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@@jeepqueen i allllllways wished i had done a blog, journal it is wonderful to record your ups and downs problems (vomiting etc) good emotions and bad things you are learning and allllll the NSV's you are joyfully experiencing at my one year surgiversary i thought i would give it a journal a try things new still happen started, never kept it up i'm almost 5 years PO you are 8 weeks PO - it's definitely not too late to start also i wish i had taken my measurements on a more regular basis best of luck bud kathy

Congrats to you! What a great NSV even before surgery! I love getting rid of old, big clothes- it feels so rewarding. Although sometimes I have a hard time with some of my favorites and I just have to think of all the new favorites that I will be able to buy- and how much cuter they will be! Good luck to you as you continue on with this journey!

Trish - I grew up in the northeast Philadelphia area (Bensalem, Bucks County) I also have (had) PCOS. I had a hystercetomy 3 1/2 years ago. I thought that would help me lose weight especially since the doc took out the ovaries too. No luck with losing after the hysterectomy. Your NSV (non-scale victories) are sometimes the ones that we really need to depend on. You lost some major inches!!!! Just think, you probably could not have done that as easily before the band. Keep up the good work!!!

Today I decided that I needed some new jeans and bras because my old ones were too big, so I stopped in Lane Bryant since I had a coupon. The saleswoman was very nice and helpful, but I was having a heck of a time finding my size (I'm a 14 now). As I was trying on a coat, she looked at me and said "You know, you're going to be too small for Lane Bryant pretty soon". I couldn't help but smile!

Yay!! Great job Jenn. Yeah, I think it may be time for you to move out of Lane B and into the regular sized clothes stores. This is a great NSV. Ms. Lady, I am watching the clearance racks at stores now for 18, 16 and 14s. Just the other day at Stein Mart I got a cute spring/summer dress marked down from $68 to $3.95!!!! in a size 14. I have no doubt I will be out of my 22s and into a 14 by next spring/summer. It is the only way I can figure out how to clothe myself on my fixed income while moving through the sizes. I am trying to only buy a few things in each size and shopping only the clearance racks. I hope when I get to each size I won't be in them long enough to need much.

Way to Go Everyone!!! i've chosen to weigh myself only once a week, so i'll report in on monday. i did have an NSV of sorts today, i pulled on a top for work today that used to hug my body a lot and today it was hanging on me. love how that feels!!!

That is fabulous NSV and SV!!! :-) What kind of horse did you get? It's so liberating to be out riding isn't it?

Tutornmom~ That is a great NSV! I hear ya on losing and regaining the same 15lbs over and over. Isn't it nice to be on a road that will help us with permanent loss! Michelle~ Thanks! I am also hoping that it sticks! Crossing my fingers and praying! It would be nice to lose a few more pounds.

tutornmom, I think that is a great NSV and I'm SURE that's why no loss. I'm on HTC for my BP as well and whenever I forget to take it, I gain 2lbs. Every. Single. Time. I'm hoping to be able to stop mine soon but I'm just now finally keeping it in the normal range with the meds. It's one reason I really started thinking about surgery. With the HTC it was still a little too high. I was looking at more meds soon and just didn't want to go there. I also have major heart/BP history on BOTH sides of my family so I'm probably behind the 8-ball anyway but am doing all I can to at least be healthy as I can be. I am absolutely thrilled for you! I'm in a contemplative mood with my 1 year coming up. It's just amazing to me, this last year. I haven't lost a lot but I am happy to be where I am. Especially when I look at where I was! If I hadn't had surgery, I would've gained. Before surgery I had been playing with the same 4lbs for the better part of a year! I'd be on more BP meds, I could hardly walk with my bone spurs, my back hurt (still does sometimes but it's WAY better!), and on and on and on. Today I turn 41 and without surgery, I would be MISERABLE! Now, I'm excited about how I'm feeling and looking. Just amazing to me. Absolutely amazing!

That is great! I know how excited I was to get off my diebeties meds, then high blood pressure and high cholesteral. It's a great NSV!

Nsv's are the best. . Congratulations

OK So It is just a few days shy of 5 months since I had my surgery. I haven't posted on here in a while. After going back to work, I didn't have too much energy left to post and had got through the stage where I had a lot of questions. Today, I am at 210 pounds. I have actually been here for about 2 weeks, but that was to be expected. I had been doing mainly cardio when I worked out so I was losing weight pretty quickly. I did enough strength training to not lose muscle, but not really enough to build any. My gym has 2 parts. One for the everyday gym goer, who wants to use the treadmill and maybe take a class or 2 and another for the totally insane people that want to be in pain after an hour of working out. I have been using the first part for a little under a year and was doing quite well. I am one of the people that other people come to ask about the equipment. My friend, and spin instructor, has been encouraging me to go back to the other part of the gym (costs an extra $60/month) for a while now. It finally worked in my schedule that I could go do a trial session. I couldn't tell you the last time that I sweat that much. It was a 55 minute circuit class. I was biking, rowing, and using equipment that I have never touched, but been very afraid of for quite some time. I started on the spin bike. This was easy. A nice warm up. (I spin 3x/week). Then we moved on to the more scary stuff. I don't remember everything that we did, but there were stairs, kettle bells, the TRX, and lots of sweat. One station was the rower. The instructor came over to make sure I knew how to use it since i was new. (He actually did this for every station and still does now when there is something new to me.) I told him that I had used a rower before, but not successfully. You see, my stomach has always been in the way. I couldn't do it, because I couldn't reach around my stomach. (I am one of those people that carry most of my weight in my tummy.) So...I tried it. And guess what..I could do it. I could do it well. He wanted me to shoot for a pace of 700 and I was coming in over 800. I was stoked. The rest of the class was a blur, but I made it through without having to stop for more than a few seconds at a time. Then he called me out. He wanted me to stay after class. I bid farewell to my spin friends who had joined me, and waited for Matt (the instructor). He complemented me on my athleticism. I never saw that one coming. I joined that part of the gym a few minutes later. He stressed how important it is for me to get to class 3x/week. I work 50+ hours a week, so that is a challenge. I finished out the night with spin class. Then I went back the next day, and the day after that. With my work schedule and the hours for the gym, I can't make it on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, unless they are my days off for the week. I went 3 times last week. I have gone 3 more times this week already and will go tomorrow as well. I ran a 5k only a few days after joining. I have a 5k with the gym this Sunday, a 10k next Sunday, and then a freakin' half marathon the Sunday after that. Yesterday, I worked out for 2 hours before I took my class. Matt happened to see me. He told me I was a beast (totally meant in a good way). He told me that he could see a huge difference already. He did warn me that classes wouldn't get easier, but I would get better and be able to challenge myself in new ways. He told me he was proud of me. Even better though, is I am proud of myself. Due to some schedule issues, I hadn't seen my spin instructor but twice since I went back for that first class. We were in the same class today, and she couldn't believe the difference already. She said she could see that I was smaller in the tummy and more muscular in the arms. My biggest NSV this week though was being able to get out of the pool without using the steps/ladder. When I first started, I had to use the steps, because I didn't have the strength to hoist myself up with the ladder. Today, I could get out of the pool from the side and not use either. I also did 10 elevated pushups (not on my knees) in a row today. 2 weeks ago, I could barely do 5 on my knees. Last week, I couldn't hold a plank for 30 seconds. Today, I was able to hold it for 2 minutes. I feel better than I ever have and while I am desperately waiting to get under 200 pounds, I am thrilled with my new body and what I can do. I started by walking in the pool for 15 minutes and can now work out for 3 hours straight at a high intensity level. I also went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and got the results from my first full set of blood work. I am good on all of my Vitamins and my sugar and cholesterol are both in normal limits. My blood pressure and pulse were so low, they took them again to make sure they were right. They were all impressed with the weight that I had lost and the muscle that I retained. They even told me that I was probably the healthiest person they had at that point. I will update in 2 weeks when Matt takes my measurements again and lets me know how far I have come. (That is assuming I don't die during the half marathon.) I just want to end with probably the most important sentence in the whole post. ONCE YOU OVERCOME YOUR FEAR, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING. I was afraid to put myself out there and try these classes. I was afraid to put away the chips and Pepsi. I was afraid to go to the doctor. I was essentially so afraid to live that I was dying and so afraid to die, that I couldn't live. Its ok to start small, but start. It is so worth it. You are worth it.

So a few weeks ago I posted that I would be taking a business trip this week and was hoping that I had lost enough weight to no longer need the seat belt extender. I am happy to say that I DID NOT NEED IT! Not only that but there was 5-6 inches of belt left! I usually ask the flight attendant before finding my seat for the extender. I made the decision to not ask this time. I felt pretty sure that I might not need it but I was prepared to ask for it if I needed to. I sat down and easily put it on. I just sat there and cried. With tears rolling down my face, I called my husband to share my excitement with him. He just said over and over, "I am so proud of you.". I flew back this morning with such comfort. I used the tray in front of me for my beverage (couldn't do that before) and even crossed my legs for a while. I am floating on a cloud!

Definitely a NSV!! Very nice.

WOW... That is one super-duper NSV... and check out that photo... you look seriously strong there! What an amazing achievement at just 5mths out! You don't look like you have EVER been overweight!!

I cannot believe reality. five months ago i was near my highest ever 285, today i broke through to 199!! I have not been under 200 since my 13th birthday. I am 57 years old, that is a hell of a long time. I dont feel that light, i dont see myself that light and it all feels delusional. I have been consumed by food and weight and diets for nearly fifty years and now several miracles have happened, i am not hungry, i dont think about food, I actually lose weight when i dont eat. The very hard work is not even a problem. I just finished a five hour flight in the middle seat and i was more comfortable than i have ever been on an airplane. NSV's all over the place. thanks all for the support I find here.

I've been wearing size 20 in pants for the longest time and today when I finally went to buy new pants, I fit into a size 16! I can't believe it! I'm ecstatic!

Now that's a great NSV! Can't wait until the jacket is way toooooooo big! LOL

Great Job Terry! Awesome ride.. 146bpm AVERAGE, thats a great nsv by itself!

Ok, so I have this lightweight jacket (kind of like a cross between a trench and a peacoat) that I love and have been wearing for a couple of years. Ihe problem is that the sleeves are a bit tight up top and prior to surgery, they would cut into the top part of my arm--near the armpit, sometimes to the point I had to take the jacket off. I was even considering pulling some of the seam out of the armpit to make it more comfortable. Well yesterday I wore the jacket, and I got all the way to work before I realized that my arms weren't hurting! I was totally comfortable, even with a long sleeved shirt underneath! I wore it again today with a long sleeved shirt plus a light sweater, and while it was a smidge tighter--still no pain! YAY! I'm only 3 weeks out and have lost about 20lbs (including 4 pre-op), but this was a nice treat for me to feel better in clothes that have previously made me suffer. Woop-woop!

I had my very first non-scale victory today and wanted to share it with my other family!! I have been feeling very discouraged because I don't seem to have lost any weight by what the scale says for the last 2 weeks. Well this morning I couldn't figure out what I wanted to wear to work and was rummaging through my closet looking for something when I came across this red pants suit. This suit used to belong to one of my best friends and I always used to tell her that I loved that outfit. When I had my band placed she came over with the outfit and said " This is yours now. I know how much you love it and this will be an incentive for you." Now it was a size 22 but had been taken in to about a size 18 because she lost weight and just couldn't seem to part with it. Anyways, I had some black pants on and thought to myself.......I wonder if the shirt will fit me. So I tried it on and it did. Then based on the way the shirt fit I said "hmmmm...........I wonder how the pants fit." I tried them on and THEY FIT!!!! I wore the outfit to work today and got so many compliments on the outfit and everyone said they could really tell I was loosing weight! Talk about being on cloud 9!!! Just wanted to share this with all of you!!!!:banana whoooo hoooo :banana

Hey lady, CONGRATULATIONS!! That's one of those non-scale victories (NSVs) we love! Now, where are you actually going to wear those leather pants to, hmmm? Just a few weeks ago I posted about my first NSV, which were a couple of pairs of jeans that have not fit me since before my first pregnancy six years ago. Well, now both of these jeans are TOO BIG! I've had to replace them with new ones two sizes smaller. Cool!! So let me remind everyone to keep checking your closets--you don't want to discover that outfit you've been saving for a special occasion is now hanging off you. There's gold in them thar closets!

I just painted my toes with out pain or gasping for air!!!! Sent from my XT1254 using the BariatricPal App

70 LBS DOWN TODAY!!!! Boooooooooom! Victory is SWEET! I have some setbacks: -Ate some CRAP sugary food over the last 3 weeks. Stalled my A$$ off! -Stopped killing it at the gym due to a Derby Injury NSV's: I bought several XL things including an adorable dress & they all FIT AWESOMELY! That is regular ladies XL, not 1X.... just to clarify (& gloat) I bought a size 12 REGULAR WIDTH strappy ridiculous heels that SCREAM Vegas (will be there in one month!) I was up to a 13W before surgery. I am currently wearing a tank top from the JUNIORS section. it has a multi-color zebra pattern & I think I'm going to wear it to the gym later! I can sit in the school chairs that have arms on them now. I can walk up to the third floor apartment of a friend of mine & I can still breathe!! My collarbones exist... and they are LOVELY! So, pretty damn good if you ask me. I have many more victories than setbacks & I start regular practices with the Charlotte Rollergirls Derby team IN ONE WEEK EXACTLY! L-O-V-I-N-G my new life~ ALSO.... CHECK OUT MY VIDEO BLOG ON YOUTUBE. More about my derby adventures there. Link is in my signature. I would love your feedback!!!!

NSV - (non scale victory) for the first time in I can't even remember how many years - I was able to trim my own toe nails, with a regular toe nail trimmer. Sounds silly, but made me feel great. Had been paying the doc to do it.