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I am basically 6 months post-op. I have lost 35 pounds, but I want to quantify that as "only 35 pounds." I struggle with this almost every single day. BUT. I now weigh 249. I have not been under 250 since late teens/early 20's. Yea to a new decade! Or maybe I should say old, haha. I have now worked out with a private trainer twice a week for two months. This was unimaginable a few months ago! I have an actual waist. Not just columnar hidden by chest and hips. I have rock-hard, well defined legs. I walk up my flight of stairs (I live on the 2nd floor) without huffing. I bring in laundry or groceries without straining my arms. and one of my favorites?? My hubby can wrap his arms entirely around me, locking his fingers together. Also, my kids call me skinny but I think they have joke, but I'll take it! So whether you are stalled, hit a plateau, fighting the 'only' demon like me, remember your NSV's. They are a vital part of this process.

Caysen has been bugging me for weeks to go have Mexican food at the local dive mexican food joint here. Well, I decided today to venture out and give it a whirl. . . The most exciting part of the meal was when I went to sit down and I didn't have to move the table closer to him to fit in between the seat and table. I almost moved it habitually, then stopped myself and thought to myself "go ahead, try to fit there, no one is looking, if you have to move it then move it" So, as I glided in slowly I realized not only was i going to actually fit, I had a good 8+ inches of space between my belly and the table. I know that sounds crazy, but living my life as fat as I was, moving tables to accomodate my size or asking for a table because booths were too small was an every outing occurence. It was so embarassing, and degrading, as I sit here almost in tears, I am so grateful to have my life back, and to not have to move the table anymore is such a great accomplishment. I don't care how much weight I lose, nothing will feel as good as this NSV. We ordered chicken fajitas for one off the lunch menu, and brought home enough food for another person to eat a fajita. I had 4-5 little strips of chicken with sour cream and salsa. It was by far the best feeling in the world with the booth situation, and I didn't get sick on any of the food. YIPPEEEEEEE! ! ! We went to the school this afternoon after lunch for the teacher meet-n-greet. He got a fabulous teacher, and I am so excited for him this year. He got Mr. B, and Mr. B is a buff, body builder teacher. He's strict yet fair, and we already talked about Caysen's attitude, and how it's time for Caysen to grow up. He will have homework every night, not in every subject, but 1-2 hours of homework can be expected. I think this year is going to be fabulous. We stopped off and spoke with his gym coach who had already found out who Caysen's primary teacher is this year. He said that Caysen was going to have a good year this year, and while he isn't bothered by Caysen's "smart assness", he can see how it can be distracting in a classroom setting. Caysen is really sarcastic, ummm kind like his mama ha ha ha. I know I need to set the example, but it is just how I am, and truthfully my entire family is the same way. We don't mean it negatively, it's just easier to be sarcastic than it is to be dry and dull. Caysen is always respectful, and minds his manners, but he can be a bit of a smartass. Day 2 of not smoking is going well. I really want to smoke, but at the same time, I haven't been nauseated today. I almost drove to the corner store, and Caysen touched my arm and said " but mommy, I don't want you sick anymore." I made a u-turn and headed to the house. I have eaten more today than I have in a week, and been able to keep everything down. I'm still only getting in 400-500 calories a day, but it's better than 200. I got a little nauseous right after we ate only because it's hot outside today, and when I get hot, I get icky feeling. The heat pretty much zaps me. John called this morning, and we were able to talk for 40 minutes. He is so ready to come home. Projected return date is the same so far, but I'm not getting my hopes up. He told me this morning, just be prepared to be flexible and expect delays. He literally made my day today, I was pretty down in the dumps, and he knew exactly what to say. We had a good giggle over my fat roll, it's an inside joke, y'all definitely wouldn't understand it, but lordy it's hilarious. We both had a good giggle, and he told me how much he had missed hearing me laugh. I haven't had a good laugh in months it seems like. Anyways, August is techincally 2/3 done, just another 10-11 days and then we'll definitely be in the homestretch.

Today is my 46th birthday. Hard for me to wrap my head around being this old. I don't feel 46, but I am. Since my birthday is 6 days after Christmas and I received a very nice expensive camera for Christmas, I was not expecting anything for my birthday other than the camera case we had to buy separately. My loving husband surprised with me a gift card to go shopping to get clothes that fit me a bit better. (This is the NSV part) When I started out, I was wearing a size 28 pants. I have made it down to recently to size 18 but they are getting a bit loose on me so I wanted to try on a size 16 to see if they fit. I wasn't expecting much but I thought I would try it out. Well, the size 16 pants were to big for me, and I ended up buying 3 pair of pants in size 14 and 1 top that is a Large or just an X. Can't remember what it is. One of the new pants are a skinny fit and make my legs look quite skinny. I was pretty much shocked. There was a pair of pants in the store I really liked but they didn't have any in the size I needed. I told the clerk it is a completely new experience for me to not be able to buy something because it is to big for me. Talk about a head smack experience. Today has been a good day, so far. Friends and family coming over a little later for dinner and then watching the ball drop. I love my sleeve and my emerging new body. (I never thought I would ever say that) Sheila

Tonight, I was just explaining to my mom what a NSV was. I have had several but my newest is being able to wear my high heels again and I'm now able to wear them all day long. Prior to surgery, I was known for carrying two pairs of shoes and swapping to flats after every business meeting. Now I plan to carry an extra pair of shoes but it's gonna be running shoes so I can exercise during lunch!

I have a NSV to report. Today I went into Marshalls and bought a size L top and size 16 jeans (from the misses section). Neither one was from the plus size department! I realize that I can still buy plus size clothes or squeeze into "normal" clothes. I was thinking of looking in the plus section. But then I thought to myself, I never want to wear plus size clothes again. It feels so good to realize how I took my body from a 2x top and 26 bottom to L top and 16 bottom. :embaressed_smile:

No you're on the right track! I need to make a formal goal list. I have goals in my mind both weight and NSV's like getting in my protein everyday or being confident in a bathing suit, but need to write them down! Congrats on hitting your first goal. The .4 will be off in the next day or two! lol!

@@katesuccess aka "happy camper" LOL good/correct "ah ha" moment!!! my latest milestone is not as profound as yours, just another clothing NSV (but i'm still happy with it) went shopping for afternoon pool party special occasion i bought a nice/cute sundress!! i've been at goal these past 3 years just never thought i could/would wear a sundress - not sure why looks great after all, i am still "cute as a button" kathy

I have a question what does NSV stand for? ...... And I can't wait to get a reaction from ppl as well....

A little background... So a big reason for me to have WLS was to be healthy enough to get pregnant. A year ago this month I had my first appointment with a fertility specialist. At that time my cycle was anywhere between 55-80 days (I think). I remember that they gave me medicine in November to bring on my period so they could do 3 day blood work, and it still took 11 days before my period actually came. They determined my fibroids were so large (as well as small) and numerous that I needed to have them removed before proceeding with treatment. I was also diagnosed with PCOS (although my PCP had diagnosed it 2 years previous as well). I had the open surgery to remove the fibroids in Jan. 09 and my next 2 cycles were fairly normal (around 36 days). Then I started really packing on the weight and had an 80 day cycle. I began researching weight loss surgery (there were other factors as well). Well, for the NSV... This month I had a 28 day cycle! After the last two years, it is just so amazing. I actually recorded the date I thought I ovulated and it was exactly 14 days into the cycle. I am so excited and hopeful that this will continue.

I did not see this thread until last night. So I wanted to think about some of my NSV's. 1. More confidence 2. Going out to eat and not worrying about fitting in a booth 3. Going from a 24 in jeans to a 16 (and some of them are getting baggy). 4. Just feeling better. I used to always feel lousy and tired and not want to go anywhere, now you cannot keep me at home! 5. More to come =)

New NSV for me. Dropped a pant size in the last month! Yeah!!!!!!

New NSV - I went to the thrift store on Saturday after the support group meeting. I bought a sz 16 pair of Gap Jeans and a shirt with no size. Got home and washed them and they both fit!! Yeah! I would have never bought anything without a size on it before! It was a cute top too!

I weighed 222 on surgery day - so during surgery and the 2 days in the hospital the IV fluids managed to allow me to gain 6 lbs. Lost 4 of them in days 3 and 4 post op - days 4 and 5 have not seen the scale move. But I'm sure I am not done yet! NSV's - 1) Have not taken any diabetes medications since two days before surgery (I was on 3) 2) Have not taken any high blood pressure medications since one day before surgery (I was on 2) Pretty sure the high blood pressure medications are done. Not sure if the diabetes medications are gone forever, but my numbers are really good and I do believe that once I start eating real food again and exercising at a deeper level, those medications are history too!! Those were two of the main reasons I had the surgery in the first place so it is already winning BIG in my humble opinion!!

Things are going fantastic. I feel better than I have in many years. I'm down 42 lbs. I have 2 times as much enegery as I had before. I can't wait to see how much more energy I get after dropping another 40 lbs or so. I had a great NSV this weekend. I hiked to the top of Helen Hunt Falls. :sneaky2: I cried when I got back down to the bottom. It was such an emotional moment for me. It took me an hour, but I did it!!! I had attempted it 4 other times (once when I was 20 lbs lighter) and failed. It was hard and every muscle in body hurts today. I could hardly get out of bed this morning. lol Anyone out there wondering if this surgery works...it does. I'm a testimony to it. :scared0:

Sorry to hear about your no good rotten few days. You have accomplished a lot to realize that food is not a panacea for misfortune this is a wonderful NSV!

That's a NSV Janice and much more satisfying than the number on the scale. Please remember not to compare yourself to others. If you do, you will always find something lacking in your journey. It's your weight loss journey and it will come off however it comes off. Also...you did not get large overnight and you won't get small overnight either. Just follow your doctor's directions, eat healthy, exercise, and you will get there, I promise.

So, I'm in reasonably nice food hall, which belongs to a major brand in the UK; picking up a couple of nice bits to munch on for the weekend. Noticing that my food bill has been slashed dramatically in the process and since this thang.. Anyway, I decide to exit through the clothing bit and spot a dress on sale. I think 'hmm, that's nice. Do I really 'do' lace though? Besides, is it be big enough?'. I ummed and ahhed over it for about 5 minutes - purely because I didn't want the embarrassment of getting it stuck over my shoulders cause it was too small. Anyway, after lots of mental debating, i decided to try it on. It fit. I didn't get it as it happened, because the lace aspect did my head in.. But as I left and trotted on down the high street, I couldn't help but walk into another lovely dress shop. Found a jacket I really liked. Lady approached me and said 'May I help you?'. I replied with 'Umm, yeah.. Do you have this jacket in a size 20-22 please?' She looked me up and down as if I'd come from Mars and replied 'Erm, you don't need that size my dear. You need a 16-18.' I have been neither of those sizes for nearly 15 years... I can see that THIS might be a problem in the future. I could be a size 14, but will still see a size 22-24 in the mirror.... I may have to work on that. In the meantime... size 16-18?! I'll bloody take it! Yipppppppppppppppeeeeeeeeeeee!

@@gowalking you are exactly right! The NSVs are so important. I haven't weighed myself since my last appointment with the surgeon because the changing scale numbers can make me crazy. And it is enough to ask myself to put forth the effort to stick with this new eating style without the emotional roller coaster of the scale. There's already enough in life beating us up! Interestingly I was speaking to an out of town friend tonight and she asked how the weight loss was going. I told her I was doing well, but, she was really disappointed that I could not tell her how many pounds I've lost. I noticed that her fixation on the amount of weight kind of irritated me. She's thin though, so, my guess is that my explanation of how pleased I am with the NSVs was kind of lost on her. At this point I don't even want to tell her once I find out because I already feel I've succeeded a lot without "the number."

What a blast! I think it's possible this is an even biggger NSV for your kids. For the first time ever Mommy joined them in the tubes! I know for my son, the biggest NSV is when I chased him down the stairs, round the truck and out into the street. I almost caught him too . For me, the biggest thing about NSVs like this is that they have real impact on our children.

Great NSV Kellie - thanks for sharing it with us!

Kelly- That is a great NSV, and it sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!! Congrats!

These are some of the abbreviations used in this site: Abbreviations ACL = Anterior cruciate ligament AMRAP = As Many Rounds As Possible (crossfit) BB = belly button bc = because BCBS = Blue Cross/Blue Shield BED = Binge Eating Disorder bf = best friend BM = bowel movement BMI = Body Mass Index bp = blood pressure BPD = Borderline Personality Disorder or Biliopancreatic Diversion (Scopinaro procedure) bs = blood sugar btw = by the way CBT = cognitive-behavioral therapy CC = common channel c diff = clostridium difficile cos or cuz = because CPAP = continuous positive airway pressure CRNP = certified registered nurse practitioners cw = current weight CXR = Chest X-Ray Dr. = doctor DS = Dumping Syndrome or Duodenal Switch EGD = Esophagogastroduodenoscopy EKG = Electrocardiography ff = fat free GERD = gastroesophageal reflux disease GI = gastrointestinal GNC = General Nutrition Corporation store GP = general practitioner or family doctor HBP = high blood pressure hr = heart rate hw = highest weight ICU = Intensive Care Unit Idk = I don’t know IMHO = in my humble (honest) opinion IMO = in my opinion IUI = Intrauterine insemination LAP Band = Laparoscopic Adjustable Gastric Band lol = laughing out loud LSG = Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy med = medicine msg = message NASH = Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis nf = non fat NG = Nasogastric NP = nurse practitioner NSAIDS = Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug NSV = non-scale victory (“scale” means “weight scale”) NUT = nutritionist OA = Overeaters Anonymous Onederland = a magical place or destination for those trying to lose weight. It might correspond to attaining a weight in the hundreds or losing a hundred pounds. op = operation OSA = Obstructive sleep Apnea Oz = Australia PB = Productive Burps PCOS = Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCP = Primary Care Physician PM = private message (email) PMS = premenstrual syndrome postop or post–op = post-operation or post-surgery PPI = Proton Pump Inhibitors ppl = people preop or pre-op = pre-operation or pre-surgery PTSD = Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder PVC = Premature ventricular contractions RA = Rheumatoid arthritis RTD = ready to drink RN = registered nurse RNY = Roux-en-Y s/f or sf = sugar free smh = shaking my head, scratching my head SOB = shortness of breath sw = weight at surgery tmi = too much information TPN = total parenteral nutrition TT = tummy tuck u = You UGI = Upper Gastrointestinal VSG = Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Vit = Vitamin wks = weeks WLS = Weight Loss Surgery WOD = Workout of the Day w/o = without wt = weight : ) or :-) = ☺ = smiley face : ( or :-( = ☹ = sad face

Hello all, I am so excited today, I just have to share! I have lost over 40 pounds now since August, and I have been down lately thinking no one even can tell. So in the time I am the lowest I had to go to a business meeting. I was not myself, people commented how down I was. And THEN my friend looked at me and said "You've lost a sh*tload of weight" They way she said it I was just cracking up. But I was so happy that someone finally noticed. And then the woman to her right said "I thought so too, but I didn't want to ask!" That feels better than the clothes that feel better, the smaller size all of it! Someone finally noticed! lol...I just had to share! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

YAY!!! Yes. That's a NSV! These are among the first: fitting into seats at the movie, not needing an extender on a plane, sliding into booths without having to move the table, buckling your seatbelt in the car and having room between you and the steering wheel! Welcome to the beginning of the rest of your life! :cool: Congrats!