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thanks ya'll!!!! tulipstar - i agree, exercise is great & the energy that comes with it...congrats on your NSVs!!!!...especially the guy checking ya out:tongue:

The neck is an interesting indicator. Also watching my best friend (sleeved 24 days before me) as his double chin and jowls shrink. Lots of NSVs to savour! :-)

Hey Saww62! Nice to see another guy on the site. I don't know what "too fast" really means - I wish I could wake up tomorrow 45 more pounds lighter! As a rule, men lose fast and the more you have to lose the faster it goes, at least at first. Do your best to work the program and don't worry about how fast it's going. You will look back on these days from your first plateau and wonder why you were worried at all. Ps. watch for the first few non-scale victories (NSV) too. For me, it was cool to be able to bend down and tie my shoes without gasping for breath. Good luck and congratulations on getting the band.

***singing*** "...and the kneecap's connected to the thighbone..." Congratulations on a terrific NSV Sharyn. That's great work!

Today I visited a friend who's a surgeon, and not exactly overendowed with tact. When she saw me, the first words out of her mouth were "You look like a normal person!" After I slapped her upside the head she at least had the good grace to laugh at herself. Hey, it's not the most lavish compliment I've ever received, but she was sincere. And while I still have a lot of weight to lose, I am starting to feel (and maybe even look) like what passes for normal. In a good way.

LOL, it's great to have friends you can smack around!!! Wonderful nsv, Zoe. You look great!

I can't help it. . I love hearing about everyone's NSVs (non-scale victories). They are just plain inspiring. If you have some to share, please post away! :sad: Here are a few recent ones I have had: - Being able to shop in the regular department and finding out that I am finally back in a size 12 (OMG!!!); - I can wear heels all day without my feet killing me; - I can run without my compartmental syndrome (a co-morbidity) cutting off my circulation and pinching my nerves! In fact, I am going to run the Komen Race for The Cure in September! I could go on, but I really want to hear other people's! Catherine

Congrats on the boots! :mad: I have not been able to zip up a pair of boots in years. I am hoping that by this winter , I will actually be able to be able to pick out any boots I want and wear them. Good luck and continued success to all..I agree, all the NSV's are inspiring to read! :thumbup:

These are so great!!! I love it that so many people had so many different ones to share so far! Kdub -- I'm doing the Susan G. Komen Race for The Cure (raising money for breast cancer research). ThereItGoes, I bet this will cure your compartmental syndrome! I can't wait to see that in your NSV list! :biggrin: Catherine

Congrats everybody!!!!! Love all the NSVs...WE are SUCCESSFUL! PS-I'm still in the jeans :sad:

My favorite NSV is when I get to adjust my rear view mirror in my car. My butt is smaller, so I don't sit as high!! I recently had to adjust!!

The biggest NSV I have is Hope! Now I know I can do this:) The fact all my clothes are loose, and I weight less than I did when I was 20 is not bad either:) Looooove my Band!!

I just bumped my complete list of NSV's. I highly recommend that everyone track theirs. http://lapbandtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8943&highlight=Crystal%27s I know that so many people have wonderful weight loss, but that is not in the cards for me, at least not yet. The band saved my life in a couple of ways, it saved my husband's life, and it saved my mariage. One of the things about keeping track of your NSVs is that it adds dimention, texture and color to your life's journey. Someone could say "I lost 38 pounds" which is wonderful, but it doesn't quite have the same impact as saying what that weight loss translates into, whether it is being able to fit into a booth at a restaurant, the seats at the Baseball Stadium, or being able to walk around the Fair or Ammusement Park all day. Or for an hour, or whatever your victory is. Be kind!

I normally don't post alot - mostly read, read, and read some more but I am so excited right now I just have to share. I had been wearing my size 26 pants and was getting really tired of how baggie they were and thought I'd pop into WalMart to see if they had any good clearance deals on pants so I could actually get something a little smaller. I took a 20 and a 22 into the fitting room and tried on the 20 and they actually FIT!!! I was so totally excited that I grabbed an 18 as well (they were on sale for only $7.00 which I thought was a totally awesome deal) so I would have another pair for when I lose a little more. Well, I got home and decided to try on the 18's and guess what - THEY ACTUALLY FIT!! A little snug but they FIT!! I can't remember the last time a size 18 fit me. :cool2: I have lost almost 50 pounds since I was banded on 10/29/07 - things have plateaued a bit but I know I have lost inches since starting to work out 3-4 times a week. I don't think anyone will be wiping the smile off my face for a while - by the way - I LOVE MY BAND!!!! :huh2:

Hi, I made rules when I was learning to eat again. One of them was never to go back for seconds. That was what got me in to trouble in the first place. I suggest that you don't go back for seconds - ever. Are you eating slowly? Thoroughly chew your food and take your time. As for craving the bad stuff - well in my case that was never done. I just made the decision not to eat certain foods - bread, chocolate etc. If you must eat, eat fruit - I eat apples and bananas. They are much healthier. Take fruit to work with you. Also, get rid of the bad foods from the house - stick them in the bin. I eat the same food as everyone else here, no special diets or calorie counting. I just use portion control. The most important message is that you are not a failure! It's common to have setbacks, the trick is how you overcome them. See your weight loss in perspective to the rest of your life. It's important that you try to enjoy your weight loss. Have you had any NSVs? I had two operations because the tube between port and band became detached. My second operation resited the port and replaced the tube.

Yesterday, I went to my yearly Diabetes check-up. I also needed to check my blood pressure because I had stopped taking my blood pressure medicine a month ago. My Blood pressure was (with no medication) 102/75!! And the doctor had to change my status to "NON-DIABETIC"! She said it is a rare treat to change a patient's status for the postive. My diabetes was the main reason I got the band. What a great day!

Great NSV! My rings were an important one for me. I love my wedding rings as much today as I did 25 years ago when I first picked them out. They are just so pretty. As I packed on weight over the years I had them sized up (about 10 years after I got married). Then I continued to put on weight and they were too small again, so I stopped wearing them . I refused to make them bigger again. After some weight came off with help from the band, I could wear them again and was so happy with this milestone/NSV! But now they are too big and I am back to not wearing them .

We have a brand called Triumph in Australia - they make great ones. I noticed at Bootcamp a few weeks ago, we moved inside becuase its freezing at night now in Melbourne and I caught my reflection in the glass - I was dismayed at the truly awful saggy shape my rather large sports bra gave me. I bought new ones and I actually found great supportive ones that are also foam lined and moulded cups for that nice rounded shape. However, i'd have to say one of my biggest NSV's is that I can now comfortably go for a run without a sports bra, just a normal every day bra. I cant believe it, big bouncing bazoongas were always a fact of life for me, I love love love my small C cup breasts. DH makes jokes about breast augmentation but I would never want my boobs any bigger.

oh yeah, I'd get another therapist ASAP. please please please try to ignore the scale. you did not gain five pounds...the calibration is different for any scale you get on. you must remember you are not a number but a person. are you having nsv's? I bet you are. are your clothes fitting better or are you wearing smaller sizes? I bet you are. do you have more energy/less pain? I bet you are. focus on those goals and forget about the damn scale. hang in there!! I started seeing a therapist because of all the changes I've gone through this year. she has a band and understands wls and food issues so I think we'll work well together.

@@joatsaint - that's hysterical! I love NSVs, even the ones like this!!!!!

So glad to hear that you are doing well, I'm sure the numbers on the scale will be kind but if not look at all of your current NSV's ???????????? I actually weigh myself everyday and use this app to keep the progress. I'm glad that your hernia isn't bothering you this week but so jealous- my hernia repair is awful, I feel like I have acid in my esophagus and I'm having some discomfort but it comes with the territory so I will be patient Yayyy for being able to get away when your hubby chases you- you two sound sooo cute aw thank you! I'm so sorry to hear about the discomfort and acidic feeling you're having! That's got to be aggravating. I have a question. Did your doctor put you on Prilosec at all? My doctor has me start Prilosec one week pre-op and continue until the end of two weeks post-op. I think that's some kind of secret magic key for no acid or something! I've never taken that stuff in my life but he was like take it. Even if you don't have heartburn or discomfort take it - and then he said so many patients won't take it thinking it was options and then they turn up with issues. I took everyday - no issues at all! I hope you feel better soon!

i had a NSV today! i bought this reeeally cute dressy trench coat like 6+yrs ago. when i bought it, it was really snug but it still "fit". i figured id lose more weight & itll fit good. then i gained weight & literally couldnt put an arm in the sleeve. well, i just tried it on & it FITS!!! like its even a lil big but asize smaller would be snug. im like so shocked right now. it feels good to know that im doing what i set out to do!

FANSTASTIC POST!! Congratulations. Great NSV, I say!

I start pre-op liquid diet today. This really puts it all into perspective for me. I've made the choice to make a major life change in two weeks, and I know things will never be the same. It's so exciting, yet it's very intimidating. I'm nervous about the surgery, I'm nervous about the changes to the way I approach food (and drink), but I can't wait to get back to the activities of old (being able to really workout; getting back into running; getting back into hiking; fitting into my waders to go fly fishing, etc.). Something tells me this is going to be an emotional rolling-coaster (uh oh, I used the e word; can I even say that word in the forum). I had someone ask me the other day why I'm doing this. She wasn't being nosy or unsupportive, she just wanted to know my reasoning. I told her it was a very easy decision to make when I boiled it down to numbers. How many cokes are worth taking a picure with my family on my son's graduation day? How many beers are worth walking my daughter down the aisle? How many Cookies are worth making it to my 50th wedding anniversary with my wife? When I looked at the decision like that, it's a fairly easy answer. I have to admit that I've been very nervous about the operation itself. I'm 34 and I have a 2 and 1/2 year old son and a 6 week old daughter that mean the world to me, and I know that this is a major surgery. At the same time, if I don't go through with this, I will be shorting them on life, and likely won't live as long as I should. In order to keep my eye on the prize, I've come up with some NSGs (non scale goals; can I just come up with an abbreviation like that, or does it have to be approved first). Here are a few; 1. No longer having to shop online or at specialty stores to buy clothes; 2. Wearing my wedding ring again; 3. Running a mile w/o stopping; 4. Running in my first 5k in 9 years; 5. Being able to coach my son's/daughter's soccer team; 6. Going to Disney World with my family and being able to ride all of the rides; 7. Not having to request a table at every restaurant I go to (i.e. being able to sit in a booth again); 8. Not having to request the extendor when I get on an airplane; 9. Being able to sit in a chair w/ arms and not feel like I'm trapped; 10. Weighing what it says on my drivers license. These are just a few NSGs I have, and along the way I'm sure I'll have many more NSVs thay I'm not even thinking about right now. I'm ready to start this journey; I'm ready to start living again. I'm ready to live a life not shackled by fad diets and fast food. I want to thank everyone on this forum, because without it, I'm not sure I would have made this decision. It's scary, but I know I'm doing the right thing.

It has been over a decade since I have been able to wear cute white pants. Yay to the start of summer!!