB profile pic and everyone is complementing me on how good I look, so I looked at all of my previous profile pics and I totally see the difference. I also looked at my drivers license and I am totally getting a new one!! Again congrats on the Onelander and 75lbs!!! Now for my update! I got .2cc on Thursday and I am suppose to do 2 days liquids and 2 days mushies, and I am starving!! This time I am sticking to it though I would like the liquid loss!! So far I am doing pretty good on my new goals, except the exercise this week, but that is due to being on vacation, so I will start again next week which is tomorrow!!LOL. I think we should repost our goals and stated how we are doing on them at least once a week. I will try to post mine on Saturdays!! That way we can be reminded of each others goals!! Have a good week everyone and look at some old pics to give you some NSV!! Don't forget to look at your drivers license too!!

Halloween Hording! Well last year and probably all previous Halloweens I would buy the candy in bulk and "hide it" from everyone in the house so there would be some for the trick or treaters. LOL yah right! Since "I" knew where it was I would probably eat about half of the stash. Also since I work at a school, but not as a teacher I would float from class party to class party collecting yummy goodies. Well this year it has made it half way to Halloween and I haven't even thought about buying candy. NSV!! I was at the store today and noticed I was in the seasonal isle and didn't even think about grabbing a bag! I also have a very busy day scheduled for the 31st to avoid classrooms & staff rooms. If I start to feel worried I might just call in sick!! I will not gorge myself this year!!!!! So being in the season what are your Halloween should not and will dos??

rkimom- you are definitely welcome to join us!! Others have joined us after having a bad experience with either the chat room or other forums. This group has always been caring, supportive and honest. We have about 12-13 followers with some who post weekly like Chrissylu, MeredithMcFee, NJ2NC, Amica, Ladybadito,JustDoIt (aka Nicki), Otaknam, Valann, horsegirl, kymie, and a lot of others!! I hope the group does not mind me saying, but Nicki, kind of has been our leader. She posts the most and keeps us going. She is always encouraging and responds to everyones posts. She is the Queen of the January Bandsters!! Our group has really stuck together through eating problems, stuck problems, fill problems, issues with doctors, family problems, vacation issues, etc. Everyone has supportive things to say and great suggestions and sometimes great recipes!! We have posted monthly goal for weight and at a time switched to posting behavioral goals. Now we are posting our monday weights. Also the best part is when everyone post their NSV (no small victory or no scale victory) those are the really special posts to me!! That reminds me I have a NSV!! My step-daughter (the one who I bump heads with) is coming home from the Peace Corp for the x-mas break and asked if she can borrow some of my clothes since she has gained weight!! I am sharing clothes with my daughter! Woho!!! I am still a size 14 and they will be a little big on her since she is about a 12, but it is pretty cool!! Bad for her, good for me!! Chrissy-Congrats on the fill, sometimes we have to push them to listen to us, we know our bodies!! I can't believe you have almost lost 100 lbs!! that is amazing!! I am stuck at 80lbs give or take a few, but after my next fill next week it will be a fresh start for me! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!!

Oh I forgot my NSV, I have a smaller booty! Was beginning to think I would just keep changing bra sizes forever and nothing else.

Hi Gals, Long time, no talk. I had a crazy week here with relatives visiting for a few days, then two picnics yesterday and dinner and a show last night. Saw Diana Krall nearby in Ocean Grove. The perfect end to a long, fun week. Sounds like all of us in bandster world for most of us going into our six month bandiversary are continuing to see positive results. Ups and downs, stucks, PB's, NSV's, wieght fluctuations {hopefully Water more then fat} and scale numbers' going lower and lower. Amica, congratulations on your Old Navy buys. It's a wonderful feeling we can all relate to and love to hear that other's are experiencing it. Chrissy, you are someone to be reckoned with. 70lbs! You're melting away! Despite all the food around me this week, I have to say, I have been good. Not by choice, but by band. I've been fighting going back to the dr's to get an unfill. I'm only at 3cc's and I seem to get stuck more then not. I chew, I don't drink fluids, I take my time but I still have a problem a few times a week. My food of choice is mainly SanteFe Rice and Beans Lean Cuisine and some turkey chili, and tuna fish, which are safe foods, my hair is falling out, and I'm seeing major acne on my forehead when I didn't even have it as a teen! My DH thinks the acne is also due to lack of nutrients. Who knows but it's not pleasant. I just started back having my Protein drinks for Breakfast {yesterday} and think I should continue since I don't eat my breakfast until lunch time. This coming week is pretty quiet and I need to focus on eating, journaling in MFP and working out, getting back on track. My 16 yr old step daughter is visiting us from SC. She asked me if I would bring she and her girlfriend to the Cake Boss' {TLC} store in Hoboken, NJ next Sunday to buy cannoli's and other Italian pastries. Ugh! That will be an accident waiting to happen!! LOL Everyone have a good day. Stay cool, be cool and just laugh at what ever life brings today.

Was feeling kind of down because I had a week where I didn't lose any weight. A very wise bander suggested enjoying a Non-Scale Victory -- I thought, nothing feels as good as seeing the numbers go down on the scale. Omg was I ever wrong!! Just for the heck of it, I tried on a pair of jeans that I could not even wiggle past my hips prior to my surgery on September 5. Lo & behold... they slid on easily!! I immediately dissolved into tears because it was a precious moment for me. And, then, I got it -- I had a NSV!! I won't call it my first because, quite frankly, I've had many that I've failed to acknowledge - all equally important to my journey but overshadowed by my obsession with the numbers on the scale. I'm not getting on the scale every day anymore, I'm curbing that -- slowly. It's more like every other day (I know, I know... not much better but I said slowly...). I don't use the numbers as validation anymore because I know the weight will come off. Why? Because I'm doing everything right -- I'm not cheating & I'm committed to a healthier me! I deserve this & I'm not going to stop. And, once I found some peace -- I lost 2.5 pounds. Who knew? Lol! Anyway, thank you for all the words of encouragement, sharing your stories & the sound advise. This journey forces you to get to know yourself in ways that are unfamiliar & sometimes scary, but there's so much joy when you just trust the process & believe in yourself!! Thank you for listening!!

I have to say Onderland does feel great even though it's already run and hid behind 200.0 this am. Go figure, exercise, water and 800 calories yesterday. Hope a new low buddy returns by tomorrow (my 5 month bandiversary)! Barbara465 perhaps the walking on top of the fill and liquids was too much for you. Maybe you should splurge on a massage or pedicure. You might have a touch of the bug that's going around. Take care. I'm still chuckling over some of these posts. NSV. Walking DVD just wouldn't work this am, so I began "jogging" around doing light housework. My darling dogs seeing me in my tennis shoes badly wanted a walk but they spend way too much time sniffing rather than walking. Finally I couldn't resist their pleas so we agreed to walk fast and stop seldom. We started out with a quick walk, and when they did stop to sniff, I jogged in place. What a wonderful workout. It's a beautiful day and I found another way to multitask with a chore (exercise) that's not much fun. Leila, how's post op treating you? Thanks for soup recipe.

Barbara12 - So good to hear from you. Lunch sounds good, but NO MEXICAN for me! I too lost while in Michigan and quickly put it back on after a day or two of treats. We have to put more muscle behind the band. Enemy #1 and #2 - empty calories and recreational eating. Where were we a year ago? I was EXCITED and closing in on onederland. Shopping in the "regular" sizes was definitely amazing. Socalgal - thanks for reminding me about the ticker. Somehow that gives me something to work towards. At one time, I had lost 60 pounds. I did a little ab work yesterday and my band seemed to be tighter, but not uncomfortable. NSV - I had my old standby as an evening treat last night. Bottled water and my vitamin carmel. It was pretty good.

NSV stands for Non Scale Victory! Like your clothes fitting better or anything that is not scale related.

I get fill #2 tomorrow. All stocked up on liquids. I hope I get some solid restriction with this one. Wish me luck! Oh yeah... NSV today! I walked up the stairs to my profs office on the third floor at school today.... withOUT huffing and puffing! I used to have to stop at the top landing and catch my breath. I wasn't even able to talk right away before. Today I walked right up and even met a friend at the top and had no trouble talking. Whee! It's the little things that really make a difference.

I have to share my latest NSV - well one of them is a scale victory and one is not! 1. I now weigh less than my husband! I've wanted to weigh less than him for years! He weighs 181, and I weighed 179.6! I made him get on the scale and then I stepped on to show him what I weighed. I was so happy! 2. I tried on a pair of size 12 capris, THEY FIT! I have moved past the 14's and into a 12! I haven't worn a 12 in 14 YEARS! 3. I have broken out of the 180's! Okay, enough about me. lol. I just wanted to share my victories with my January band family! Lisa - sounds like the PB experience wasn't all that bad, but wasn't all that fun either. I hate the sliming! I've slimed a few times, but no really PB experiences. Whats weird about me is I don't have to take small bites? I take regular bites and chew like I've always done pre-band and I still don't have PB's. Thats why I think I need more of a fill, but then I think, I'm eating less with no problems, so why get more of a fill? I don't know what to do - What do you guys think? I'm so wishy washy with me decision. Sometimes I notice I need more of a fill and freak out, other times I notice I can hardly eat?

Congrats on your NSV Barbara. Melissa Lea

I'm doing my daily check in and I would like to talk about my latest NSV. My DH and I was sitting on the couch, snuggling up, and he had his hand resting on my leg and he squeezed my thighs - he said, what is the hard thing? So felt it, and I got kinda freaked out, then felt my other one, then I stood up and I realized it was MUSCLE! My muscle is breaking thru the FAT! THEN - I was checking my back side out in the mirror, I noticed my cellulite has shrunk even more, I have about 1/2 of what I used to have. My 3rd NSV is I just bought a pair of 12 plaid shorts 2 weeks ago, they are soooo soooo cute, I love them. HOWEVER, they are getting too big already! I am moving down to a size 10! The weird thing about it is, I have not lost a freaken pound since June 12th, thats THREE weeks ago! But I'm shrinking! I love my band! And, I love the BFL workouts!

I am jealous of your weight loss rate. I am still only at 27 lbs, but that is bouncing around a lot. I did have a NSV this morning I thought I would share. I can bring my knees up into my chair to sit down!!! No more fat belly in the way. Well, I still have the belly, just not as much of it!

Oh man, your NSV brought tears to my eyes too! That is GREAT!

I have no idea about the side by side Barbara...maybe ask a mod. I tried to upload mine to no avail. Mine kept saying the file was too big. And I hate when you get photos from someone and they are HUGE! No offense mama!heehee. I hope your hubby does ok with his back Barbara. One NSV of this surgery was that I got off my anti-depressants. I took myself off of them actually. Now, after 9 months, I'm fighting the blues. I'll try to battle through cuz I just don't want to be on meds. HAPPY EASTER!

Regina - I missed the program - drats. I bet you looked great. Melissa - you are looking sooooo hot. Love the new avitar. You inspire me. Gotta get with it - almost time to make the drive to closing. Whew! I am ready to lose. Fill is definitely on the schedule when I can chew on both sides of my mouth. (second week of April) NSV - I've exercised to a sweat 2 mornings in a row. We won't mention other issues. I'm working on them. Have to admit getting my heart pounding has definitely cleared my head.

Kat, these are the NSV's I've been waiting to hear you post! Just think...every day it will get better and better. I am VERY sorry to hear that today was not a good one, but considering all the major work that was done, the fact that you're even posting is amazing! What do the other PS 'veterans' say about what to expect with the pain? 2-3 weeks?? :biggrin: Denise - You must be in heaven!!!!! He is just precious!!!