Search the Community

I am 22 days post op and today was the first day I went out and help feed our cows. We have an old farm truck and the seat doesn't move but it has always been fine for me. Well I get in and boom.. I can't see over the dash..I automatically get upset because someone obviously has messed with it. It took me awhile to realize..no one adjusted it...my behind just got smaller and I was no longer sitting on my self made pillow. My husband and I had a good chuckle over this. Sent from my SM-G900V using the BariatricPal App

It's not dumb at all. I remember tossing my seat belt extender. It was one of my first NSVs. Congratulations on your progress!

Congrats! This is one NSV I am definitely looking forward to myself, as I often fly a lot as well due to living abroad.

That is one awesome Nsv. Sent from my KFTBWI using the BariatricPal App

Sounds like a good idea. I had no scale in my apt. That way I couldn't weigh even if I wanted to. Remember, you had a DS. It's a mighty surgery. It would be very hard for it not to work. Also, about 3 months out, I was going into the shower & caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. All of a sudden, I noticed my waist was curving inward. I knew right then & there things were changing. It was the start. There are many NSV to be had!

Congrats! That's an awesome nsv. I hate flying for those reasons. Can't wait till i can get on a plane and not need an extender and be able to properly use the tray table. Funny the things some people take for granted. It sounds silly but god is it sooooooo incredibly validating. Sent from my SM-G925T using the BariatricPal App

Was off all my meds by 1 month post open visit....and haven't looked back....love it...that was one of my NSV!!!! thunder32

Maintenance. Definitely. The thrill of losing weight and NSVs are gone and everything gets tedious and boring and old bad habits start knocking on the door. Life still happens and now you have to deal with it without your old pal, food. All that other stuff is temporary.....Maintenance is forever.

. So Zizi is right - the larger the size, the larger the range it will accommodate. Generally, in the double digit regular sizes it is 20 pounds = one size. I think in the Woman's sizes it is a wider range. Also - how is your body shaped? Can you go down in a size on top, but not bottom, or vice versa. And also - focus on other NSV's (non-scale victories) for now. You are doing amazing!

I can't wait to do it! I live in Japan so clothes shopping is impossible for me here (other than socks), so I keep everything, no matter how bad, just in case. That being said, limited closet space has meant throwing out most of the rag-like clothing in more recent years. However, the many years of shopping overseas has meant that when I find something I like, or that isn't horrible, I'll buy 2 or 3 of that item - which usually includes a smaller size for when I "lose" weight. Of course, that has never happened! But now I have about 10 small storage boxes of clothes (summer/winter, casual/work, -10 to 20 pounds, -20 to 40 pounds, etc.) that I will be able to shop from as I lose weight. This will be good for me since I literally have a closet full of clothes I have never worn! And 3 pairs of shoes too, since I get really swollen legs/ankles in the summer heat and humidity here (not that I can wear them in the winter time... ) and it wasn't worth the cost of shipping them back to the States even though they didn't fit. The only thing that will suck (but in a very small way) is having a limited time to wear certain clothes that I really like or know will look good on me. Of course, I'd much rather lose the weight than wear the clothes, but still... I guess a NSV to look forward to will be increased closet space, as I will be able to get rid of clothes (hopefully I can find some plus-sized women to donate to) instead of constantly holding onto everything "just in case." I hope the clothes will last me until summer when I go back home, which will be 6-7 months post-op, so I can update my wardrobe then.

NSV at its best! I can't wait until my next lecture. The problem is, the crowd is always new, so nobody will notice anything, but I will know. Nilla

Tonight was my first public appearance post-op in a professional capacity. Now, I have been out in public since a few days after surgery. I mean appearance in that I was working and "performing" in front of a small crowd. This was a small private group of mixed professionals and hobbyists who are artistically inclined. I did a two hour presentation on the wood lathe for them, making a piece that was requested by one of the group's members. These demonstrations are a combination of instruction and entertainment. And I've got to be pretty much 100% spot on the whole time. Mistakes are remembered and recounted for years. So it was something of a NSV for me. First, I worked in front of a crowd for two solid hours on my feet, talking, working, answering questions, and trading barbs with a number of colleagues. Second, I did not have any major screw ups. That is always a good thing, and especially so my first time out of the gate from surgery and significant weight loss. Third was the weight loss itself. I've been in the crowd a couple of times, and wearing loose clothing. Tonight was jeans and a T shirt. There is no room for loose clothes around a lathe. And when you are on display for two hours, people have time to study you and take notice of things. Part of my notoriety is for my humor in these events, but part of it has been my size, which I joked about as well. You might say it has been a combination of mirth and girth. But anyway, I received a number of comments along the lines of, "Wow, you've really lost some weight, haven't you? No, not just a few pounds. You've lost a lot of pounds!" My stock answer was, "It's all from clean livin'." People seemed to accept that, although I got a few sidelong glances. In any case, it could not have been a better night. Okay, they could have paid me. That would have been nice, but this group doesn't pay anyone. It is for the exchange of ideas among peers, so I wasn't really expecting that. Now I am home. It is very late, and I am full of adrenaline. Or, it might be that they gave me caffeine coffee at the drive through by mistake. In any case, I am wide awake. But I am snuggled down in a warm bed, listening to the rain on the metal roof outside my window, and the soft sounds of the freight train, as it makes its way across the countryside about six miles from here, sounding his horn in the night at dozens of country crossings. At least that stupid owl isn't out tonight. He hoots it up on a regular basis and keeps me from my beauty sleep.

Time to get a nice delicate chain necklace to show off your collar bones nice NSV reward Sent from my SM-G920T using the BariatricPal App

I'm happy for you. I think that was one of the best NSVs for me. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Tonight is going to be snort of bourbon night. It may be a big snort. This morning started off with the impending visit of a friend of mine. He needed to go to the sawmill I frequent to get some lumber he was not able to source local to his own home. He lives about two hours from me. About 15 minutes before his anticipated arrival, my father called me to inform me that their well pump had gone Tango Utah, and they had no water. Both my parents are in their eighties. They live a little more than an hour north of me. Without going into all the sordid details, I managed to get my friend his lumber, and shuffled back to NJ, from whence he came, all the while coordinating between a plumber friend of mine and my father, who has an innate distrust of anyone he doesn't know. I am usually the one on deck for doing his plumbing work, but I told him we were hiring out if I had to pay for it myself. Oh yeah, the sawmill is located in "dark country". There is no cell service there. Not even texts get out of the cellular black hole there. So in addition to being monkey in the middle, I had to get it done while traveling in and out of phone service. One of my major accomplishments, perhaps even an NSV it is so big, was teaching an 82 year old man how to use his phone to take a picture and TEXT it to me so I could inform the plumber of what was actually going on. And I talked him through it over the phone. I did get the privilege of standing in an unheated basement in the mountains (read high temp of 15 degrees today) to help with the work. One other detail for the day is my friend had sleeve surgery almost six years ago. It did not work for him because of his intractability when it comes to his eating habits. But, he has experienced a rebirth of determination watching my success so far, so I have been counseling him as to how to mend his rotten ways (Jethro Tull reference there for those who might recognize it). So yeah. It's time for a snort. I'll be back on my strict diet again tomorrow. I am invoking the 80/20 rule laid down by the folks at my program. They never did say what those 20% bad calories could be, and I have been cleared for booze. The drinking light is lit. If I am not careful, I'll be lit too.

My sister in law gave me a crapload of clothing in mid December. I was amazed and very little fit at the time but.... Today I am able to wear a pair of the jeans she sent! She had surgery a year ago - and told me that I would be the last to notice until my clothes got big. Yesterday I noted a pair of my pants were too big....so today I tried these jeans. Blue jeans! 44 pounds from the day I came home from surgery. 40 pounds on record! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I spent 10 days in Vegas, and my sleeve saved me from the endless buffets and treats! LOVE my new skinny stomach! It saved me from myself. So glad I did this surgery, definitely appreciated my new tool! <3 Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm not sure what's making you feel unhappy, but I think it's that you have lost weight, but don't see it when you look in the mirror? It's very common for people who lose weight not to see the difference. Extremely common, actually. You didn't say how much you have lost, but I know that one of these days it will bowl you over. When all of your clothes are falling off or you realize that you can move your body in ways that you couldn't before and a million other ways. They're all called Non-scale Victories (NSV's) -- the wonderful changes that are separate from the scale. What I am sure of is that you used to go out with your boyfriend before surgery. Go today. Of course you want to see the difference from losing weight, but life is NOW, not 10 or 50 pounds from now.

@@Kumbaice -- When you wake up tomorrow with some soreness and maybe with bruises, enjoy them. These will be the most delicious pains of your life. @@Flora Anderson -- Anything physical, no matter how ordinary, that you couldn't do quite so easily or at all before surgery most definitely is an NSV. Don't cheat yourself out of any of them.

Lol! Sorry you fell but I like the NSV!

Oh, this is funny! I hope you didn't hurt anything but your pride. It's funny, but just this afternoon I sat on the floor and got up several times -- for no other reason but because I can! Thanks for making me realize these things are, in actuality, NSV's!

Hi today is snowy and slippery. While walking the dog and exercising , I slipped and fell backwards, like my feet slipped out from under me!!! My NSV , I was able to get up without a problem!! Sleeved 11/7/16 down 26lbs! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

OK, so here is a NSV I had a few days ago. I am going to admit it is kind of immature and vain. None the less, it felt really good (evil grin). Warning: long post! My husband's sister - I will call her Shelby here- lives 4 states away and has pretty much hated me since we met. She was super close to my husband's ex-wife, the two of them are two peas in a pod. So for that reason, no matter how nice and cordial I have been to Shelby, she is outright cold and often blatantly rude to me. It goes so far as her telling my step kids off-color remarks and things she thinks about me, including one lovely piece of advice: "Just don't eat whatever Kelly eats. You don't want to end up like her, do you?" When I met her 5 years ago, I was understandably nervous and self conscious: I had 235 lbs on my 5'3" frame. In contrast, Shelby is taller and weighed maybe 140 lbs. She is also totally into appearances and looks. After we met, she called my husband and asked how he could have "down-graded" from his ex to me. I was so hurt. (But my husband promptly stood up for me and then hung up). I saw her three times over the past 5 years. Each time I felt so awkward and self conscious, knowing how judged I was in her eyes. It never should have mattered to me, but it did. Last Monday, Shelby came into town for my step-daughter's dance performance and to visit my husband's ex. I am three months post op. We did not tell Shelby or anyone on his side of the family about my surgery. I have gone from a size 20/22 to a comfortable 12 and have lost 60 lbs, down to 179 and my confidence has really began to flourish. At the dance, we spotted Shelby and her two kids. She was disheveled and looked uncomfortable. Her usually perfectly made up face was smeared and she looked like she was having a hot flash. Also, she is remarkably heavier than lat time I saw her. Now I will say I do not ever judge anyone on their weight and I never will. I have had all too much judgment and so I truly have all the empathy on those like me dealing with body image issues. But I bring it up because of the irony and scathing hell I had been on the receiving end of from her. We approached her to say hello and offer her a seat next to us. She refused, and, didn't even acknowledge me. Her face was flush and she was angry and visibly stressed. After the show my husband asked if she and the kids wanted to join us for dinner. She declined and said she was going out with my husband's ex. Again, not looking me in the eye, zero acknowledgement. I have to insert here that I was dressed nice, donned some heals, had a fresh haircut and did my makeup. (pretty fancy for a simple gal like me). I was wearing a flattering trench style long jacket that really made my waist look small. Right before we left the dance hall I was leaving the ladles room and my husband said he saw Shelby eyeing me from behind, surveying my new shape with her eyes. I went to dinner that night feeling a huge victory. A vain one- yes. But ooooh sometimes these things just feel so good. To come down to earth, I do have a muffin top from hell that if Shelby saw she would laugh in pure delight. I hide it well- but would LOVE to figure out how to lose! With rapid weight loss I am getting that skin, so I am trying to find ways to reduce it.

@@White Sale Your topic seems to be common for many of us. My invisibility was also a comfort zone What people seem to be attracted to may be your positive happy vibe and your healthy/attractive appearance. When you go from invisible to people going out of their way to help you, holding doors open for you and getting attention from the opposite sex. It is seriously an uncomfortable and a strange phenomenon to experience. After weight loss, I truly realized how society places value on appearance. Family & Friends You will find out who is supportive and positive in life. They will except this is you and life become's normal. No more shock and awe over your changing body. I have had people be unnerved by my weight loss. Unfortunately, things became awkward. The relationships faded I cut off negative unsupportive people. People that wouldn't give me the time of day, Now want to be friends....LOL they don't get to do that. Dating: I'm married. Can't wait to see posts on that Attention from the opposite sex: It's flattering but uncomfortable when your not used to it. It take's time to figure how to respond and interact in that arena again. I had to give myself a compliment scale... Appropriate - I give a quick thank you and move on. Makes a great NSV. (please post them if you have one) Hilarious - Also makes a great NSV. (again, Please post them I would love to hear it) Creepy - need we say more Here is what science has to say: Physical appearance Our society places particular value on physical characteristics. Curvy body shapes, long legs and luxurious hair are characteristics that are often seen as desirable in women. For men it might include characteristics such as muscularity, tallness and a firm jawline. For both sexes there is youthfulness, white even teeth, and facial symmetry. There is a vast amount of media coverage implicitly favoring, and in the case of the advertising industry explicitly promoting, these models of attractiveness. Films, magazines and television all contribute to what might be termed the tyranny of body shape images. There is a whole industry that aims to mould consumer preferences, and so sell products, by distorting the reality of normal into the unreality of ideals such as the so-called ideal of women being size zero. Because the ideal of attractiveness based on physical characteristics rather than personality traits (such as kindness, intelligence, thoughtfulness, sense of humour) is continually being promoted in western societies, you might assume that relationships in the west would be based on physical characteristics. This assumption has been found to be true, but only up to a point. Whether or not it is true might be to do with the reason for the relationship, short-term fun or longer-term commitment. Some psychologists suggest that in order to understand why particular physical attributes are deemed attractive we need to consider human evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection states that characteristics that give an animal or human the best chance of survival and of reproducing themselves will be prized. These psychologists would suggest that attraction based on physical characteristics is related to features which indicate healthiness and especially fertility. Viren Swami and Adrian Furnham (2006) have undertaken an overview of recent research which examined this suggested influence on attraction based on physical characteristics. Their research focused on the heterosexual male perspective. They pose the question of whether there are physical characteristics that are found to be attractive across cultures. If so, do these characteristics signal procreative potential as predicted by psychologists taking an evolutionary approach to explaining behaviour? Swami and Furnham conclude that there is research evidence to suggest that there are characteristics that have been shown to be attractive across cultures. The physical characteristics for females focus on body shape, especially the waist to hip measurement ratio (WHR). A WHR measure of 0.8 means that a person's waist measurement is 80 per cent of their hip measurement. The full article if your interested: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/health-sports-psychology/psychology/starting-psychology/content-section-4.5

One year. 110 pounds. As I sit here munching my egg beaters Breakfast, the first thought that pops in my head is thank goodness I love eggs and they agreed with me after my surgery! When I started this journey, I intended to blog about it. That never really materialized. I guess I expected to need to write down everything that happened. But it turned out just to be life. And normal life. That was totally unexpected. Anyway, I know this is going to be a long post and if you indulge me by reading it, thanks. If not, I'm ok with that too. I started at 275 pounds. I couldn't walk for more than 10 minutes without my back hurting. I was on medication for high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. I was honestly afraid that I would not live to see my grandkids. (I was 55 years old at the time of my surgery). Today, I am off of all medications. Today, I weigh 165 pounds. I want to lose another 5 to 10 pounds but my doctors are happy where I am. Everyone I know tells me that I'm thin enough. We'll see.At the beginning, I was wearing size 24/26. Today, I wear size 12. I haven't been a size 12 since I was in junior high. I know how blessed I am. I had zero complications of any kind. This honestly seems like a miracle to me. The biggest blessing has been my family. Not only did they completely support me, but my husband went high Protein, low carb and started working out with me. (He has lost 60 pounds!) My biggest NSV was in November in Las Vegas. My husband and I were walking through a shopping center on the strip. I spotted these gorgeous party dresses in a store and decided to walk in. A sales girl told me that i should try one of them on. The largest size was a large and I thought "no way this will fit me". But, I decided to try. I went into the dressing room and slipped into the dress. I was stunned that it seemed too loose. So the girl brought me a Medium. It fit beautifully. So, I bought it. (It is the sequinny dress I wore at the Christmas party in the attached photo). After my hubby and I walked out of the store, I broke down in tears. Never in my wildest dreams would I have been able to wear a size Medium designer dress. Just a couple more things. The weirdest thing for me has been that I don't recognize myself in photos. The attached photo of me looking at my phone in the snow was taken last week by a friend of mine. I didn't realize it was me when I looked at her photos! My biggest challenge -- finding jeans that fit. I've settled into skinny jeans because they are the only ones that don't sag on my butt and thighs. How are things different? Well, I can't eat much and I know better than to overeat. I get drunk easily. I love going to the gym. I ride a mountain bike. I don't worry about dying. I can walk for hours. I could run if I didn't hate running so much. For anyone who is considering this journey....it is not easy but it is completely worth it. Be patient with yourself. The only way to be successful at this is to have your mind in the right place and commit fully.