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Today is my 37th b-day and I am in the best shape of my life (very literal statement)! Down 170 lb from my last b-day and @ 17% body fat. DOS: 07/02/2012 SW (5/8/2012): 360 DOSW (7/2/21012): 335 GW (2/27/2013): 180 CW (5/8/2013): 190 Time to live life to the fullest!!!

I'm 5 weeks out and haven't seen my youngest daughter in 4 weeks....she goes to college. She came home and said OH MY GOSH MOM you LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT...WOW I can really tell! You are looking good...I didn't think you would look that good already! LOL I wanted to say GEE THANKS but instead I did my "STRUT YOUR STUFF WALK" and gave her a BIG HUG AND KISS!!!!! I MISSED my BABY!! LOL That was my FEEL GOOD MOMENT!!! I hope EVERYONE has a GREAT weekend.

When I first started this journey back in August 2013, I weighed 301 pounds and according to my BMI of 50.1, I was "super obese." Now, 61 pounds later, I have a BMI of 39.9 and am *just* "obese." I also got a call from my PCP - she said my bloodwork confirmed that I no longer have to continue my diabetes or hypertension medication and that my bloodwork looks fabulous. The only thing I need to do is get my good cholesterol up and I can do that with exercise - which has been happening 4-6 days a week since surgery so I think I'm on the right track. Still have a ways to go but it's nice to see the results in so many various "weighs." From giving away clothing, putting on dresses that didn't fit for a good long while and now seeing things like my BMI and being off some medication. I'm sure that I'll hit a stall soon, or there will be bumps in the road but I'm trying not to focus on the negative and really just focus on the good news. And be happy. It's a novel experience, really. Hope everyone is having a good Thursday! Holiday weekend is almost here!!!

So, yesterday was my 6 month gastric surgery anniversary. And Holy Crap. Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I started the day feeling pretty good. Went to the Cardiologist. He was so happy for my weight loss. He wanted me to lose weight, but didn't know about the VSG. He was impressed with how much weight I lost so fast. He also commented I look great and was shocked I don't look "sickly" at all due to the rapid weight loss like many patients he sees. He was thrilled with my increased physical activity and my plans to hike the "Camino de Santiago" in Spain this summer. (It is a "pilgrimage" where you walk literally across Northern Spain or another route to Santiago de Compostela). We discussed my tachycardia and sometimes low blood pressure. He is having me reduce my dosage to half a pill (YAY!). We discussed my cholesterol and medication for it. I told him of my desire to attempt to go off it for a while to see if I can keep my lipid panel numbers in check without it now that I lost all my excess weight and am eating much healthier. We agreed that I will stay on it for 6 more months and then do labs. If my numbers are good, he will let me go off them and see how my labs hold up. I acknowledged to him that I know if they do go back on them, then I will have to take it for the rest of my life... he was happy with that compromise. On top of all that already great news... I asked him about my EKG which I had already looked at myself (I am a former trauma nurse, I know how to read them). He confirmed what I already knew... my EKG was NORMAL!!! Now this is HUGE because the reason I decided to look into WLS in the first point was because I was worried about my heart. At my appointment with him in fall 2018, my EKG showed that I had an enlarged Left Ventrical for the first time. I had an echocardiogram several months later that confirmed the EKG findings. THIS is the reason I insisted on getting weight loss surgery in the first place. My heart was working too hard and was beginning to enlarge. This was unacceptable. This was my reason to stop "trying" to lose weight and for making sure I "did" lose weight. So here I am... 1 1/2 years after identifying that my heart was enlarging.... and all my excess weight is GONE and my enlarged heart is GONE TOO! OMG, I left the cardiologist office on such a high note, I practically floated home lol. And I called my husband with so much excitement. It was a great day. Until..... During the drive home from my cardiologist I got an e-mail from the radiology office. I saw the e-mail when I stopped to exchange some pants at Old Navy. Some of you may recall I posted recently that my bilirubin levels had been rising since surgery. I normally have a high normal to slightly high bilirubin level. It is something that I have monitored my entire adult life. But since surgery, my bilirubin keeps getting higher. I saw my lab results before my bariatric surgeon did. I printed the results, wrote a note to my regular nurse practitioner, and dropped them off at her office. She called a couple hours later and agreed that we need to do an ultrasound to check my gallbladder and liver out. I did that Tuesday and was told that the results would not be available until Friday. Except now it is Wednesday, the next day, and I get a text that my results were available online. Again, I saw the results before either my general nurse practitioner or the bariatric surgeon. And what I read was devastating. My liver and gallbladder are just fine (weird... so why is my bilirubin elevated?). But I have a fairly large mass in my Left Kidney! I have a flippin TUMOR in my kidney! And they recommended on my report that I get a CT Scan or an MRI to further assess it. They used 2 terms to describe what kind of mass it appears to be. Both terms used, are the kind of masses that are cancerous 85% of the time. And even if it ISN'T cancer.... the mass is big enough that I know the first line of treatment is either a partial or total nephrectomy. Holy Crap. Add to that, I know that my grandfather wasn't much older than me when he had kidney cancer and had HIS left kidney removed. And I figure out all of this within 5 minutes, because as a Registered Nurse I already know too much. Still... I keep my **** together and calmly (but unnerved) drive home. I get home, I refill my water, I sit for a minute quitely before I call my husband over to talk. He is a Registered Nurse too... and I told him there is a mass on my Kidney and he made the same assessment I did... only he is much more panicked about it than I am. He wants to rush over to the nurse practitioners office NOW. I told him I want to wait a little bit so she can have time to look at the report first. Then I noticed a missed call from her. How I missed it, is beyond me... but she must have called in the 1 - 1 minute dead zone on my way home. What luck. And BTW, she doesn't make patient phone calls normally DURING her work schedule... she calls after she sees all her patients for the day. I know this because that is when she ALWAYS calls me for results. This was unusual for her. I knew she was worried before I even spoke to her. I called back and got a voicemail. (husband still panicking and wanting to rush over). I called a couple more times and got through to her. Instead of waiting for her to slowly break the news... I let her know I just saw the report and I know I had a mass on my kidney and that my liver and gallbladder were fine. This helped speed up her getting to the point... I needed a CT Scan and a referral to a specialist. She was at the same conclusion I was... it is a tumor and there is a good chance it is cancerous. I don't think she was going to say the "C" word yet... but after I mentioned it, she agreed. Now... my referrals always take a week. ALWAYS take a week to get back so I can schedule an appointment. So, I asked my husband if we can go for a walk somewhere. Well THAT was a disaster lol... because I got several calls from the referral lady and within an hour or so of my phone call to the NP about the results... I was running to the radiology office to pick up barium to drink for my CT scan on FRIDAY. Friday. The day I was supposed to be getting these results back, and now I am going in for a CT Scan already. Talk about FAST RESPONSE! The fact that she rushed this so much and managed to get me in to the radiologist office so soon just confirms how worried my NP really is, so that is totally stressful! Still don't know what specialist I will be seeing, but by the time I get that referral I will have results in hand from the scan, so that is good. On the plus side... I already know the rest of my abdominal organs are fine according to the Ultrasound. The CT scan will look more closely at all of it... but I don't have any reason to believe if it IS cancer that it metastasized. But now I have to gear up to drink a ton of barium (um... no clue how I will get this all in... I am only 6 months post op!). And now I have to deal with a tumor that could be cancerous and I might need a kidney partially or completely removed. Chemo is very unlikely, but radiation or other treatments might be needed. And on top of all that I still need an MRI for my L Knee because I might have a torn meniscus that might need surgery and definitely need physical therapy. And I am SUPPOSED to walk across Spain starting May 25th. Yay me. I thought I was THISCLOSE to being healthy again and all this **** happens! And how much you want to bet the Coronavirus hits my city hard right about the same time I need 1-2 more surgeries! Not afraid of the Coronavirus... except my immune system will be already under attack if I need a kidney removed!

First off, I just want to say I have the most supportive friends a person could ask for. My best friend in the whole wide world came to hospital every day the four days I was there after my surgery. He stayed for several hours, if he didn't have work, at a time, even when I was drugged up and sleeping. He even contemplated skipping one of his classes so he could stay with me, but I told him no, especially since finals were drawing near, lol. Now that that is out of the way, onto the story. I consider myself in between the pureed and soft food stage, because while I still puree some stuff, my doctor gave me the go ahead to try some soft foods. Like I said, my friends are super supportive. I went to a Christmas party at my friend's house, and the two that were planning the food put a lot of thought and consideration into what they would have at the party based on what I could eat. One of my friend's signature dishes is homemade mac and cheese, and she made it with reduced fat cheese so I could have it since more fattening cheese makes me very sick right now. They also had some sort of chili cheese dip and crab meat dip. They know soda is my weakness, mainly coke and sprite, so my friend hid it before I got there, lol! He even bought my favorite diet juice drink just for me and gave me a saucer sized plate so I couldn't overload. Well, at the party, I probably ate more than I should. I never really felt the signals that I was eating too much at one time (ie burping, slimies, etc), but it was more like I was grazing throughout the night. I started out with about, I'm really bad at measurements, 2-3 ounces of the chili cheese dip and a few noodles of the mac and cheese and it was amazing. Drank some juice afterwards and then stopped for about an hour, before I had some of the meat from the deli tray, probably about four pepperoni sized pieces. We started playing a game so I mainly sipped Water during that time. Afterwards, I had some more of the chili cheese dip and some crab dip on a couple of crackers (I know, I know, some consider carbs evil but I couldn't resist ) and a cube of cheese from the deli tray. All in all, I probably grazed on about 8 ounces of food in a 5 hour time period. By the end of the night, I realized I probably ate way too much, and I felt a bit of heaviness in my stomach, but luckily no nausea or slimies, just a bit of burping. The next day on Wednesday, I was reluctant to go on my scale because I was certain I had gained. Turns out, I had lost 1.2 pounds! Wasn't sure if I was ever going to say this, because in the beginning I severely regretted my surgery, but I love my sleeve! I tried on my favorite jeans last week and I can fit more than a hand's width in between the waistband and my stomach! I was even more surprised when I looked at the tag and saw they were actually a size 22, when I had thought they were a size 24! I wore them a few days later and while visiting my mom, she said, "you need to stop wearing those pants, they're practically hanging off your hips." It was a great feeling. I can now comfortably wear a size 20, when before they would be digging into my stomach so much, I'd resort to unbuttoning them and hope my shirt covered it. I work in a movie theater and we are given two t-shirts for work. Well, a week before my surgery last month, we got new shirts for the holiday season. I wasn't sure what size I needed so I had my manager give me an XL and 2X and I would just trade the size I didn't need for another of the size I did. Tried on the 2X first, and it was too big, so I tried on the XL and while a bit snug, it fit better. Yes, I was definitely pear-shaped because I could wear an XL shirt but needed size 24 pants. Well, the district manager was working with me the next day and I told her I needed to trade in my shirt. After one of the supervisors went upstairs to switch them out, he couldn't find another XL, so my manager suggested I just get a 2X. I politely told her no (since I knew I would be having the surgery in a few days and it'd be a waste), and I'm glad I did because now my XL is too big! It'll probably be another month before I can comfortably wear a size large, but it feels good to physically be able to see my weight loss. The first two weeks after my surgery, even though I was throwing up the whole time, I had cravings like crazy. I wanted pizza, nachos, bread, etc. Now that I'm a little more than a month out, my cravings have gotten better, except a time or two here and there. Well, for the aforementioned Christmas party, I was supposed to make Cookies. I made sugar cookies, and before my surgery I would use a spoon to get whatever leftover batter there was, but I really didn't have the temptation to this time. Well, I bought some vanilla whipped topping and used food coloring to make it red and green, for Christmas. While stirring, naturally I got some on me. The first time I did was the only time I licked it off, out of habit mainly, but after realizing what I did, it was pretty easy to just keep a paper towel next to me to wipe it off. To me, that's a big accomplishment. Those are my NSVs (so far ) and sorry for the long post! I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

I cab from the train station to the office and most of the regular cabbies know me pretty well. So yesterday I got into the cab and since I've been out a lot because of the hip replacement surgery, the driver hadn't seen me in a while. English is not his first language so I have to remember that he meant it as a compliment when he told me that I was skinny now and not big fat any more. What could I say except thank you... LOL.

Happy Birthday Enjoy your NSV and that pretty red dress!

Happy Birthday! My NSV is I was able to wear jeans yesterday that I couldn't get over my butt in July. Also I am not in pain when I get out of bed in the morning.

Wonderful NSV. Thanks for sharing and good luck with the interview!

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I am feeling better this week. I saw my surgeon for my 3 mth f/u also and he thinks things are going fine. I have not been getting enough protein OR fluids, and I believe this is the problem. I just have to find high protein snacks and fluids that I can stomach. I used to drink huge amounts of cold water, and can't do that at all any more. I got really burned out on shakes in the beginning, and am having trouble getting them down at all now. I think all this is a learning curve that I will get eventually... I have to remember that I have lost 52 lbs in 16 weeks. I guess this is pretty amazing... I feel better than I have felt in years, and am so grateful for the opportunity for a new beginning! I do love my sleeve...:thumbup: By the way, thankyou so much Tiffykins for the gift of your time to encourage all of us... You make me feel like I Can do it! You look great by the way. I know you are so excited... I thought about you when I went shopping at Lohmanns this weekend! It was the first time in Many years that I have been able to shop in a regular store. (started at size 20 - 22) My daughter handed me a pair of shorts size 14 - with a waist. " I can't wear those", I gasped. "Just try them Mom", she insisted. They fit - with room to spare! I was so excited... Another NSV!!!! Have a great day, Heygale

Congrats on the NSV and the anniversary!

Oh my goodness (OMG). I had a wonderful non-scale victory (NSV) this past week. I flew on an airline for the first time since surgery. Last flight was one year ago and I suffered mucho embarrassment when I required a seat belt extender for each leg of my flight. Once, I had to request it while sitting next to my tall, ex-model coworker whose eyes nearly popped out of her head when she realized that I could not buckle my seat belt without the extender. This flight I had seat belt room-to-spare on every plane and every different style belt. Yippee! This has been the best NSV yet. I feel like a "normal" person again. I hadn't even realized that I previously did not!

Yaaaaa!!! Congrats!! I cant wait for my NSVs!!!! I get my surgery 3/25!!

Way to go!!! I am so excited about the NSVs in my future. My surgery is on 3/19. Keep up the good work!

On second thought, i think i will share on this subject. thanks for your honesty. I dont know that you're feeling this way or not. maybe its just me? im an at 6 months out,. i have about 40 lbs to get to goal. im at a size 12/14. my weight loss has been minimal over the past month. I mean, wow!, i havent been in a 12/14 in forever, i get hit on all the time. my hubs is much more interested in me in general. i feel like im looking more "normal". All in all, i think i'm looking really good. And the non-scale victories (NSVs) -- too numerous to count. I feel great The problem? i am feeling WAY to comfortable with myself at this point. I truly feel at this point that if i never lost another pound, i'd be relatively content. BUT... my goal is to be at 150. maybe be in a size 6. No problems with the sleeve at all now. I know exactly what to expect from it, lol. it's happier when i stay on plan, and acts up if i eat to close to bed or eat really spicy foods. other than that, it's easy now. Kinda too easy. Since i'm feeling so comfy right where im at, it's really hard to find that ,motivation to do those workouts. Since the sleeve is doing so good, its hard to make the best foods choices all the time (for example, beer is my current hangup {I know, bad, huh?}). I guess my point is- maybe its normal to have these feelings of loss of motiviation and disinterest at this point. Maybe its a "coming to terms" with the sleeve. if it is a normal part of the process, then its bound to change again soon, and we'll enter into the next phase of the sleeved. Everything in its own time. As for me, i'm gonna stay on program, do my workout, and try to help other people here-- just for today. (and no beer. lol) Today i need to keep my eye on the prize. After all, i could really rock a size 6!!

Hello VST gang!! Yay! I've been lurking between 2 and 5 pounds off goal for the last couple of months, and I'm thrilled to report that I'm finally there--and I'm sure about it, since I've been at this number for a few days now with no "bounce" back up! The last coupe of weeks, I've been trying hard to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, and I think that has made a difference. As you may know from my numerous posts on the subject, I have a really picky sleeve--to this day, I feel like it's pretty tyrannical about what it will and will not allow me to eat, but most of the time, it works out well for my weight loss goals. I do wish I could tolerate certain healthy Proteins (fish and chicken, for instance!), but I now appreciate its inability to tolerate fried foods and sweets, so it all balances out. It was a huge challenge in the beginning to discover what would work--and I still find new foods that my sleeve will or won't tolerate, so I'm still learning. Next steps for me include getting my exercise on--I haven't really gotten into a habit of regular exercise yet, and I fully intend to do that. I am also still experimenting with getting my nutrition optimized and being sure I'm eating as wide a variety of foods as possible, including vegetarian sources of Protein. Now that I'm "at goal," I can see that I want to lose a bit more, although I'm not sure exactly how much; I still have a bit of flab around my middle and on the upper thighs that's not just loose skin--not sure how much of that will go away with exercise! Thanks to all posters on this board who continuously provide support, encouragement, and answers!! I seriously would never have done this if I hadn't been able to read all of your experiences beforehand, and I would have missed out. For me, the sleeve was 100% the right choice. I'm updating my ticker right this second!! Short story: Weight surgery morning 306. Weight today 190. (I'm 6'2", so while 190 looks really high, that's really normal weight.) Size surgery morning 3X-4X, tight 26/28. Size today L, comfortable 12 heading to 10--I pulled off my size 12 Eddie Bauers yesterday without unbuttoning--yay!! Biggest NSV: Being able to work as a conductor without getting all hot and sweaty!! I like that I can now wear elegant concert clothing, work like a fiend, and not end up drenched with sweat. I can hug people after concerts without feeling self-conscious and icky and unfeminine. Oh, and the shoes!!! I can wear cute shoes without my feet hurting!! Worst comment: From a lady at work: Oh, I see you've lost a lot of weight; me, too, but I did it the hard way (followed by me, startled, saying, "Well, congratulations on your success!" and moving quickly away). Best comment: From a female friend/colleague: I was sitting in the audience for your concert, and I was thinking, "Damn, her butt looks great!" (followed by me giving her a big ol' hug).

@ Jenn1214 congrats on the NSV!!! @ roeroe I absolutely agree plus size clothing is expensive ( I can't afford to remain fat.....lol). I often think about when my size actually does change (its taking forever to go down even one size) how I am going to afford to buy new cloths, as I am currently in a financial bind. I think they charge us so much because of the extra material?!?!?!?

Whoohooo!!! That is a great NSV!!! I looove to run so I know how amazing this feels. May you continue on the right path and run run RUN!!!

Happiness is being able to apply sunscreen on your own back with no help!

Bodyfixer, what a great NSV moment! Thanks for the laugh

Yeah, WOW! What a great NSV. Very cool.

I just got home from my annual physical, clutching a month's worth of anti-hypertension meds my doctor wants me to try. Yup, I still have the borderline high blood pressure I have had all my life. Even the lost weight and increased activity hasn't changed that. So where's the NSV, you ask? The NSV is in my mind. All my life I've dreaded the blood-pressure discussion, because it was ALWAYS about my weight. So now, I know, it's NOT actually about my weight. The discussion today with my doctor was about my HEALTH, not about my WEIGHT. I left her office feeling supported and cared for, not attacked and accused. (Not that this doctor had ever done that--she's a wonderful doctor--but I've only been seeing her since a year before banding.) It's a whole new world...medical care the way "normal" people see it. Wow.

Cool Nsv! Congrats!!

This is my first time back to work and ordering with everyone. I felt really good being able to join in and not feel like I am so restricted. I just chose healthy and ate a small portion. We can get back to normal. This was a huge salad. I will be 7 weeks tomorrow. This is what I ordered Grilled Chick Salad w/ff feta This is what I ate from that. It took 35 min to eat.