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So I debated posting about this.. but I was in such awe over this, and I think only my fellow female WLS peeps can appreciate this. (And i'm grown, married, blah, blah, blah...). Hubby and I were having some special time. Off he went to "lady town" (Grey's Anatomy fans should get that). And I realized... I can *see him*. My stomach was not blocking my view of him. For the slightest second it seemed awkward cause, I've just never had that full view before. It was a serious, momentary, mind trip! So...NSV qualified, or too risque?

Love this NSV! I think watching my husband is part of the turn on. It is a great view!

I don't know where the other one is, but the NSV one is here:

Good Luck October Bandsters!!!! You have so much to look forward to....a healthier life full of lots of SV's and NSV's! Life is GOOD when you're banded....I pray for each and every one of you a speedy recovery!!!

That is fantastic news. Just that in itself is adding years to your life! The weight will come off, but you are going to find that the NSV's (non scale victories) are sometimes more important than the stupid number on the scale!

NSV= non scale victory I know when I first read it, I wondered what it was too. LOL Thanks for the encouragement.

My wife and I decided to take advantage of a child-free weekend and go see the Hangover 2 at our local movie theater. I bought our tickets and we made our way into the theater. We selected our seats, right near the top as close to the center as we could and we sat down. It was then that I noticed something unusual. Something did not quite feel normal. Oh I know what it is, we did not have our hands full of snacks, popcorn, candy, pretzels, and soda. Hmmm, while that was true it was not the certain feeling I was trying to place my finger on. Then it hit me. I was sitting in the seat with the center arm rest down and my arms actually on the rest! What a different feel from the rolls of my belly being pressed against and flowing over top of the arm rests. That was worth the price of admission. Now as for the movie, if you've seen the first one, don't bother. It's the exact same movie.

Congrats to you! What a great NSV even before surgery! I love getting rid of old, big clothes- it feels so rewarding. Although sometimes I have a hard time with some of my favorites and I just have to think of all the new favorites that I will be able to buy- and how much cuter they will be! Good luck to you as you continue on with this journey!

Very true... If celebrities can do it.. i can too!!! Lol, i didnt realize that i had cheek bones until you pointed it out.. I was too amused with the neck... But thank you... another nsv to add to the list!!! And with the Bandiversary approaching i am pushing myself hard to hit 199... i only have till March 15th which leave me at 24days. about 3.5wks to lose 8lbs... 2.5lbs a week... that may be slightly difficult with this dang plataeu... But ill try anyway.... And ladies thank you for your kind comments...

Woo Hoo that is what we call a NSV... Fantastic for you.

Today i put on a shirt and for the first time in years all i saw was my chest! Not a belly sicking out past them! Awh * sigh* the little things that mean so much! ' FEELIN IT '

Great NSV! Best wishes on your future weight losses and NSV'S! I can guarantee there are more to come. Karen

Why not brag? Don't you deserve it? This is THE place to come and brag. Here we understand (for the most part) what it feels like to hit an NSV and want to shout it from the rooftops. Not many people in our everyday lives understand that. I say brag away my friend!!

I climbed a mountain. No seriously, I CLIMBED A MOUNTAIN! I stopped doing uphill hikes MANY years ago because my tachycardia was so bad it made me short of breath to the point I had to rest every 20 feet. Today? I hiked for 14.2 miles. I took the shorter but steeper path up, and the longer but less steep way down. I climbed 3989 ft. I reached the summit of our local mountain. It was amazing. And for most of the uphill, I was able to stop at normal people intervals. And only 4 people passed me (one at the beginning, one in the middle, and a couple at the end. I did stop more frequently when was getting closer to the summit, but I really don't think it was moreso than the average exhausted hiker. My HR WAS quite high during all the incline, but my breathing was still controlled. And this is WITHOUT my tachycardia medication which I had to stop several months ago because my BP was getting too low. Needless to say, this is a major victory.

@@CTRose1160 just posted this somewhere - newest NSV?? parked too far away in the parking garage to reach the "ticket" able to pull up my new teeny weeny rear end, stretch and get ticket favorite NSV.......... when i decided to "put myself" out there and volunteer at our local hospital due to my lack of confidence/how i felt about myself i would never have gone out amongst "real" people before when i was "heavy" look at me now!!! kathy

NSv?

I could probably post in this in success stories but I like post-op better At one year out I'm down 116lbs. This time last year I was sitting in the recovery room with my mom with a lady from some other floor puking up her guts in the next bed over. Let me say the beginning of my journey was NOT pleasant. From being written the wrong prescription for my medicine (somehow they wrote my script with the wrong name) to the nurse telling me I can't use Gas-X strips because they contain sugar (post-op instructions for someone who had gastic bypass) the first day was pretty much hell. We got to the hospital at 5:00AM and didn't get home until midnight. It SUCKED! My surgeon had to call in a prescription at a 24 hour pharmacy at 11AM at night. But, I will say that has been the only horrible part of my journey. Otherwise, it has been flawless and so smooth-sailing. I didn't get stuck until about 6 months in -- thank you dry turkey meat! I've found that I have gotten stuck a bit more often than I did in the beginning, but that's probably due to the fact that I like to experiment with food, and I have yet to master eating slowly. Maybe one day. My first goal weight was 120lbs but I've since upped it to 125lbs; last I weighed I was 130.6lbs, so not exactly at goal, but so close I can feel it! I never imagined losing 100lbs in a year, let alone 50lbs honestly. Pre-op I was lazy as no other. I went to work, came home, sat on my laptop, and ate. Nowadays my schedule is pretty much the same, except I workout for a good hour and a half+ now. I am well aware of what I put into my mouth, I hold myself accountable, and rarely do make excuses to not exercise. This is my journey, and not everyone will take the path I took, that's the beauty of it all. I chose no fills and to workout/track my food. Some may go this route, some won't. It's all about what works for you. Hopefully this is helpful to people who are pre-op and post-op. I find that I am coming here less and less so hopefully some of you soon-to-be band-vets stick around to keep everyone in check These forums have been so helpful to me since day one and the wealth of knowledge here is great. 15 things I've learned along the way: 1. The scale isn't everything. Yes we all want to see the scale move but there is so much more to weight loss than the scale. Inches lost are important as are the beloved NSVs (non-scale victories.) Focus on how different you feel as well, both mentally and physically. When you do hop on the scale, limit it to once or twice a week, not every day. (Unless you're in maintenance mode, then every day may be most helpful.) 2. Exercise is a must do. Start off slow and intensify as you lose. Once I got out of surgery and was cleared to walk, I walked. I probably went around the hospital floor 50 times, in the same boring circle. I'm sure the nurses thought I was nuts. From that day on I've exercised my butt off, literally. I started with walking to doing indoor exercises including the Beachbody programs (Slim-in-6, Insanity, P90, P90M, and P90X.) I will also be doing RushFIT at some point in time. 3. It's okay to cheat; in fact, it's part of "dieting." I allow myself cheat Snacks every now and then to keep myself sane. It's been proven that ignoring a small craving usually only leads to a larger much more unhealthy binge. I have been a long-time Reese's lover so I'll treat myself to one when I want. I even eat ice cream everyday almost. Note: I've only started this as I get closer to my goal, I didn't do this all along. 4. Weight loss isn't always steady. Though I lost 1-2lbs pretty steadily for months, I hit many plateaus. There was 2 weeks where I lost nothing. There were weeks when I lost 5lbs+ in a week. In fact there were times when I gained, not much, but a gain on the scale nearly sent me up the wall, and it still does. 5. Water is tasteless but so useful. I really haven't drunk anything but water since surgery, with the exception of a few sips of things here and there. Water keeps me full when I'm not eating and it keeps you hydrated! I use Crystal Light to spice things up a bit. 6. Protein is a lovely thing. Protein protein protein, mmm, protein. I've learned that protein is a must have if you're losing weight. This doesn't mean you have to go all out on your protein levels a day, but aim for 60g minimum. I personally eat my weight in protein, but this is my preference and has to do a lot with my exercise and weightlifting. I've always been a chicken eater/lover so I stick to eating just that most of the time: chicken, turkey, and sometimes fish. 7. Food tracking keeps you well, on track. Tracking what you eat helps keep you mentally sound, or at least it did for me. Track everything you eat each day and each meal. This way you're able to see your intake levels for calories, carbs, protein, etc. and adjust accordingly. 8. Carbs are NOT the enemy. When I first started to lose I stayed away from carbs. This was simply due to the fact that my trouble foods seemed to be carb filled: Pasta, rice, corn, and bread. I was eating about 30-40g of carbs a day post-op. I will say that it worked flawlessly and I lost plenty because of my carb-cut, but I do want to say that carbs are not the enemy here. Nowadays I eat carbs like they're nothing. Why? I workout; carbs are the fuel I need. However I will admit to making low-carb recipes all the time and of course still carb count. It is, and always has/will be about calories in vs calories out. In the end carb reduction = calorie reduction. 9. Everyone loses differently; don't compare yourself. I remember looking at forums and seeing how some people lost slowly and how some seemed to drop very quickly. The point is that we will all lose at different rates. Don't compare your weight loss to another's as in the end we're all just looking to lose; who cares about the pace. 10. "Junk food" can be made healthy. Yep, that's right, healthy junk food. I still eat pumpkin pie, Cookies, ice cream, and plenty of other things deemed to be "junk." There is a lovely thing known as healthy foods and ingredients, and with them you can make junk food quite healthy. Pumpkin pie? Got it. Ice cream? I'll take a few scoops. I still like to think no food is taboo. 11. Being banded is about portion control not for ridding your diet of certain foods. I am one who truly believes that having the band doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to any food. Though I cut out some food when I first started, for my own good, I have added in pretty much everything again, including rice and breads. This time however they're portioned properly. I can't and don't eat bowls of rice/pasta anymore. 12. Set mini-goals. Of course the main goal is to lose weight and reach our goal weight, but set mini-goals along the way to keep you positive. I often set goals that went along with holidays. (ie. a had a goal weight for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc.) 13. Hold yourself accountable, but don't beat yourself up. Know when you cheat or go-off track and take it from there. Don't beat yourself to death mentally. One bad day won't kill your weight loss efforts. 14. Keep your eyes on the main goal, though it may seem like it's taking forever to get there, you'll get there, sometimes faster than you ever imagined. 15. Be happy for every pound you lose no matter how small it is. If you're 165.2 one week and one 165.0 the next, be happy, be proud, and realize that even though it's a small loss, it is still a loss. As long as the scale is going down, don't complain.

I am very happy to report that during my appt. with my primary MD on Wednesday, my blood pressure was 104/45. That is definitely low for me as I usually run 130/80 even on 4 different blood pressure meds. I had been experiencing some light headedness (new word) every time I stand up. My doctor concluded that with my weight loss and healthier lifestyle that we could drop one of my meds. I am very excited. It is certainly nice to see the benefits of my surgery and all the hard work I am doing. Doing a happy dance! :Banane02::Banane05::Banane04:

Just got on the airplane (after an 8 hour delay) ...anyway.... I have on my seatbelt without an extender!!! I could cry eight now!! I've ALWAYS had to use an extender since I started flying 18 years ago!!

Cheeky!!!!!!!!! It's the thought of you dear boy in that strip of Lycra that has addled my poor brain! Anyway, at 59 1/2 I'm allowed to talk about the weather. I'm practicing to be a miserable old git. But hang on, a NSV for me this week-bought a beautiful, black leather biker jacket in a UK size 14. Yay!!!!!!!! Looks fab with black jeans and slightly high black boots. I haven't had the boots on for about 9 years as they couldn't get up my calves. I'm so pleased! I'm having fun with my clothes now instead of hiding the rolls of suety, lardy rolls of flab under track suits. What my husband doesn't know cos I've hidden them, is that there is a new pair of black, very long boots waiting to be worn once the legs get a wee bit thinner. Must go and get some new, sleek black leggings to wait with them. I wish I had had surgery years ago. I am in the process of growing old VERY disgracefully. By the way, have managed to swim half a mile every morning this week. Ain't life grand. Yes, I've got some real crap going on in the background of my life but my slowly diminishing silhouette doesn't half cheer me up. Happy Easter bariatric pals x

This must be the night for "Booth or Table" NSVs!! Hooray!! 7 months ago, I went to this pizza place here in Albuquerque, and the only place to sit was a teeny tiny booth for 2. I reluctantly sat there with my husband, and I had to SQUUUEEEEEEZE myself into it, and then it was hard to eat because the table was pressing me in half and I was hanging out in the aisle. I cried in frustration and embarrassment. I told him at the time I was going to come back in six months and make that booth my B***H!! Well, here's my B***H: Take THAT booth!!

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!

Tutornmom~ That is a great NSV! I hear ya on losing and regaining the same 15lbs over and over. Isn't it nice to be on a road that will help us with permanent loss! Michelle~ Thanks! I am also hoping that it sticks! Crossing my fingers and praying! It would be nice to lose a few more pounds.

tutornmom, I think that is a great NSV and I'm SURE that's why no loss. I'm on HTC for my BP as well and whenever I forget to take it, I gain 2lbs. Every. Single. Time. I'm hoping to be able to stop mine soon but I'm just now finally keeping it in the normal range with the meds. It's one reason I really started thinking about surgery. With the HTC it was still a little too high. I was looking at more meds soon and just didn't want to go there. I also have major heart/BP history on BOTH sides of my family so I'm probably behind the 8-ball anyway but am doing all I can to at least be healthy as I can be. I am absolutely thrilled for you! I'm in a contemplative mood with my 1 year coming up. It's just amazing to me, this last year. I haven't lost a lot but I am happy to be where I am. Especially when I look at where I was! If I hadn't had surgery, I would've gained. Before surgery I had been playing with the same 4lbs for the better part of a year! I'd be on more BP meds, I could hardly walk with my bone spurs, my back hurt (still does sometimes but it's WAY better!), and on and on and on. Today I turn 41 and without surgery, I would be MISERABLE! Now, I'm excited about how I'm feeling and looking. Just amazing to me. Absolutely amazing!

I've been doing Zumba a few times a week for a while... and I'm by no means skinny. Gyms and exercise classes are not just for skinny folks. If you find a gym that has that attitude.. change gyms!! Zumba is lots of fun. And depending on the instructor and the type of Zumba class you take, the intensity can vary greatly. There's regular Zumba, Zumba Gold (designed for lower impact), Aqua Zumba (Zumba done in the pool), etc. I'm like Hynita, I modify the steps to what I can comfortably do.. and as I get stronger, I try to do more. When the instructor Jumps, I usually jog or march in place. When they do a side step with twisting the knees.. I just side step and don't twist. The important part is to move the body and have fun!! One of the instructors where I go has even bought hip scarves with the little coins on them for one of the songs which is from "Sumdog Millionaire" "Jai-Ho (You are my Destiny " The scarf meets in the middle on the other gals, but not me. Oh well, I'll use that as a NSV when it does meet!! This isn't the class I attend, but it's the same choreography that my instructor uses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43YzeBfWug LOVE this routine. I encourage you to go and give it a try.. it's so much fun. Like the Zumba site says.. Ditch the Workout, Join the Party! (I still workout too though.. lol).