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You started out lower than me Marla. I've noticed I have to fight for each oz and it's getting harder and harder. I worry I will stop losing, but I'm not giving up. I was on vacation for 4 days, didn't track and I know I didn't get in half my protein or water, but I can tell that even though I drank alcohol, (which wasn't a good idea) I ate less food, smaller portions, and made healthier choices than I did last year there. That's my NSV and now i'm back to tracking and exercising, upping my protein and water.

i wish i was more creative in the kitchen. i'm suffering from what most everyone else is going through-food boredom. had a taste of some of my old foods this weekend, and it was a big mistake. i was sick and now i'm on the straight and narrow. no beef, Pasta or doughy foods for me, (they sit heavy and cause major pain) and i have to stay away from all chocolate-even sf and dark. it's just too addicting. if i never eat another serving of Jello, yogurt, chili, or refried Beans it would be fine with me. i could also gladly give up the Protein drinks, they are so nauseating now-but without them i can't get in my required amounts so i'm stuck. boo anyone have any tips or tricks they'd like to share? on the up side, i am starting to see my collar bones (yay-NSV!) and need to go shopping in my closet to see what i can wear to work next monday-it's been 6 weeks since i've worn any of my dressy clothes. probably better try on my heels and flats as well because my shoes are fitting a little differently too. now that i think about it, do any of you have any tips on how you survived when you started back to work? were you able to get in any walks, how about eating and Water? no one at work knows, they only know about my severe gerd and acid reflux and that i had a hernia repaired.

Super happy-today I put my boots on and I didn't have to tug them together to zip them up, and once they were zipped they weren't stretched at the sides! Finally, my wide calves are getting smaller. Whoohoo for NSV's!!

congrats - thats a major NSV and a great goal! I went 1 time about 10 years ago and it is terrifying and exhilarating. Hope you love it!

If you are not happy now, chances are you will not be happy after you hit goal. Happy is not a place, not somewhere you arrive at. You are fat for a number of reasons. Your fat has probably been a very useful tool for something. I know my fat is a frigging suit of armor, keeping me safe... Or I think it keeps me safe anyway. Expecting to only be happy when you loose weight is like expecting to be happy after moving to a new town... you will still bring all your old problems and troubles after the move. Except for the things with physical limitations, why can't you do them now? Many of the things you are looking forward too are things that are all attitude based. Why can't you prance around naked now? Why can't you wear a bathing suit in public? One of the most amazing women I've ever seen was at a Water park. She weighed well over 300 pounds but she was in a black and white polka-dot BIKINI!!! A BIKINI!!!! If you don't love who you are now, why will you love yourself when you are thinner? Why will that make you more worthy than you are right now??? Diva, get a mirror Mouse, the day you will no longer need a seat belt extention will be here sooner than you think! Of course your seat mate will probably not be to happy with you wiggling around in joy, and probably when you burst into song will cause some concern from your other passengers... These are the NSVs I'm looking forward too: Vintage clothes (my goal is to be able to fit into one specific dress I have) high heels more energy crossing my legs buying normal clothes sizes/shopping at normal size stores getting a breast reduction and getting rid of my grandma bras. I mean, I'm not even a grandma yet! getting a TT so I don't get the terrible heat rashes under my "apron" being able to handle higher temperatures

I had a fun small NSV today......I bought a positively gorgeous sterling silver and pearl watch.....there's no give to the band and only one 'setting'....it's ALWAYS been too tight to wear......I noticed my rings were a little loose, so I tried the watch and it fit BEAUTIFULLY....laid right at the top of my hand like it's supposed to......so while I'm delighted about that....I'm like SERIOUSLY....I have an ass the size of Texas and I'm losing weight in my WRISTS....................but really, I'm very happy that the 15 pounds showed up somewhere!

been a minute since i've posted-i've been sick (i blame my 16yo for the cold, can't blame her for the confusing pain on my lower right side-might be a hernia from surgery, but we'll find that out during a CT scan tomorrow night). quite honestly, i've been super exhausted just about every day for the last week and i'm tired of it, i want my energy back. i've seriously missed catching up with all of you although i do read through a lot of posts through the e-mail feed on my phone. it looks like a lot of us are being plagued by the same things, slow weight loss being the front runner. i decided i'm losing the scale, until i feel like it will have moved significantly...maybe. because i'm sick of letting it dictate my mood for the day. i won't participate in any more weigh ins, i know i've lost weight, inches, i can fit into 5 pairs of jeans i was way too chubby for before surgery, i can wear some XL tops, my hubbys hoodies (that i live in) dwarf me now, and yesterday when i got my monthly massage my massage therapist who didn't know i'd had surgery noticed i'd lost weight-THAT'S good enough for me for right now. i want to feel good about me, and i want that to translate to all of you. i want to be proud of you and your accomplishments too. please feel free to be excited and announce every victory you notice. let's start posting our NSV's, i think it will be helpful to us. for those of you who don't know; an NSV is something positive that's not related to the scale moving. it can be someone giving you a compliment on how you look, noticing your own cheek bones, getting on a bicycle for the 1st time in years, walking a mile, getting your wedding ring back on, passing up a bad food without batting an eye, not having to take an obesity related medication you used to have to take, your hubby fitting his arms all the way around you, etc. the list is endless! i posted some of mine above-my favorite was my compliment from victoria and the fact that i can wear (and zip!) so many pairs of the jeans i used to flow out of! how about you??

I'm curious as to how everyone else is setting their goal weights. I've seen very successful bandsters be just outside of the normal BMI and originally I was trying to get inside the BMI but at 5' 8" (sometimes 5' 9" depending on who's measuring) and an x-large frame (I know it's x-large because the doctors measured that, too) I don't know if 155, which was my original goal, is that realistic. Even my nutritionist told me to be a bit more conservative. LOL! So, I reset it to 170 thinking that if I hit that, maybe I can re-evaluate to see where I am. I have a long way, still, but the road doesn't look AS long as it did. I'm curious to hear - what are your goals for your height? I'd love to know! I just think it helps me to hear from other bandsters and know that ultimately it's probably the NSVs that really matter. Ginger

It sounds like you might be on a two week stall. I hear over and over how common this is and to not freak out. Just keep following your rules and it'll pick back up!! If you're having trouble with the scale- then you should focuse on some NSV's.. Take your measurments and see where you are!!

I didn't count either of my hospital stays. It is very disheartening to lose weight, go in for surgery and gain a lot of weight. I didn't count the water weight gain from IVs either time into my lose. The day of surgery I weighed 237. That was Dec 15. Now I'm at 201. I've been a slow loser too, I believe. I'm 8 weeks out from RNY w a total of 36lb lose. I went in for second surgery @ 204, gained 14 lbs. so back up to 218. I was so discourage but what could I do but wait for the water weight to come back off and it has. The numbers on the scale are discouraging. You have to look passed those #s and look at what Smile was talking about and the positive NSV statements. We have to remain positive cuz all negativity ever did for us was help us put on the weight. We all are going to reach stalls but we need to restructure on minds on how to deal w those stalls. Gen :-) 12/15/12

How exciting! Great NSV.

Linda ~ I was going to try some turkey breast tonight.....maybe I'll hold off. I'm a bit scared after your experience. Glad to hear that you are doing better. Bless you heart....pamper yourself. Trip2beme ~ I "try" to eat slowly and stop when I'm full. Maybe I should try the timer thing to make sure I go slow. DeAnn ~ Are you only able to eat 1 oz per meal? Put a lot of thought into getting a fill if you are that restricted. Great NSV on the 3 yr old clothes....that must feel wonderful!! :biggrin1: Thanks for the info on your yard. I will pass that info along.

Also, always a good idea in my opinion to check in with your surgeon/nutritionist when concerned about weight loss. They know your history hopefully extremely well and any challenges you are facing (i.e. illnesses, diabetes, PCOS, menopause (peri, during or post), injuries etc. that prevent regular exercise)....they should not be just a team that does the surgery and goes away. My surgeon, nutritionist and I already kind of knew ahead of time that I was likely to be a slow loser and I had been an extremely slow loser in any method I chose after years upon years of yo yo dieting. So we knew I was going to likely fall somewhere in the middle range at best but we all hoped for more. They have termed me a low average to slow loser and that is fine as I know it just means I need to be more diligent on the things within my control that will take me from slow to 'no loser'. We made adjustments and tweaks along the way working our ways through stalls, through possible other issues. Like I mentioned before, I had been given, when 2 months out, my target calories and I had to push a bit to get my target macros as I favor a low carb/low fat diet. After 4 weeks, even being under 20-30 grams of carbs, things just seemed to flatten. Then they switched my macros around and increased my carbs which had me tripping out but the weight started coming off again. Sure we can come here and vent and hopefully what this leads to is productive behavior which means continuing to stick out the journey, to step away from the scale when the frustrations threaten your journey, to look at other NSV's, to check and see are their basics we are letting slip (i.e. I stopped logging food in my fitness pal for 3 days so I had no hard data when something changed)...are we choosing a 'good/valid' entry in our trackers...do we have firm understanding of some of the things we are concerned about. If ppl ask you to post your food, don't think it is that they don't believe you...there could be something you are missing or it validates what you are saying, you get others who have been down this road...their very valuable input...and then ppl can help tackle troubleshooting other things. What I hope we get the MOST from threads like this is when we are open, and...maybe a bit more careful with tone (not saying things should not be challenged or debated that are actually wrong...I just don't want to alienate someone who doesn't understand how we got to xyz reply and frustrated tone..to not post what they are doing because they are afraid. In the end we want to all help each other REMAIN on our journey whether losing 20 lbs, 10 lbs 5 lbs a month..or sometimes even 0...yes, that can happen...because we know in the end, patience and persistence will win out.

I'm still four months pre WLS but I'm down about 20 pounds. Not only did my partner say she noticed a weight loss but a pair of jeans that used to cut off my circulation has a little room in the waist. Also, I realized that I could actually be weighed on a regular doctor's office scale. At the upper end, of course, but every NSV helps. Sleep study was last night, endoscopy is on Monday, second appointment with nutritionist is on Thursday . . . Things are moving along.

Mandy, your NSV list made me smile - lots. I'm very happy for you. I've experienced these myself in prior weight loss ventures, so I can remember how great those victories felt and will feel again. So, thanks for sharing. What's really exciting is - it's only going to get better! Enjoy and sincere grats to you girl.

1.I can cross my legs and breath at the same time. 2. Sex is way better. 3. I can run up and down the stairs to do laundry with no problem. 4.This may sound crazy but I can sit in the bathtub and have room on each side, my hips don't touch the sides anymore. 5. I can sit comfortably in a plane seat now. 6. I have gone from a 22-24 to a 14, soon to be a 12. 7. I can buy clothes in stores that don't even have a plus sized department. 8. I can stop eating when I am starting to get full. 9. I can and have tossed most of a cheesecake in the trash as it had gone bad. I passed on the chance to get ice cream today. 10. I can hold my head high and honsetly say I am 22 pounds lighter then the weight on my drivers license, I lied about it to begin with. 11. My seat belt fits comfortably finally. 12. I am wearing my wedding ring for the first time in a long time. (now too big) 13. I can sleep on my back without it hurting from the weight 14. There is room for me and my daughter in the recliner now. 15. I haven't had McD's in almost 6 months 16. having gall bladder out and I am not totally dreading the liquids before and after surgery. 17. The surgeon did not require my PCP to sign off on the surgery. 18. I can stand and touch the floor without holding my breath. 19. I got a new hair cut and my first question wasn't does my face look fat? 20. I can cook without having a taste before it is actually meal time. 21. Just bought a house and it is a trilevel and the stairs aren't killing me. 22. We adopted an 18 month old dog and I can keep up with her on walks. 23. I've only lost 10 pounds in 6 months but I still feel great. 24. I'm down to a size 12 and getting into some 10's 25. I bought mediums in the Jr department and they fit 26. I can carry my daughter up the stairs without being out of breath. 27. My cholestrol is actually normal without meds 28. I bought a bathing suit to wear to the community pool without a skirt or boy shorts 29. I forget to eat 30. No more midday naps 31. people don't believe I ever needed WLS 32. I bought several shirts with horizontal stripes I will update these as needed. Just wanted to let you all know how much I love being smaller, each pound brings more great things. ~Mandy

Hi all, I just had to share a funny NSV this morning. I'm sitting in my desk chair at work and realize my feet are dangling like a little kid and I'm not siting all the way back in my chair....I had to go find the lever to change the depth of the seat since I didn't need all that extra room for my butt anymore !!!! That was a fun one! Take care, Kristin (Down 92 pounds from pre lap band weight in 2006 and 69 pounds from sleeve revision. In December.)

Well done buchannon, a great nsv and sv! and you're past the half way marker... keep up the good work!! =]

HEY ALL MY MARCHIES. its time to check in again, I want to hear from all of you. here's the questions.. How is your weight loss? How much of fills have you had? Has any one noticed your shrinking? Complications or issues your having? Are you going to the gym or doing other acitivites? Whats your greatest NSV? Lets all share we are all in it together Right!!

Good luck to you Dawg! I sense a great NSV in your future!

What a great NSV, Tina. WTG :confused: Sash, I love the beautiful doggie in your profile pic. Is he/she yours? What breed is it?

Oh, the head games!!! I could so totally work my way around this pre-op diet if I let myself by working out "equivalents" and then eating, eating, eating. I'm having to fight that urge. And yeah, I've had the "Hey! I could lose the weight THIS way instead!" thoughts. But clearly, I can't. Or at least, I can't KEEP the weight off. But I made it all the way through my first pre-op diet day without cheating. I'm counting this as my first NSV. (Baby steps. I have to take this in baby steps.) I'm practicing using my creativity--the kind that would usually allow me to rationalize cheating on the pre-op diet--to work on coming up with interesting ways to spice up my Protein shakes. For my last shake of the day, I used vanilla powder and added pineapple chunks, skim milk, imitation coconut flavor, and imitation rum flavor, then blended it up with ice. It tasted like a piña colada. Yum!!! Anyone else reading Bandwagon? I'm really enjoying it; it has a lot of good advice/information.

Way back in the Bad Old Days, I was on whopping doses of not one, but two blood pressure medications, one of which had a water pill (diuretic) baked into it... and still my blood pressure was usually about 140/85, so barely controlled at all. When I had my VSG, my primary care doctor told me to take one dose of the one with the water pill the day after surgery to help me pee out the surgery fluid and then leave off taking it. I continued on the amlodipine at 10 mg. A week and a half later I had my blood pressure taken in the office and it was a bit low, so my doctor started me on 5 mg a day, but told me to monitor my blood pressure each morning before taking it. If it was normal, don't take the drug; and if it was normal for four days straight, to leave off taking the drug altogether and send him a message. Today was the fourth day. I took my blood pressure this morning as always, and it was 118/65. I am no longer on blood pressure medication, which was arguably my biggest reason for getting the surgery done! I've only lost 33 lbs. since surgery and have 84 to go, but apparently my circulatory system appreciated it and I went from barely-controlled-with-two-big-doses to no medication needed at all in a day short of three weeks.

Well, I just had to write a few words about what happened today when I went to see my primary care physician. Let me tell you a little background first. I am seven and a half months post op. I had my surgery June 18 in Tijuana, MX. And I am thrilled to no end with my results so far. Have lost right around 98 pounds. (It varies depending on the day.) I was living and working in California when I decided that I wanted to have the surgery. I am a travel nurse, but my home is in Iowa. I traveled home to Iowa in June for a couple weeks off, then my husband and I were going to fly to San Diego and travel on to Tijuana for the surgery. I went to see my PCP the day before we flew to San Diego to get my meds refilled. I hadn't seen him again till today, so hadn't been in his office since June of 2011. When the nurse called my name today, I got up to follow her to the exam room. As usual, she led me to the scale on the way to the exam room. In the past, I have frequently declined to get weighed, as I didn't want/need to be depressed by what it said. But in my new, current life, I am not afraid of the scale anymore. So I hopped up on the scale to see what it would say. (I had already weighed myself at home this morning and was 160 lbs without a stitch on!) The digital readout of the doctor's scale said 162, which is about right, since I had a pair of jeans on and a pair of boots. The nurse went to write it down, and said "hold on a minute! What is your name again? What is your birthdate? When were you here last?" I told her my name, birthdate and that I was last seen there in June of 2011. She then replied "well who ever weighed you that day is an idiot! They wrote the wrong weight down. They wrote that you weighed 260 pounds!!!! I need to change that!" I laughed and told her there was nothing wrong with the weight in the chart, that I had lost almost 100 pounds in the last 7 1/2 months. She was amazed and had all kinds of questions. When I told her that I had undergone a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy she didn't know what it was. So I gave her a short course on VSG. Anyway, I guess I can count this as one of my NSV! P.S. the doctor told me I looked amazing, and was SO encouraging. He thought I made the right decision and told me to keep at it.

ousooner, what a great NSV!! Congrats and keep up the good work!:clap2: :clap2: