Search the Community

Home made ice cream...Yummm! Glad I haven't had to face that, I have a hard enough time with regular ice cream calling for me!!!! I have been doing the skinny cow things and they are good, but sometimes I just get that calling for a real big sundae or cone!!!! I am reading lots of NSV by everyone, I am so happy for all of you! It feels so good to be able to share these things with each other, I don't think our normal sized friends and family members could understand what huge steps these are in our journey to "One-derland"! This morning I wore a shirt to church that has been hanging in my closet for the past 3 years because I couldn't fit it on my body, well today I put that sucker on and its loose!!!!! I wore that proudly, my DH even noticed it and said that I looked really nice. I said "You could tell me I look skinny" LOL! He then said "You do look thinner again this morning, and yes, you look skinny"LOL!:biggrin::scared2::w00t::tt2:

That's great lessnless! I can't wait until I'm even 150lbs. It's been really slow going for me. However, I do have a NSV too. My work does an Employee Appreciation Day for us at Lake Compounce Amusement Park. I went last month with one of my co-workers who had the gastric bypass 2 weeks after I had my lapband just over a year ago. Anyway, when we went before our surgeries last year to the park we couldn't fit on any of the rides except for the Ferris Wheel. In which we were afraid of exceeding the weight limit with the two of us plus 3 girls under the age of 12. Well, this year we were sooooo excited like a couple of kids because we were in fact smaller than last year. The true test was the flying swings. We got in line and waited to get on. The gate opens and we go running in (yes, I said running) with the rest of them and picked out our seats. WE FIT!!!!!! :thumbup:Not loosely, mind you but we weren't stuffed sausages if you know what I mean. So I guess even if the scale isn't moving the inches still are. It would just be nice to see the scale move too.

Hey Shamrocks! I hope everyone is doing great! I had a seminar this weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Long, but exciting. Funny thing about the sweet spot. When I started this journey, I thought once you got to the sweet spot, life woul be good. I sort of think that I am there. The scale has started moving again. I am like many of you. Sometimes, I can't eat solid food. I can eat pureed type foods like cream of wheat or oatmeal, but not an egg. Other times (like last night) I can eat a piece of pizza. I think some of it has to do with taking my time and eating small bites. It is quite possible that the weather affects us. If you think about storms, the barometric pressure changes. I would imagine it also affects our bodies. The band, being a foreign object, could be influenced by this. It makes sense. I am excited.....I am currently about 4 pounds from having less than 100 pounds to loose. That is a milestone for me! Today I had a NSV. Someone I had not seen in a few weeks told me to get some new jeans, mine were too loose and ready to fall down. Now, she was exaggerating a bit. (no way were they actually going to fall down) It sure was nice to hear that. Well, have a wonderful Monday everyone!

That is sooo COOL!!!!! I graduated in '86 and haven't been to any of my HS reunions either (not even my 20th, 2 yrs ago!). For the same reason. I was thin in HS and started gaining after I got married at 19. I didn't feel comfortable going. I plan on going to the next one, even if I'm not at goal yet. I think I'll just be feeling better about myself. I have seen a few people since that still live here and I hate meeting up with them. Of course no one has said anything but my imagination fills in the blanks for me! UGH!! Thanks for sharing your NSV!!!

How frightening! Isn't the husband a suspect in the Cooper case too? Hey, I see your 'pack won yesterday!! I'm a Tarheel fan (don't throw anything) now, but was a 'pack fan when I was a kid. Have had family at both schools. At least we're not Dookies, right? Glad to hear he's home! Labs will eats ANYTHING handfed, I'm convinced, just to please their people. Such a good boy!! Bwhahahahahahaha!!! Love it! I love the new glasses!! So very cute!! Congrats on your NSVs! Nothing makes me happier that a good deal~ you hit the motherload!! Congrats on your NSVs! It's the little things that make it all worthwhile! I would be all over that!! That is a dream of mine! Somebody on this thread alreay does that, but they haven't posted in awhile. Help me remember who it is folks! Back to my scraping and then mowing the yard. More later.

Happy Sunday morning, all! Dorky one, I LOVE your new glasses. And your hair is so cute! With all the NSVs going on in your life, you must be feeling really good! I hear ya' with the out of state thing. I think it's only natural that, if we were seeing Dr. K. every month, we could ask him those things that come up in our minds. But since we're not, we end up with little and/or conflicting info from aftercare people. And the conflicting info is the worst! We should always follow what our doctors say, but which one should we follow? As you stated, though, that's kind of the price we pay for making the decision to go out of town, so thank heavens we do have this site!!! Denise, it really sounds like you need a little unfill. Do you take anything like prilosec on a regular basis? The guy I went to the other day highly recommends taking it every day to prevent "gastritis" problems down the road. Just a thought. You must have been so thrilled with the deals on the dresses! I LOVE a good bargain. Oh yes I do :thumbup: On a completely different note . . . DH and I have been having some wacky thoughts lately about retiring in 5 or 6 years, selling everything we own, and living in a motorhome. We could spend the summers on the Oregon coast (our favorite place on earth), spend more time with our grandbaby in northern california, get out of the cold in the winter, etc. Are we nuts? Any thoughts on this plan?

Ador, I think you are right on the slight unfill. Tom and I have discussed it and it had been okay before. It seems like I have tightened up since the last time I was in. Is that possible? Congrats on the NSV, way to go. You are doing so well and you are not alone in this journey we are all here for you. When ever you need something just come here and vent, ask or whatever else you need at that time. We all go through feeling lonely, at least I know I do, and I really enjoy the friendships I have made here and the support I get. Amieru, It looks like you are having the same dilema I am, do I need a fill (my case an unfill) or not. It is so hard to try and figure it all out. Look at all your NSV's that is awesome. You are doing so great and moving right along. Have a great week and keep up the good work.

I think I'm like a week behind in my update, so here it goes... I think I'm going to call Dr. K's office this week and cancel my appointment for a fill. The more I have been thinking about it....the more I know I probably don't really need a fill. I think I just "think" I need a fill! I feel myself trying to slip into bad habits again but when I follow my "good bandster rules" I get the right signals to stop eating. I am also still seeing the scale move. Not to say that it's moving quickly...but it's moving downward (that's the key right?) So I've decided not to mess up a good thing right now and just work a little harder and work my band the way I'm suppose to! My NSV this month: 1. Rode carnival rides with my daughter this weekend! 2. Went out to eat and did not have a mental fear of being sat at a booth rather than a table. 3. My smaller shorts I bought at the beginning of the summer are getting to BIG!!!! By the end of the day I have to roll the waistband down to keep them up! 4. My husband made the comment he could feel my hipbone again :thumbup: 5. Fit into a bra that I bought a few years ago that didn't fit at the time. 6. Saw an old friend I hadn't seen in over a year...and she barely recognized me!!!! I do drink through a straw. I understood the information given before surgery to say that when you were able to move from liquids to eat things that could possibly move through a straw, but not to actually eat it through a straw. Maybe I was wrong. I don't have any problems when drinking through a straw. I feel I drink more water throughout the day if I use a straw anyway. I try to get all my pills in liquid or chewable. I do take the Benedryl for Severe Head Colds (just one a day). And I cut it in half....ya'll think that is okay???? Now you got me worried....:thumbup: Hope everyone has a good week! I'm going to try to do more walking outside this week.

Wow, congrats on all your NSV's!! I know you must be thrilled. That hummus from TJ sounds so.... :w00t: I must try it. Sounds to me like hummus is a good thing when you're banded, because it goes down easy. I guess it's pretty healthy, yea? OMG Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back. What a weakness! I look forward to the Fall for three reasons: cooler weather, Pumpkin Ale, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes. I'm done for. Good thing I'm getting band in November! OH YEA! Did you see my new colorful siggy??!! The people over in the November thread wanted Notorious Newvembers, but I said that was too weird-sounding. So I sort of chose Notorious Novembers, whether they like it or not. I hope they don't get mad at me! :mad2:

Thank you so much Steve for your reply and encouragement! You know - talking about the NSV's...I travel a lot for my job and one of the things I have hated is getting on an airplane and praying that I didn't have to ask for a seat-belt extension! I know that sounds silly but it is always so embarrassing - I even have it down to a science that MD80 airplanes seatbelts are not as long at 747's...lol! So I always check and see what type of plane I am flying on so I know whether to dread it or not! I also always take window seats so I can lean as close to the window as possible so I won't crowd anyone...I know to some people that may seem silly - but just one of those things. So my next flight is in January - can't wait to see how many inches of seat belt I can pull through the buckle! LOL! I hate pictures of myself now, so hopefully that will change soon! Congratulations on your very successful journey and thank you so much for the advice!!

Hi there Marienola, Welcome to the forum. I'm sure that you'll find lots of positive encouragement here, as well as information. I'm approaching the end of my weight loss journey with my last target being six pounds away. During the journey I've been through a range of emotions but I've always tried to stay positive. You'll find that sometimes you hit a plateau that can be difficult to deal with, but with time and work from you the weight will come off, along with other medical issues being dealt with along the way. Give yourself a reasonable time scale to lose the weight. I gave myself a year. You'll probably lose a lot of weight quickly at the beginning, then it tapers off. Did I mention stay positive? You'll also have NSVs (Non Scale Victories) along the way. Mine had a lot to do with clothes fitting, dropping sizes, people saying how good I looked... I'm sure you'll have those too. Take loads of photos! Good luck with your weight loss journey.

I have to share what happened to me last night. It truly is the best thing ANYONE has said to me in a LONG time! I am so happy, I am still on cloud 9. SO I went to a reunion show for a HS band I loved with much distress. I haven't seen almost all of the people in 15 years. (Class of 95) I didn't go to any of my class reuinions because I was fat and disgusting. I wasn't fat in school at all. I was a model for Ford, so I always thought I had peaked in high school. Well a guy that I had a crush on in high school leaned over to me last night and said "Don't take this the wrong way because I am married but you look better now than you did in high school." I wanted to cry and kiss him. I just smiled and said thank you, while inside I was doing the happy dance. Everyone was telling me how good I looked, I even got a bit of revenge with an old boyfriend. Last night made it all worth it! I love my band! :thumbup:

Thanks again for all the posts - it's great to read them. I know it's an old expression, but really, if I can do it, anyone can. If you're going through a slow or demoralising patch, keep with it and the weight will move in time - probably sooner than you think. Take strength from NSVs and don't get too hung up on scales. Give yourself a reasonable time scale to lose the weight. I gave myself a year. I'm very fortunate to have a great support network, including all my family and friends. Above all stay positive and have fun losing weight.

NSV for me. Went shopping at the Avenue for a huge huge clerance sale they were having. I am now.... drumroll.... a 22/24 top and 24 bottom! :eek: :w00t: I WAS a TIGHT 32 top and a 32 bottom before. I can now cross my legs... and I do it ALL the time. I also went out to eat with hubby on his birthday and slid in the booth like butter. :w00t: :wink: So even though my weight seems to have stalled, I am definately reshaping my body with recent gym activity. I also had my first session with a personal trainer this morning, so I am going to get moving on core training. I am going to take strength traing classes on Tue & Thur and I am going to give Yoga a shot on Sat's. :thumbup: Favorite healthy snack right now, Trader Joes Eggplant Hummus with carrot sticks. Bad new habit I have to break... Venti Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks. :drool: Oye. I get them non-fat without whipped, but it is still 340 calories a pop. :thumbup: :thumbup: Probably to blame for my stall. Favorite new toy... Sigg Night Whispers water bottle. I got a smokin deal on it at Whole Foods (only $20). So I bought two! haha. Now I don't have to worry about giving myself cancer from leaving my plastic water bottles rolling around in my hot AZ car.

I had emerged from a childhood of being obese as a slim size 6 teenager vowing never to be fat again. A decade later I was bigger then ever. There was no one specific event that made me decide that having the Lap Band placed was the right decision for me, rather it was all of the small indignities that were becoming common place in my life. There were many, but with each new indignity I became more hindered in my ability to live the type of life that I wanted to. At first not being able to cross my legs was just something that I would have to live with. Then I had to start looking for seats without arms, which made going to a movie an anxiety producing event. Eventually shaving my legs became a feat worthy of a contortionist. I was actually grateful that my then year old son was a late walker, as I could not fathom chasing after a toddler I couldn’t understand why I was so fat. I had been a vegetarian for almost 15 years I was insulted whenever a complete stranger or doctor implied that I must be scarfing down whoppers and fries. Of course I knew the answer, I just ate too often and too much.I ate when I wasn’t hungry, I ate when I was sad, I ate when I had a argument with my husband, I ate when my feelings had been hurt because I had been ostracized due to my weight. After delivering my son in May 2006 I weighed in at 375 pounds, six months later I was down to 330 and the scale wouldn’t go down from there. Both my mother and my husband asked why I couldn’t just lose weight on my own again. I could never express what I felt, inside “Why ? When I won’t be able to keep it off ?” At that time I went to an information session at my local hospital, I decided that night that I much preferred having the Lap Band placed instead of either RNY or the Duodenal Switch, the only three surgeries preformed there. I also learned that I would have to wait until I was at a least a year post par tum to have the surgery, the hospital’s policy. I would love to say that during the interim between the information session and my surgery eight months later I changed my eating habits and started a healthy new lifestyle, but in reality I ate like I was going to the chair. I went for all of the prerequisite exams and learned what I was truly doing to my health. I was at the cut off point for not needing a Cpap machine, my heart was enlarged, I had horrible GERD, and my joints ached constantly. Yet I couldn't stop eating. Still when I received a call on July 26, 2007 saying that there was a cancellation with my surgeon and I could have my surgery in a mere 5 days I balked. “Could I really do this?” Resoundingly the answer that came from within was “YES I CAN ” I told my skeptical spouse and mother my decision and turned into a shrew waiting for my surgery day. I weighed in at 342 pounds the day of my surgery. The band has been an amazing tool in my life giving me a sense of satiety that I never had before. I have had success with my band because I keep reminding myself of my inner voice that told me I could when the closest people to me were skeptical. I walk 90 minutes a day at least 5 days a week and follow the Bandster rules. Today I weigh 212 pounds and am 47 pounds away from my goal. I will get there, although it is getting more difficult to lose. The quality of my life is so much better and instead of learning to live with indignities I am finding non scale victories NSVs)everywhere... :thumbup:

Desdemona It's funny how seemingly little things to others are so important to us. Most people would not think alot about walking around all day at the flea market. I would have been back at the car after 1 hour a few months ago. A few months ago I would go to work and take the elevator to my floor. Now I run up the stairs (still arrive out of breath) and beat the elevator. I think these are called NSV's and I love it. Labor day weekend we went to a family reunion and 1 of my SIL's asked me why I did not eat any homemade ice cream. I told her I was watching it and she said, Why, your not fat! My husband reached over and squeezed my shoulders because he knew I was getting ready to tear up....someone sees me as not fat. Of course later that evening my 4 yr old grandson poked his finger in my tummy and said Grandma, your tummy is big.....that was OK:laugh:

Becky CONGRATS ON YOUR 35 LBS... :thumbup: Yep we think if we drink it will wash it thru - BIG mistake - I did it too but no more. Some pple chew papaya tablets when they get meat stuck - you can get them at walmart. I don't use them but a lot of pple do. If I get stuck - it either goes down in about 10 mintues or it comes back up. I find that getting up and walking around helps - some one says to put your arms over your head... Glad you are doing well and that the execise is getting easier - it will I know 6 months ago when I got my trainer he put me on the treadmill with incline of 3 or 4 speed 2.5 and told me not to hold on - he didn't care how fast my speed was - but to walk on incline and not to hang on.. Ltt me tell you it was hard... I could barely do this and I had been on the treadmill for 8 months Today I did incline of 12 - speed 2.5 without holding on... Great NSV..

i never thought i would get to post using nsv as the title but here it is!!! first off you newbies just need to be patient remember i am over 2 years out!!! i have not gone a day this week without someone, and usually more than more person, remarking on all the weight i have lost!!! finally people are noticing, up until now i could tell people could see something was different but usually they would commit on my hair or something like that, now they see it is weight not hairstyle that has change!!! YAY!!! it sure has taken a long to get here but finally they are noticing, and soon i am going shopping for size 14 blue jeans, the last time i bought anything under 18 was in 1975!!!! so i am not bragging just trying to encourage you guys, even the slow turtle has finally started to loss!!! HANG IN THERE!!!! :shades_smile:

Great job everyone! I lost 1 lb. this week. Things are definitely slowing down and my hunger is returning. Its tough to stay below 1000 cals...other than yesterday (1097 cals) I'm managing. I don't like having my old friend hunger hanging around as much. NSV - I've worn 2 suits to work this week that haven't fit me since 2004!!!! :tongue2:

My greatest NSV is the new-found confidence I have in myself. I haven't lost much since the surgery, but I'm down 30 pounds overall and I have never felt better. Oh, and I'm pulling stuff out of my closet that I haven't fit into in a few months. AND I'm back into most of my pre-pregnancy jeans!!

I'm down 9.8#, 1.69 BMI on the week, for a total loss of 15#, 1.81 BMI. Getting back on aerobic machines this week, but also going on purees, so I expect things to slow down quite a bit. We'll see... Great job for everyone so far! I don't think we've seen anyone who hasn't had some kind of progress this month, NSV or weight loss, so we can all Celebrate like crazy! :tt2:

NSV - youngest daughter came to me this morning and handed me a shirt that her sister had given her and told me to try it. Size L from Kohls. It fit! ! ! ! Now I can raid DD's closet. Although, being 58 and wearing a 23 year olds clothes may look strange. Tough ! ! Of course, she likes to wear her clothes on the tight side so those are out.

This is the best NSV I have experienced thus far. I'm far from goal, but the 30 pounds I have lost have done wonders for my soul. I walk with my head up now, wear a lot more dresses, and just feel better about myself. I'm excited to see what the future brings!

Great sharing All Stars!!! Wonderful you were back to work and looking great Lanakila! Telling others can inspire their health as well a support to you. 3 great NSV's Jadamom 2 more NSV's. So much to celebrate! Glad you are both doing so well. Keep it coming everyone! Kim

lessnless....that's a GREAT NSV. Thanks for sharing. I'm O+ and have NEVER 'yet' been able to donate blood!! Seems like every time I try to I'm either post-op (or back in the day was breastfeeding!) or on meds that prevented it. The one time I DID get close enough to even get pricked my blood FLOATED and they turned me away. (They did give me a tee-shirt anyhow because I was crying I wanted to donate so bad!) I'm thinking about trying again... ...before I get too thin.