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I am not sure I have great advice but I don't want your question to go unanswered! I would say you took the first step by coming here and asking for help. My number one piece of advice is go see a therapist if you can at all. That will help. (Call your surgeon for a referral of someone who works with bariatric patients.) At the very least, seek out a local support group if you cannot go to a therapist. Secondly, maybe try a reset by just doing shakes for a few days and go through that "withdrawal" of the addictive foods again. That may help you get back to where you were in your mind the week before your surgery. Spend some time during those few days really thinking about why you did this and how far you have come. Every time during those few days of shakes that you want to reach for food or think you are hungry, go lock yourself in your room or in your car or somewhere away from food and really concentrate on your accomplishment this far. Why did you have the surgery? What was your first big NSV? What was your favorite NSV? Write it down. Start a journal and turn to that journal instead of eating. You have lost 105 pounds! That is amazing! You have the drive. You can totally do this!

So I started at 219 and am now down to 166 *horray* but for whatever reason my confidence level has never been all that high, and as for social skills with people I don't know forget about it. Well tonight I went salsa/merangue dancing and danced with SEVERAL attractive guys, and I was good! (so they say) I would have never had the confidence to go out and give it a shot before now. So that's my first official NSV. It may be superficial but it was so much fun, and good excersize!

A few weeks ago I went on a little shopping spree at value village and bought a number of XL button shirts. It was not a large fortune, but more shopping than I have ever done at one time before. I honestly thought I would be able to wear these for a while. I tried one on yesterday and it was draping over me, like a tent. And another and another. They were all very large on me where they for nicely when I bought them less than a month ago. I know because I tried everyone on, one at a time in front of the dressing room mirror. Sigh- I am going to have to donate these and go buy some large size button shirts (thrift store until my weight stabilizes). It is sort of a bittersweet realization, well, perhaps more like shock. A few of you may remember when I donated all my 2x, 3x clothes not too long ago. I filled 10-12 garbage bags full of button shirts, some 250+ button shirts, t-shirts and jeans). I think I shrunk a bit in the last few weeks from running all the time. It may be time to take a new picture for VST profile soon as the current one is a couple months old. Also yesterday, my wife's cousin came to visit for the evening and told me i was very lean and looking really good. He was joking around and asked if i was eating any longer ( the answer of course is yes, 6 times a day, about 100-300 calories a meal). He is about the same age as I and is an ex marine, very muscular and lean (can you believe that comment coming from him?!?!). His wife did not recognize me at first and i just saw them 2 months ago. I have a twin brother who has always been the "skinny" one where i was the " fat one". In quotes because weights fluctuate, but those generalizations have held true for the last 20-25 years. Well, i now weigh 45-50 lbs less then him and work out almost every day. he lives with me while he is getting his life together (been with us for 3 years going to school, now finishing CNA training, looking for a job, and saving emergency money that he gets from government for his own place). I keep encouraging him to eat a little better and to join me in some exercise beyond walking the dog. he will when he is ready to and certainly understands he needs to as being overweight. She thought she was looking at my brother, but then got confused because i look a little different from him just due to different life experiences, hair styles, clothing choices etc. She also said i had fine bone structure because she was commenting on my new delicate cheek bones and jaw line that i now have. i was surprised as i always thought of myself as large boned being heavy most of my life. Others reading this probably also think they are large boned and can relate to this reaction. One of her daughter's said i had a body shape " similar to daddy's" ( the ex marine). It was both cute and did a lot to put a smile on my face. I guess losing weight near goal weight (e.g last 25-30 lbs or so) makes more of a difference in the way clothes fit then losing weight at obese size (150 overweight). I am only 5 lbs away from my first goal of 185; i may try for 165 if it does not turn me into a skeleton. I hope you all have similar stories like this (hopefully not as much pain in the wallet with regards to clothes though ). This time I am going to only buy a few shirts if for some reason I enter the medium size. I really doubt it though being 5'11 and building muscle with strength training.

I am super excited that when I wrap my bath towel around me it actually closes!!! It's been a LONG time since that was the case! So happy!

I did an early morning sweep of all my pants today. I took all my size 20 pants and rotated them out of my closet and into a bin to go to the shelter I volunteer at and/or the consignment shop. I have lost 30.8 pounds and have gone from a snug 20W to a very loose 18W. Fortunately, I work from home and when I am out, I am business casual. My daily outfit consists of either khaki or black trousers or trouser capris and I have them down to a size 16R so I don't need to buy anything yet. I did not do the tops because I have tremendous ta-tas and I can still wear most of the tops, even if they look a little balloonish. Have you started yet, Laura? Don't make me show you up.

YAY!! Great NSV!!!)))) it is just stuff like these that keeps ensuring us how great we are doing!! WAY TO GO and congrats!!! thanks for sharing and drawing a smile on our faces:)

I'm 5'6" and was 331 pounds at my highest weight in mid-2012. I was 316 pounds on the day of my surgery (12/20/12). I have been 297 or 298 pounds (depending on the day, aaargh) since 1/18/13. I am doing everything I'm supposed to do, but I can't break this stall. I've also been trying to concentrate on NSVs instead of what the scale says, but I have been feeling very discouraged and depressed for a couple of days. I know I shouldn't compare my weight loss to others' losses, but that's hard to do sometimes. Thanks to everyone who posted their amazing progress! Your posts are inspiring and got me out of the dumps today. I'm sure I'll look back on this month and laugh once I'm six months post-op.

In Massachusetts, they put your AGE on your driver's license. My NSV from this morning is my BMI is 29.9. I've gone from obese to overweight!

NSVs are the best!!

Everyone is doing so well! I love to hear all about NSVs. -I always thought of my lab partner and thought thats what I want to look like. Well the other night we swapped some clothes and all the clothes I got from her were all a little too big! -The fact that I can actually swap clothes with my friends! who would have known I would see the day! - I now wear a size M top and a size 12 bottom. I used to be a 3x/2x and 26/28. -I work in a store where designer is everything and I could never fit into designer jeans until now! I'm offically a size 32 in jeans. -I have run into a few people I went to high school with and none of them recognize me. This is nice but it is also really embarrasing when you say hi and they look at you like you're crazy.

been awhile since i posted a NSV! so the last post in here i said that i got a personal trainer for the summer. i have seen CRAZY improvements with him this past month, but with him i mostly just weight train. on my own, i have been doing more cardio, something similar to the couch to 5k program. well yesterday i finished my first 5k! and today i did it AGAIN! never thought i would be a runner but i definitely feel like one now. last year i could hardly run for 20 seconds straight. oh and the best improvement ive seen since last year in my workouts: i used to get SO red when i got hot-- like a splotchy bright red, but i never really sweat, and it was really embarrassing for me. now i dont get red so much, but i kind of GLOW and GLISTEN (you know, like the women in those workout DVDs that look gorgeous when they work out? well, i dont look quite that good, but its a HUGE improvement!) funny how the body works.

Well I haven't posted in some time. I have had a few NSVs lately. 1. I was able to fly without a seatbelt extender. It has been quite a long time since I have been able to do this. 2. I went to Vegas last weekend and the last time I had been I was at my biggest weight. Last time I had hard time walking everywhere and was always tired by the time I got home. Well this time I walked alot more and was totally fine even in 100+ degrees. It felt great. 3. I bought shorts about a month and a half ago and they fit. 2 weeks ago I had to buy a size smaller. 4. Recently I had to buy a whole new wardrobe. Losing about 80lbs you just cant wear the same clothes. 5. My mom commited to my dad on our trip that I was not focused on food anymore, like I had once been. 6. My mom and I are almost the same size. 7. I had to donate 10 bags of clothes. 8. I was motivated to Clean my whole house. 9. I can shop in Kohls and Jcpennys now. Not just lane bryant or torrid. 1x at kohls mind you. I went from a tight 28 to a solid 22. 10. I have the confidence to wear sexier shirts. Halter tops and I would never have thought to wear those.

So I have had a couple of NSV. -My stomach no longer touches or rubs against my steering wheel -I went to my personal trainer and I lost inches over my whole body execpt for one spot. -I can now where the low cut sexy bras

MUCH CONGRATS!!! I'll give you a funny NSV...I have had the same bathing suit for 2 years.....it has gotten so big on me that the other day I came up out of the water and the top had fallen down...luckily I was alone...lol Now I cant find swimsuits anywhere!!!

My nsv: my wedding ring is to big i had to but a ring sizer my clother are wat to big, so big they are tacky my shoes are big i had to buy new underwear i proably have more but cant think of them all right now. Thanks for all the support on this site.

I guess as the OP I should give our little NSV thread some CPR! CLEAR!!! My latest NSV has come about because I work in NYC. I live here too but I used to drive everywhere...ANYWHO. I now take the train to work...the subway. If you've ever been on the NYC train system you know how close everything is. People sit next to me now when they never could before. When I was +300lbs I took up 2 seats and no matter how I sucked it in or held my arms nobody could fit next to me. Now I am just your everyday commuter sandwiched in like a sardine!!! The New Yorker in me hates that, but the Bandster LOVES IT!!! Oh yeah! I now wear a size 14 top and am moving to a 16 bottom!! I can shop in regular stores!!!! Skinny girls ask me where I shop. The always have but now it somehow means more. Come on twenty-somethings lets help each other not get apathetic with our weight loss! CLEAR!!!

Jane! You are too adorable! I LOVE reading all of your NSV's! Congrats on another great accomplishment! You are awesome! by the way... Big buff silly guys with tatoos are amazing... I've been with mine for almost 3 years!

Congrats Rice guy! It's a great feeling getting to wear your old clothes you'd gotten too fat to wear. I know that feeling. Well here's an NSV I just had. My coworkers have been talking about how skinny I'm getting. Now I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but I just started there 2 months ago!

Ok wow I have quite a few NSV's... Stomach no longer touches steering wheel. I've gone from a tight 22 to a very loose 18. My legs don't look like stumps they look like LEGS! BAD NSV: I've lost inches but no cup size so I've gone from a 40DDD to a 38F. My ankles exist! Rings fall off, necklaces fit better, bracelets don't cut off circulation. Sex has gotten waaaaaay better. I can wear a belt! Guys are flirting with me and staring at me. I instinctively am thinking "Oh no do I have something on my face?" cuz I'm just not used to it. I can shop at normal stores again. Still in XXL or XL shirts but come on...I have 38F's lol Even at my smallest I was wearing XL's. I have officially lost 50lbs. (Not a NSV but still a victory) I actually am having choices in what I want to wear, instead of just taking ANYTHING that'll fit. Used to wear 2XL guys shirts, put one on about 2 months ago so I could wear it to school and I was SWIMMING in it. I bought guys 2XL swim trunks at Old Navy when I was at my heaviest. So a few weeks ago I had to go hottubbing and needed some cover up shorts. I grabbed them and I couldn't get them to stay up and they went down to my ankles:mellow:. They weren't an option lol. People in my classes are talking to me. Sad but when I was at 265(at 5'4") they would ignore me. Not even look at me. Depressing when people can't stand the sight of you...how's that for you self-confidence lol... I can somewhat see my va-jay-jay! In the bathtub when I sit down I slide around a lot more lol...my thighs used to touch both sides and kept me in place lol sleeping hurts because my bones stick out more and I can feel the mattress springs I can run up stairs without losing my breathe. And amazingly I haven't exercised or really dieted at all yet. (bad I know but i've still lost and kept off 50lbs in 6 months all by just eating smaller amounts which is a lesson I needed to learn.)

Ordered a T-shirt from One of my fav bands, Usually when you order a "large" it's like a 14 year old girl large. I figured o.k it's gonna be small I'll be lucky to get my left arm in it, but it's something to look forward to. It comes yesterday, I take it out of the box, examine it and then attempt to put it on..... IT FIT. and it fits perfectly, I am not bulging out all over the place and the image on the front doesn't look like it's gasping for air. it fit comfortably. That is a real NSV.

Awesome NSV's everyone! I had a great one today. My roommate was telling me about her calculus professor and when describing him she said "He looks like a fat ugly version of you actually." I've never had anyone tell me someone looked like a fat version of me. Wow!

YAYYY!!!! THat's awesome! I bet it felt so good Congratulations. My NSV today was I decided I would *TRY* on a pair of old jeans from 2007 to see how they fit and guess what?! THEY DID!!! AND AND ANNNNNDDDDD....I used to wear em w/ the top button unbottoned and I buttoned both buttons and zipped em' up w/o a problem today!!!!

A big NSV for me is when i am able to sit in a restuarant at a booth and not have my stomach touching or, even hanging over the table.

Yeah Zuka I am holding off a completely new wardrobe for a while. I am buying a few new clothes though, out of pure necessity! Buuuuuut I have had a few new NSV's... - I work at Costco now and they have no problem sending me out to do carts! When I worked at HEB (a supermarket) they were always worried about me when I went outside for carts. Not anymore! - All my 2X and 3X shirts are WAY too big on me. Like big to where people comment on it. Haha - I'm treated differently everywhere I go. I no longer get the fat person look. -This is a scale victory, no doubt. I'm down over 100 pounds!! Woooohooo!

haha jane you are too funny! congrats on your NSV! and please, were young, go out and make crazy decisions, life is more fun that way. so if you want to flirt with "big buff silly guys" dont even think twice about it!