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i was just banded dec 13th and its been very easy . i was in and out of the hospital in about 5 hrs ! i wish i had a roll of lifesavers with me for right after surgery, as the water and nonstop ice chips couldnt get rid of the horrible cottonmouth i had all day. im down 13 lbs, and 1 pant size ! wait until you have your 1st nsv (non scale victory ), you'll be so glad you did this ! good luck to you !

Hey y'all! I just scheduled my VSG for November 14th with Dr. Garcia in Mexico. I was wondering, what you're looking forward to or if you've had the surgery what the best nsv you've had is?? I'm looking forward to having kiddos! That's the main reason for getting this done! I'm also looking forward to smaller clothes(right now I'm a 28 pant), I'm looking forward to being lighter than my husband hes 240lbs I'm 350 :-( ), running in my companies annual race for awareness 5k, buying cute panties/bras, having my husband pick me up(he does it now but I'm always afraid I'm going to crush him), the list goes on and on! :-)

Sorry I'm going to rant LOL I need to vent. I'm so glad I found this topic - the post weight loss treatment is REAL and it honestly is rough. I personally grapple with the idea that to society often makes me feel that I deserve less kindness when I inhabit a bigger body. I've lost a good amount of weight but in no means am I "small" and I'll never be "small", like "petit" because at the end of the day I am broad and a 6 foot tall female who often looks taller given my shoe choices. I find though that the more I slim out, the more "acceptable" society makes me feel for being a tall woman. I started this journey at 340 lbs, 6 feet, female, you best believe I come from feeling like an absolute monster but that's internalized self hatred from bullying. The only thing that should be is unhealthy, not undeserving. I'm at a place now where I look pretty average. I still have a deflated apron belly and loose cellulite on my thighs - I could stand to lose a couple more pounds and I plan to, however I now look pretty "normal". My clavicle, sternum and ribs are visible. I have a jaw line again. My upper arms are flabby but I usually cover them. My forearms and wrists are pretty slimmed out. You can feel my hip bones and see them ever so slightly from my deflated belly. The unique thing about me now is just that I am a tall girl. I was called a lot of names up until recent. I'm sure some people would still have some choice words for me lol but overall people are treating me much differently. I am in a place where I am seeing a lot of the same people I spent a lot of time with in a professional setting while I was 340 lbs. The same guys that used to talk to me about weight loss are asking me to hang out and trying to always catch a chat, but not about weight, just about me as a person and I absolutely hate it. Where was that decency a year ago? I find that as a 20 something year old female, the treatment from males has made a complete 180 turn. I'm not asking for their respect, but they're more likely and willing to give it to me with this new body. I have nightmares about men in my life (from family to flings) that I care about telling me they only like the parts of me that look thin but can't accept me because of my loose skin apron belly. This body bullshit is so engrained in my psyche, it gets deafening at times. I cannot have a healthy long term relationship because I'm constantly afraid of being rejected for being too big. I am working on it with a therapist but it still sucks. But yeah, people are just nicer and if they're not chatting me up or offering me free things or trying to invite me somewhere they're not gawking at me (which is a good baseline). I like that I feel I have more freedom with dating. I ditched the BBW apps and that was honestly an NSV for me because of all the fetishists on there, but I am still hurt by the folks who see me as a person now, and never did before all of this. Look, I know I made myself morbidly obese and I chose to get the surgery to fix my mistakes and learn a better way... but I struggle immensely with feeling like I deserve kindness given that most my life I was morbidly obese and bullied by everyone for it, friends, family, relationships etc. I know in reality it's a good thing to be treated better, but it does get to me that the shitty treatment exists in the first place. You can call me a snowflake or a p***y or whatever (scuse my French) but this is a real thing. Sorry rant oveerrr mic drop

Good Job. I feel silly asking, but what does NSV mean?

Good job you are so close to Onderland! I lost 0 this week, and 1 last week. So I think I'm on my first stall Not too bad for 15 weeks out I guess. I ate a lot of junk last week, I was in Atlantic City for the Holiday. So I'm not sure if it's a real stall or just not losing because of the junk. I'm not worried though, I can tell I'm shrinking and today wore a blouse to work that I haven't been able to fit in years. It's a size 14/16 but it's a long tunic and it actually fits over my large hips now. Yay NSV! That's cool about your co-worker. Only a few people know I went to MX to get sleeved. Still keeping the big secret from my Mom. At first I thought the surgery you were talking about was plication, but I'm not sure now. Hopefully you can convince him to get the real sleeve. I talked one of my friends out of the crapband, and now she's getting sleeved. I feel like a spokesmodel now LOL! I'm still doing Zumba classes and my elliptical, but now my Mom has an XBOX Kinect and I so want one now. I played Zumba on it and it's great. Maybe I will get it when I hit the 50 lb mark which is 2 lbs away.

Good for you Tiffy! It's a long struggle, but I'm so glad there is help out there for us, that is a great BMI. . . the doctor thought my BMI of 41 was not enough to put me on a pre-op diet. . . . that was my first NSV! :001_tongue:

I have to share these with all of you 1. I can now save my legs with ease 2. I can see my va ja ja lol 3. I can now wear L tops 4. it now doesn't take half of a bottle of lotion to lotion my body (less serface area) 5. I can now steal my husband lounge pants which are oh so comfy. 6. I have ribs Who knew!!!!!!!!!!

lol CONGRATULATIONS!!! I was just telling my BFF about some of these NSVs - how some you just can't share with everybody but I definitely feel you on these! Keep up the good work you're looking great!

c'mon kim...you gotta have an NSV to share.

I'm sitting here typing and it has dawned on me that my wedding ring is about ready to fly off my hand. Never before has it felt so loose. I have a scale victory to report as well. I went to the doctor yesterday and I was down another 5 lbs for a total of 37 lbs so far. I'm happy today.

Do you have little things (NSV) that have occured that make you giggle with joy? I was showering this morning when I came up with some of my own.. I can't wait to: Be able to "fit" into one of those skinny "apartment" showers you find when traveling, at hotels. Not sticking to the shower curtain anymore. Not having to buy giant beach towels just to have that all wapped up feeling after a shower. What are some of your "goal" joys (like me), or some that have already happened to you that you would like to share with us?:clap2:

That's amazing. Such a great accomplishment. I did my first half marathon October 9th in Long Beach CA in 2 hours 25 minutes. I felt so proud and that was my greatest NSV since have been sleeved (01-17-11). Are u thinking of doing a full marathon?

Glad you started this thread Angie as I have been out of the loop for awhile!! I've basically had NO restriction since 2 weeks post-op. My first fill he only gave me 1cc and that didn't do SQUAT!:bolt: I was all excited to go to my second fill appt yesterday thinking "ok, this time he'll be more agressive and put in 2-3cc's". I weighed in, got into the exam room and when he walked in he said "hey there....you seem to be right on track by losing 4 pounds". I told him "4 pounds in a month? That's right on track?". He said, "yep, 4-9 pounds is what we expect with band patients". Oh well, I thought, just get me up on that table and start fillin'!! He then says "so, keep up the good work and we'll see you in a month". *Cut to me with my mouth on the ground looking like I just got sucker punched* "WHOAAAAAA", I said, "You're not going to give me a fill? You're joking right? I'm hungry all the time and it's only thru pure willpower that I'm losing any weight at all!! Because the band sure isn't working as a "tool"!! So, to make a VERY long story short, I begged and pleaded and he agreed to give me another "micro-fill"....1cc......gee, thanks Doc!! So, let me get this straight. The only way I qualify for a fill is if I lose less than 4 pounds in a month or gain weight?!!! Needless to say, I left thankful that I got SOMETHING, but discouraged that I've been through all of this and the sickening reality is that I am doing it on my own!:eek: I have to wait another month and god knows what will happen then. I surely don't want to intentionally slow my weight loss or god forbid GAIN WEIGHT just so I can get a more agressive fill!! So, for now I will continue eating like a lapbander and exercising like I have been in the hopes that the scale continues to move in the right direction. And I will hope that next month I get another fill in the hopes of one day knowing what it feels like to have TRUE restriction. Sorry for the rant.....on a lighter note......I'm happy to hear of everyone's progress and GREAT NSV's. Thanks for all your support:smile2: Amy

Lynda- you just made me laugh out loud on the cancer "scare". Oh to have thigh gap! The dream! I remember collar bones as one of my first nsv however my hip bones just confused me. I couldn't figure what they were, I thought something was wrong with me.

Stranger - glad you are feeling better and super glad you logged fewer lbs! Welcome ting - your found a great thread. These guys have funny stories, and offer great support and inspiration! I seem to be playing tag with this silly cold, I had to skip yesterday's gym trip and I am sitting out today for rest. I may try tomorrow depending on how today goes. I had a cool NSV of sorts yesterday. I visited my PCP for a re-up on my cholesterol meds and something for this cough. Our Ins is a PPO, so he doesn't know a thing about my banding adventure. So, I finally told him about it. For some history, I know him - he is not just my doc. His wife helped found our local Habitat, she still helps me with fund raising, and I have worked with their daughter on a HFH project. Let's just say I was nervous. He was positively giddy! Can't wait to observe the whole process. Wanted to know why I chose LB over GBS. Apparently, I will be his first patient to go the LB route. And here I thought he was going to give me some big "don't do it" speech. That was a big relief.

Today I am 2 weeks post op and I walked ONE mile. I thought about quitting at 1/2 mile but realized my legs didn't hurt. I wasn't sweating like a pig. I wasn't dying to breathe. I am now sitting in my car tearing up bc I walked ONE mile. This surgery is saving my life and I am so grateful.

You're not the only one: I'm on medifast for a total of 4.5 weeks. At this point I'm 3 weeks down and 1.5 to go. I'm HUNGRY!!! at times. (To be expected at 300-400 calories per day.) I have had 2 off-diet (I refuse to say cheat) items this week: 1 grape tomoato and 1 cucumber. This is a huge NSV for me as previously I've never stuck to a diet before. This is different: it's not a diet, it's a choice to make a lifestyle change. The next week is going to be really challenging. I'm spending Saturday with my folks all of who will be asking why I am not eating. Sunday night I leave for a business meetin out of town where there will be tons of food constantly. Then after I come back, my sister is visiting. she is supersize and last we talked very threatened by my choice. (She is 50+ lbs bigger than I am and she's (rightfully) afraid that the family will say if I can do it, why can't she.) She and I are close so I hope that we can see this through. Wish me luck!

What is NSV?

Um...I think I have been taking my NSV's for granted, actually. So, here are today's. I ate a pita sandwhich for lunch at my desk, then went out to lunch with the girls at the office and had a glass of Water. Didn't even feel deprived. Didn't even eat a fry off of their plates. I was satisfied with my half a pita. Amazing. My clothes are too big again. Not all of them..but anything I've dug out of my closet from last winter hangs on me. Someone I work with told me I was looking skinny today...I looked at her funny and thought...skinny? I weigh 230 pounds lady..but then I realized that I was wearing clothes that FIT, so I suppose I do look smaller. I had two fun size milky way bars today and savored every bite of them...and didn't have one bad thought like "oh, why did I eat two, I'm so fat and such a failure!". Nope, I ate them and loved every bite. MMMM. And I only had two- but there are still a bunch sitting out and I have no desire to have any more. Those are my NSV's for today. I have to remember not to take them for granted- thanks, Vines for the reminder. Megan

You silly bug! Everyone is welcome to particpate in the NSV Challenge, even if you are just here with your pom-poms! Okay, I'm pretty sure this is an NSV... I seem to be shorter... all my jeans are draggin when I walk, and my favorite bell-bottoms are about an inch or more too long now. Or Maybe I'm not getting shorter, but my legs are getting more trim and there isn't as much bulk being taken up my my glorious thighs Also, the eye doctor paid me the nicest compliment, she said that I didn't have a single wringle or line on my face!

Congrats all you Feb. bandsters!!! I'm down 22lbs. since sugery. I had my first fill 3/10 and I am so ready for my second fill 4/21. Its been really hard to make myself get out of bed and go exercise on all these rainy days we've had lately. I feel like I'm eating too much, but I don't eat anything like I was pre-band. No seconds on anything and no sweets unless it comes in a hundred calorie pak and then only one. Confession time...one day I really wanted some chips and dip, the old me would have over done it, chowing down & watching tv, but the new me got 4 chips out of the bag, walked away and enjoyed them. NSV to me:smile:. Anyway, I guess I was hoping to be full on a few bites but I guess that will come in time. Its great to see where everyone else is on their journey. Keep up the good work VV's.

No running :cursing:, at least a wk. Went to Dr. & had xrays *both knees* - looks to be Arthritis, but will know more on Thurs...Having an MRI tomorrow...Doc said take it easy w/weights and running for a wk because there is some inflamation.....No idea what the fix will be??? My mom has Rheumatoid Arthritis and didn't catch it till her late 50's, and now her little feet are held together w/pins. She's tiny = 4'11, 95lbs wet.....SO I get your fantastic NSV Wombat, having a tiny Mom!..Congrats to you.. So I'm not giving up - on a tad of a break, this wk only..HA!

Weight-loss surgery, band-specific, and general medical terms: PB: "productive burp" -- what happens when something eaten can't go down due to restriction has to come back up NSV: Non-scale victory -- a weight-loss achievement that has little to do with numbers WLS: Weight-loss surgery MO: Morbid Obesity (or morbidly obese) BMI: Body Mass Index GBP: Gastric bypass surgery RNY: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (the most popular type of bariatric surgery) DS: Duodenal switch (another type of bariatric surgery) BP: blood pressure PCP: Primary care physician GP: General practitioner NP: Nurse practitioner PA: Physician's assistant BC: Birth control (or BCP: birth-control pills) OTC: Over the counter (i.e., non-prescription medications) NSAIDS: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (a class of painkillers--which includes ibuprofen--bandsters should try to avoid because they can add to ulcer risk). AF: "Aunt Flo" -- menstrual period GERD: Gastro-esophageal reflux disease #/#/# in signatures: weight pre-surgery/current weight/goal weight And some general abbreviations used here and elsewhere on the web, not related to banding or weight loss: LBT: LapBandTalk.com -- this wonderful place on the web! OH: Obesityhelp.com -- another support site, with message forums SH: Spotlighthealth.com -- another support site, with message forums BIL, SIL, ILs: Brother-in-law, sister-in-law, in-laws BTW: By the way DH: darling (or dear, or danged, or use your imagination) husband DW: darling... wife DD, DS: darling... daughter, son IMHO: In my humble opinion (and its cousin, IMNSHO: in my not so humble opinion) IIRC: If I recall correctly ISO: In search of LOL: laugh out loud OMG: Oh my God OT: Off-topic ROTFLMAO: Rolling on the floor laughing my a** off! TMI: Too much information WTF: What the f...? WTG: Way to go! YMMV: Your mileage may vary

I guess it's a NSV I kinda forgot my surgiversary. I'm 3 years post op and maintaining all of my 130 lb loss. (I do bounce up and down 4-5 lbs). Still tracking everything I eat, it keeps me in check. Walking 8 miles a day 6x a week. Completed a LBL earlier this year and getting ready for final skin removal on legs soon. Just hope those starting this journey know if I can do it ANYONE can. I stuck to my Dr's diet very strictly making all the changes lifestyle changes. I don't deprive myself now, but splurges are now occasional instead of daily. And I love that my sleeve still really restricts me. It's hard to feel guilty about 1 small piece of pizza and I'm so grateful that I'm totally satisfied after that one piece. Hopeful everyone is enjoying much success and while I don't post often, I'm always happy to help anyone in need. Feel free to reach out. I'm cheering you all on!!!! [emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️[emoji173]️

I can reach down and touch my toes with absolutely no issue. Strain or soreness. This from a girl who 15 months ago could not even see her knees let alone her feet.....Exercising is already seeing results!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now that's a NSV.....Yes me!!!!!!!!!