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On Thanksgiving our family drew names for which adult was going to buy a gift for which adult. We had to make a list of 3 things we would like. At that time I was fitting into my 18Ws only with my spanx, and was praying to be able to wear a 16W by Valentines, so I did put a pair of 16W jeans and size L tops on my list. Today I opened my gift, and there they were, 16W jeans and 2 size L tank tops. I waited until we got back to the house to try them on, just so I could see how much more I am going to have to lose to wear them. OMG... I put them on, zipped them up, and have a little bit of room. And that was without the spanx. I am so excited. I have not been a 16W in 18 years, since my youngest daughter was born. I can't wait to get to TN in the morning, we are driving up now, and my sil can see that they do fit me. She is thinking about having the band and she hasn't seen me since August. I started this venture with surgery in June wearing a 22/24, now i am a comfortable 16. And to top it all off, I am 6 lbs from my New Years Goal, so we will see what happens. YAHOO!!! 199 here I come.

Hi all... Some weird things I would like to report (5-days post-op): 1) Keep dreaming about eating stuff I am not supposed to eat. Waking up in a panic thinking I screwed up. 2) Head hunger is rough. I am in an all inclusive resort right now, all alone, and I could order anything I want from room service... ARGH.... 3) I have a constant headache. Not bad, but constant. I think it is due to lack of food. 4) I haven't seen the scale move too much. I have lost a total of 5 lbs, but haven't lost anything the last few days. I am using a different scale, so not sure how accurate it is. 5) My teeth and tongue feel weird. I am starting to notice a bit of a tastebud change, but nothing hugely noticeable yet. 6) I had an incident occur last night... I ordered my Soup from room service at 7:30pm and it didn't arrive until 11:30pm. When it did arrive, it was purreed instead of strained. By 12:00 I just called room service and told them to forget about it. Yeah, I know. it stinks and I spoke to the manager about that... the thing that was kinda weird is that I was all choked up about it and cried a little bit. I am NOT the type to do stuff like that over something minor. I wasn't even hungry and had plenty of juice. BUT this brings to light how your mental state is so closely tied to your physical state. Those of you that have been depressed post op should understand that your mind is reacting to the deprivation of your body. I thought it was an interesting observation... 7) I am getting a slew of advice on food from people. 8) Drain is out since Wednesday. Finally able to take a full shower today! 9) Reading this forum has given me a lot of expectations (was reading the NSV thread- it rocked!). I need to balance those expectations with how my body and my particular experience is going. I may no lose 100 lbs in 6 months... I have to understand this is a lifetime change and not a quick fix. 10) I still feel exactly the same as I did before. This surgery did not change me. I can imagine that once I am having to explicitly manage "eating" instead of just drinking, that I may see more of an effect, but this is just another tool right now. Anyway, these are just some observations that I thought would be good to share.. Man, those food dreams are weird, too!!! Later y'all, Aimee

Wow, you guys are all doing so tremendously well! Keep up the great work! I'll be able to cheer my NSV's pretty darn soon! Surgery is next tuesday!

Wa-Hoo!!!!!! NSV's totally rock !!!!! Congratulations :-)

congrats...i love nsv

Hi Donna - where have you been YOUNG lady?? Love NSV story!!

Wis. Gal:Yup, perfectly normal. I got so frustrated having to re-heat everything. Just put a shot glass full of liquid in a cup and heat it and then you can finish it before it gets cold. Then repeat until you have your 1/4 cup done. Your new tummy is SMALL and healing from a major wound. Give it lots of time to adjust. Enjoy this part. Lots of new stuff coming. Gotta enjoy each stage of your journey. Chancie: Can you go back to basics: More protein drinks at a regular interval? Eat one meal a day, drink 2? I saw this recently: Breakfast like a Queen, (think Queen size) Lunch like a Princess, and Dinner like a Pauper. You did not talk about exercise. Come on Chancie, you are one of my hero's here. You and Tiffy are the only Long termers still posting regularly. Please do not let work take over your life. I loved the story about going shopping with your friend and her being bigger than you. NSV for sure. Look for thoes moments. You deserve them and many many more. Work that tool girl.

I can actually post early today because we're off due to snow. I ended up with 20" at my house. Yesterday we spent a total of 3 hours shoveling AND I'm so glad I do not have to go to work today because my back is so sore!!! I must have worked muscles that have never been used in my entire life. BUT, I actually was able to do it and not hurt much during the process, which is an NSV in my book. Okay, now to the weigh in. This morning I weighed in at 156.5 lbs. I got to this weight a few days ago, but I will take it! It's two pounds down from last week and the lowest I've ever weighed!!!

Ok you all know how lbt addicted I am and how much I love you all - so listen to this I was changing in to my comfy clothes right now-and I was thinking about our thread and post this morning and it hit me PHYL I DIDN'T TELL YOU CONGRATS ON BEING ABLE TO CROSS YOUR LEGS !!!! THAT'S A HUGH NSV - CONGRATULATIONS - SORRY I FORGOT EARLIER HOW RUDE OF ME !!! Ok here is what I have done today - gym as you all ready know - showered then took Andrew to his appointment - he has been bitching at them that they aren't going high enough with the laser to remove his tattoo (it barely gets red) so this time the turned up the power - I have never seen it this red he also has this skin thingie (so does DS) it's a fungus and it gives them these little spots of lighter color skin (where as on us it wouldn't even show) well it's on his back - but last night he found some on his arm and about freaked out - so he asked the doc at the tattoo removal place (its a derm place) and they gave him some medicine for it - pretty cool - cuz his step dad paid up front for this tattoo removal thing and I told him he could try and ask them about - but they might shine him on cuz it's not part of the treatment and he has and HMO and needs prior authorization to see a derm doc.. I gotta say both my kids (Andrew & Joseph) know how to get things done... So after that he didn't want to go Xmas shopping (he stayed out too late last night I think and which I am glad of cuz I didn't want to go to the mall) so brought him home - got his script fill then went to Costco - Got prime rib for xmas dinner (oh my was it expensive) asparagus - green beans - and some lox - they had samples and it was so good - so I got me some - then came home and put that food up and got back in the car and went to Stater Bros for the rest of Xmas foods (got even poorer) and truely will have to go back for rolls and such closer to Xmas since it's still a week away - hope the asparagus last that long.. Lucky Andrew helpped bring the groceries in - got them put us and here I am.. I am so diff than you guys - my kids will be here for 5 days and that's 2 days too many for me.. I enjoy a few days with them - but it disrupts my whole life - Trying to figure out what to cook for them - cuz they eat so much diff than me - they gotta have sauage/bacon eggs toast for breakfast every day - lunch - dinner - noise - I like my quietness - I know this sounds awful - cuz I love them with all my heart and if anything happen to them I would die... But 3 days is a long enough visit for me.. So Candice the only kid of shopping I did was food - and after having samples at Costco - I wasn't hungry so it was hard to even think of what to buy for our normal weekly food - got Andrew all his junk - we are having steak tonite - but I will have to go to Winco tomorrow to get my fish and most likely will hit Target too. I might go to Khols early tomorrow I need an Xmas top - but who knows - I may even go to the gym - My knee hasn't bothered me at all today - so hopefully it's just that I do something wrong on the treadmill to hyper-extend my knee and that's it...

Thanks all nsv is non scale victory so ya know good changes not just the scale dropping or if your not noticing good results on the scale but your dropping sizes. Hth and have a good one!

:wink2: WOW WOW WOW THAT IS GREAT ! ! ! Congratulations to you. That is a big drop in size. I just have one questions...what does "nsv" mean? Keep up the good work ! :smile2:

Congrats, Kiddo!! Enjoy!! Yep, I sure remember John!! So much enjoyed the music, and he is a pretty interesting guy! AND, he doesn't like Obama!!! LOL!! Earl's antics are never-ending!! Told the neighbor, Jim, it was all his fault because he started this cement thing!! I watched World News TWICE!! I LOVE Charlie Gibson!! Especially when he says, "I HOPE you had a GOOD day!!" I told Earl he was going to cry at the end, and so when Charlie got all choked up, so did Earl!! I will really miss him! And I will hate not hearing him say, "I HOPE you had a GOOD day!!" Who will say that to me now????? Oh, Gosh... I think I had too much wine again!! Earl forgot to tell me the neighbors invited us for a party. So after the Christmas potluck, we went to the neighbors' for a patio party!! I walked home from the clubhouse, BTW, to walk off some of what I ate!! So they were surprised to see me arrive on foot and Earl on the scooter!!! :smile2::biggrin: Our cinnamon roll was only about half the size of a cinnabon, so hopefully half the calories, too. Didn't even really enjoy it!! Now the Lady Godiva truffle, that's another story!! LOL! Crap! I can't get started on sweets again! This has got to stop! The cinnamon roll was NOT worth it, but as I said, the truffle is another story!! And tonight was a bust! Too much food... I had some ham, some scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, corn casserole, and a small piece of... oh, I HATE to say it, carrot cake. After my resolve to stay away from the dessert table.... carrot cake!! Crap! It wasn't worth it either. We decided that we will SKIP the chapel potluck on Sunday. Potlucks are the devil's work! I will have to walk, walk, walk this weekend! I cannot give in to any more temptations! I am WEAK!! Oh, but I gotta tell you a couple of things... if I can remember them. These are NSVs, since I've been bad this week and had a weight gain.. have to focus on positive things and resolve to do better so I can look forward to more of these! First, I discovered that I can put my socks on by putting my foot up on my opposite knee. HAH!! So what, you say!?? Do you know how long it's been since I could do that??? A LONG time! So that's been several weeks now. So, I'm sitting at book club the other day and I had this sudden urge to cross my legs! I had this voice in one ear saying, "You can't do that!!" and in the other ear.... "Oh, yes, you can!! Remember the socks????" The rest is history... I sat there for the rest of the meeting with my legs crossed! HAH!! Another victory! Janet, hope you can come and hang out with us Sunday. Program starts at 6pm, but I have to be there at 5 pm... but you can come over whenever. We will just be chillin' all afternoon. Not sure what we'll do about dinner. Before 5pm is too early... might have to eat "dinner" after church and keep it light in the afternoon. We'll figure it out.

Had my first nsv today I bought a new shirt and went from a 3x to a 1x

Congrats !!!! I'm SO looking forward to boots. I've ALWAYS wanted a pair of " Horse Riding Boots" , you know, up to the knee, barely a heel. I cant get my foot into anything like that - for one thing, my feet have gone flat over the years with the weight , and secondly , my calves are too fat also. But the day I can get into them ?? I use them as my Dangling Carrot, so to speak :-) I also had an NSV of my own a few nights ago. I sat on the edge of the bed, getting my bf up for work, and i was able to ....... ( drum roll .... ) Cross my legs!!! I know it seems so trivial to most, but i havent been able to cross my legs since my early college years ! I was just talking to him, and i realized "my legs are crossed" ! Who can i share this with ??? LOL :ohmy: NSV's are the best, aren't they ??

Ok, I've been a Kohl's shopper for years. You know those discount coupons you get every month...the ones that you peel and are either 15, 20 or 30% off your entire purchase? Well I ALWAYS get 15%. It's kind of a joke with my daughter, who always manages 30%. Yesterday I got my first 30% off so of course I had to go shopping! Off I went, collected jeans, slacks, and tops to try on. Everything was too big! I had to buy size 4 jeans and slacks! Yes...I said 4! I never wore a 4 before, not even as a teenager. OMG! I called my daughter and we cried tears of joy! I ended up just buying a few things, but what an experience! Pictures coming soon.

Hey guys!!! I was banded on December 1st. I started out at 330 and now I weigh 210 pounds. I have absolutely nothing to wear, but I'm counting that as a NSV! I feel so much lighter, don't have foot pain or joint pain, and have so much energy! People almost every day make comments about how I'm shrinking as I see lots of different people through work. I gained a boyfriend along the way who is great. It's not perfect and I've definitely had my ups and downs, but this lapband thing is the only thing I've tried over the years and years of dieting that is working for me. I look at food very differently now. I haven't eaten bread in months. I haven't been at this weight since high school and I'm 30 years old. I'm really excited. I still have 35 pounds to lose to get to goal, but I am still losing consistently, even though it has slown down from the initial momentum. I have met alot of great people on the lap band and WLS sites and have sort of figured this thing out through trial and error--what I can eat, what I can't, what I feel like when I'm too tight...This year has been so full of changes! A year ago, I couldn't even picture myself at this weight. It seemed impossible. I still have a nagging voice that reminds me that I could gain it all back in a minute, but I don't think that I will. I've made permanent behavior changes and nutrition changes that I'm hoping will last a lifetime. This is the best thing that has ever happened for me! I'm so proud of myself and for all of you!!!!:thumbup:

DeeDee- Thats FANTASTIC!!! I know how frustrating it can be to be "stuck" at certain #'s.... we might put too much emphesus on it.. but itshow we have to be to stay focused. I'm proud for you!! Keep up the good work!!! I'm glad to see you others in here tooo!! I'm loving the company and want to see everyone do well!! Tiff- I got the same problem.. but I think mine is sooooooo much worse....... I have no ass....... everyone is commentting on it!! ( or LACK of it ) But it's all in my belly!! It sucks... my belly is bigger than my ass! Tummy Tuck is a DEFINITE! Gonna wait a year.. but I know I will have to have it done. My g/f I went shopping with was mad... she was a 14!! I have always been the "biggest"... but she was over it quick! And I noticed today in the mirror at work.. the 14 pants I had on were really looking "saggy"............. GREAT NSV!!!

I weighed myself this morning and the scale read 158.5, finally out of the 160's!!! My lowest weight of my teenage/adult life was 158, which I weighed in my sophomore year of high school. Although I set a goal of a "normal" bmi, I don't think I completely believed that it could happen. Now I definitely feel it WILL happen. Only 10.5 lbs. left to go. My second victory is an NSV. I've really been feeling poorly over the last week. I thought it might be my gallbladder, then I was thinking an ovarian cyst, but I'm not a doctor and will be going in and hopefully it gets figured it out soon. Anyway, tonight I went to tap class and my husband decided to clean the master bathtub so I could take a relaxing bath when I got home. We have a small jacuzzi tub in there and I hadn't taken a bath since before surgery. I fit with so much room left on both sides. I didn't let it fill as far up as normal, because I was impatient, but the water still covered my body completely. I called my husband in so he could see how well I fit:thumbup: A nice way to start the week, but I still wish it were Friday.

Woo hoo, I've been wanting nice black leather boots for ever and this weekend, I tried a pair on. They slipped right over my formerly very thick calves! Yippee! This is by far the best NSV to date! I might even go get another pair in brown!

AJW: when you get down there (10/12 or 6) Take me with you. I would love to do some back ground stuff just for fun. What a great fun, goal. I have friends in the music biz here in LA, but, you can be any size and sing back up. LOL I am starting to have fun for the first time in years. (unself-consiously) I guess that is a NSV?

My BMI finally dropped below 40!!! I have a BMI of 39. I had surgery July 24th, my highest weight being 313, and that was right before surgery. Today I weight 252!!! I love my band!!!! Down from a size 26 to an 18 in most everything.... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!:willy_nilly:

Hi, My bandiversary was Dec 1st. since being banded, I've lost 69 # with 70 more to go,. But with exercise, am still shrinking in clothing sizes (Really an upper for me) NSV- have to quit closet shopping as I am about out of clothes that still fit; of all BP meds, and my CPAP is dropped 4 points. I out walk my DH. Now I need my gall bladder out (Dec 22, it's complcating what I eat and itis better this way ) . What I've learned: Exercise is key, I really can change, this is only a tool and I have to make it work. I still feel like I'm juggling exercise, diet, and life - still need to change things daily to make it easier (evreything is in flux). also maybe it isn't me, my job is horrid. I will be better off when they decide who is laid off

First, get off the damn scale. I know that sounds rough, but a scale can be an inaccurate measure of success. Those scales are not the be-all, end-all to weight loss, just an occasional barometer to know how things are going. I weigh maybe once per month. Twice if I just want to do a mid-month progress check. A good poop or two and you'll be fine! I speak from experience :bananajump: Now, that being said, you are doing great! One day at a time, chew chew chew, get your Vitamins, and make sure that Protein gets down! Look for those NSVs (non-scale victories) to bolster your changes. You'll be fine!

That is a great NSV!! you must feel wonderful being 62 lbs. down.. I can weight till I get there.. down 29 so far, and I am having "jeans slipping off my ass" drama..lol.

GO HEATHER - NICE NSV! I'm excited for you. Nicolie - how far are you from goal - your ticker seems to be missing. Hmmm......... Liz - Thanks girl - I just crack under pressure - wish I had some of that strong personality of yours hehehehe Tamra - you're doing great woman - keep it up - I had a venti decaf americano for b-fast - skipped lunch (oops) and a grilled chicken salad from jack for dinner but used my own italian dressing! - I had to hit the drive thru - I was very hungry :eek: - so full now but I'm freezing so I think I'll grab some hot herbal tea. Ash-congrats girl - you will weigh more at the support group as it is in the evening and you will be fully dressed - shoes and all so don't get discouraged! I'm so for certain your scale isn't lying!