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I love it! Good for you! what a great feeling! Mine involves jeans too. I bought a new pair of jeans and was so thrilled with the smaller size I wore them for an entire weekend. After I washed and dried them I pulled them out of the dryer and thought, "OMG they shrank! Look at the teeny tiny little jeans! I will never be able to wear them again." I figured I would try them on and see just how much more I would have to lose before I could even think about wearing them. They fit! I zipped them up with no problem! My brain has not caught up with my shrinking size. I learned a lesson that day. Do not just hold up clothes to figure out if they will fit. I must try them on. As you get farther along in your journey you will find that most of the time, these NSVs mean so much more than what the scale says.

I got my pressure checked yesterday and it was fine. I have saying for months that I was going to get it checked. I will not wait and put it off like that again. I am not making the best food choices right now but I am conscious of what I am eating. I did not workout yesterday so I built up a sweat sorting throught clothes. I was able to actually thrown some clothes out, box some up for someone else and hang up so old thing that now fit again. I have on a top today that was once too tight but today it is baggy. I had my ex boyfriend button down shirt in the closet so I tried it on and guess what....it buttoned up and was tight at the bottom button. Woohooooo who would have thought....I'm happy.....this feels good. I am going to do this, I know I am. I'm not going to waste anymore time of my life being overweight and unhappy.

What a wonderful NSV! Be proud! You ARE doing it! :biggrin:

...and what an NSV will it be the day it reads your weight Oh wait, it won't be a NSV, will it?

Aww!! thanks for the Temaki Tip! never knew it! I am glad I have had the chance to speak to u!! u are an info guru when it comes to my favorite food!! which I become addictive to after my band!! I was glad I found it too! it was my only way out! with the band "No chicken, meat or veggies can pass through!" so yeah I am glad to have great news about the sleeve and sashimi!! It is a great deal of losing weight! when u stay away from the fried stuff ofcourse:) Thanks again for ur detailed explaination!! it is a great insights to what I should expect in less than 4 days!! my surgery is on the 16th .. BEST OF LUCK on ur journey and glad ur ex wife saw u! and stared!! ) I cant wait for someone who called me a "cow" after he broke up with me years ago to see me after my sleeve! one of the NSV I am looking forward too! have a great week!! and one last question.. is the hunger really fading?

NSV=NON scale Victory, the best kind there is! :thumbup:

Suzanne, congrats on the NSV. Yes, we are hear to listen!

Yay! what a great NSV, congratulations :thumbup:

Geez, I am still cracking up!!! Mikey! I will be printing them for later.. :hail: I scrapbook! It helps that I have a daughter- wait, no it doesn't. I Scrap during her naps or after she goes to bed. No kids, no schedule right? Anyway, once I get going it sucks up 3 hours easy and then there are all the wonderful memories immortalized 'forever' (it IS just paper). On the bright side, you will want a page about your day trip to ___ , or your weekend in _____. What about a page for each NSV? C'mon, thats a good one... A scrapbook of you. A hobby for the creative, but it doesn't require a second mortgage.

I did it, I did it, I did it! I did go exercise and I was able to do 15 min on the Elliptical machine WITHOUT PAIN! I'm so excited, I have always LOVED the Elliptical, I think it contributed a lot to my weightloss. However, since my knee surgery, I have not been able to do it for very long before the pain would shoot thru my knee and cause me to swell. Well, yesterday I gave it another shot and I even kicked it up some and it didn't hurt until the very end, and it was just a mild pain, I could handle it. I don't want to push it very much more, but I will continue doing it and hopefully each week I can continue to kick it up. I'm just so excited. I think my knee troubles are about to be the past! I just cannot wait until I can really kick my exercise up, like doing squats and lunges again! I love those and so do my ARSE. Well, not really but it does shrink that area. lol. Anyhow, doing the elliptical yesterday was my NSV. I took your advice Sula and made sure that I wore a sweat band as to not get the sweat in my eyes, it worked. I plan on doing the elliptical again today and my weights. Hope everyone else is doing okay. Pilates is fun and I have taken some classes, I can gell it really works my core. After I can conquer my elliptical, I might try and take a palates class at the gym.

I'll start with the good news! I went into Dress Barn the other day and the store is basically separated by "regular sizes" on the left and "plus sizes" on the right. For the first time in years, I didn't have to stay on the right side! I'm pretty sure I still could have fit into the smaller stuff in the plus sized section, but being able to fit into the "regular sizes" was too darn crazy for me to walk away from! Bad news is I haven't lost an ounce in the last couple of weeks. I consistently wonder if my calorie intake is too low (between 700-800, I'm 3.5 months post-op) but every time I try to see if I can increase it, I find I simply can't ingest any more food. The only thing I can think of to have more calories in the same volume of intake would be to up the fat content, but my NUT has me scared away from eating over 30 g of that a day. I'm frightened of carbs all on my own, so that never goes over 50 g (some will still say that's too high, I know.) I really should up the exercise a bit, but I doubt that's the main contributing factor--it's not like I've been sitting around doing nothing! Sigh, I wish I had more guidance, since they only seemed to give me any in the liquid and smushie stages. I just hope this snaps soon. Oh well, at least I have 3 cute new dresses, a cute new shirt, and cute new black skinny jeans!

It seems to be that there are lots of people going through stalls right now !! If you are going through a stall or pre op PLEASE read the following wonderful post from Inner Surfer Girl in 2015, who sums it all up perfectly: It seems that at least 50% of the posts on BariatriPal are bemoaning a stall. Daily, and sometimes hourly, I am reading about how someone ONLY lost x number of pounds and now the scale hasn't moved in ___ [fill in the blank] days/months, etc. Oh no, they write, I am a failure/unique/my surgery didn't work/life is not fair, ... Why am I in a stall? I know I am exaggerating but I think you get the idea. Guess what? STALLS are a NORMAL part of the PROCESS of losing weight. If you want to lose weight, you will stall. Not just once, but over and over. And, guess what? A stall is where your body actually does the hard work of becoming smaller. It takes a lot of work and energy to dismantle a structure that has been holding up, in some cases, hundreds of pounds. For those who think they have to DO something to somehow "break a stall" (in my opinion, you do not break a stall, you just ride them out), here is my response: What can you do to "break" a stall? 1) STAY OFF THE SCALE Relax and stay off the scale if it bothers you so much. Weigh no more than once a week, or even less often. Weighing only at your doctor's appointments early in the process is a good strategy if your mood and self-worth are dictated by the numbers on the scale. 2) PICK UP A TAPE MEASURE In addition to using the numbers on the scale to measure your progress, take your measurements. Inches lost are also a great way to see physical progress when the scale isn't moving. Most people see the biggest physical changes in their body when the scale seems stuck. 3) TRACK YOUR Protein AND Water AND MEET OR EXCEED YOUR PROTEIN AND WATER GOAL EVERY DAY As long as you are getting in all your protein and water and following your NUT and surgeon's instructions, you are doing what you are supposed to do. If you aren't getting in all your protein and water, then increasing your protein and water is something you can do (and should be doing anyway whether or not you are in a stall). 4) EXERCISE If you aren't exercising, then you can exercise (and should be whether or not you are in a stall). You can start slowly by walking or even moving more around the house. Exercising will help you feel better, tone your skin and build fat-burning muscle. 5) MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH YOUR NUT If you are unsure or unclear about what you are supposed to be, or should not be eating, then make an appointment with your NUT (which you should be doing whether or not you are in a stall). 6) REASSESS AND REEVALUATE About the only good result I see that comes from complaining about a stall is when you take an honest look at what you are doing and realign with the program recommended by your NUT and surgeon. Have you started eating more outside of your plan? Are you restricting calories? Are you eating enough carbs and protein for your exercise? Are you taking your Vitamins? Are you eating often enough? Are you eating slowly with protein first? Sometimes, all you need to DO is go back to basics. 7) JOURNAL One of the biggest things I have noticed from the various posts is how anxious and out-of-control some people feel when they notice a stall. Journaling can help you gain some perspective and deal with some of the emotional turmoil. -- Write about how you are feeling about the stall and your weight loss, and surgery in general. -- Write about why you had the surgery in the first place. -- Write about what life was like before surgery. -- Write about what you hope and dream about accomplishing in the future. -- Write about your fears. -- Write about your NSVs. -- Make a gratitude list. -- Make a bucket list. -- Write a letter to your old self; write a letter to your new self. Just write. 8) SEEK HELP Stalls are when too many people seem to revert to old, counterproductive dieting behaviors (restricting calories, over exercising, bingeing, etc.). If this is you, then another thing you can DO is to talk to a counselor or therapist or consider joining a bariatric support group or a twelve-step group like Overeater's Anonymous. The discomfort of being in a stall can also drive people to develop new, unhealthy coping habits or even transfer addictions. This is where you want to marshall all the resources you have available to you and use them. The last, and most important thing you can DO is: 9) EMBRACE THE STALL Stalls are a normal and natural part of the process. Our bodies are complex systems and not simple machines. Stalls go hand-in-hand with weight loss. If you had Weight Loss Surgery, then you probably want to lose a significant amount of weight. So, get ready to embrace the many stalls you will experience as your body is transformed. It will be worth it.

Yes, tomorrow I will officially be a bandster. I'd love to come up with a cute name for it, like LoseIt did ... Band Jovi was it? LOL I dont know. Anyways .. tomorrow I will have it. Tomorrow is the start to the rest of my life. I am praying the Lord helps me stay disciplined, to do what I'm supposed to do and follow the rules so I can have the most benefit and success from this experience. I have been thinking lately about my NSV and my SV. I dont know if I have a set amount I would like to lose weekly, I'd love to lose at least 5lb ... but I know that probably wont be realistic. During the two week liquid diet I started on the 5th I lost 5 lbs as of the 14th. I think I am still losing though but will sure tomorrow what the final count is. So lets just say that I lost 2.5 lbs each week, thats way more than I was losing before and right in the healthy range. I think thats what I will shoot for my SV. As far as NSV ... I'd love to be able to cross my legs and not strain my quads or hams doing so, not having to hold my knee or stabilize my foot on something just to keep my legs crossed. Id love to be able to wrap a normal size towel around my body after a shower and have no skin showing! I'd love to be able to not lose my breath walking fast, trying to keep up with my husband. Id love to be able to shop at a normal store and wear single digit sized clothes! I'm very short so I think a normal size for me might be around 4 or 6 ... I'd love a 6, would be happy with an 8 I think. Ahh I'm fooling myself. I want a 6 :thumbup: I want to be able to drive without my stomach touching the steering wheel. I want my daughter to say "mommy what why dont you have two belly's anymore" :smile: I want her to be able to hug ME .. not my fat. I dont want my daughter to know what fat is .... I know there are tons more, but that was on my mind today as I prep for surgery. I have to pack my bag today too ... I wonder what I should bring. I'm only staying a night so should I bring comfy pants to wear to bed? What do I wear home? Will I be able to wear my jeans home? Oh, I also have to fill my prescription today so it can be here ready to use. My parents are coming here tonight to help with my daughter, my husband is home from Iraq ... YAY ...

@@rp1980 those aren't good NSV's they are GREAT 28,000 steps i'd have to run hard to keep up wi th you running is against my religion i'd have to walk I can relate to the mention of how many lbs you (and me earlier) "still" have to loose(75 lbs for you) as you think about the above concentrate on well you are doing!!! instead of how much you have to go keep up the great job kathy congrats

Ok, so I don't have many nsv or nlbv or nsurgicalv or anything like that... but today - I had a great NSV/NLBV/NSGV I recently (last week) "adopted" four feral kittens that were roaming the neighborhood. They have had no human contact are are about 8-10wks old. So I set a trap and caught em. All four. Then I put them in a cage in my bathroom where I was determined to tame them so I could get them good homes. For the first 2-3 days they were confined to the cage where I changed their bedding, litter, Water, food daily and sometimes more than once per day as needed. By day 3 one kitten would come up to my hand and let me pet him for about 3 seconds. After those first few days in confinement, I let them have free range in my bathroom with access to their cage as needed/as they wanted. That went on for about 2 days - then the boys (two male kittens) were sweet enough to let me pet them a bunch so they got free range of the house. Now those two boys are the biggest babies. One especially who is my newest little baby. I will be keeping him for sure. He is so jealous and wants me all to himself. It is so cute. So the girls were still in the bathroom because they would hiss and through a fit if anyone came in the bathroom. They almost seemed hopeless. But now that we are one week and one day into the "Taming Project"... the scared little girls came up to me today and let me love on them. They purred like crazy. There is hope yet!!!! I am soo stoked because I am pressed for taming time because we are moving on Saturday and would have to give them to the pound Friday. I know those two little girls would get a fast track to the euthanizia if they didn't turn around and now they are seeming to really come around. I am sooooooo happy!!! Just had to share that because I don't have anyone else to share that story with, so yall are the first I am sharing it with. Soooo happy!!!! Yeah. I will post pictures later.. :laugh:

Sweetpea beat me to it ... check on those NSV (do you clothes feel different?) .... you'll get there !!

Hi everyone! I'm sitting in DFW airport waiting for second leg of business trip to Las Vegas having just experienced what I would say is my first real NSV. I started this journey last June at 385.5 pounds and although I've lost a lot of weight since then but I'm still really large. Imagine my surprise when I didn't need a seat belt extender! Such a small victory but such a thrill! Had to share it.

have you been checking your measurements? Sometimes the NSV's help with the slow weight loss. Good luck!

Best advice I can give it just breath! And don't focus some hon the pounds that you loose as opposed to all the NSV's that you have and inches lost.

I am anxiously waiting for my final insurance approval and surgery date. As I've been waiting, I've been thinking a lot about this topic. My top NSVs are: 1. Be able to get through my yoga class without having to modify the poses because my body is too big to get into the proper position. 2. Recognize myself in the mirror. Today, I avoid them because I don't recognize the person staring back at me as "me." It's so uncomfortable when your insides don't match the outside. 3. Be able to cover myself in a standard sized towel rather than a bath sheet. I travel a lot and hotel towels are never big enough! 4. Enjoy (or at least not dread) having my picture taken. I regret that I have so few pictures of myself and my kids when they were small. 5. Not dread going to school and my kids' sporting events for fear of being the biggest mom there (most other moms in my area are pretty fit). 6. Not having to shop in the plus-sized section or order everything online because the clothing stores I like don't carry my size in-store.

I come back here mostly because of the friends I have made.... Also it is a safe pleace where others know what I mean when I tell a small NSV .....they can enjoy it to....I love reading about others victorys.... Knowing i can come here when Im struggeling with wanting to pig out on something...or if I have pigged out and am now having a stuck issue...lol SO many things to love about this site.....

FREEZE THIS THE BARIATIC POLICE. NOW STEP AWAY FROM THE SCALE. (JK) do consider giving the scale a break and move to a weekly weigh-in vs the daily mental torture you do now. Not every victory in this journey comes from the scale and even when not losing weight other good things happen. There is a whole thread on NSV - that's non scale victories - give it a read and see how many apply now and what you have to look forward to.

There was a time I would think to myself, women who wear heels all day at work, to the mall (of all places), had serious confidence issues to bare such agony. 7 months ago, I could wear heels for 1 hour max and I would have to change into flats, 70 lbs lighter and I now see the light. This has been one of the ultimate NSV's for me. I can wear my heels all day run up & down stairs & not break a sweat. I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!!!!!!!! Thank you GOD for allowing me this 2nd chance!

Well, according to the body composition scale at the gym, today I weighed in at 214.8 lbs, making another straight week of around 2lbs lost. Amazing to be doing that at 17 months post-op, but who's complaining? Also, since 215 was my goal (adjusted downward from 225 originally), GOAAAL! Well, except that I've now adjusted it down AGAIN to 200. And in addition to losing 2 lbs in the past week, according to the body composition numbers, in the past month (ish, since 8/26) I've lost 2% body fat (4.4 lbs) and GAINED ~2% muscle (around 4 lbs). That's just amazing; my fitness guru at the gym was astounded, he said he's NEVER seen a guy in his 40's (ok, early 40's, but still) gain muscle and lose fat so fast. It's a VERY GOOD DAY.

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!!!