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Every Tuesday I go to P.F. Changs Happy Hour to get steamed dumplings. (I peel off the wrapper) The bartender there is absolutely adorable. Usually it's pretty busy but today it was absolutely dead. We were discussing the fact that I work for a major diet company as a weight loss consultant (ultimate irony, I know) He then told me that he thinks that I am a great role model for my clients. He said he thinks I have a perfect body and that I'm so beautiful and blah blah blah. I don't care if he was just saying that to get a tip I was skipping all over the place. So happy!!

I went shopping during lunch today...and I slipped into a size 10 petite Lee Rider jeans. YAHOOOOOOOOOO!!! I'm So So So So happy!!! Doing a happy happy dance!!!

Here I am 4 months post – op! I’ve got good new to celebrate and some not so good, but overall I’d say my journey is still moving along!!! I haven’t gained any weight, but I can’t technically say I’m at a stall just yet either. I went to the Dr today, and received a 1cc Fill. The last couple of appointments, the Dr was really “proud” and said I was losing at a proper weight (6-8lbs per month)… well, I went in today and had only lost 4lbs. His first question was, “So, what happened this month? You’ve been losing at about 7lbs a month..” he asked if it was my portion control, or maybe I’m not eating the right things… I told him I was doing a Zumba-like class and doing the stairs at my job on my breaks and that I did feel like I was getting hungry more often than before. He basically said he wanted to up my cardio more, and that he’d add just a little to my band. Right now I’m on liquids which I’m not too happy about. My Drs appt was at 1:15p and I had a small breakfast. I wasn’t sure I’d even be getting a fill this time around, but I did, and once I left the office I couldn’t eat. I’ve been hungry ever since.. I’m looking forward to the chicken noodle soup broth I’ll be drinking later! I just wish I had a good lunch before going to the Dr… and I didn’t L I’ve had one NSV that comes to mind… I had a pair of jeans with a pretty studded embellishment on the pant leg that I used to LOVE to wear!...Well, of course I gained weight and could barely wear these jeans. These jeans were so tight! I had to button them UNDER my stomach, and even then I could barely tolerate wearing them… my butt crack was peeking out of those babies! They had to be taken out of rotation and deemed my “muffin top” jeans instead of my “studded” jeans. L Well, low and behold, I tried on those “muffin top” jeans and they are NO LONGER “muffin top” jeans! They’re my old “studded” jeans again! I can button them OVER my stomach, love handles, and ALL! I was just amazed how my ENTIRE behind is covered now! No peek-a-boo crack showing! I can not lie, I don’t care how gross this sounds, but I wore those jeans two days in a row I was SO ecstatic! And I told everyone who saw me, that “these were my muffin top jeans!”, but not any longer, I’m so proud of me!! LoL! Now, that was ALL my good, now for the BAD … I experienced my first PB while at work last week. This is going to be graphic… just a warning! … I was in the lunch room by myself and for lunch I brought Salisbury Steak a little bit of rice and green string beans. So I heat my food and sit down at the computer they have in the lunch room. Now while I’m checking my Facebook and email, things are going very smoothly. I’m eating slowly and chewing, mainly because I was more into Facebook than the food. So I finish playing on the computer, and realize I’ve used most of my lunch break playing instead of eating… So I move away from the computer and go sit at the table and try to eat as quickly as possible while chewing at the same time… And as I look back on it now, I see my mistake and I’m sure you see it too! There’s no such thing as “eating quickly” with the band. You MUST take your time! So, I chewed some steak, swallowed and felt the pain of being stuck! Now, I’ve been stuck before, and waited a few seconds maybe minute and it passed, but this time the pain was soooo NOT the same! It was in my side, my throat, and I think I even felt the pain in my port! I could be exaggerating but you get my point! I quickly wrapped up my food, because I just was NOT interested any longer… And as I’m walking I’m swallowing just spit, not a whole bunch , but in my mind I was hoping this would help the steak pass… I then remember I have papaya enzymes in my work bag… I go to my back as calmly as possible and I shake out four tablets.. LoL or at least try to! I think about ten or eight flew out the way I was shaking that bottle! I pop them back and walk to the bathroom… I’m chewing and chewing the enzymes, praying this helps and the pain goes away, and then as soon as I shut the bathroom door behind me, I burp! Slime and enzyme particles in my hand…very gross! I pour the slime in the sink… I burp two more times (nothing productive though) and I was my hands and walk out of the bathroom as if nothing ever happened… I felt completely normal again. Normally when people spit up I figure you have that sick “after shock” type feeling and that gross after taste in the back of your throat you keep swallowing to get rid of, but I had none of that. I really felt fine afterwards… I was even hungry about an hour or two later… I didn’t eat anything, but I felt like my band, Michaelangelo, he taught me a valuable lesson… “Slow the f!%$k down!”… Well… my weight is slowly declining, and I’m in good spirits! Hopefully next month I’ll have more NSVs and see some weight drop on the scale! TTYL OH!

So mu husband just says to me in all his eloquence "Dude, you're looking wicked skinny." I'll take it.

Well I did it!! I cursed myself into a dreaded stall..it's been a week and I haven't lost anything, as a matter a fact I gained 2 pounds, but have currently lost 1 of them..UGH!!! However, I did have a NSV!!!! I went dress shopping for my upcoming cruise and learned that I am not only in a size 14 to 16 dress, but that I'm also down to a 18 in capris!!!! Started at 24, so this is huge for me!!!! So I'm upset about the stall, but can deal with it!! I have a feeling it's from all the stress right now that I'm having at work and home, trying to prepare for the cruise!! But it will all be worth it on Saturday when I step foot on the SHIP!!! Hope everyone is doing well!! Thanks for reading!! KRISTY

Thanks a lot dude! You got me over here about to cry, big, huge manly tears of course. I know what you mean about being the embarrasing fat dad. Thats why im trying to do this now before my boy gets older. That is one helluva NSV, Congrats!

The very first time those jeans that were just a little tight slide on without a problem. When someone says "Wow, you look good, have you lost weight. There will be lots of NSV in your future just wait for it. The excitement will soar

Wow - so much has happened in so little time. I haven't been on the forum since May; we've had such a busy summer. Now that school's getting ready to start it's going to get even busier! When I was last on in May, I had just publicly made it my goal (posted it on FaceBook) to reach 100 lbs lost by my birthday, which was 8/12. At that point I had lost 70+ and was feeling on top of the world. I had even bought an elliptical machine from someone at work and was ready to kick up the exercise program a couple notches....which I did, along with adding water aerobics twice a week. HOWEVER, I hit a MAJOR plateau in June that lasted into July. Ugggghhh! I talked to the doc about it and he said not to worry, all was well, and plateaus are to be expected. He was pleased with my overall progress and said to keep up the good work. As the numbers in my signature say, I have not yet reached that 100 lb goal - YET!! I am very pleased to be at the 87 lb mark and closing in on that 100! After all, today marks only 8 months since I started the pre-op diet and that is what I count as my starting point. Some NSV's for me include: 1-starting in a size 24/26 and I just bought some 14/16's!! I found a couple ladies with some size 16's for sale on Craigslist and THEY FIT! Soooooooo exciting for me 2-starting at ZERO minutes of exercise per week and now, I exercise an hour a day at least 4 days a week, if not 5. I do the elliptical for 20-30 minutes then go for a walk outside to round out the hour (sometimes it goes past), or water aerobics twice a week for an hour each, and sometimes I just grab my husband and tell him we're going for a walk. This has benefitted him too! Today we walked 5 miles and had an hour & 40 minutes of pleasant, uninterrupted together time. <3 3-the compliments I have gotten from people at work and who haven't seen me for a while never fail to make my day brighter! ========================================================================================================================================= Things that haven't been so great: 1-After my last 2 fills, I have had nausea & diarrhea that evening - anyone else experiencing these sypmtoms? 2-I have gotten "blocked" a couple times and it HURTS!! It hasn't been so bad that I've had to go have an unfill, just pain that lasts until the food moves past the band I suppose as the band gets tighter, I have to pay closer attention to chewing, swallowing, and eating SLOWLY! 3-Constipation. I have had issues with this for a few years since I tried another weight loss program, but still had problems and finally started drinking MiraLax (or the generic equivalent) every day and this has worked well for me. ========================================================================================================================================== Am I glad I did it? HELL YEAH!! Would I do it again? In a heartbeat! Am I loving the results? Oh yes!! I have reset the timeline on my 100-lb goal for the 1st of October. We'll see if it happens by then, and I would be ecstatic if it were to happen before then. But, even if I don't get there by then, I know I will eventually, and I just have to be patient and let it work. After all, I didn't get that big over the course of a few months and I shouldn't expect it to all go away that soon either

NSV today! I went to a wedding tonight. I had decided what to wear and had a back-up outfit picked out just in case. Then I tried to get dressed. The original outfit was too big. The backup outfit was too big. The next three things I tried on were too big. I finally found a black dress from about five years ago that was only slightly too big. I work from home, so I've been living in capri pants and t-shirts since the surgery; I knew they'd gotten baggy, but DANG!!!! Looks like I need to go shopping soon.

Awesome NSV!!! :cheer2:

♥♥♥♥AWWWWWW!!!♥♥♥♥ Yep that's pretty much at the top of the great NSV list! Soak it up and enjoy your new T-shirt free life!!"

That is a great NSV and made me smile!! good job! Kelly

So I took my kids to the y to swim. For yrs I have worn a shirt while swimming. I stood in the locker room deciding if I would go sans shirt. Back an forth back and forth my mind argued with itself. Finally i decided why not! So with slightly trembling hands I tossed the shirt in the locker grabbed my 4 yr olds hand and heade to the pool. My other 3 were already out there. So as I come out of the locker room my 13 yr old son is walking back in. He stops, and gets this funny look on his face and says "ok dad, 1st (at this point my heart is running to hide as I soo have carry guilt about my weight embarrassing my kids) ... 1st you have lost ALOT of weight!!!! 2nd you look Great!!" an then he smiled this goofy 13 yr old my Dad rocks smile. I almost cried! Very manly tears of course. :-)

Raise your hand if you have ever had to bend forward or look to the side when weighing yourself because BOB (big old belly) was in your way. Yeah, I thought so! Me too, except this morning when I got on the scale to do my daily weigh in, I looked straight down and saw my numbers. I tell ya, even though the numbers didn't reflect what I wanted, the action sent me over the moon and damned if I didn't work 10x harder in my Fitness Kickboxing class this morning. I think this is one of my favorite NSV or is it an SV LOL either way when I realized what I was doing I almost cried.

OK, this sounds like a NSV (non scale victory) but since a scale is involved.... tough call. Either way, it is a cool thing to celebrate. Thanks for sharing! I hope you learn to love jumping on the scale and seeing those numbers go down!

Yeah! and congrats on all your NSV's. Have fun on your future trip. Karen

Hi all, My surgery was 3 weeks ago today....I can go up and down stairs with ease.....I have a lap!!!! But the greatest is I can go off one of my high blood pressure meds!!! Yipee! This takes determination and resolve and some short term sacrifice but the rewards are worth it! Thanks for all the support! Tracy W.

Well, this thread will be right here waiting for you when you are ready. I think the LBD is an awesome NSV for us ladies. I sure would like to see many more posts!!!

I'm only 10 days out but lost some weight before surgery and over 10 lbs since. Clothes have started to hang on me so I thought I would go through my dresser and closet before having to go back to work next week. Result - 4 big garbage bags of clothes that no longer fit and will go to charity; my lose is their gain, lol. Fortunately I saved quite a bit of my "smaller" stuff always hoping I could get back into them someday. Well, some day is here. My only complaint is everything is shrinking at different rates and my upper arms are being the stubbornest! Hopefully I can do this again after another 25 lbs and then I'll actually have to go clothes shopping . . . in the misses section. Yeah!!!

I sprained my ankle severely when I was cleaning a closet on Sunday. I was digging out "skinny" clothes and tripped. So I went to see my orthopedic doctor on Monday afternoon, because I thought I had also broken bones in the foot. I wore a brace (laces, straps, etc) in to the doctor - but took with me one of those walking boot casts (metal, straps, etc) I had from a bad sprain a couple of years ago. The doc verified it was a really bad sprain - no broken bones. She told me I would need to wear a boot cast for a month. I pulled the one I had from under the exam table - and she looked at it. She said - that it would work - BUT THAT THEY WOULD TOTALLY HAVE TO REBUILD IT BECAUSE IT WAS TOO LARGE. Yea!

Last weeks weigh in - 183lbs. This weeks weigh in - 180.2. Lbs lost = 2.8. A good week! So as a courtesy to myself, I try to look back at progress once in a blue moon. Progress = motivation for me and this is why: WEEK ONE POST-OP WEEK 29 POST-OP The difference: 44lbs Average: 1.5lbs per week. I know that doesn't seem like allot. But this is for those of who who are frustrated... 1.5lbs a week ADDS UP! KEEP GOING! Posting the first picture is horrifying. SCARY! Imagine, I had already lost 40lbs when this was taken. You will not find an unclothed pic of me at 262lbs. I wouldn't allow any to ever be taken! I am losing slowly, I am doing nothing that I cannot continue to do forever. I take my time. I change things to suit me and my new lifestyle. I do not fool myself in to thinking that I will not make poor choices ever again. I do not fool myself in to believing that I will workout 6 days a week when I just happen to one time and then lose 3lbs that week. I do not fool myself in to thinking that I will be done with the hard work when I hit my non-existent target weight. I still make excuses, I still justify, I still beat myself up when I am having a tough time staying on track and that results in a vicious cycle of poo poo on me BUT I am happy! I try to be gentle with myself. I feel great and the NSV's and progress (when noticed) is fabulous fuel! I read a blog suggested by Lap Band Gal (you can read it here.) and do have to agree that approving people who are roughly 10lbs over the national average is insane! I know the national average is high though. The author refers to the band as stomach binding. I wish! lol. A comment left by a reader "I also find it interesting that the author of this article appears to be considerably overweight. How's that diet and exercise thing going for her?" - bahahahah! I have a feeling that this article will have an interestingly hot debate to follow. Looking forward to the massacre of part II. My choice to have WLS was a tough one. I was only offered WLS after I had lost 40lbs during a 15 month program called WeightWise. Through the program, one attends sessions on general nutrition, emotional eating, identifying triggers, meeting with nurses, psychiatrists, dietitians and being strictly monitored when it comes to attendance, weight loss and food journals. I have to say that with a non-restrictive band thus far and coming up on 7 months post-surgery, the addressed emotional and psychiatric components are what is going to take me to the ideal healthy lifestyle! Having the surgery, sorry for those who tune in often, changed my BRAIN 100%. The commitment, the seriousness of the surgery, the fear and anxiety about the decision and the procedure itself changed me. The band hasn't done anything physically yet, but it does remind me by just being there. There is no way that I went through all of it to fail! Restriction or no restriction, I am in control! I also have to mention that if I had to pay for surgery myself, I probably wouldn't. Not because I am opposed to surgery, (DUH) but because I am young (still milking this for almost one more year). I work in the non-profit world and the mister and I have other priorities financially that just can not be delayed. It is a constant battle to keep up the house, the cars and just life in general. I am not sure that I would or even could spend the money on WLS. Fortunately, I didn't have to and was blessed to find myself in the care of a great team with an awesome gift! "OH CANADA" - free surgery and support for those who are committed and will work at it! Imagine! Anyhoot, off to the 1st shift at the 2nd job today. We have a Mexico trip and Newfoundland trip to pay for. Totalling about 1 month of vacation and $5000.00. Not even half of what a band would cost! It would be hard for me to choose surgery over two trips to sunny Puerto Vallarta and grey but gorgeous Newfoundland! Cheers all!