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Nsv are great! Yours is excellent!

Tbearfan, You have probably NOT stretched your stomach! That's very difficult, if not impossible, to do. Are you back on soft solids yet? If so, you need to try to get your Protein from food as much as possible. Regular food (chicken, pork, beef) will keep you full longer than a Protein shake. It will also help your sleeve heal. The stomach needs the challenge of digesting regular foods, and solids will stay in your sleeve longer. When the weight loss slows down, you need to do a few things. One is to log your food and Water intake. Getting too few calories is just as bad as eating too much because your body will not have the energy it needs to work at it's optimum potential. You also need to drink water to help flush toxins, hormones and fat out of your system. WATER and PROTEIN are the keys to losing weight. Two, take your measurements now and then do it again at least monthly. I lose inches when my weight loss "stalls". I lost my first pants size during a stall and I've lost most of my inches since my weight loss (in pounds) slowed down. I've lost slightly over 15 pounds in the last three months, but I've dropped several pants and shirt sizes in that same 3 months. Three, shake things up. Add in a few calories or carbs...or subtract them. Do more, or less, exercise than normal. Go dancing with friends, play at the park with the kids, or buy and do a new exercise video. Sometimes just changing the routine makes a huge change and causes your body to let go of a pound or three. Four, ENJOY THE RIDE. FavoredOne, another poster here, is a huge advocate of this. Look for the NSV's (non scale victories), enjoy your clothes fitting better. Celebrate the little things along with the big milestones. This is NOT a race. It's your life...and you're on your way to a better, fitter, happier you. That should fill you with joy, rather than make you stress that you aren't losing weight at the same rate as someone else. Good luck!!

So yesterday I reset and had a great day. I started the morning with my first 5K! I haven't really been doing the couch to 5K but I decided to go anyway. I walked most of it but did do some running. My friend and some fellow WLS support group members came. It was fun and definitely want to sign up for another one. Yesterday's meals: Breakfast: coffee/water Lunch/Brunch: a few bites of omlette, slice of bacon, 3 small pieces of hash brown potatoes Dinner: 3 oz Turkey meatballs, broccoli 1/4 cup Today: Breakfast: Protein Shake Lunch: 3oz meatballs Dinner: 3 oz meatballs, bit of broccoli Snack: greek yogurt Trying to get Water in and able to hop on the treadmill!! Oh, and a NSV for me....after the 5K I went and bought new workout pants since my old ones are too loose. I had to keep pulling them up while I was running. :) i did a lot of reading last night about overeating and the band. A reality check for me. Don't want a band slip so I guess I need to get this emotional eating in check. I have focused on eating a lot slower so it gives my brain a chance to register full.

I wish we could channel this energy into something positive. Like we could focus more on the good, and hopefully, give someone a well needed pat on the back or praise. Id love to see everyone be so passionate when someone posts a new picture or an NSV and have them receive 6 pages or 80 comments. Let's breathe out the poision of negativity. Peace and love <3

Congrats! Go buy the pants. It is such a boost to wear cloths that fit. We don't realize how baggy our clothes get. Enjoy your nsv, celebrate with new pants!

xavtay2 there is no such thing as a small NSV You called this post "Small NSV" - are you kidding me??? OMG - if loosing your blood pressure meds is a "small" NSV - what the heck is a "large" NSV???? congrats - this is huge the sleeve "helped" get rid of the high blood pressure - BUT it couldn't have been done without you keep up the great work

Dropping those meds is a HUGE NSV!! I'm so happy for you!!

Wow, Congrats on the nsv!

Hello all! I wanted to share my first NSV with everyone... I have been suffering with high blood pressure for nearly 12 years. I am 1 week post-op today and I no longer have high blood pressure! Just so you can understand my excitement I was on 3 blood pressure pills a day for a year. Prior to that I was on 4 blood pressure pills daily...... I am shedding tears of joy because for the past week my blood pressure has been normal without medication... Prior to surgery after medication my blood pressure was never normal.... Thank God for my sleeve and I am so glad I decided to have the sleeve done.. I know I have a long way to go but so far I would say I am off to an awesome start!! SW 261 Day of surgery 249 Weight this morning 239

Have clothes in my closet that still have tags on them, just for $hits and giggles, I tried them on....... I am wearing them today with no tightness! SSSooooooo excited to keep it going! :0) surgery- 8/27/12 ........ down 34 and counting

By this weekend, you might fit into the 18. Congratulations! What a fantastic NSV!!!

Shell you look amazing!!!! What a difference!!! And congrats on the promotion. I can so relate to the massive boost in confidence. NSV TODAY!!!! My size 16 work pants were swimming on me. They were target brand, but I had a pair of Kmart ones that fitted better, they were 16 too. I went to target today to get the same style of pants in a 14 as they were pretty comfy and a good style. I work with my sister and she came with me into the change room. She grabbed a size 12 and a 10. I tried on the 14 and it fitter ok. It was a little loose around the waist, but didn't fall off my hips like the 16 did. My sister looked amazing in the 10 and gave me the 12 saying just try it. And guess what!!!! IM WEARING SIZE 12 WORK PANTS!!!!!

My husband is a football coach and has been at the same school for two years. At the begining of the season all the coaches and family have a get together at the head coach house. I went last year and I was 60 lbs heavier than now. Now I'm 133 this time last year I was 188. So my husband told me that one of the coaches pulled him to the side and said hey coach I didn't know you were bringing your girlfriend. My husband looked like what is he talking about. He then responded that she(me) is my wife. He was like wow. I was wondering what you were doing with that hot chick.lol Then lastnight we went to go look for a new car. Mind you his friend works at a dealership. We went to this same friend about four years ago to buy a car. So lastnight we went again looking for a new truck. It was cold in the building so I left to go get a jacket out the car. My husband told me when I went out his friend asked if he was still with me his wife and my husband said yes. He then proceeded to say why are you with another woman? My husband stated that is my wife. The friend then stated man I was about to say you are trifiling out with you mistress and you have a wife. I found this too funny had to post.

Sleeved on 8/14 on been in a stall for 3 weeks. I stopped getting on the scale everyday. I'm keeping up with my exercise routines and my diet . I noticed when weighing everyday if I drank 60 ounces of water the next day I would weigh less. I'm trying to focus on non scale victories (NSV) like being able to keep up with a work out routine. Or playing with my children for an hour at the park. Fitting into a top that I couldn't wear prior to surgery to keep me from feeling discouraged. Stalls are really hard and can make you feel like a failure if you choose to give it all your attention!!!

Congratulations. NSV's are mile markers that just make the journey that much more intersting! Keep pressing forward!

CONGRATS! I love these NSVS. I loved the first time my ring fell off my finger and I didn't notice it. Then I decided that when my other ring that was smaller would fly off my finger that I would be done with my weight loss. Well, it still hasn't happened yet but I think my weight loss is good. I'm stuck at this weight with a bounce of 3 lbs. Not bad, i do like my body size. Ironically, now I'm focusing on my face! I so desperately need a face lift. LOL Nothing is ever going to be perfect.

I am getting the sleeve done on October 1st, and I have been on my liquid diet for one out of three weeks needed. I tried to stay to myself for the first few days and just kinda hang out where I wasn't going to have the issue of food being *right* there. I worked all week, did my thing, and now I find myself on a day off and I realize that this is one of my problems! I always eat so much more when I am at home with nothing to do. I am happy to report that instead of just sitting around I mowed the lawn, went and got another Protein option, got another of the supplements that my NUT wanted me to get for post-surgery, and I bought a more reliable scale for tracking things. I was active, I was moving around, I was feeling good. I have to tell you, though, my moving around had me driving past places that I would have normally dropped in and ate something at. It felt good to drive right past. That brings me to the title of my post: tip-toes and eggshells. I feel like this week has been an eye-opening experience for me. My relationship with food used to define me. But now, I can drive past my old food favorites and I know that I am moving on to a better life. I am even ok with smells. (I went to a GNC to get some stuff and there was a Little Ceasar's 2 doors down. Smelled good, but not enough to compromise this.) I went to visit a friend because we haven't had much occassion to see each other in the last week. I mixed up a strawberry-lemonade Protein Shake and figured I was going to be just fine. D, my friend, felt she had to warn me that her house was going to smell like food because she had a meal cooking in the crock-pot all day long. I told her I would be fine and she dropped it. I sat with her and just talked for almost 3 hours and every time she brought up a new topic is was in some way wrapped around food. Finally, D stops and looks at me and actually appologized for talking about food! I had to laugh and tell her it was ok. I think she felt like she has to tip-toe around the subject because I am denying myself solid food right now. I am not going to lie, I am a total foodie. I love cooking, I love different tastes, I love the social aspect of having a meal with friends. But, I am also at a point where I am not going to let food define who I am. I have thought about surgery before (at my highest I weighed just over 400 lbs) but it was never right for me before. After nights like tonight, I know I am on the right track. I know that it is finally right for me. I think I have seen these called non-scale victories. Well, my friends, I think I have had my first NSV. And I like it.

Some people seem to have more swelling early out, I think that's why they can have so much trouble getting anything down. I also have a "sleeve of steel" - I've never experienced the "foamies", and even in the first few months it was really rare for any food to cause me even the slightest discomfort. But do be aware that it can take months for your cut nerves in your stomach to heal, which is why you don't want to rely on a sensation of fullness to control your portions - measure, measure, measure. I'd say the vast majority of us end up eventually (in maintenance) being able to eat more than we should, particularly if we're getting away from dense protein and letting "slider" foods back in. That's where building good habits will keep you on track, regardless of the size of your sleeve. The last time I had a check-in with my surgeon, he was shaking his head over the difference in patients. He's been amazed that I've lost more than 100% of my "excess weight" (by his goal measurements), even though I have a sleeve (he has more bypass patients). He was talking about the fact that on the inside, we all end up with more or less the same "tool" to work with, but some of us go so much further with it than others. Certainly part of that is metabolism and other factors beyond our control, but a lot of it can be your personal determination about how you're going to live your life going forward. Make good food choices, move your body (a lot) more, deal with the mental/emotional reasons behind your obesity. If you can manage all that, you'll be a raging success regardless of the size of your sleeve. I've certainly had my struggles along the way, and I've eaten things I wish I hadn't let back into my diet, but I think if you can keep yourself on track, you'll be a success. In the mean time, know that stalls are part of the journey for most of us, and they're extremely frustrating, but if you stay on track the scale will start moving again. If it doesn't, it's time to take a really good look at what you're eating, and how much. Track every last bite you're consuming, even those chewable vitamins. Figure out whether too many carbs are stalling you journey. And in the mean time, focus on how much progress you've made already, dig out those "before" photos and measurements, go try on some smaller clothes, and make a list of your "NSVs" - non-scale victories. Once you get to maintenance you're going to need something other than plummeting numbers on a scale to give you the positive reinforcement you need to stay on track. Stalls are a great opportunity to practice that skill! (And learn to laugh at the stupid scale. I remember shaking my head at the goofiness of weighing exactly the same amount for five days in a row, down to the tenth of a pound. I mean, what are the chances of that? Even variations in hydration levels should cause more variation than that! At that point I was checking my scale batteries! But I did my best to laugh at the ridiculousness of it.)

Yesterday a 2nd grader that I have known for years (and we "pick" on each other) gave me a hug and said "Ooo, skinny."

Every NSV counts! And if I am reading your ticker right, you have lost 103lbs in 5.5 months! That is incredible!! Congratulations!

After years of having to buy adjustable necklace chains, I am now able to wear an 18" chain!! My neck has gone from 18" to 15" since June 26th!! Now...if I could just get the scale to show something less than 251!!!!! ;-P

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone. Kim, yes sometimes the scale isn't my friend either. NSV - some clothes that were too tight that now fit, easier to tie my shoes, my grandson has more room on my lap (my fav), more energy. What I really miss in carbs is my popcorn. The bread, rice & potatoes I don't miss too much. Does anyone eat popcorn?

Marie...WELCOME! Your story sounds JUST LIKE MINE!! I was so sick for the first 12 days I was sure I'd made the biggest mistake of my life...begged God to help me or kill me...LOL My band was placed July 31...I'm down 20. Feeling great. And yep, we all still have 'those' days when we can't seem to find what satisfies...but I'm proud to say I have had few of those...really getting the hang of what my body is telling me...and excited to know it will work (HAS worked!) and will keep moving in the right direction. We are a small group - only about 5 of us who post regularly...but please post as often as you feel the need...someone will reply pretty quick. We have found a great source of encouragment here and its actually been FUN to share this walk w/ others who're in the same time-frame. That's really helpful, I think... I'll be SO excited to see 34 lbs off...YIPPEE FOR YOU!! We Celebrate with you. What are some of your NON-SCALE VICTORIES? (NSVs) ?? I love hearing about the changes we are each seeing in our bodies - besides the scale. Sometimes, FOR ME AT LEAST, the scale is really not my friend. i keep watching for those other tell-tale signs....this evening, for example, I noticed I can actually see my wrist bone!! LOL It truly took me by surprise. And when I lie down, I can feel my sternum!! Sounds goofy, I know, but there's been so much padding there for so long, I was afraid I actually had some kind of growth! LOL Silly me...But, IT MATTERS!! This is a great group, Marie...please jump in often...we'll try to keep you on the right path - accountability and encouragement! WE CAN DO THIS!! Once and for all!! Blessings! --Kim

Oh Wow!!!! Yay you!!!!!! A huge NSV!!!