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That's wonderful! I've had to adjust the seat in my car several times since surgery. It's a nice little NSV that you wouldn't think about otherwise. Hooray for smaller tushies!

Love it! Great NSV!

When my step father passed away in 1996, I inherited his 1994 Grand-Am. I drove it for several years and then bought a minivan right before my surgery. I gave the car to my son. When I drove the car I always had the seat all the way back because I have long legs. At least that's what I thought. Yesterday I got in the car to move it in the driveway and couldn't reach the gas peddle! I had to move the seat up 2 notches. It finally occurred to me that it wasn't because of my legs, it was because my butt was so big I was sitting closer to the wheel! LOL, who knew?!!

Great post Diva! I'd add, "DO keep a list of NSV (Non scale victories) to reflect on when times are getting hard. Can you walk up 2 extra flights of stairs before getting winded? Cross your legs?" and "DO NOT be afraid to change things if they aren't working. Stalls happen even gains happen. If you are on a long stall look at your eating and decided if changes need to be made. Utilize your tool!"

WLS Do’s and Don’ts DO remove the word ONLY from your vocabulary. Ex: I’ve ONLY lost 10 Lbs in 2 weeks… Now let’s look at this again without the word ONLY: I’ve lost 10 Lbs in 2 weeks!! See what I mean? Perception is reality folks!! DON’T assume you’ll never eat all of your favorite foods again. This is just an excuse your brain has designed to allow you to indulge. You WILL eat all your favorites again someday, just much less but find it to me more enjoyable. Which leads directly into the next: DON’T do the “last meal” syndrome. You will only sabotage your weight loss you might have pre-surgery or set you back further from your ultimate goal post-op. This surgery is very serious and is for the serious minded. Use this time wisely to get the feeling of how life might be like post op. DO learn all of the rules pre-op that you will endure post-op. Such as, no drinking with meals, using smaller utensils and plates, engaging in some type of workout routine, limiting your sugar and sodium intake, joining as many WLS support groups as you can. DO Celebrate every single pound lost! Imagine one pound of butter. Yeah… that’s gone from your body forever. It is noteworthy and worth every bit of a pat on the back as any others that may go along with it. DON’T compare your successes and losses to others. Chances are very high that you will only come out on the short end and only find yourself disappointed. Everyone’s journeys are their own… DO keep track of your losses in many different ways than just the scale! Examples: DO keep one set of your largest clothes you’ve ever worn. Make it a point to try them on, especially when you’re having a down moment. You will find this will really pick up your spirits! This is a real rollercoaster of a ride, and anything that will keep you positive is what you should do! DON'T keep any other fat clothes around. Get rid of them ASAP. You're never going to fit them again, right? So... off to donations they go. DO take photos of yourself just before your surgery. Keep them close. Again, having a bad day? Look at them and compare them. As a matter of fact, take photos of yourself often. You will also find that the more you lose, the more you will want to take pictures. Nothing wrong with that!!! That goes with celebrating your losses. DO take measurements of yourself often. Keeping track of all your inches lost will really keep you on the right track when your scale is being stubborn!! DO reward yourself every time you hit a mini goal. Make some more worthy than others. I like to go shopping when I hit a goal, it is my favorite thing to do now. DON’T let the scale define you. Great majority of us will endure many fluctuations and stalls in this journey. It is what it is… patience is the key here. Meditate and envision yourself months down the road at your goal. Smile, then move on!! DO find out about measuring body fat! It’s more than just weight loss, FAT LOSS is the real goal here. Keep in mind that the BMI scale is greatly inaccurate and most Health Studies do prove this. According to the American Council on Exercise (ACE) our body fat % ranges should be average: 25-31% for Women and 18-24% for men. Any higher is considered obese. However it does go more in depth, according to ages and more. Everyone has different genetic make ups, frame sizes and fitness levels... even a different ethnicity can post differences. DO have many goals in sight. Having only one, especially a simple weight goal you will find can be difficult. Have many MINI goals along your journey, and more than just ones that involve the scale. Such as, clothing size goals, body fat% goals, fitness or workout goals, dietary goals, etc… DO challenge yourself always!! Whether it’s a global challenge with others, or personal challenges... It will keep you motivated and always willing to go further than you ever thought you could! DO have a mentor! Find someone that you can trust and confide in, and that you know has “been there”. Preferably someone you know in person. You will find many folks in your life who have been there, for obesity is worldwide now and there are so many who have been able to defeat this demon. It’s not easy! It quite literally is the toughest feat I’ve ever had to endure. I can say this too, my job will never be done. This is for life! DON'T believe the myth that your tool has an expiration date. Yes, it's true you will lose the most weight in the first year and it's also true that the further out you are and the closer you are to goal, the harder it is to lose. However, as long as you keep up with your healthy eating and fitness routines you will continue to lose weight and / or keep it off in the many years post op. It all boils down to calories in vs. calories out. DON'T believe the myth that having WLS will keep the weight off forever. That is our individual responsibility. And finally… DON’T ever beat yourself up! We all make mistakes, and dare I say not one person on this Earth is perfect. I try hard to be, no doubt! I always admit that I’m a perfectionist – but I’m far from perfect. I just try to be… The only thing you can do is pick yourself up, give yourself a pep talk, perhaps contact your mentor for reassurance and move on!!! Again, this is for life. Every day you wake up is a second chance. DO look for solutions to your problems. Otherwise they will just become excuses. DON’T EVER GIVE UP! I don’t think any explanation is necessary here. DON'T expect the scale to post a loss every single day. As a matter of fact, don't expect it to move that much even weekly! Just keep doing all the right things and the scale will move in the right direction when it needs to. DO expect to see fluctuations on the scale, both down AND up. DON'T lose your head over it either. This isn't a miracle cure and the weight isn't going to magically disappear in a few weeks. You have to keep pushing with healthy eating, some type of workout and getting plenty of Fluid. DON'T let the scale define your journey when there are so many pieces to that puzzle!!! Good luck to all of you. This journey is a tough one, but if you are here, then you believed in yourself enough to give yourself the life you’ve always dreamed of. YOU WILL BE successful. Always keep that in mind. Add-ons by other experienced sleevers: DO keep a list of NSV (Non scale victories) to reflect on when times are getting hard. Can you walk up 2 extra flights of stairs before getting winded? Cross your legs?" and "DO NOT be afraid to change things if they aren't working. Stalls happen even gains happen. If you are on a long stall look at your eating and decided if changes need to be made. Utilize your tool!" -- Southern Sleever DO: Keep a food diary of what you eat and drink. This is a great learning tool as to which foods have what amounts of fat, Protein and carbs that add up to your daily intake goals. There are many ways to diary your food - from old fashioned pen and notebook to many options via smartphone apps. Keeping one is the important thing - however is right for you. I use mine now to look back for meal ideas when I hit a blank as to what to prepare for a day or a week. DO: Realize this is not a diet to be followed for a while then set aside. This is a permanent lifestyle change. Yes, the amount of food you eat will increase as time passes, but your relationship with food will be forever altered. How you celebrate your joys, successes and holidays will be different. How you mourn your sorrows will be different. Some people need outside help to get through the sometimes overwhelming mental changes this process brings. If you need help with this part of the deal- reach out and get it. -- SKCUNNINGHAM DO roll with the punches!! -- fern

Congrats on your NSV! I too rely more on how my clothes fit than the scale.

WOOHOO great NSV thank you for sharing with us!

Awesome! Those NSVs are so much better than the scale victories. I remember how excited I was the day I realized I had collar bones again haha!

Now that is an awesome NSV!

In May 2011, I was wearing a size 22-24 business jackets and non-stretchy pants. As of today, August 2011, I am a comfortable size 18. My size 20 blazers are way too big for me and make me look frumpy. Woo-hoo! I haven't been relying on the scale much because it has come to a stop for now, but I notice my weight loss in how my clothes fit me.

Awesome NSV! I haven't worn a belt in so long . . . that's one of my mini-goals . . . to be thin enough to be comfy in a TUCKED-IN shirt with a belt!! No more mumu shirts for me!

woo hoo! congrats. gotta love those NSV's!

Congrats, that's awesome. Had my own NSV just this morning. After years of the doona falling to my husband's side of the bed and leaving me cold and my husband saying it's because I'm bigger and therefore gravity makes it fall off me, last night it fell off HIM! It's not that I'm smaller than him (yet), but much, much closer in size than I have been for many years.

First NSV of the week came on sunday when I went to go buy a new pair of pants since the ones I have are getting too big. Pre-surgery (june 8th) I wore a size 24 pants, sunday I was able to buy a size 18!!! There is no longer a 2 in front of my pant size!! Second NSV of the week came today at work. It was freezing in my office and I did not have any sweaters with me so I went to grab one of my labcoats that have been hanging on the back of my office door for years. I have not worn one in forever since they were wayyyyyyy to tight in the arms and came no where close to buttoning. I put on the coat and guess what??!!! All the buttons were able to close and I have room to spare!! Could not be happier about my decision to go through with this surgery!

Awesome NSV!

So went to Knott's berry Farm last Thursday... I have not been to an amusement park in such a long time. The embarrassment of not fitting on rides is a little to much to take sometimes....but this time it was different. I was able to go on every single rollercoaster and thrill ride. I had an amazing time and logged in about 7 miles of walking with no real tiredness. It was great to have so much energy and feel so NORMAL! 3 months in and it has already changed my life.

So I went in for a fill today. Was not even sure that she would give me a fill, but she ended up giving me .20 since I had .50 taken out the last time. So my first NSV was when the nurse was taking my vitals. She was looking up my BMI and I asked her how close I was to not being "OBESE". She looked at me and said that I was NOT obese. Hehe. liked that one... I have about 4lbs to go until I am officially declared "overweight" So then I saw the surgeon outside the room and thanked him again for doing my surgery!!! He just looked at me and said WOW what are you a 27. Im like huh!!! No im a 14. He just laughed and said he thought my BMI was a 27. The nurse laughed and said no she is a 30 and he said that I looked way smaller than that. He wanted me to go and talk to people at the next seminar that he is having in Septemember. He thinks I will be at my goal within 6-7 months of my surgery. I told him that was my goal too!!!

Just after WLS the wife got me a new belt. She was sick of my old one with the stretched holes and it bent all up to wrap around my rotund belly. I started out in the third hole, just enough left to tuck under the belt buckle and touch the first belt loop on most pants. Yesterday I had to punch two more holes in it and found the LAST hole was comfortable. The belt now wraps half way around me and touches the MIDDLE BELT LOOP in my slacks in the BACK. Yes, my belt wraps 1 1/2 times around me. Wow! I NEVER thought I'd see the day. BTW: Size 36 slacks are getting baggy, maybe time for some 34s?

Hey this is what if know:Sliming is when you throw up mucus type stuff. Pb stands for productive burp. It's when a bit of food that was stuck comes up. NSV stands for non-scale victory

Awesome job! Keep up the great work! NSV's really help along the way!

WOOT WOOT Great NSV Thanks for sharing!!

what does nsv mean%?

TWO NSV's accomplished at the same time. 1. I got a bra from Victoria's Secret and it FITS! (BTW, the stores only go to a 38DD, but the online catalog goes to a 40DD. I got one from a store!) 2. My BFF and I are sharing clothes again! I raided her closet while here on vacation with the promise to return it when it's too big! We haven't been able to share clothes in 10 years! Good luck, everyone!

You are doing and wonderful job! Congrats on the jeans! I love clothes NSV's!

NICE!!!!! GREAT NSV!!!! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!