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Wow... I had surgery on 5/17 and I just realized today how important the NSV's are. I just gotta say I LOOOOVE the new mini me - even though it's a work in progress! I've always been short n(5'2") and always felt like I was "too big for me". Make sense? I have sooo enjoyed eating and drinking out of my 1oz medicine cups, but I've gone on a shopping spree. I'm a lil over those cups - they remind me of working at the hospital. So I've bought several different baby spoons, baby bowls, baby forks, baby everything! I LOVE it! Ha! My purchase today: mini waters (8oz size - the bigger ones are just too overwhelming anymore!), but my favorite are 3oz disposable cups. My dr's office gave me one in my little care bag, and I used it already. I found them at WM by the other paper cups/plates. They are perfect. I've also bought several mini storage bowls. My boyfriend has officially banned me from buying one more dish or he's calling Hoarders. Silly lil NSV (the mini dishes, cups, etc.) but I love it... and think they're all so super cute! So... *cheers* to 3oz disposable cups! Shell

Had my 3 week postop yesterday and he said everything looks perfect! YAY He said I can pretty much have anything that dont require chewing 30 times to swallow, and to quit stressing so much about not being able to tolerate the Protein Drinks. Although he would like to see me @ 60-70g a day, he is more concerned that the majority of my nutrition come from Protein. I told him I was pretty much living off scrambled eggs, (2 a day) because I was pretty scared to try much else because Im terrified of a leak. He reassured me that the chances of that are very slim, to use good judgement and not to worry so much, that I had followed all the rules up till now so obviously I had it under control. He cleared me for a cup of coffee, and said I can have a diet coke in 2 more weeks. I asked him about carbonation stretching out the sleeve, and he said that is totally not true just to sip it slowly as it may make me gassy/burpy. He was very pleased about my 29 lb weight loss, and told me the stall I went through was totally normal, and sometime happen frequently so no stressing about it, just keep on keeping on, the weight will come off. His goal weight for me is 120, and I told him I was 130 when I graduated HS and was very slender. He said 130 is fine, but 120 will allow the 7-15lb bounceback around 3 years and still keep me in a normal BMI. All in all, a very good post op! Im going today to get me some shaved deli meat, sounds delish! NSV~~~went shopping yesterday for a few things for Hawaii, I didn't have to shop in the "womans" section, got things from the ladies section, I have went from a 18W to a loose 16 pants, and a XXL shirt to XL!!! WooHoooooooo!

I like the NSV more than the scale, too. The numbers can be too stressful! Yay, you!

Oh yeah!! Big NSV today - I had a normal blood pressure today at the doctor's office! Yay!!!!

16% body fat is awesome bud. My goal is go get below 15% and I will be a happy man. I think my sleeve is a little bigger then most. I have no issues eating 4-6oz of chicken or steak if I keep it moist when cooking. I find BBQing my protein, slow indirect heat, keeps my protein moist and tender. If I quickly grill it over direct heat I can`t eat nearly as much. I am now eating over 200g protein daily rather easily. I just started doing this about 3 weeks ago and it help break a stall I was in. What I do now is take 1.5 scoops of whey isolate per shake instead of 1 scoop. That`s 45g protein twice a day from shakes. I drink one shake about an hour before working out and the second one when I get home from my workout about 2 hours later. In the evening about an hour before bed I drink a single scoop of casein worth another 24g protein. So in shakes daily I am getting 114g protein. I actually like drinking shakes because I make so many different types and still look forward to drinking them. I use to eat at least 4-5 meals a day but since upping the shakes I eat about 3 meals and a snack or two if it fits within my macros. In each of my meals I make sure to have 4oz of protein for either chicken breast, top sirloin or salmon. For example I would take 1 8oz chicken breast and split it into two 4oz portions and that`s good for 2 of my 3 meals. 4oz of chicken breast is 26g of protein so that`s another 52g protein added to the shakes. With another 4oz serving of salmon of steak its around another 25g protein. That`s 191g of protein and I usually bring that up over 200g with a hard boiled egg, high protein kashi cereal or greek yogurt based salad dressing. I have actually upped my allowed carbs to 100g daily and am still losing. The biggest NSV for me is I am now over 1800calories a day and still losing. It took me about 6 weeks but I finally have gotten my metabolism back on track. Its a nice feeling eating this much and still losing. .

You look amazing!!! High boots is a NSV I cant wait for!

I love it! Good for you! what a great feeling! Mine involves jeans too. I bought a new pair of jeans and was so thrilled with the smaller size I wore them for an entire weekend. After I washed and dried them I pulled them out of the dryer and thought, "OMG they shrank! Look at the teeny tiny little jeans! I will never be able to wear them again." I figured I would try them on and see just how much more I would have to lose before I could even think about wearing them. They fit! I zipped them up with no problem! My brain has not caught up with my shrinking size. I learned a lesson that day. Do not just hold up clothes to figure out if they will fit. I must try them on. As you get farther along in your journey you will find that most of the time, these NSVs mean so much more than what the scale says.

Thank you!! You go girl! I LOVE this, this is the kind of NSV that makes it ALL worth it!!! You're rocking it!!!

Even though weight loss is a "simple" equation-expend more calories than you intake - it sure isn't an exact science! I tell ya - there must be a million other factors!!! I went in for my first fill today (I was sweating on the table and the doctor had to work the needle a little to find the right spot. Fortunately, I had novicane, but still, I was so nervous!). I thought FOR SURE I had lost 5 or 6 lbs. over the past 3 weeks of calorie counting, workouts burning 500-680 calories, etc. TWO POUNDS. That was all I'd lost, 2 lbs! I remembered what I'd read on the site . . . "The first weeks are just healing, don't worry, you don't have any restriction anyway . . . " Still, it was a bit disappointing. But I can still be pleased with overall loss so far & with the NSVs! I appreciate your post today because I need to avoid having unrealistic expectations, or maybe any expectations about the number of pounds I "should" be losing. I need eat right everyday, and trust the results will follow, at their own pace and own timing! Patience is the hard part because I'm so anxious for the FAT TO MELT AWAY LIKE WAX OFF A CANDLE!

Howdy! Another glorious day in Mortgage Lending... oh joy, oh rapture. Yes, I still haven't won the lottery. *sigh* I guess I had better get out and buy tickets tomorrow night for the next ten draws. I have decided to cut myself some slack until after Jan 1. My goal between now and then is to remove all of the miscelaneous junk food from my home. I have already "disposed" of the spinach dip. eh hem. I would like to think that spinach dip counts as a vegetable - at least until 2007. But I have cut up a loaf of pumkin bread and a loaf of zuchinni applesauce bread to share with my co-workers. I have determined that I may have to have my Sister Mary assasinated to protect myself from her baked goods in the future. You could use her lemon bars and pumpkin bread to wring state secrets out of spys. That stuff is better than any drug I have ever tried. DANG! And we won't even go into the whole "PIE" situation. My SIL Johnnie is safe - because while her zuchinni breads are good - they are resistable. Lucky Johnnie... I have scheduled a fill for Jan. 2 - so I will find out if I have dilation or not. I expect (and fervently hope) not - but one can never be sure. Plus - the fill will help me to keep on track for my very ambitious goal of 15 lbs for the month of January. I really would like to lose 50 lbs from the DAY of surgery in the first year. I am aiming for 280 by Feb 6th. Everybody wish me luck. Mandy - I am going to be counting on you to help pull me back from the pumkin bread edge... Hugs!! I hope your flu is short lived... Feel better. Chris - Are you saying I type too much?!? (LOL) No doubt, I do. And yes, I am excited about my co-worker, too. She had her surgery today... Everybody think good thoughts. Kat - Hugs!! Hope you are doing well. Cindy - I would be the "mom" if I were around... I don't dye the hair or anything, either. :] But, it's kind of an NSV for you, huh? Oh - and you had better have a couple of bandaides on hand for your lunch - for when your friends' chins get scuffed on the floor. :] Sherry - Playing hooky, huh? Cool! Hope you feel better, too. Nothing worse than not being able to sleep at night. It's cool that your DH is going to make some efforts at better eating this year... mine says he is. After his difficulties in finding any clothes that fit, he might do it - especially if I am truly diligent, as I will have to be to make my goal. Good luck! And good luck finding snacks for your kid that you don't like. I know EXACTLY what you mean - I like everything, too! Jules - I have fudge at home, too. Don't remind me... and MARY made it - so it's probably like ambrosia. Maybe I will just give it away without tasting it... (yeah, like that is going to happen). Oh well. After Jan 1st - it's a big old boot in the butt for any remaining junk food. Anne - Hugs! Glad your back is feeling better. I don't suppose it would help to tell you the only way to keep your back in shape is to do abdominal work... sucks but it's true. Good luck with the going back to work, thing. Remember - cut your best deal going in. The future is nebulous. If they want you - make them give you what YOU want right up front. :] Well my dears - work is calling....in it's most whiney, grating, horrid voice... *sigh* I grow weary of being a loan whore. Maybe I won millions in the last 10 draws and I just don't know it yet... yeah, that's it. Millions..... Hugs and Love!

Hey Spunky! First I want to stop and say Yay! on the 25lbs. Celebrate every single one that goes. I'm a slow loser too and and getting my first fill on Oct 19. Maybe things will pick up. Good question about how long it took you to feel your first feel and one you should take up with doc's office. Let them know your concerns about getting the second fill and ask if it is needed at this time. From what I hear, the only time you need fills is if there is no restriction and you can eat more and more. Smaller clothes qualify as an NSV -- Non scale Victory. These are what keep us from going crazy watching the scale. Another thing to celebrate!! :cheer2: Two more things young lady -- When did 58 get old? Haven't you heard that old is anyone 15 years older than you are? About that ticker -- you can do it. There are very clear instructions on the ticker in the forum on FAQs and Resources (?) [can't remember the exact name, but FAQ is what to look for] . Follow them step by step and just remember you have to paste in a new one every time the weight changes. Good luck! Jo Ann

I had a major NSV this weekend. I got stuck in the middle seat of an airplane for one leg of my flight to Austin. For years, I've been terrified of getting stuck in the middle because I knew that I'd be cramped and uncomfortable, and that the people on either side of me would just be hating me the whole time. BUT, at eight months post-op and 48 lbs down, I fit in that seat with a bit of room to spare! Woo-hoo! :tongue_smilie: Catherine

I can now wrap the little gym towel all around my waist. It was not a pretty sight until recently. Slowly but surely.... getting there. Next fill Thursday. already have 6 cc in a 10 cc band. - J

Thanks so much Mary I love my gold anklet! It fits!! MAJOR NSV.

Morning all. I went to the doctor yesterday and he gave me the all clear to take a bath (limited to 10 mins) and I can start doing LIGHT house work. I am allowed to mop a single room a day. I can do laundry as long as I don't carry it to and from the laundry room. I see him again in 5 weeks, one day before we leave for Disney. I am starting to get stuff together for the trip. I ordered sunscreen from avon today, and I picked up some koolaid packets for our water bottles. I'm also going to the dollar store for a pitcher (we make instant tea in the room) and some cups. I buy several pairs of dollar store sunglasses, as I tend to break and lose them in the parks. I am bad about taking them off when we sit down to eat, and then walking off and leaving them on the table. Oh and I am having a huge NSV, I need new undies. Mine are all falling off...WooHoo! ~Mandy

So, I had all last week off, part holidays, part vacation time I had to burn up or loose. I have been noticing the past few weeks that the "smaller" clothes I was wearing were now starting to look too big. I'm not really a clothes hoarder in the traditional sense (some may disagree), but I have been UP and DOWN for sooooo many years that I started keeping all these various sizes. No, I don't have infinite closets. I actually put up closet dollies down in the basement held up from the ceiling. I actually have 3 of them. One dolly is 12' long, another about 6' and another about 4'. It's a combination of work clothes, everyday clothes, jackets and then my show outfits when I compete at horseshows. Anyhoooo, I decided it was time to shed my bedroom closet and go "shopping" downstairs. I actually have some pretty nice things in the smaller sizes, so there wasn't really a need to pay money at the store. Then, yesterday a very good friend of mine who retired a couple of years ago offered to let me come raid her closet today for her work clothes since she doesn't need them anymore. I had to go to the store to buy some more hangers- LOTS of hangers. Some of the fun was some of her clothes were too big, but like me she had different sizes from times when she was thinner. How cool to be able to say, "I'm sorry but this is too big". Some really nice blazers, blouses, sweater sets, dress shoes (we wear the same size shoe!). Also, when I was "shopping" in my basement, i was trying on some skirts and such and to my amazement several fit. I have not worn a skirt in several years because I didn't want people to actually "SEE" my legs and see the roundness of my fat calves. They are still bigger than I like, but I'm not one to wear short skirts anyways. But, I'm to the point where I am now willing to wear skirts again. I actually got some panty hose today, something I haven't bought or worn in many many years (no need if I didn't wear skirts or dresses). I had no idea what size I would need to buy and so I looked at the sizing chart on the back and it said I should wear a size "B" pantyhose, not Q, not 1x, 2x, etc... Wow, talk about an amazing feeling!!! After I got home from the store and my friends house, hanging up all my new clothes, I decided I should try on the new panty hose because I was still in a little disbelief that I could wear a size "B". Sure enough they fit.... I hadn't seen my friend in a couple of months and when she saw me her mouth just dropped. She was like WOW, you look amazing. Her young adult daughter was there and she says, "wow, you are so skinny". Of course, I'm not skinny, but compared to where I was, I'm a lot thinner. Talk about ego boosters!!! It will be funny when I go back to work Tuesday and people start seeing me dressing so different. I have had a tendency to wear bigger clothes and didn't really spend a lot of time trying to dress super nice- just felt like it was a lost cause when I was so big. What a way to start out 2012!!! 102# down in 6 months, and 10 days!!! wooot!! wooot!!!! Final goal, here I come!

@Mayaresearchmom - THAT IS AWESOME! You need to post that in the NSV too!!!

I am going through the exact same thing... Had surgery 5/10, lost 20lbs from pre op day of 5/2 until about 5/21 and then started slowing, almost to a stop and I was CONVINCED that the surgery didn't work. Like my dr didn't really change anything, just made incisions, let me lay there for a few hours then sewed me back up and told my family I was done! So... #1 I stopped weighing myself every day. I'll weigh once a week and that's about it bc I don't think it's mentally healthy to start obsessing over that number on the scale this early in the game. #2 As everyone's said, it's completely normal to stall week 3-4. And it makes sense. Not only are we healing but most of us go from 2,000+ calories/day to maybe 500-600. So it's a very drastic change that our bodies are trying to deal with and wonder if it's the new norm. Not to mention it's hard to fuel our heavier bodies with such a drastic cut in calories... #3 I'm trying to focus on the small NSVs I've had, for instance the disappearance of my second chin lol We just have to stay positive and trust the process because clearly, it DOES work! Message me if you ever need some encouragement!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Congrats that's one NSV I look forward to 1 being able to wear knee high boots that zip all the way up 2 being able to walk more than 5 minutes in high heels

LOL!!!! I guess every nsv counts, so congratulations!!

Oh, Michelle, that's a rude awakening! But what an NSV! LOL Did you holler?

okay....my first newbie stupid question....I'm so excited! What exactly is PB and NSV because I've always thought it might be Post Barfing and Never Stop Vomiting. Am I right? I can't wait to know it all. I'm serious!

So did I. When I first joined LBT I did ask all sorts of "stupid newbie" questions including the one about the meanings of PB and NSV. I also wanted to talk about my hair loss and I posted a new thread about this. The reason why I like to be very respectful of newbie questions is that I tend to be kind of blonde/analog when it comes to navigating the internet and websites. This is why I have found myself taking the middle - the bland - road when it has come to the recent and bitter newbies/old guys debates which have been taking place on a few other threads. The truth is that there are a number of experienced oldtimers on this site who have acquired a wealth of knowledge on band issues and who have chosen to remain on site in order to answer questions and, generally speaking, give help. It is also true that sometimes some of these folks can sound kind of snarky and impatient, a response which is invariably disturbing to a sensitive and recently hatched bandster. Of course what the oldtimer is responding to is the fact that this question, though a new one to the newbie, has been asked a billion times before and that there is a FAQ section on this site. There is also a research issue option. You want to know about hair loss or acid reflux? Well, you can type in these topics and the research engine will call up all threads which deal with these issues. But that blonde, analog Green didn't know any of this stuff when she first joined LBT. And so I posed all those same old questions but I was lucky: people gave me the answers without any attitude. This is why I try to keep my posts attitude-free. At the same time I feel that it is important that folks understand that there are many experienced folks here on this site and if attitude is sometimes given, well, take the advice, ignore the attitude, and understand that the attitude comes only from frustration, not from a lack of interest or caring. Lindata has the right attitude, IMHO.

What has been your proudest NSV yet? For me, I can't decide if it was finally finding my collar bones (this weekend, woohoo!) or fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes last weekend... Right now they're tied.

Please don't be discouraged. I know it isn't easy when you don't see the progress on the scale. It can be very frustrating!! I have found that my body goes through adaptation periods especially to something new. It's been 5 weeks and your body has gotten used to what you are doing. You need to confuse it to get it going again. Have you tried different cardio to change it up? Different muscle groups? I have had stalls and when I see that the scale is hanging up, I know its time to change it up a bit. I have numerous different cardio that I do, cross country walking, biking, Zumba, treadmill, Kinect with numerous DVD workouts, numerous exercise DVD's, Hatha Yoga, swimming, occasionally canoeing, and kayaking (I live by 2 lakes and multiple rivers). I try and switch those up and rotate them often so that my body doesn't get used to the same routine, which keeps my body guessing and get it jump started. I promise that you are still transforming and most likely losing inches!!!! During stalls, focus on how clothes are fitting and also how you are tolerating longer cardio, which feels amazing when you couldn't do something the week before and the next week you can! Celebrate and focus on the NSV's (non scale victories) during stall periods. Significant weight gain doesn't happen overnight and neither does significant weight loss, although wouldn't that be awesome because it would make our journey's so much easier right? One stepping stone at a time, 1 pound at a time. Don't worry, it will happen and you are just beginning!!! Keep going you are doing great!!!