Search the Community

My lab director came in my office and made a comment to me "Why are you wearing your husbands shirt to work?"... I laughed. I am wearing my shirt that used to be snug and now it just falls off! It is thick and warm and its cold here today so I just inadvertantly put it on. I guess i will have to retire it now... The second one was what he said after that. We continued to chat and I said I had lost over 40 inches, 10 in my hips alone! He said, "Thats great but dont loose too much weight. You know you can loose too much!" It was the first time someone has said for me not to lose too much.. I am still considered obese and have 45 more pounds to loose to get in the middle of my normal range!!!! I took the comment as a positive though... I told him I still had 45 more pounds to go and he just shook his head and walked off. LMAO! Yay for getting healthy and thin and feeling great about bagging clothes and people saying not to lose to much... I want that problem!

Will be 5 years soon and still going great.....most days don't even think about it anymore, just live every day like any other day. It all becomes second nature and routine.... I prefer my band tight enough to restrict me from overeating....that was my problem before surgery. Could not control my appetite with no self control or discipline.....in other words I could not follow any prescribed diets..... Sure there are foods I will never eat again, but in return I am NEVER hungry, and when I do eat my portions are controlled....IMPOSSIBLE to overeat or indulge......It just doesn't get any better! Very Easy! To me it is about restriction... Diets are the thing of the past, so is the fear of ever being over weight again..... (BTW, the foods I will never eat again, were food groups that are good to eat anyway and should be avoided.....pastas, breads, meat, etc....so it's all for the good...) And I agree...the people who I followed when I first came here, are all gone. There is not much reason to stay, and I often wonder why I still log on.....maybe because it reminds me from where I came and where I am now....my daily NSV I suppose. Every-time I do log on, I click "New Content" under Lap Band forums, and all the posts in the Lap Band section are comprised of people with the sleeve or types other than Lap Band!!!

I can walk and do the elliptical for many many miles as my body's more used to it. I'm cross-training now and my new challenge is running! I've been doing 5 minute intervals with my lifting and do that 4-5 times throughout the workout. Breaking it up into 5 minutes bursts at a 5.0 pace has been awesome for my weight loss. Now, my next goal is to do a 5k! I just hit the 1 mile mark (continuous running) so I'm on my way! It was only a few weeks ago that I struggled with a quarter mile. No aches or pains... just a little sore in the left hamstring sometimes. Yay for NSV's!!!

Update on the scale- I haven't weighed myself since I wrote that originally. I guess I will see at the Dr.'s office. But I keep reminding myself that the scale doesn't matter. My health does. So I am going to focus on NSV. They have just slowed down. But I will go in for my first fill FINALLY on the 17th. Oh and Gibson- Its still dead. I ripped its batteries out.

Well, since you asked....I went to buy some summer clothes today and I managed a size 12...can you believe it. I have gone from a 24-12 on my own before WLS. I have worked hard but never imagined a size 12 in a million years. So I could not leave the store without the purchase. Thanks my NSV and I thank you for letting me share. Congrats on your NSV.

I went to meet some friends at a local club. I got there after they did and was standing at the bar getting my drink. Kinda looking around for them. I look up and see them and wave get my drink and go over. They were kinda laughing when I got there and I asked them what was so funny. My friend said well we looked at you and said is that Kristie her boyfriend said where, she said at the bar. He said where I don't see her. She said right there in the brown shirt. He said I don't think so. Thats when I turned around and waved at them. And they were like omg it is Kristie. They didn't even recognize me!!!!!!!!!! I've only lost 50 pounds but boy did that make my night and the next week!!!!! IT was WONDERFUL. I know I said only 50 pounds let me rephrase I've LOST 50 POUNDS in THREE MONTHS!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO

So, today is the day I get to report my first NSV, and I haven't even had my surgery yet!! Yes, I'm gunna brag and I know y'all will love listening. I am pre-op, and I have been giving up some of my vices over the last few weeks in preparation for starting my liquid diet on 7/23. I am an emotional eater, I turn to food when I need comfort. Today was very challenging emotionally, and I did not turn to food for comfort! As bad as I wanted the ice cream, diet coke, doughnuts, candy, fried cheese and taquitos that I passed in the grocery store with my broken heart, I sassed my big ol booty right by that junk and left without buying any. Take that bad day! That is an NSV, right? Anyone else have NSV that happened pre-op? Happy losing, Slenderella

That's how I am. Sometimes we have to remember that slow and steady wins the race. I lost 30 pounds in the first 2 weeks after surgery. Now I am 7 months out, and I lose MAYBE 2 pounds a week. Sometimes 3. And my stalls went from 2 weeks to 3 to 4. Every 6 weeks or so, I hit another one. When It breaks, I drop like 5 or 6 pounds. Then it goes back to inching along until my next stall. It's really frustrating, but what you want to do is focus on your NSV (Non Scale Victories). Does your face look smaller? Are your clothes getting looser? Do your rinds feel bigger? Can you move around better? When the scale isn't doing what we want it to, we have to look to see what our bodies are doing. THAT's where you'll get a more complete picture of what's happening.

Update. I'm now five months out and down 75 lbs. weight loss has slowed down but I'm feeling better each day. NSV every day. First pic is my high weight before surgery. Second is at 3 months after surgery down 55 lbs. Third is today, 5 months with 75 lb loss. I feel so much more in control of my life and choices.

Congratulations! I would chalk that up as a PRE-OP NSV!!! No matter what happened yesterday, no matter what mistakes you feel you made, no matter what setbacks may have been dealt to you, no matter what obstacles you struggled with, today is a new day to start fresh, to return to your journey, to do what matters, to change what needs changing, to improve upon old habits, and to get better - as you are committed to doing every day. Stay strong and keep on pushing on...and never give up on what is important to you, even if yesterday it got further away from you. Pull it back towards you today. Stake your claim. Change your ways. Do what is right for YOU!

Oh, I hope the scale gives you the best news, but even if it doesn't, you know you are doing awesome due to the clothing nsv.

So, yesterday was my 6 month gastric surgery anniversary. And Holy Crap. Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions for me. I started the day feeling pretty good. Went to the Cardiologist. He was so happy for my weight loss. He wanted me to lose weight, but didn't know about the VSG. He was impressed with how much weight I lost so fast. He also commented I look great and was shocked I don't look "sickly" at all due to the rapid weight loss like many patients he sees. He was thrilled with my increased physical activity and my plans to hike the "Camino de Santiago" in Spain this summer. (It is a "pilgrimage" where you walk literally across Northern Spain or another route to Santiago de Compostela). We discussed my tachycardia and sometimes low blood pressure. He is having me reduce my dosage to half a pill (YAY!). We discussed my cholesterol and medication for it. I told him of my desire to attempt to go off it for a while to see if I can keep my lipid panel numbers in check without it now that I lost all my excess weight and am eating much healthier. We agreed that I will stay on it for 6 more months and then do labs. If my numbers are good, he will let me go off them and see how my labs hold up. I acknowledged to him that I know if they do go back on them, then I will have to take it for the rest of my life... he was happy with that compromise. On top of all that already great news... I asked him about my EKG which I had already looked at myself (I am a former trauma nurse, I know how to read them). He confirmed what I already knew... my EKG was NORMAL!!! Now this is HUGE because the reason I decided to look into WLS in the first point was because I was worried about my heart. At my appointment with him in fall 2018, my EKG showed that I had an enlarged Left Ventrical for the first time. I had an echocardiogram several months later that confirmed the EKG findings. THIS is the reason I insisted on getting weight loss surgery in the first place. My heart was working too hard and was beginning to enlarge. This was unacceptable. This was my reason to stop "trying" to lose weight and for making sure I "did" lose weight. So here I am... 1 1/2 years after identifying that my heart was enlarging.... and all my excess weight is GONE and my enlarged heart is GONE TOO! OMG, I left the cardiologist office on such a high note, I practically floated home lol. And I called my husband with so much excitement. It was a great day. Until..... During the drive home from my cardiologist I got an e-mail from the radiology office. I saw the e-mail when I stopped to exchange some pants at Old Navy. Some of you may recall I posted recently that my bilirubin levels had been rising since surgery. I normally have a high normal to slightly high bilirubin level. It is something that I have monitored my entire adult life. But since surgery, my bilirubin keeps getting higher. I saw my lab results before my bariatric surgeon did. I printed the results, wrote a note to my regular nurse practitioner, and dropped them off at her office. She called a couple hours later and agreed that we need to do an ultrasound to check my gallbladder and liver out. I did that Tuesday and was told that the results would not be available until Friday. Except now it is Wednesday, the next day, and I get a text that my results were available online. Again, I saw the results before either my general nurse practitioner or the bariatric surgeon. And what I read was devastating. My liver and gallbladder are just fine (weird... so why is my bilirubin elevated?). But I have a fairly large mass in my Left Kidney! I have a flippin TUMOR in my kidney! And they recommended on my report that I get a CT Scan or an MRI to further assess it. They used 2 terms to describe what kind of mass it appears to be. Both terms used, are the kind of masses that are cancerous 85% of the time. And even if it ISN'T cancer.... the mass is big enough that I know the first line of treatment is either a partial or total nephrectomy. Holy Crap. Add to that, I know that my grandfather wasn't much older than me when he had kidney cancer and had HIS left kidney removed. And I figure out all of this within 5 minutes, because as a Registered Nurse I already know too much. Still... I keep my **** together and calmly (but unnerved) drive home. I get home, I refill my water, I sit for a minute quitely before I call my husband over to talk. He is a Registered Nurse too... and I told him there is a mass on my Kidney and he made the same assessment I did... only he is much more panicked about it than I am. He wants to rush over to the nurse practitioners office NOW. I told him I want to wait a little bit so she can have time to look at the report first. Then I noticed a missed call from her. How I missed it, is beyond me... but she must have called in the 1 - 1 minute dead zone on my way home. What luck. And BTW, she doesn't make patient phone calls normally DURING her work schedule... she calls after she sees all her patients for the day. I know this because that is when she ALWAYS calls me for results. This was unusual for her. I knew she was worried before I even spoke to her. I called back and got a voicemail. (husband still panicking and wanting to rush over). I called a couple more times and got through to her. Instead of waiting for her to slowly break the news... I let her know I just saw the report and I know I had a mass on my kidney and that my liver and gallbladder were fine. This helped speed up her getting to the point... I needed a CT Scan and a referral to a specialist. She was at the same conclusion I was... it is a tumor and there is a good chance it is cancerous. I don't think she was going to say the "C" word yet... but after I mentioned it, she agreed. Now... my referrals always take a week. ALWAYS take a week to get back so I can schedule an appointment. So, I asked my husband if we can go for a walk somewhere. Well THAT was a disaster lol... because I got several calls from the referral lady and within an hour or so of my phone call to the NP about the results... I was running to the radiology office to pick up barium to drink for my CT scan on FRIDAY. Friday. The day I was supposed to be getting these results back, and now I am going in for a CT Scan already. Talk about FAST RESPONSE! The fact that she rushed this so much and managed to get me in to the radiologist office so soon just confirms how worried my NP really is, so that is totally stressful! Still don't know what specialist I will be seeing, but by the time I get that referral I will have results in hand from the scan, so that is good. On the plus side... I already know the rest of my abdominal organs are fine according to the Ultrasound. The CT scan will look more closely at all of it... but I don't have any reason to believe if it IS cancer that it metastasized. But now I have to gear up to drink a ton of barium (um... no clue how I will get this all in... I am only 6 months post op!). And now I have to deal with a tumor that could be cancerous and I might need a kidney partially or completely removed. Chemo is very unlikely, but radiation or other treatments might be needed. And on top of all that I still need an MRI for my L Knee because I might have a torn meniscus that might need surgery and definitely need physical therapy. And I am SUPPOSED to walk across Spain starting May 25th. Yay me. I thought I was THISCLOSE to being healthy again and all this **** happens! And how much you want to bet the Coronavirus hits my city hard right about the same time I need 1-2 more surgeries! Not afraid of the Coronavirus... except my immune system will be already under attack if I need a kidney removed!

Yep. Further, at 9 months post-op, I renewed my passport early (2 years before it was set to expire) because it was getting annoying/stressful having to explain that i was in fact me at airports. Im 3+ yrs post op now and a few months ago, I renewed my driver’s license and its nice to not have to explain my appearance to the people at the liquor store when I get carded. Though getting carded at all is an NSV in itself cuz im like 50 years old. Lol. Congrats, and enjoy the broken face!

I week out from RNY. Two weeks of Liquid diet and Keto found my ankles but one week after surgery gave me an even bigger blessing!!! I haven been able to wear this comfortably in about two years. Now I’m scared to wear the dern thing because I’m so used to the silicone bands I’m afraid I’ll ruin it! At least it fits!!!

@@Folly I hope you posted that in the valentines thread for Alex. Fantastic story. Ok I'm open for this conversation. I have been with my husband since I was in my 20's. Sex was amazing then. We got older and my weight increased and my health declined. Sex honestly became a chore. I lost my drive. My amazing husband has stuck it out through some tough times with my health issues. To have me back means more to him than the weight loss. Don't get me wrong. The weight loss has been a great thing for our sex life. He has seen me at my heaviest weight so loose skin is nothing to make me self conscious. I'm loving dressing up for him and going out on dates. I'm still getting used to him telling me I'm hot. Very sweet but I don't see it. He has taken me to Victoria's secret and walked out with size small pantie's big NSV. I'm very open, adventurous, loving life and in love with my husband. The sleeve has done a big turn around in our lives. SOOOOO thankful. The hair issue...Pulling my hair in bed in my 20's was hot..Now that I'm loosing hair with weight loss hair is precious to me.

Paige Dukes, I loved reading your post about the new picture (Wow ! You're brave !), but the part that struck me the most was "I didnt wear shorts in public and didn't even leave the house without a cardigan, regardless of the temperature. " That comment was me to a T ! I was very uncomfortable with my body, especially my belly. Always had a cardigan or lite jacket to cover it up. I didn't even like walking out to the mailbox in case a car went by. Now ? Totally. Different. Occasionally knee length shorts, capris or slim jeans, and a nice t shirt. Almost flat stomach . No cardigan needed, although I still love /wear them when necessary. I hope everything continues to go well for you, many more NSV's coming your way ! Congratulations again !!

Two words: breast cancer. Well, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for. Now that I am close to my self-imposed goal, I have been thinking a lot on how to pay for a tummy tuck and new breasts. The arms would be nice too, but I can live with them. Last month a had my yearly mammogram and, long story short, found out last week I have breast cancer. It's in the very early stages, so I am sure I will have many, many years to enjoy my new, thin self, but what the @#$&! It did come as a blow. I have genetic testing today for the BRCA 1 and 2 gene -- if I have that, then for sure I need a double mastectomy and my ovaries removed. But the standard treatment for what they know I have now is lumpectomy and radiation. But the thing is, my big weight loss will make a lumpectomy risky -- to get big enough margins, they would have to take a lot out and I have very little breast tissue left! Even doing the biopsies was a challenge -- the hollow core needles were bigger than me! Who knew, under the obesity a very petite women was hiding! So, I am meeting with a plastic surgeon on Monday. Looks like I may have a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. They said they would use my excess abdominal tissue. If I do that, I will not need radiation, which is a plus, but it is a much bigger surgery. I asked if this would be a true tummy tuck and they said yes. I'll get more info on Monday, but maybe this is the silver lining in a very dark cloud. I will also add a NSV here. Since all this started on Sept 29th, I have stuck to my healthy eating plan. I was very tempted to bury myself in a loaf of bread or, "gasp", bagels (my former nemesis), but I'm staying true to myself. I've waited all my life to enjoy this new body - I'm not going to backslide now. I have to be extra careful -- after the surgery, there will have to be a long hiatus from they gym. Ellen

I'm still pre-op but I set up the following NSV milestones: 55lbs golf lessons 65lbs dance lessons 75lbs standup comedy or voice lessons 85lbs SCUBA certification 95lbs a used set of golf clubs 105lbs a SCUBA trip to Monterey

Hi everyone, I have been on BP meds every since I got married in 2003. Kind of funny and sad all at the same time. I had my surgery in August but yesterday when I visited my PCP she took me off everything. I do need to return in 3 months for a check up to see how I am doing but otherwise--I am doing great. My only issue is Iron and that's because of the excessive bleeding from the fibroid tumors. I was taking Toprol 100mg, Lisinipril (2x per day) 20 mg, Triamertene/HCTZ 75/50 (fluid pill) One of other note, I got the titanium rod taken out of my leg from an accident in 2003 (which they "never" take out) and I am doing fine. I go back to work Monday. :-)

What does NSV mean???

I just got back from the Carribean in August, and yes, I wore a swim suit - a Tankini instead of my moo moo type I usually wore (pre band), but no matter what weight, if I'm going to the ocean, I'm wearing a swimsuit. I might not wear a bikini, but I'm wearing a swimsuit and enjoying myself just like everyone else. You deserve to have a good time, so put it on and enjoy! By the way, this summer was a NSV for me in the swimsuit area, I purchased a one from Victoria Secrets (a tankinni) and I actually felt good in it!

I posted something similar to this when I was preop. I think that so many expect the weight to just melt off at a rate of 20lbs a month for 6+ months. I don't know of anyone who had those kinds of numbers on here. I lost about 60lbs in my first three months. 10lbs month 4 and 5lbs this month. I'm slowing way down as I get closer to goal. With only 25 or so left to goal, I know it's not going to be easy. But I'll take my 5lbs lost this month. Because that's 5lbs less. I would take 1lb a month loss because that would mean I'm not gaining. Early out in the first month or two when hormones are all out of whack, I think it is easy to go into a tailspin of panic that you will be the one person this doesn't work for. But if you are following the plan, then you will lose. Might not be at the pace you want, but a loss is a loss. Every ounce lost should be celebrated because that is one ounce closer to goal and one ounce less you are carrying around. It is hard in the beginning. But don't focus on how far you have to go. Stop and look at how far you have come!!! Look back at trying your shoes preop compared to now. Think about the waist line from your pants digging in to needing a belt. Post your NSV and enjoy every aspect of this journey. Don't be a slave to the scale. We can't get fixated on seeing our magic number pop up when we step on the scale. We need to focus on the journey so we can learn healthy lifestyles. That way the destination won't be so scary.

Hi Maysters, Marci – Dancing is a great NSV! I also will automatically tell people how much I have left to lose when they compliment me too. Marz – that is really cool about the shadow – I hadn’t even thought about that. Missy – a loss is better than a gain! 37 lbs down is great! Linda – Glad to have you back! Kim – I completely understand about the water. It’s hard for me to get it all in now. I also find that I usually have a good drop the first week or two after a fill and then plateau for the rest of the month. You are doing great though! Drews- Great weightloss since your port replacement! Good luck on the interview. I, like you, am amazed at how little the patients at my doctor’s office know about their band. I am running into people that are 1 year post op and have only lost half the weight I have. I have also gotten the impression that these folks expected the band to do all the work and they also do not exercise. I may go to a support group soon too. I have a little bit of a rough time lately. I have been feeling icky for several weeks now. I have not felt like working out and I have been going to bed really early. Starting the end of last week I starting running a fever around 5pm and it would break around 10pm. Well, me being stubborn, just dealt with it. Since I had no symptoms other than fatigue, I just ignored it. I got my 3rd adjustment last week so I thought my fatigue might be due to my liquid diet. Finally, on Monday I went to the doctor and I have bronchitis, which my son actually got diagnosed with last week too. I found it odd because I always thought some of the main symptoms of bronchitis are coughing and chest rattling. My doctor told me my lungs sounded like a smokers and I do not and never have smoked. So I got some meds and now I am trying to fight this infection. I am back at work today. I am feeling better but I get winded just getting up to use the restroom. I plan on getting some pics on here this week. I am 3.4 lbs away from my next goal – I’d like to be there by Turkey Day! On a different note, have any of you had to handle people saying, you took the easy way out? Here recently a few friends/coworkers have made comments about the lap-band being the easy way out. I really had to bite my tongue and rather than going off or preaching a sermon. I just said it wasn’t the easy way out because I work far more now than I ever have to lose weight but that the band has been a tool to help me. Sorry for the lengthy post!

Yeah for a "not so nsv", at least you got in thm.

LSasha told me to come here......I have on a top today that my sister gave me last year and I could not fit it then. This morning I wanted to wear something diffrent then my usual blouses that have gotten a little bigger. So I tore I up my place looking for this white, wrap blouse which I found and had only wore once. I put it on and it is not the same becuase the boobs have gone south. I then found a pj set that is much looser then before, oh yeah I found a velvet night gown and yeah I was trying on all these things this morning at 5:15am when I should have been getting ready for work. LOL Anyhow my top is black with fringes on the bottom that swing and it is not a long top like a usually wear. So this is a daring NSV for me. YEAHHHHH ME:banana :banana :banana