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I've come crashing down to earth with a miserable head cold that has turned bacterial and resulted in ear infections this week. Already had three days off work, haven't been able to ride or go dancing But I've just realised I have also had a massive NSV! I track my food and exercise on myfitnesspal.com which helps keep me on track with both. But it has taken several days of this head cold for me to realise that I automatically adjusted my food down because I wasn't exercising. Normally I would have continued eating "normally" and wondered why my weight was always going up. Finally it seems as though my head is understanding the relationship between food, exercise and weight!

waitingpatiently- you're awesome ! i would love to see a recent pic of you ! You must feel bootyful !!!! I cant wait until i can get in a size 10 ! as for my best nsv 's ? I have a couple...............being able to paint my own toenails, sliding on a size 14 skinny jean and a female coworker (also banded) telling me "your ass looks amazing ! " ( hilarious laughter included !), A co worker of my hubbys telling my hubby 3 months after i was banded" your wife didnt need wls, she looks great !", and my all time favorite............ a younger than me, cute long time male customer who commented on my weight loss and added "girl , you are smokin !!!!" It has been a looooooooooong time since anyone thought of me as "smokin !" I could of cried. Instead i just said Thank you ! (and blessed him !)

I don't know what my biggest NSV is, but this week, I noticed that I have collar bones again

Today was an awesome day!! A store in our area was having a denim sale (80% off).. so I decided to pick up a few pair of jeans for this fall. So Im wearing size 16 and they are too big on me, so I thought well Im probably really a size 14....so if I get size 12 they should fit in september...The line at the dressing room as so long I decided just to take them home....When I tried them on at home, they all fit!! I couldn't believe it...so I gave them to my daughter and thought well I go back and get some Size 10s that way I should be able to get into them in September. When I brought them home and tried them on They all fit too!!!What is going on!!! I.m really a size 10!!!So I guess tomorrow I will go get some Size 8s and this time I will just wait my turn and try them on. It was such an awesome feeling!!! I just can't believe it!! I guessI didn't see it because i have been wearing a bunch of capris with drawstrings so I knew they were big on me.....but I could still get them to stay on if I tied the strings tight. What has been your greatest NSV??

Congratulations to you!! And what terrific NSV's, too!

Oh my god does it feel good to be back in jeans! Haven't worn these in 4 years! I think they're an 18 or a 20- didn't care to look, just found them and remembered them to be comfy! I haven't been able to find jeans that fit - always too big somewhere or too low hanging of a crotch or something - back to men's jeans I guess! Always found them more comfy! Sent from my iPhone using VST

My husband has been wanting me to go to this festival for years, but I would not go. I was always too big. It is hot this time of year and I knew I would burn up; not to mention the pain I would be in from having to carry myself around. Well, this year we went. I walked around with no pain or exertion at all, did not even dew up, let alone sweat. And drum roll please..... I rode ALL of the rides. I haven't been on rides in years. I had no trouble what so ever fitting in the seats or fastening the guards. And to top it all off, my husband boosted me by the waist into a tall seat and another operator offered to get me down. YAY!! So this is a video link to me celebrating my SV in NSV-ville. By the way, this thing will scare your drawers off. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3315080369876 (P.S. sorry I didn't put this in my earlier post, but I didn't know how )

Awesome, friend!!! You've done a great job! You look fabulos and I love hearing about NSVs! Congrats on your success! All the best to reach goal soon!!

Today I made it to my 6 month goal (100# lost) 1 month and 2 days early. I am so excited! Here is a pic of me today in my size 18 clothes. The second shot is in my old size 28 skirt. I also have some fun NSVs. Tonight my husband took me to a fair and I could ride everything. What was even more fun was when he boosted me up by the waist to put me in a high seat. Another time one of the operators reached for me to get me down. It was great! Neither of them would have happened when I was big. Yay!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

I was going to say 2 things, look at your face!! Wow! How much younger do u look? And as above, look at the pressure coming off your knees as your thighs get smaller and your legs come closer together!! Those are def NSV!! Go u!!

You can also put a lot more water in it without any spillage! NSV, holla! lol I'm not a huge bath person but it will be nice to fit better in there when I choose.

Don't know what made me try..but I haven't Ben able to wear my wedding band and engagement ring since 2001..I was pregnant with my daughter..was married in 1999..today..it fit. I was going to have them resized..but never got around to it. I am happy made the decision to go with the sleeve..I am healthier and happier for it.

AKSleever - that is a NSV - Non-scale Victory!!!! You are now in Onderland - many people have waited years to be where you are now - enjoy! keep it up!

So I was at Payless today getting some shoes for my son, and I decided just for fun to try on some shoes. I have NOT been able to wear shoes from any store like that for YEARS. I had to order online size 10 or 10 1/2 WW or WWW or WWWWWWWWWWWWW........well....you get it... So here is a picture of the 10W I put on and IT FIT!!!! HOORAAAAYYYY!!! (don't mind my 'canckles') I even tried on a regular 10 that was a bit stretchy and I got it on too!! WOO HOOOOOO I almost bought them just because they fit!!! LOL

What's an NSV?

Great NSV!

Wow! You lost 68 lbs and have a huge NSV! Going down 2 sizes is big! When was the last time you went down 2 sizes in such a rapid period of time. I love this NSV and I hope you savour it! It's awesome! So proud of you. Thanks for sharing.

Yayy!! That's no small NSV, that's a great big awesome one!!! Congrats

Hello all! So I am down 67# today..sleeved 4/3 and have been in need of some new scrubs for awhile! So I went and bought some on sale last night..went down 2 scrub sizes and my coworkers said that I have been hiding under the bigger ones ( well honestly..I was being cheap because the bigger ones are like wearing pjs.. But they aren't flattering) so I thought I would break down and get new ones..so today..I am rocking some curves! LOL!! Slowly but surely will win this race against the bulge! I promised myself I wouldn't post a picture until I wa 6 months out..and I will definitely post a before and after..but to me..this was too good!

We had a Redbox movie to return, so I stopped by the CVS on my way to the library. The Redbox kiosk was out of order so I went to the library and picked up my books that were reserved. When I got back in the car I remembered the movie. The nearest Redbox was at McDonald's. I walked in and had the weirdest feeling. I realized I hadn't been inside a McDonald's since before my surgery in late April. It smelled greasy and kind of made me a little queasy. This from a girl who lived on bacon egg and cheese biscuits, sweet tea, cheeseburger Happy Meals, and more Diet Coke than you can imagine. Amazing, strange and wonderful!

Riding whatever I want to at Great America and also not having to turn sideways to go through turn styles!

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.

Kudo's Nicole with your NSV list! I can definitely relate to most of those on your list. We have to remember, it's just not the numbers on the scale but how we feel, look and all the extras that come along with the lapband. I finally went for another unfill this morning. He took out .3cc's and told me he could see it was needed. I asked him if it's possible to be in the green zone with such a small amount of fill {as Nicki} mentioned and he agreed, it does happen. We'll see how things go in the next few weeks. I'm just so glad to finally say, "Uncle", as I was fighting it for some time just thinking it was the way I ate, chewed, bit, etc. It was periodic but this week it seemed everything I put into my mouth, I got stuck and PB'd 3-4 times. Not good. Hope this does it so I can eat normally, as well as getting enough protein in me. I'm losing my hair and I'm not liking that. This too shall pass. Onward and upward. Thanks for your words of encouragement, support and love. Sweet blessings today to all!

Good day to you all! I wanted to share some good news. I woke up Sunday and weighed myself and realized I hit just a tad over my half way goal! I've lost 62 lbs! I started my pre-op diet in Feb 28th of this year. The Dr had put me on a 4 week shake diet. @ weeks of all shakes except a sensible dinner then 2 weeks full liquid. I lost 25 lbs in doing just that alone. I had my surgery March 28th and have lost 37 since. It's been an up and down journey that's for sure. Good days and bad days. Days with good restriction and days where I wanted to eat EVERYTHING in sight. Meeting with my dietitian really helped. When I saw her a few weeks ago she told me she has seen hundreds of patients and that I'm the most successful in such a short period of time that's she can remember seeing. That made my day and really helped get me back to being motivated! I saw her again earlier this week and she said she couldn't believe how different I looked in just a month since she last saw me. I was so nervous to start this journey and kept looking for excuses to not go through with it, but like many have said, in this wonderful forum, that the only regret was not getting it done sooner. I couldn't be more thrilled with the results. It has happened so fast and I cant' believe the little things I'm noticing. Several nsv's. A few of them may be silly. For instance. One I've noticed is when I was at my heaviest using a regular sized public bathroom was so difficult. I was so uncomfortable and could barely open the door to get out sometimes. I always had to use the handicapped stall. Now I'm noticing I can fit in regular stalls with ease now! :-) I was able to paint my toenails the other night with them propped in the same chair seat that I was sitting in without being out of breath and stretching to reach because my big belly was in the way. These are a few of many I notice. They may sound silly but when you couldn't do them for so long it's amazing feeling to do what "regular" people can do that they take for granted. I'm far from goal and I'm a bit nervous because this is the weight I usually have given up with in the past. I felt I could never get any smaller than this, but I'm determined this time. I do most of the work, but this little band has really been a great tool for me. I never understood what people meant in the beginning that it was only a tool if used properly. I totally get that now. I went from barely being able to get off the couch to actually wanting to get up early to go start my 3 mile walk. Sorry for the long ramble, I just wanted to share my story and also give myself some accountability so I won't give up and hopefully maybe to encourage others who may be struggling right now. I've had a lot of encouragement from my surgical team, dietitian, friends, and family and I'm so grateful God's been holding my hand and giving me strength through it all when I really thought I had none of my own left. Well, I hope you all are having a blessed Thursday! The first picture is about an hour before surgery. I look extra gross because of the wet shower hair on no makeup and the fact I was talking when my husband snapped the picture. I almost didn't post it because seeing it makes me cringe, sick to my stomach and want to cry my eyes out, but I ended up posting it because I want to remind myself I never want to go there again. The second one was taken this past Sunday after church. It's crazy how sometimes my mind doesn't see a difference in the mirror at all, I have to take old pics out sometimes to keep my mind in check. Anyone else go through that?