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Not banded yet but will be in 3 1/2 weeks. You are doing great. Lots of weight loss since january. Just a thought, have you checked your NSV's. Even though the scale hasn't moved you could be losing inches. They say 1 to 2 pounds a week average is normal. Everyone hits times that the scale don't move. Like guy said you are doing your part you just need the band to do its. Remember you didn't gain the weight in 1 day and you can't loose it in 1 either and 1 bad eating day is better than 365 bad eating days. Your avatar picture looks great and keep up the good work. Keep us posted on your progress. Greg

Hello Bandster Bunnies!!! My roommate just got banded and she and I constantly talk about Non scale Victories (NSV), and I thought I'd start a thread for us to share what we're looking forward to beyond seeing the numbers drop on the scale. I have a bunch, but the ones that pop into my mind most often are: *Buying jeans that don't have stretch in them *Not having to pull my pants UP and pull my shirt DOWN when I stand up *Fitting nice and easy into airplane chairs, Starbucks chairs, bistro chairs, etc. *Playing sports again *Going swimming and enjoying it *NOT shopping at Lane Bryant anymore And just now I came face to face with one... **Actually weighing what I state on my driver's license!!!! I bumped it up to 200 a while ago, and to even be down to 200 will be a HUGE milestone. WOOHOO, I can't wait! :thumbup: What are some NSVs you all are looking forward to?

good morning junies.. Strike.. woo hoo on your nsv. You rock sister friend! Long.. good luck with your knee today! Congrats on getting out of your plateau! I go and weigh in on Friday and I am hoping all this hard work at the gym is going to pay off! The award dinner went great and we met alot of really nice people. We didnt' get home until 10 ugh and I am usually in bed by 9! My boss asked if I would if he needed me to train a girl to take my place since I won't go part time. I told him I would (i know Im a sucker) but told him to remember the last 4 girls we had do this job in the past 5 years and how messed up it was! I started in inside sales and there was 12 people working here. In 5 years we are down to 5 people and I do the job of inside sales, purchasing, a/r, a/p, office manager and a smidge of outside sales. He has no idea how this office is run or even how to do any of it! Sure I will train a girl for a week or two and see what happens! LOL.. I am sure I will be back working in no time. I have just put all this stress in God's hands. I just gave it up to him and realized he has only ever opened doors for me not closed them. Every time something bad has happened I have been soo devastated only to have something better happen because of it. So I am holding on for the ride! Have a great day Junies!

Amanda, Thanks for the pep talk. I really need to find a behaviour modification therapist that is in our plan who does not cost an arm and a leg. I have to get these head issues under control....and I know I will. NSV...yesterday my 2.5 yr old daughter had minor surgery. We were in this little pre-op play room and I had put my rather large bag on my chair beside me. I got up to help my daughter with something and when I went to sit back down I was going to move the bag. The space for my bottom looked way, way, way too small. I did not move the bag, I just sat down and I fit! Last year at this time I was filling a chair like that with my bottom and upper body filling it touching the arms of the chair. I really have come far. I just feel stalled right now and I guess that's OK for a little while. There has been a lot of stress here lately and that does not help. Christine

I have a HUGE NSV to share. I went shopping all day Saturday with a friend of mine and for once in my life....I enjoyed trying on clothes! I started my journey in a size 30/32 and I bought a dress that was a size 14!!! I mostly wear 16/18, but I am sooooo stoked that I fit into a 14! It's been soooo long since I have seen that size!

Hi Junies! I haven't been writing much but have been reading and am so glad you are all doing so well. I went to see my fill doc today and for the first time, I didn't get one. She says since my last visit about 6 weeks ago, I lost 7 lbs so I am losing at an acceptable rate and dont need a fill!! I guess I lost track of how many its been because I am always chasing one more, one more....and forget to count. I took my measurements and since June I have lost 1" from neck, a whopping 5" from my boobs (sob), 5.75 from waist, 4.5 from hips and 2 from thighs. The realize web site I post these on doesnt ask for calf measurements but for all you calf fanatics, mne is now 16! A few weeks ago my 7 sibs and I got together to surprise our mom and they took pics. Gotta admit I look good, till you look closer and see the belly hanging over my sexy little blue jeans. I think that belly is gonna be the last to go. I have been going to Wilson's a few times a week and really working on the crunches but I think I will need to do a million of them to get rid of my gut. Nice NSV tho recently, I was sitting on some wood steps outside for a while and realized hey, I dont have any padding on my booty anymore! Aint life grand??? Love ya Junies!

Greetings! NSV - remember how I have said that NO ONE has told me thta they noticed that I have lost weight? Well, a cousin who I saw in October admitted to me over the phone that she thought that I had lost a lot of weight. She also struggles, so I guess she didn't want to say anything then. NSV - 2 - my sister-in-law (ex, I guess) had band surgery earlier this month and told me I look great. Lafsalot - The real reason I have lost only about 50 pounds is 1. I haven't really exercised and 2. I am still dealing with head issues. The second one is the biggest one. The reason I fell off the board for about six weeks is that I was eating poorly and not exercising at all. (OK, I walk a few blocks to work - I don't really count that!) I still have head food issues. I am bright enough that I can figure out how to get around the band. So, those are the real reasons why. OK - now I am going to do something about exercise. I wanted to "treat" myself as I am getting a tax refund. Most of it will go toward the Band bill because I am still paying for it. BUT, I realize that I have enough to get a wii fit. Now I have to figure out how to find one. (This is really funny that I am getting a gaming system. There are none of these things currently in my house.) Any advice on how to locate one of these things? I heard they are still tough to get a hold of.

My most recent NSV is my last doctor appointment. I had to visit a new ob/gyn and of course I had to tell her I had the band. She told me my weight and blood pressure are "PERFECT" and when she was doing the breast exam she checked out my scars and was like ok so it was laproscopic and if you hadn't told me that you had lapband surgery I would have thought it was gall bladder surgery because the scars match and your skin is great, no excess, no stretch marks. She went on to tell me her father is a Plastic Surgeon and that he frequently does surgery after weightloss surgery but that i don't need it!!! I was SUPER happy because it just made me feel soooo good!

I love nsv's. They are more helpful than the sv's. I am enjoying a visit with my sister this week and am enjoying showing her the sites of Florida, some of which I haven't seen yet due to lack of energy. I can keep up with her now and it is her saying, I am ready to go back home now. Thank you everyone for posting your nsv's. They really inspire me.

Such a positive upbeat posting TravelAnna!! WOW another person who likes running...don't understand it myself, but whatever brings you joy, enjoy! I think I would just go to the finish and have the pancakes and bypass the running part! I guess I will stick to gardening for the welcome to spring feeling... A great NSV - bet that made you feel great! Funny some people have said they see a difference in me, but I just see the old me - I see through 'fat eyes', I guess!:confused: When do you move? Happy spring to you!

Hello all - I'm so excited for spring! I found this great new website - Running in the USA - Welcome to Running in the USA - where they list all the races that are happening. You search by state and then the races are listed by month. I'm training for a triathlon and duathlon this summer/fall, and I'm hoping to do 1 - 2 races a month (just 5K or 10K) to help me get used to racing. I used to do these races about 6 years ago and always had a blast. Plus, now, I'm recruiting some of my friends to do them with me. The first 5K is on April 19th - it is called the Maple Syrup Run, and they serve a pancake breakfast afterwards. Although, I know from experience that pancakes don't work well for me with my band. But, it is working to get my friends out to the race. And, while I'm posting, I'll post a NSV - I was cleaning my townhouse and getting it ready to go on the market (I am relocating to another state for work). Anyway, someone was taking pictures, and in one of the pictures (taken from the back) I hardly recognize myself. In the picture, I don't think "that person" looks fat...but "that person" is me. Quite the revelation! Happy spring to all of you! Anna

I have maintained my weight at 175 for about a year! My high weight was 330. Today I am a size 12 (from a 26). My hips have gone from 58 to 38. I am more relaxed about my eating. I try to make good choices and usually do. The only thing I have to avoid is eating right before bed. This sometimes causes reflux or sliming and feels like my food has not digested at all in the morning, That aside I can eat everything in moderation. I usually use some sort of sauce with my meat. I still have to remind myself to eat small bites and to eat slowly. My most difficult challenge is to keep myself from eating when I am not really hungry. Today I had a huge NSV! I have practiced yoga for about 3 years. Today my instructor asked me to model some positions for others in the class. It is the athletic triumph of my life!!!! I have never been good at any physical activity but that is finally changing. We can do it!!!!!:confused:

I had an NSV today! I was able to clean most of my house today without getting really winded! I have been working out lately and it's been helping my overall stamina. I'm being banded in 4 days and I have already made huge progress toward my goal.

these NSVs keep happening every day it feels like, which is AWESOME- but i need a place to remember them all (and i want to share them with people!) so hopefully no one here minds that i fill this thread up and hopefully someone looking into the band sees how wonderful it really is. so today was a good day, despite things that would normally suck. 1- even though i had class at 8am on a saturday and was an hour late, two really skinny and pretty girls asked me to have lunch with them later (and girls, you know what im talking about. it only matters because they are those stereotypically "pretty" girls and to formerly fat girls like myself, i was rarely asked to eat with these girls until they got to know me.) then 2- i came home and saw my neighbor who asked if i wanted to hang out with her and some friends at her place, but i told her i was a little busy and would "try." well not one but two of her guy friends came up and starting chatting me up, asking my name etc, and i think i know flirting when i see it. so 3-- the two above things didnt mean much to me all day, but then tonight when i was with my other friend nora (the girl in the red dress next to me in my pictures), she goes "jane-- seriously now, you are getting SMALLER." and i go, "really? yeah, i am aren't i!" and she was like, "yeah, i noticed it the other day when you were talking to that guy outside your apartment. i saw you and was like-- daaaaamn!" haha so anyways, funny NSVs, not significant in the grand scheme of things but its the little moments that count, right?

well nsv lets see 1. for the first time i havent got anything to wear because its all to big. 2. i had to down size 4 sizes in pants in my work unforums, instead of upsizing. 3. i can look down from standing up and see my feet.lol i know. 4. i put my seat belt on the other day in my truck and i didnt have to pull it all the way out to buckle up. 5. i can play for hours with the kids outside and not be dead afterwards. 6. i dont have to take my blood pressure meds anymore. i could go on...... thanks kaninag, i really needed this i feel better now.

or NONSCALE VICTORIES...there is a thread like this in the 20s support area but I know everyone in Alabama is not in their 20s. I think this is a good way to show ourselves what our band has done for us so I decided to start the thread on our Local Alabama support thread!!! I'll share some of mine: 1. When I got my hair cut the other day and they put on that awful black cape....I didn't have a double chin!!!:thumbup: 2. ALL my bathing suits from last year I just tried on this morning (bc my husband insisted that I have plenty of things to swim in for FL) ALL TOO big...not to mention I put on a pair of Khakis that I bought 2yrs ago...was never able to wear...they fit perfectly... 3. For the first time in I dont know when XL is TOO big...I got to buy shirts last week in size LARGE 4. My neighbor whom we rarely see was walking up the street and she said OMG what have you done with Kanina you look GREAT!!!! 5. I just FEEL better!!:laugh: SO share everybody!!!!!!!!!!

Wow-- it has been great reading NSVs from everyone. I haven't been really busy lately. Here are some of my NSVs. 1) My husband did my monthly measurements last night and I was SO happy. Overall since surgery I have lost 32.75 inches. Of course I measure in a bunch of different places so that sounds like a lot more than it is, but when I did the math calculations --- I have lost 11% of my inches since my surgery. 2) My doctors official weight loss since December 10th is 30 pounds, my scale says it is higher (36 pounds) but who is counting? 3) It seems like everyday I am able to find clothes that were too tight and now are loose. The clothing discard pile is growing! 4) I was looking for something in the garage and came across a box of clothes that had been put up for a yard sale and forgotten about. Mostly jeans. I now have about 8 pairs of jeans I can wear. 5) My favorite jacket that I wasn't able to wear for years now fits again. 6) People are noticing. 7) I never noticed that people weren't terribly nice to me but it seems like people are more polite to me now. (So sad how fat people are treated in this country!) 8) It seems like many more men are opening doors for me. Thats all I can think of right now, but these are significant to me. And they sure feel good!

Gosh-- Happy Bandiversary to those who are already passing this milestone this month! I can't believe its gone by so fast. I had a fun NSV yesterday to share -- we've mostly been inside our houses in Ohio now since what October-ish and I invited my neighbors to a get together at my house April 5 for an egg hunt and spring renewal of friendships visit and it just so happened that when I got home a couple neighbors were out and I stopped to talk with them and before they could say anything else, they said OMG you have lost alot of weight! Yep, I'm working hard at it every day is what I reply back to people. I guess what I'm saying to us is we look in the mirror every day hoping to see results and sometimes it takes someone who hasn't seen us in awhile to say WOW for us to really believe in the WOW we are seeing. Congratulations Shamrocks-- keep on Shrinking!

Well I passed the 3 months mark now losing another pound this week. Not a big loss this week but still a loss. Some times it surprises me that I continue to lose from week to week to week. I have never experience continual weight loss like this. It's great to be putting on clothes that I haven't worn in several years. A big exciting thing too is pretty soon I will be in sizes that I can shop at Walmart for clothes. Yeah I know it's Walmart but hey it's not shopping at the Big & Tall store. For the last 10 plus year that's the ONLY place I have been able to shop and so if I can buy clothes at a normal store that will be a huge change for me. I think I am only about 10 to 20 lbs away from being able to accomplish that NSV Milestone. I have got to say I directly see the difference between the weeks I work really hard at exercising and the weight loss. I wasn't as stringent this last week and it has shown with only a 1 pound weight loss. So I have got to kick myself in the butt again and get back on track. It's often times hard when other things around you aren't going as well but that can't be used as an excuse for changing your life in a way that will make you live longer and healthier with your family. Today I am heading out to do some photography and I know I will be able to walk around without getting wore out easily. Just months ago that would have really taken it's toll on me but now I see it in that I can actually enjoy being outside without sweating up a storm and getting short winded. Well onto another week and continued weight loss. Current Weight - 390 lbs Loss Since Surgery - 52 lbs (13 weeks) Total Weight Loss - 95 lbs (1yr 1mo)

Well I passed the 3 months mark now losing another pound this week. Not a big loss this week but still a loss. Some times it surprises me that I continue to lose from week to week to week. I have never experience continual weight loss like this. It's great to be putting on clothes that I haven't worn in several years. A big exciting thing too is pretty soon I will be in sizes that I can shop at Walmart for clothes. Yeah I know it's Walmart but hey it's not shopping at the Big & Tall store. For the last 10 plus year that's the ONLY place I have been able to shop and so if I can buy clothes at a normal store that will be a huge change for me. I think I am only about 10 to 20 lbs away from being able to accomplish that NSV Milestone. I have got to say I directly see the difference between the weeks I work really hard at exercising and the weight loss. I wasn't as stringent this last week and it has shown with only a 1 pound weight loss. So I have got to kick myself in the butt again and get back on track. It's often times hard when other things around you aren't going as well but that can't be used as an excuse for changing your life in a way that will make you live longer and healthier with your family. Today I am heading out to do some photography and I know I will be able to walk around without getting wore out easily. Just months ago that would have really taken it's toll on me but now I see it in that I can actually enjoy being outside without sweating up a storm and getting short winded. Well onto another week and continued weight loss. Current Weight - 390 lbs Loss Since Surgery - 52 lbs (13 weeks) Total Weight Loss - 95 lbs (1yr 1mo)

awesome snaps-- i'm jealous! i still havent made the transition from gap to banana, but i have stopped shopping at gap mostly now. soon! ok-- heres a good one for me. sorry to the boys here who don't understand this NSV. alright, so for the last few days.. ive just been feeling.. well, FAT. not confident at all, just super fat, even though ive already lost all this weight and im in smaller size clothes. then all of a sudden today, it hit me (literally) when i found out i had just started my period. all this time, i was feeling BLOATED!! you know, like a normal size woman feels during their period. all my adult life i have never felt "bloated" during this time of the month because... well, i was bloated ALL the time, and i just didnt know the difference! ive never been happier to feel fat. hahaha

NSV Alert: I went shopping in my closet this morning and was able to fit into several outifits I haven't been able to fit into in well over 2 years. Great outfits I love!

Carol~ You're right on the math. You're doing awesome and I know the new bands going to work out! Congrats on the % lost and on the absolutely wonderful NSV you had when your hubby sent you flowers with that comment. That's one to keep for the books :confused: We know you will and Onederland will be here in no time!

This has nothing to do with weight loss or NSV's, but I thought I'd share anyway. We got two puppies on Sunday. They are soooo cute. We got a 7wk old female Rat terrier and an 11 wk. old male rat terrier. My 13 yr. old asked me yesterday why we got two... I told her "we got Sunny to drive Sparky nuts, and we got Sparky to drive Sunny nuts. All so that they won't drive US nuts." :confused: ajoneen - congrats on all of your victories. You may not be where you thought you would be, but at least you aren't where you were.

Congrats, ddgalarza! Isn't it funny how we crave restriction and when we get it we're so happy! :confused::confused: Crystal525 - I'm right there with ya! I don't always make good choices either, but since my second fill recently, I make a lot fewer of them! I will encourage you to up your workouts to 3 - 4 times a week. I think if you do that, the results you will get (realizing that Non Scale Victories - NSV's are as important as losing pounds) will encourage you to keep going. I used to be a 4-day a week gym rat - when I worked in the same town that I live in. Now, with my hour-each-way commute, I wasn't able to get to the gym as often as I'd like, and I've had to discipline myself to work out. I now have a rowing machine in my house and have fallen in love with rowing. I think I have a borderline addictive personality - once I "made the decision" to row, I don't want to stop...it's something I now do 6 - 7 days a week, when prior to that, I let the machine sit for a couple of weeks before I even got on it. I was like that with swimming too, when I was a lifeguard - not a day went by that I was at the pool and didn't swim at least a mile (72 laps). I miss those days...of course, since I was still making bad food choices, it didn't keep me from gaining weight, but I'm committed to making better food choices to go along with my commitment to exercise. I've been off my feet before - I had an irregular heartbeat that actually caused me to pass out on the treadmill - and my doctor at the time recommended that I stop working out (it would 'stress' my heart, he said) and go on cardiac meds for the rest of my life. I refused - started walking again as soon as I got even a hint that it was okay, started slowly, and now I'm up to rowing 30 minutes a day (I cover about 4000 m in a workout now, I started at less than 1000). It's definately a process - and you just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other until you reach your goal. Talk yourself into working out for just 15 - 20 minutes as many days in a row as you can...when that gets easier, add a few minutes a day until you are at 30 minutes, and then add to that when you can. I'm now doing a 20 minute rowing program with music before and after to get me to 30 minutes. Once I hit 40 minutes, I'm moving up to the next level rowing program, and then I'll add more music until I reach 60 minutes. That's probably where I'll stop - I get bored just looking at nothing but the walls when I row, but the alternative isn't pretty, so I do it. Hang in there - sounds like you are moving to the right mindset and it will work for you!