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Great advice RW! I did seem to make a breakthrough this morning - moved to 27.5 but I did have some NSVs too! : - I'm able to move to the middle hook on all my bras (except my sports bras) -My husband said when he hugs me, he feels a huge difference and I can tell too - my work gym has a huge set of stairs to the locker rooms and when i started, it felt like I wasn't sure I could walk up them after working out to leave...now I'm already flying up those stairs. - I looked in my car mirror and was happy to see my "swollen moon face" from my thyroid issues has come way down and I can see my cheekbones wanting to make an appearance woo hoo

I’m 1 day past my 3 month mark and hit what is a huge milestone for me. Today I hit the 100lb mark for total weight loss and I am down 66lbs since surgery. More importantly than the weight loss though is how amazing I feel the more weight I lose. Everything just gets easier to do the lighter I am. I had a new NSV yesterday. I went to buy a new pair of jeans and looked for a size 36 which I’ve been wearing for about a month now. They didn’t have a 36 in the jeans I liked but did have a 34 so I picked them up and tried them on. To my amazement they fit. I don’t think I’ve worn a 34 since I was in my teens. HT: 6’4” HW: 333 SW: 299 CW: 233

Yes, thanks ... the year long back up costs $AUD1500 up front of which about $AUD800 is refunded by my health insurer. The surgeon and dietitian have no other fees. The visits every 2-4 weeks with the exercise physiologist are $AUD40 per visit out-of-pocket. But the three of them have an interlinked plan and reporting system that is very supportive. I recall this advice I gave out to someone in the last few days: When the scales are not moving, look to your NSVs. NSV = non-scale victory. e.g. 1. Your belt buckle moves a notch or two. e.g. 2. Your old 36" pants suddenly fit when they didn't last week. e.g. 3. You can stick 2 or 3 fingers inside the buttoned-up neck of your shirt & tie. e.g. 4. Your shoes are not so tight as they were a month ago. e.g. 5. You can hold your breath for 45 seconds underwater (when before surgery/before exercise it was 18 seconds). Watch for these or other examples of success. Remember, NOT all good things are recorded by bathroom scales! Take heart!

I am 3 years out. Right after surgery I lost weight for the first 3 weeks and then had an almost 4 week stall. Yes it was frustrating but expected. During that stall I dropped 2 sizes. When I did break the stall I lost 4.5 pounds overnight. Just stick with the program and it will work, I promise. For me hopping on the scale during the stall wasn't stressful so I did it everyday. For others you may want to move to weighing yourself once a week on the same day or only weigh in at follow-up visits or once a month. Everyones approach to the scale is different. During your stall you need to look for NSVs. When I moved to maintenance I personally need to weigh every day. It keeps me honest in my eating choices.

Stalls are so common that someone here coined the phrase "Embrace the Stall". Look for other non scale victories (NSV). I found that as I lost weight, my cloth sizes dropped. I would go to store and buy a shirt that was so tight that if I took a deep breath, I could pop a button. A week later the shirt fit like a glove. Over my weight loss, I went from a size 3X in shirts down to a size Small and from a size 46 in pants down to a size 33. Although I was not normally into clothes, during the weight loss phase, the drop in clothing sizes brought me great joy.

When the scales are not moving, look to your NSVs. NSV = non-scale victory. e.g. 1. Your belt buckle moves a notch or two. e.g. 2. Your old 36" pants suddenly fit when they didn't last week. e.g. 3. You can stick 2 or 3 fingers inside the buttoned-up neck of your shirt & tie. e.g. 4. Your shoes are not so tight as they were a month ago. e.g. 5. You can hold your breath for 45 seconds underwater (when before surgery/before exercise it was 18 seconds). Watch for these or other examples of success.

NSV - realizing all the new years weight loss advertisements promising ridiculous results. No longer apply to me.

18 days post op and some of my NSV are... Can take my bra on/off normally Boots I bought a yr ago finally fit over my calves My size 20 skinny jeans are no longer skinny jeans they fall off my hips I can walk several flights of stairs without huffing and puffing Sent from my SM-J327T1 using BariatricPal mobile app

So awesome! That is a wonderful NSV.

Sitting in a normal airplane seat comfortably was a huge NSV for me-one of the most emotional ones for me. I had to fly a few months post op and got a window seat—and cried; it was so beautiful up there in the clouds, sitting in a normal seat. [emoji173]️ I took video of it and kept it to remind me!

Yay you!!! That’s one of the NSV’s im looking forward to!

Ditto ... People on BP claim they see a huge change in my photos two months apart. I fail to see anything in the pics. My NSVs, OTOH, give me a smile ... trouser waist down from 152cm to 138cm (or 60" to 54"). My body fat down from 47.8% to 42.6%. My lung capacity up from 18 seconds holding breath to 44 seconds. Was walking with a cane for support in June. Not using a cane now as my exercise extends past two hours per day. (Exercising 13 days per TWO WEEKS!) Averaging 22500 steps/strokes on the Vivofit 3 wristband daily in December ... up from 3500 in September!

Thanks for the positive feedback. I fail to see the differences that others glean from the photos. I see my successes in the several NSVs I've mentioned elsewhere. Only did the photos because my surgeon, my dietitian and my exercise therapist said to try a monthly or bi-monthly set of pics.

Cindy, Watch the trend. A few ounces per week is okay as long as the general trend is down. Watch ALSO for the non-scale victories. e.g. I lost only 400g (13.5 ounces) this week (Week 10) but, THANKS TO TWO HOURS EXERCISE PER DAY, my waist fell from 142cm to 138cm. (56 inches to 54 inches.) I also had to move my car seat another notch closer to the steering wheel. My body fat dropped 1.3%. Non-scale victories (NSVs) are the positive changes that do NOT show on the scales. WELCOME THEM!

Just wanted to share what was a surprise NSV for me. For the first time in probably 15 years, I wore out an article of clothing. For countless years, I outgrew everything before it wore out, then I was losing weight and too small for my clothes. Now three years post RNY, my weight is stable. It was really odd but a victory when something was worn out, stretched and faded and needed to be discarded.

Sometimes NSV are the best victories! I've had quite a few in the last year but here are some: I can fit comfortably in the chairs in our conference room at work, the arms used to dig into my legs and hips so bad. I can shop in straight size stores only now, no more bouncing between plus and straight I need new wedding rings, my fingers have gone down so much I can't even have my rings resized!! Yay new wedding set!! Calf boots, I can wear them all. I also went down a shoe size so I need all new shoes on top of a new wardrobe. I can see my feet again when I look down instead of just my belly, also my boobs are bigger than my belly again, thank god. I can do 40-60 minutes on the Elliptical and not need a break. The first time I got on I couldn't even do 5 minutes. I'm smaller than my husband for the first time ever. I can cross my legs comfortably and love doing it.

Hello everyone I was supposed to be sleeved on last monday the 18. It was cancelled so I have a NSV to NOT have indulged in any food because of my emotional train wreck I had when I learned I had to wait ... 5 more weeks! 5!!!! Anyways my only instruction is: eat healthy, avoid sugar / fat. So really I am at a loss. But I will be careful still I feel like I am let loose without clear instruction. I know how to eat well and whatever but still. I wish they can some example or whatever to help when they have such a situation.

sorry I didn't give any more update yesterday I as .... in an emotional train wreck They cancelled my appointment of the 18 and moved it to jan 22nd.... now they are telling me i do not need to do the liquid diet again HOWEVER they are not giving me any specific guideline. Except like no sugar i can follow a more or less normal diet. I wish they had a list of instruction when they delay someone for SO long. I already did 4 only liquid weeks. Now I am expected to do 5 more pre-op weeks. I found a list online and I think I will follow this guideline https://advancedsurgicalpartnersofva.com/util/forms/liver-reduction-diet.pdf it's a more or less "normal" diet that is for liver reduction. Now for a NSV I did not eat my frustration. I asked my boss to give me the week to digest all this and it was refused I was so upset at this.... so ill keep monitoring what I eat and stick it to this list I found but I need to re-do all my groceries and everything. And tell the government I don't need anything... yay...

hey dudes/dudettes six years ago today (12-15) i was waiting to go into the OR!! like most others i was terrified - so excited. having the sleeve was a great decision. i did it!!! i am still around and able to talk about "it" i did have my ups and downs, but easy recovery, all was/is good. i've enjoyed many wonderful NSV's. buying smaller clothes in a regular store. sitting in the middle seat of three on an airplane. i am able to do many normal, basic day to day activities now that i had difficulty doing six (6) years ago! it's wonderful. might sound silly, but i love that i am able to bend up and down and up and down etc., pulling those damnnn weeds on my front lawn!! no longer run from the camera (especially family pics) sit closer to the steering wheel. i get in and out of the car with no trouble. putting on seat belt is no prob. when i sat down in restaurant booth and movie seat for the 1rst time after weight loss, i said "these seats have gotten bigger!! my health has dramatically improved.!! medication dosages have been lessened or gone all together. i KNOW my attitude has changed/improved. i feel better than before about myself. i am not perfect!! welllll, then again!! LOL Life is NOT all peaches and cream just cuz i lost weight. i still might have problems. But the fact that i look pretty damnnnn good, helps me to deal with some issues better than when i was heavy. i could tell you more about some problems - but then what would i tell you on my 7th year surgiversary? my sleeve is very smart - it helped teach me how to eat and drink properly - knowledge of Proteins and carbs and other things. moderation etc. at 6 years - my success must/does all come from my head/mind!! i'm on my own. (no restriction left to speak of) but that's ok. i remember everything i learned - work hard to follow the rules all the time. but, once again, even i'm not perfect, really. sad to say i am 8.3 lbs over GOAL, but i am working on fixing situation. (guess honesty is one of my better qualities) LOL see you next year Kathy

Haven't been here for awhile, but since Im at my 4 year surgiversary I thought I'd check in. 80% of this post is completely plagiarized from last year's update but it gives a good recap of all 4 years.... Year 1 - the year of losing all of my excess weight (100 pounds), dozens of NSVs, and a new wardrobe. By far, the most exciting year. Even the month of liquids, 6 weeks of diarrhea and 2 insanely painful gallbladder attacks couldn't put a dent in my enthusiasm. It was all so new and fun and easy. Life was great and I was invincible! Year 2 - the year of finding out life still sucks no matter what size you are, losing my best friend to suicide, sinking into a deep hole of depression and finding that I could no longer rely on my old friends.....food, alcohol and cigarettes. Just struggling to get through each day with really no desire to. Two more gallbladder attacks which I finally put an end to with a long overdue cholecystectomy. Surprisingly able to maintain my weight loss from the 1st year. Year 3 - the year of emotional healing (well, at least a start in that direction) with a grief therapist, testosterone replacement and an antidepressant. Finally able to crawl out the darkness into a somewhat bearable existence. My latest breakthrough is I actually said yes when asked out on a date about a month ago. Considering my introvert personality and swearing off relationships almost 20 years ago, this is an extraordinary step for me. We've been out 1/2 dozen times and I'm actually enjoying it. Year 4 - the year of falling in love, being blissfully happy and regaining 10 pounds (yikes!) I'm still with that guy that asked me out back in Oct 2016. Enjoying my first totally honest, mature relationship. Ironically, I've found being a good bariatric patient is harder in good times than in bad. I've got better things to do than think about Protein, fluids, carbs and vitamin......everything has become less and less about surgery and weightloss and more and more about life. So my downfall this past year has been cocktails and chocolate. Took up the bad habit of consuming both on a daily basis. That, and a lot of donuts and muffins! But the good news is I have already dropped 8 of the 10 pounds I put on. As always, it just takes going back to basics..... drink more Water, eat more protein and less carbs. My BF is great and jumped on the high protein/low carb bandwagon with me. Of course being a guy, he's dropped 20 pounds to my 8 (stupid boys). I have every confidence I will drop those last 2 pounds before 2018. Bottom line is successful WLS results is not rocket science. Whatever you had to do to lose weight is pretty much what you need to do forever. If you can't control sliders and trigger foods, they WILL lead to regain. If you don't make the psychological adjustments and permanently change your habits and behaviors, you WILL regain. It's totally up to you whether or not your surgery becomes just another failed diet. Don't be afraid to seek professional help with the mental side of it. Because as the years go on, that's what makes you successful, not how tiny your stomach is. Good luck to the newbies. Congrats to the veterans.

@Creekimp13 keeping records are great. you are ACES!!!! if you never blogged, it's never too late. start pre-op - post op any time after surgery. NOT keeping a record of my pre and post op surgery was a big regret for me. i wish i had kept a blog of all my good, bad, and normal experiences for myself. how my eating, drinking - stuff like that went. records of all my NSV's - (clothing shoes sizes, changes, riding in an airplane, reactions from OP seeing me for the first time since i lost weight) .many other things too - many many daily events - hard to remember, wish i had kept records. to you my friend - you & other people - you are all definitely "smart cookies" no calories/carbs/sugar included. glad things are moving along well. i know you will continue to do great. kathy congrats

I finally purchased my first pair of riding boots that aren’t wide calf! Never ever thought this would happen. And they’re such a cute color of burgundy suede. I’m in love!

Congrats on your NSV. I think those are more important and motivating than the scale anyway. Keep kicking butt & inspiring others

NSV: so i randomly went jean shopping and the size 4 actually fit, and really fit. I thought i was going to have to squeeze into them for dear life lol. I've been fat my whole life so this is new to me. The fact that i'm actually a small still blows my mind, but yet the scale still says im overweight smh. I'm still going to view this as a victory.