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So, I had all last week off, part holidays, part vacation time I had to burn up or loose. I have been noticing the past few weeks that the "smaller" clothes I was wearing were now starting to look too big. I'm not really a clothes hoarder in the traditional sense (some may disagree), but I have been UP and DOWN for sooooo many years that I started keeping all these various sizes. No, I don't have infinite closets. I actually put up closet dollies down in the basement held up from the ceiling. I actually have 3 of them. One dolly is 12' long, another about 6' and another about 4'. It's a combination of work clothes, everyday clothes, jackets and then my show outfits when I compete at horseshows. Anyhoooo, I decided it was time to shed my bedroom closet and go "shopping" downstairs. I actually have some pretty nice things in the smaller sizes, so there wasn't really a need to pay money at the store. Then, yesterday a very good friend of mine who retired a couple of years ago offered to let me come raid her closet today for her work clothes since she doesn't need them anymore. I had to go to the store to buy some more hangers- LOTS of hangers. Some of the fun was some of her clothes were too big, but like me she had different sizes from times when she was thinner. How cool to be able to say, "I'm sorry but this is too big". Some really nice blazers, blouses, sweater sets, dress shoes (we wear the same size shoe!). Also, when I was "shopping" in my basement, i was trying on some skirts and such and to my amazement several fit. I have not worn a skirt in several years because I didn't want people to actually "SEE" my legs and see the roundness of my fat calves. They are still bigger than I like, but I'm not one to wear short skirts anyways. But, I'm to the point where I am now willing to wear skirts again. I actually got some panty hose today, something I haven't bought or worn in many many years (no need if I didn't wear skirts or dresses). I had no idea what size I would need to buy and so I looked at the sizing chart on the back and it said I should wear a size "B" pantyhose, not Q, not 1x, 2x, etc... Wow, talk about an amazing feeling!!! After I got home from the store and my friends house, hanging up all my new clothes, I decided I should try on the new panty hose because I was still in a little disbelief that I could wear a size "B". Sure enough they fit.... I hadn't seen my friend in a couple of months and when she saw me her mouth just dropped. She was like WOW, you look amazing. Her young adult daughter was there and she says, "wow, you are so skinny". Of course, I'm not skinny, but compared to where I was, I'm a lot thinner. Talk about ego boosters!!! It will be funny when I go back to work Tuesday and people start seeing me dressing so different. I have had a tendency to wear bigger clothes and didn't really spend a lot of time trying to dress super nice- just felt like it was a lost cause when I was so big. What a way to start out 2012!!! 102# down in 6 months, and 10 days!!! wooot!! wooot!!!! Final goal, here I come!

One of my best NSVs has been the ability to sit in both vinyl and canvas lawn chairs without worrying about them collapsing under me!

Rapid "weight" gain like that is just Water weight most of the time. If you are eating a lot of canned Soups and the like they have a LOT of sodium (salt) in them, which will make you retain water. You are probably struggling to get your water in as well, trying not to drink 30 mins before, or 30 mins after eating and eating every 3-4 hours is a real challenge (but you'll get the hang of it). This also contributes to the water retention because just as your body stores fat when you don't give it enough food, it stores water when you are not getting enough fluids in. Now you're saying, "How can I not be getting enough fluids if I am on a liquid diet?" Right? Well the liquids in your diet, the soups etc., are going to fill your nutritional needs and while they are technically liquid, there is not enough liquid in them to properly hydrate and nourish your body. Lastly, the surgery and pain medication coupled with the lack of solid foods and reduced amounts of liquids can constipate you in a big hurry. You don't really want to use a laxative but a stool softener is an excellent idea and maybe a little Fiber supplement to clean house and lighten the load a little. So, what to do: 1) Try low sodium soups, etc. 2) Drink as much water as you can during your windows of opportunity 3) Keep things moving in the lower GI (the softener) 4) Most importantly, and most difficult, put away the scale! You should not be worried about any significant weight loss/gain/daily fluctuations right now (or ever for that matter). I used to weigh myself everyday and I was driving myself nuts and often times not doing the things I needed to because I was either mad at the scale if it went up, or scared of it going back up when it did go down. I even convinced myself that I shouldn't workout as much (or at all) because my weight went up every time I went to the gym. Not significantly of course, but it went up because muscle weights more than fat and I didn't like it. Try to focus on what we call NSVs, or non-scale victories. Tying your shoes on the top of your foot, getting a towel to completely cover your body (even if it is a beach towel at first), having your pants fall down when you put your cell phone in your pocket, being able to breathe when you reach the top of the stairs....Priceless! All the wonderful little things that will happen to your body as you lose weight and get healthier. Things that you won't see on the digital scale readout. Things you might not see at all if you are only looking at the arbitrary number on the scale. Be a loser, not a number. I am 15 months post-op and down 108lbs! I started in a size 24 and I just bought a size 10 jeans for the first time since I was 12 years old! The band is your tool belt, but you still have to build the house, patiently. Good luck and feel free to e-mail me anytime.

Morning everyone, I thought you might like to hear my little NSV from Saturday night My Gran's cousin Dawn was over here to visit (we only see her once every couple of years), and since we've only met briefly a couple of times before she didn't know me or my story. We all went out for a big family dinner to Celebrate her trip, and I was sat next to my Dad and opposite Dawn and my Mum with the rest of the family down the table. I can't remember how we got onto the subject but my Dad was egging me on to tell Dawn about my surgery. So I explained about my op, how much I have lost etc and she seemed very interested. I didn't touch on how I feel about it, or the difference it has made to my self esteem etc as I don't know her and felt a bit vulnerable. So my Dad pipes up with "It's brilliant... she is HALF the girl, and TWICE the girl all at once! She wasn't at all happy before, but now she is like a new person." I knew exactly what he meant by "half the girl and twice the girl", and I couldn't have put it better. His words really touched me and I had to go to the bathroom for a little cry (happy tears though!) My Dad is 72 now and has just had knee replacement surgery, so he is a bit frail at the moment. I've been feeling quite keen to get married and start a family etc recently as I know he won't be around forever and I would love him to see that part of my life. I am just so lucky that he got to see me come this far, and I am so so happy that he understands how much this surgery has helped me become who I am today. *sniff sniff* xxxxx

What has been your proudest NSV yet? For me, I can't decide if it was finally finding my collar bones (this weekend, woohoo!) or fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes last weekend... Right now they're tied.

So I went for my 8 month post op check up. Doctor hasn't seen me since January. He came in and looked at me and then my picture in my file from my first appointment with him. He said he didn't recognize me, I looked so different. He said that he likes to see 50% excess weight loss at the 12 month post op mark, I am at 8 months and I am already at 71% excess weight loss. He said he couldn't be more pleased with my progress! I am down, according to him, by 95 lbs (ok my NSV does involve the scale too!) I told him that I am now comfortably wearing a size 12, which I haven't worn since I was in 10th grade! (30 years ago!) I am so excited!!!

Wow just had the greatest NSV I was at work and a lady came in who was unaware of my surgery and I hadn't seen her in months....She exclaimed (in front of my hubby) Wow Girl what are you doing, you are just glowing....you are like half the person....(well I have only lost 51 lbs so not quite...but non the less)...she just kept ranting and raving....wow...there must really be a difference even though I don't see it yet!

Before I had surgery, I was wearing a tight size 20. I set a goal for myself that I wanted to wear a comfortably loose size 8. I also set my goal weight at 140. Well, I have been hovering around 148-147 for the last while but those 8's fit pretty nicely. Just for kicks, I tried on an old (VERY OLD!!) pair of size 6 pants today and guess what!!!!!! Yep! They fit! I wore them all day and was totally thrilled with my success. I had gotten on the scale this morning and was a bit frustrated that I still was hovering at the 148 level. Darn scale can really depress me. But when I tried on my 6's, just on a whim, and saw they fit...I was happy as can be! I love this sleeve!!!!! Just had to share. Living the dream, Laura

HI! My weight loss is moving slowly - but I am so not stressed because at least it is going in the right direction! Recent NSVs: I just returned from an Alaskan Cruise. We went on a walking tour and I had no problem keeping up with everyone, and wasn't in pain afterwards! Gained less than one pound on the cruise and have since taken it and more back off! For the cruise I bought some 1x shirts - not 4-5x! On the cruise, bought a hoodie at a regular store in regular sizes--didn't have to hunt all over for the only place that carried larger sizes. I have started working out 2x a week with a friend who is a personal trainer, and I don't "hate" it. I am keeping up and I went from not being able to do even one wall push up or one plank to being able to do at least ten! I was the least strong person ever, so every improvement makes me absolutely happy! Keep sharing your NSVs- I mostly "stalk" on here- but your NSVs are truly inspiring!

Oh I love this NSV!!! I've always dreaded going through those things!!!! You reminded me of something else I won't have to stress about! :-) Congrats on all your progress!!!!!

CONGRATS!!! crossing the legs is a great NSV! I hadn't been able to comfortably cross my legs in years and a few weeks after surgery I was sitting at home talking to my wife and she just stopped talking and stared at me. I asked her what happened and she pointed at my legs. I had casually crossed them while we spoke without noticing. It was wonderful!!! A similar one is bending over to pick something up without any problem. These type of NSVs are really powerful and make you feel like you are taking your life back. Keep on enjoying them!

The local fast food restaurants go out of business. Your dog gets fatter (now that there are leftovers). Your scale doesn't make a groaning sound when you stand on it. You have a fancy designer label on the back of your jeans instead of "Pass" and "Don't Pass" over the back pockets. But seriously, at first you may see yourself as the same, but people will be noticing the difference. Your clothes will fit looser, you will have many NSVs, you will not mind having your picture taken or looking in the mirror or weighing yourself, you will have more energy; the list goes on and on.

So today I wore a pair of jeans that were a bit loose before surgery, but I could still wear them in public. I figured they would not hurt my incisions. On my upstairs to get ready for bed I made it to the next to the top step when the jeans just slid right down around my ankles. I just stood there laughing for a few minutes and then hitched them up until I could get to my pjs. YAY!!!

Nsv!!!! Good job!!

So I buy Enell sports bras. They are expensive, but the girls are firmly planted in them. I realized that the bra I had prior to surgery was now to big (I noticed more jiggle). They size between 0 and 8, and sizes 6-8 cost extra (like any thing plus size..ugg) and only comes in boring colors. I was able to downsize from a size 7 bra too a size 4, and got a cutesy color too, with no upcharge! Seems so minor but this really made my day. Can't wait for my run in the morning!!

There are no little NSVs. They are all hugely important and I'm glad you shared this one with us..

Great job! If you want to contribute to the ongoing thread, it's here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/173306-nsv-shout-outs/

A few weeks ago some wonderful person put up a topic about posting NSVs. I enjoyed reading it so much so I thought I would share two of mine from this week to get us started! Happy Friday everyone! First NSV, the bath towel ends meet! I wrapped my towel around me this week and noticed that for the first time in recent memory, the bath towel wrapped all the way around and met from top to bottom! Of course if I moved, it became indecent, but since I live alone no one was around to worry about! Second NSV, I had to go buy new pants for work for the first time since surgery. I have gone from a 24 pants to now an 18W. I managed to find two pair of serviceable black dress pants WITH POCKETS and no elastic at the consignment store and with my store credit, I paid $7.50 for 2 pair! These should last for at least a month I am guessing before I have to find something smaller again! I have lots of other size 18-20 clothes that fit, but there were no black dress pants in the box in storage. No more mooning anyone when I get out of my desk chair! Okay, who else has something for us to Celebrate with them this week? pam PS I lost about 5 lbs the end of last week and over the weekend, but haven't lost since Monday so I must be "right sizing" this week!

Hi- For years I had been an avid hiker, but for the last 10 years I have been too fat to hike. I figured I would try it again. I went out this morning for what was supposed to be an hours walk-well, guess who got really lost? I took about three hours to get off the mountain. But I did it!!!!!! :whoo:It was hard. My calorie monitor watch says I burned about 1700 calories. Now that's a workout. Now I want to go back ASAP to find out where I messed up!

Wow, what a great NSV! I am so happy for you and excited that you got to share in that moment with your hubby as well.

My shoe size used to be 8 1/2. Then when my weight got past some unknown point, only a 9 or 9 1/2 would fit. I couldn't even squeeze my foot into an 8 1/2. I tried on 3 pairs of shoes today, all different brands. They all fit-in size 8 1/2.:thumbdown: I still have big feet; at least now they're only long...and not fat!

Great NSV! I have had the same experience! I went from a 9 to a 10. I am back down to a 9.5 and lovin it, many more options.

I am 62 years young. I have lost 100 lbs since lapband pre-diet and surgery on 10/30/09. Mostly I have been walking and doing weights exercise at the gym. I noticed my arms tightening up and my husband commented last week about my thighs. And, I had a NSV today, a lady that did not know me before my 100 loss, but was aware of the loss, told me that I had great looking legs and had I lost a lot there. You can tighten flabby skin, but it doesn't happen overnight! Karen(kll724). (by the way, no plastic surgery for this girl)!!

WOWOWOWOWOW! Those aren't small NSV's at ALL!! Those are HUGE!!!! I remember the first time I noticed that I was walking around a store and wasn't overheated and sweaty. THIS WAS A HUGE HAPPY DAY FOR ME and it should be for you too! THANK YOU TREADMILL!!!!!! (and this is a good reminder for me to get BACK on my treadmill!!!) Whooooop, NSVs!!!!!

:rockon: That is awesome! Okay, okay! No NSV is small. I changed the thread name Thanks for the cheers, they made both my eyes crinkle at the corners :scared: If people keep up being so nice... I might even be able to get these craggy features into a semblance of a smile... but I'm not promising