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I achieved another NSV (No Scale Victory) today. I put on a pair of trousers, that when first bought were uncomfortably tight and ended up in the wardrobe after only one outting. Now they are comfortable, well more than comfortable, loose! Not loose enough for me to dare to go down to the next size, but what a wonderful way to start the day! Everyday, even with the occasional hiccup, has been a reminder that I made the right decison. I have finally invested in myself. Still feel it was a bit of a selfish action but I know both CM and I will benefit in the long run! I know there are going to be some aspects of my health that won't be resolved by my weight loss, but I look forward to the day when I can walk much longer distances without keeling over in pain. I truly do hope that with my combination of weightloss and gentle exercise, I may firm up my joints enough to prevent me causing any further damage. Not sure what I am going to do today, I know I have food shopping to do. That is also a major benefit my shopping bill - when I shop for household food and animal food - has dramatically decreased! I eat less than CM!!!! Lord help me when my size justifies clothes shopping lol. It's a good job I am not keen on Sinsburys TU! They tend to be at least one size smaller than the lable says. Why is it, that two articles of clothing from different stores can be so dramatically different? I have asked for clothes vouchers from MOnsoon and next for xmas presents. I won't spend them immediately, I may hold onto them until I get to a size 16 or maybe even 14! 16 is my initial goal and 14 my final goal. I have never been smaller than 14 and doubt I would look that good so skinny. I'd laugh if I managed to get into 12's and then probably panic! You know it's funny, a part of me is terrified about losing weight! Not sure why that should be. I should see it as a positive. Maybe that is the problem. Being fat (I still hate that word) protected me, I stopped thinking about being attractive, which meant I gave up on contemplating dating, safe in the knowledge that I would never be wanted. Maybe it will still be the case when I get down to my ideal size? It's silly though isn't it, I guess my blubber was keeping me safe from being hurt. I am going to have to work on my self-esteeem!

I am only 1 week post op but had tremendous success on post op and am down 24 lbs! Today I put on some pants that were really uncomfortable a few weeks ago and they are loose! Decided to clean out my closet. But there is something wrong with my brain! I look at things and think, I should keep this for a puffy day or in case I gain. GUESS WHAT? I am NOT going to gain again! You should see how much I pulled out of that closet. Not wasting anytime it all goes to the Goodwill tomorrow! I am getting rid of the excess...weight and clothes! I am loving this!

Had my surgery 1/31 and I hit my stall at 2-2 1/2 weeks and it lasted for 3 weeks and I dropped two pounds and like u my clothes were/are getting looser. Don't let the scale dictate your journey--focus on the positives! I hate when I read that but it's SO true. I've been much happier since I've focused on NSVs. You're strong and you're doing fine. enjoy the journey!!

Well, I'm glad to report a loss this week of 6 whopping pounds since the fill (last Mon). Now, why didn't she do that sooner? Myra ~ Thank U so much for posting the letter from Diane. It was great to here some news about her. If you get the chance, please tell her there are many on here that care a great deal for her and would love to see her post when she is up to it. Now on to you......HOLY COW.....you have some AWESOME NSV's!! You are on you way....you little elliptical "sprinter". :biggrin1: BTW, my entire family is going to be in your neck of the woods next week. We are going to be looking for homes, schools, & such. Can't wait to hook up with you. Maybe sometime late summer?? Kim ~ You poor thing. :cry I just hate to hear about you going through that. I hope my DW stays a PB virgin :nervous, but I do understand the concept of eating too fast & not paying close enough attention. It's so easy to do. Did you drink some aloe vera juice afterward? Are you doing alright now? Any lasting effects? Take care my friend. Drews ~ Maybe you do need some more Protein since you have intense workouts at derby practice. Try a Protein shake b4 your practice or an Isopure. Not that familiar with sparkpeople, but have your tried listing your food intake at fitday.com? It will give you a break down of the Proteins & such so you'll know exactly what your taking in. Another thought is that you have had a tremendous success with your band and perhaps your body is just leveling off for awhile. Let us know how things go. :phanvan Regarding your side note.....I have felt the same way for a long time now. It's been the same stuff for months. Unfortunately, a good bit of the time, it's lopsided. Even kept me from posting. I guess the R & R serves it's purpose and keeps the fingers flying on keyboards. :tired

I fit in my 9 year olds classroom desk! Why was i in it u ask? That is not the point...the oint is i fit and didnt hear anything crack! . That was awesome!!

Disney Nut, that is fantastic, what a huge NSV. We're a big Disney family, too, but in California...my daughter actually works at one of the parks. I don't go as often as I did when the kids were younger, but I did go last week...and boy, were my feet, ankles and knees KILLING me after the day was done (i'm still pre-op). Can't WAIT to be in your shoes, YAY for you :-)

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.

Well not really ran, but I never would have made the train 20 lbs ago!! I wouldn't have even tried.

I'm almost a year out and had a huge NSV yesterday. I could never wear high boots before. Went it to the store and pulled on a pair of knee high boots that zipped. They fit perfectly! I wanted to cry!

Hey Saww62! Nice to see another guy on the site. I don't know what "too fast" really means - I wish I could wake up tomorrow 45 more pounds lighter! As a rule, men lose fast and the more you have to lose the faster it goes, at least at first. Do your best to work the program and don't worry about how fast it's going. You will look back on these days from your first plateau and wonder why you were worried at all. Ps. watch for the first few non-scale victories (NSV) too. For me, it was cool to be able to bend down and tie my shoes without gasping for breath. Good luck and congratulations on getting the band.

Excellent news on dropping the meds! Leaving meds behind and just feeling so much better physically are wonderful NSVs! Dropping clothing sizes, while getting expensive, is also surprisingly fulfilling!

I went shopping today as I am needing some smaller clothes!! I tried on a size 12 pants and they were too BIG!!. I like having this problem. I could not find a size 10 I liked so I did not get any today. I quess I will wear my too big and baggy pant to work tomorrow. NSV for me!!

I had the hardest time finding exercise clothing when I first started exercising too. I had to settle for the Walmart stuff because I honestly couldn't find it anywhere else. Nike, Adidas and all those other brand names don't make big girl sizes. I just worked out in a Capri-type leggings and a tshirt. I thought I would make a killin if I came up with some kind of exercise line of clothing for women Congrats on the NSVs! Happy for ya

My hubby likes to say we got a 2fer. I've lost 69, he's lost 35 due to his change of diet and exercise. Congrats on your NSVs. The add up wonderfully.

I was banded Nov 13, 2014 and it has been the happiest year of my life (at least where weight is concerned). I knew weight loss would still be hard and knew that it would be scary along the way, but this has been amazing. I have lost 90 pounds and am currently enjoying one-derland, through at the same level for a bit longer than desired. I've committed to a trainer three times a week plus other exercise classes. I never in my life would have thought i would be looking forward to a spin class early Sunday mornings and I even work out at the hotel when I travel. Who is this person? Because of my commitment to exercise and truly changing my habits, I'm confident this change is here to stay. I have never been able to say that. I would lose 20 pounds and gain back 40. I'm able to control my portions and while I still enjoy a dessert every now and again, it's a "skinny person" portion. A few bites and I'm satisfied. Over the past year, I've felt that I've not focused so much on the number of pounds, but the accomplishments in the gym and other NSVs. It's helped me so much not to be fixated on the scale itself. I'd hover in a zone for a month then drop 6 pounds really quickly. it's a weird thing, but i'm getting used to it and not getting discouraged when the scale hovers on the same number, like it is now. I hate the excess skin primarily because I let myself get so heavy, but I know i will eventually have some surgeries to improve it all. I'm thankful to live in a time where that is possible and thankful to be able to afford it as well. I would like to lose another 40 pounds, but that may not be possible. Funny thing is that is where I used to be, yet thought i was incredibly overweight. I definitely didn't understand nor like my body before and this process has helped me come to terms with that. It's like a 12-month therapy session! I have my 1-yr esophogram scheduled for tomorrow morning and hopefully everything will be ok. I may get the band loosened slightly because the last fill (just 0.1) may have been too much. I was self-pay so this ends my 1 year of "free" monthly visits and i'll go and see the team quarterly. I congratulate all the others on this thread as it has been an amazing year for so many. Some have lost faster than others and some have stalled, but we've all learned from each other and hopefully will continue on through year 2 as well! So far, I see we are all NYU patients and I can't sing their praises enough, btw. Continued luck everyone!

This is a great NSV Thanks for sharing such a heart felt story with us!

Well Lisa, you certainly beat my "spin" picture. Ridin the bull is gonna be a hard one to top. I think you're inspiring me to get back into losing mode so I can come up with a photoable NSV to top that! YeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeHAW!

NSV is Non Scale Victory. It is like a mini goal that isn't tied to what the scale says

Those are some great NSV. You are doing FABULOUS! I wish my weight would have came off that fast. There is nothing like a NSV to bring a smile to your face and to help you feel proud about the commitment you have made to your health.

Great topic Gowalking! Through this journey the meaning of success is ever changing for me. At first it was ok I need to loss 50% of my excess weight within one year, then it was I need to get to onederland, then it was to hit my goal weight and now it's like you said it's the desire to sustain where I'm at right now for the rest of my life. It was all the little victories along the way that meant the most to me and motivated me to keep going. The NSVs of going down a size or two, going to the Dr. and having tests done and everything coming back perfect, it's in the smiles on my family's face when they see how happy I am to be able to do something I wasn't able to do one year ago, it's that feeling of self-worth at the end when all is said and done that I set out to do this for myself to become healthy and of course look and feel human and have done just that. It's about being the person I've always been on the inside but at times was hesitant because of my outward apperance. I would like to encourange others through my experiences along this journey to help someone else who is where I was, that is what ULTIMATE success looks like for me. I want to be able to give others hope regardless of their current situation that they can change their life.

I’m 5 weeks post op and I went to buy some new shorts today because my other ones were too loose for even a belt to hold up. When I was trying on new shorts I figured that I had only dropped one pant size. Turns out I’ve gone from a 46” waist to a 40” waist. It was a nice surprise. HW:375 SW:338 CW: 301 GW: 250

How great that you found something you really enjoy. And awesome NSV, by the way!

Banded on 4/23, my weight loss has been slow. I've lost 41 lbs which I'm totally satisfied with, but bc it has been a slow process I guess I haven't really noticed the changes in my body....until last night. We took the kids to the park & I was preoccupied with my little one, not realizing my oldest was photographing us. I got home & a friend of mine who I haven't seen in awhile text saying how great I looked in a picture my daughter posted on Instagram. So I logged in to check out this picture & was shocked to see myself. I then realized I had a similar picture of myself pre surgery at the same park. I compared the 2 & was in complete shock! What a wonderful NSV!!!

Yay!! I love the reference to an anthropologie project! That's what this is! We're unearthing all those hidden treasures in our bodies. I'm starting to see my collar bones. That's one of those NSVs that I've been anticipating so much!!

I'm down 18 pounds from surgery ( 12 days out) but even better, got my original wedding ring on today for the first time in months and months. sent from mobile device