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Hey Tina, congrats lady!! You're doing great and no matter what the NSV is, I'm happy to hear of it. Woot!!

That is sooooo awesome. Congratulations. You ROCK girl. I think I will have to do a sleep study of some variety to confirm because my apnea was severe, butr when I can stop I am so looking forward to that, and maybe being able to sleep on a plane without fear of disturbing others, though that may take more work as I'm told part of why I snore/have apnea is because of a severely deviated septum. Anyway, I tOTALLY get what a NSV that is. Woohoo!!

Lisa, you crack me up! This thread is what we need to stop taking ourselves so serriously! Kare, I loved your story about the pointers you gave your sons! My one and only is 8 years old, but I'll definitely have to remember that technique. I've been divorced for 5 years now, and have had two very short encounters since It's hard to feel good about yourself when all you see in the mirror is the things you want to change. You all have given me lots to think about! I'll be banded 10/10, and I'm looking forward to the future NSVs and improved self esteem I plan to spout! take care,

Stalls are so common that someone here coined the phrase "Embrace the Stall". Look for other non scale victories (NSV). I found that as I lost weight, my cloth sizes dropped. I would go to store and buy a shirt that was so tight that if I took a deep breath, I could pop a button. A week later the shirt fit like a glove. Over my weight loss, I went from a size 3X in shirts down to a size Small and from a size 46 in pants down to a size 33. Although I was not normally into clothes, during the weight loss phase, the drop in clothing sizes brought me great joy.

Now that I am truly in the maintenance phase of my journey, I constantly look for ways to find motivation to stay on track. I weigh myself not for results, but to make sure the numbers stay constant. Without looking for weight loss, what is the motivation? I know how easy it is to fall back into bad habits. I found myself just a couple of weeks ago, realizing I was grazing too much and it showed on the scale. I have my own limits in terms of heading into the red zone. Above 115, I have to get my act in gear...above or even close to 120, that's a real problem. So far, I'm bouncing around between 112 and 116 but in order to stay in that range, I have to constantly remind myself of how it used to be with me. I make sure to keep myself aware of all the NSVs I have day in and day out and never to take them for granted. That means anything from buying clothes in the petite department instead of the women's department to walking around the city with minimal pain instead of struggling each and every step as I used to do. Even just this morning...starting my day by stretching my hamstrings and lower back as the physical therapist has recommended, I paid attention to how I could easily bring my bent leg to my chest because my leg, belly and thigh are normal sized. I went to JC Penney's yesterday because they were having a sale on fashion jewelry. I already have lots of clothes and don't need more, so I'm changing it up with accessories. I treat myself like I'm a real life Barbie doll and after years of buying clothes based on if they fit, it's wonderful to now buy based on how they look on me. I try to reward myself with things other than food. It's not always about purchasing things....I reward myself for getting to the pool to exercise by spending ten minutes in the sauna. Or I reward myself with a movie I really want to see, or an afternoon with a good book, a glass of wine, and a wedge of low fat Laughing Cow cheese. I know that I will have to be vigilant the rest of my life. Food will never be something I can take for granted or have a normal relationship with. It is my drug and I have to respect that addiction and always plan ahead to keep myself safe. I know that alot of folks on the site are in the losing weight stage and when they are maintaining, they drift away. I'm going to do my best to hang around and comment on this part of the journey. I daydream sometimes about my 5 or 10 year anniversary at a normal weight. My fervent hope is that my family and friends forget what I used to look like and think of me at this size like I was always this way. I think that's a good goal to reach for now that my weight goal has been met.

So I'm down about 47 pounds (stalling now but think its because I have my period). I was sleeved 4-24-12 so I'm almost a month So nsv's. Maybe tmi but I have a much easier time cleaning myself in the bathroom... If you know what I mean. My "hump" in the middle of my back is disappearing. I can easily put on shoes. I can walk without getting out I breath Normally after a family get together I woul only be able to help with the clean up for so long until my back was killing me but today I was able to really help! And I was able to drink and eat some normal food (very small portions) so I didn't feel Left out or look strange... No one here today saw anything strange... Which is good because I'm not ready to tell them. My stomach doesn't touch the steering wheel My shorts that were always too tight are now too loose!

hello stacey nicole I am wear a medical bracelet NSV. IMO, i don't think it would be necessary to wear any type of bracelet signfying a "medical condition" of WLS - if you are at a restaurant, and they question you about using a childs portion, you can just give them some sort of explanation if you feel its warrented - but if you are rushed to the hospital for whatever - have had WLS shouldn't be reletive to any procedures. If all is well, and you just have to mention certain medical conditions - then yes "by the way" I have had WLS. kathy

Congrats! That's awesome!! A definite victory for you!!! My dinner tonight was @ Mexican with a girlfriend I haven't seems in months. I'm not sleeved yet (55 days to go!) but I've been trying to liquid diet as much as I can beforehand. I was so proud of myself: NO CHIPS even though they were on the table in front of me. I ordered chicken fajitas & was able to ignore the soft tortillas on the side. I grinned all the way home thinking that must have been my first NSV.

That is awesome to read!! Congratulations! I'm 5'1 and 217...I'm soo tired of my thighs throwing sparks (feels like!) as I walk from the friction! Looking forward to that NSV myself Please post some pics!

My legs do not touch or rub when I walk! Not even the very tops of my thighs! Woohoo! HW 228 CW 125 total loss to date 103! Thank you VSG and Dr. Almanza and all my VST friends!

Holy cow am I excited! I didn't intend to buy a pair of pants today but I just wanted to try on a couple to see where I was at. I went into a local Farm and Ranch store and spoke to the gal there. I showed her what I was dealing with I'm told her what size I was and that I was tired of looking like I was wearing a diaper on my ass everywhere that I went. She suggested based upon my current size that I go to 35x30. This lady is absolutely insane was my freaking thought! Imagine my surprise when they were actually too loose! I needed a 34x30! Several weeks ago I got out of my van at a customer's place and my shorts fell off my butt. I really didn't think that I was quite this far along. I will officially be 6 weeks out tomorrow and I've lost 7 pounds since Monday! I'm down 47 pounds since starting my pre op diet on 8/29. I'm officially the lowest weight that I've been in mt ENTIRE adult life at 265 pounds! It was such an adrenaline rush that I actually bought the dang pants even though I wasn't intending to. Last weekend with my diaper ass Levis. Today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(perhaps to many exclamation points? Heck no!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations! 90 pounds in 5 months is fantastic, and your NSVs are great as well.

Hello all, I am going to be sleeved on Tuesday (19th September 2017) and I found myself on this website this evening creating a profile... I suppose I am on here for some support and guidance, but also because I thought it might help center my own thoughts about my journey to 'have to' type it out. Mini therapy, I guess. I also couldn't find - maybe I was being lazy - too many people sharing their journey with my sort of stats, so many I will be helpful to some younger, female patients on the 'light' side of the scale in terms of what to expect etc. We are all in this together! VITAL STATS Age: 26 Height: 159cm or 5'1" Weight: About 86.5kg, or 190lbs - I will verify this and put it on my signature when I am weighed pre-op. Female Location: Australia, home for the operation but I live in London, UK. Surgery + Date: Gastric Sleeve 19/09/17 JOURNEY TO NOW I suppose I always had a bit of a problem with my weight. I have certainly gone through periods in my young adult life where I was slim. The trouble for me, I suppose, is that I have an identical twin sister who has always been slimmer than I have (maybe 5-7kgs) and, as such, I have always subconsciously felt like the 'bigger' twin. My twin is tiny - she is now about 20kgs lighter than me and it really gets me down. She lives in Australia still and I am in London, but imagine living with a 20kg lighter version of yourself! Someone who is exactly like you but 25% less weight. It can be hard, although she is really supportive. I am a really emotionally stable and rational person, but I have self-control issues and I emotionally eat. In the last 2.5 years, I have gone through 2 serious break-ups. The first was with my boyfriend of on-again/off-again 9 years...and the second was with a man I loved possibly more. I turned straight to food and alcohol (which I seldom drank prior) to forget the pain I was feeling and to be able to get on with work. Over this 2-2.5 year period, I have gained about 25kgs. I remember being 62kgs at Christmas 2013, and when I was weighed a month or so ago at the surgeon's office I was 86.6kg. To say I was devastated was an understatement. Although I admit I have self-control issues, I certainly have it within me. I guess I would classify as an 'all or nothing' person; I can easily eat and eat and eat, but when I reallllllly get on a roll with a diet, I am the type to be able to starve myself. This has lead in the past (over 10 years) to yo-yo dieting and I have tried it all; starvation, protein shakes, exercising, duromine/metermine pills...really anything. Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it hasn't. My mother has been overweight my whole life and although she doesn't have diabetes, her mother did. I live in a family of eaters and providers, and I see patterns in my own behaviour that mirror my mother. My mother was a very attractive woman in her youth - she is still attractive now actually - but I do not wish to see the same health and aesthetic issues she has repeated in my own life. I find myself not wanting to go out and socialise because I have nothing to wear; my clothes don't fit and I always tell myself I should lose weight before I buy more...I say no to outings, I hide away and eat. I am embarrassed about my weight - I hear myself telling people that I 'put on weight recently' and over-compensate for it by saying how I used to be slimmer....I go shopping and I don't even bother to look at perfectly normal, lovely clothing because I seem to have subconsciously (or otherwise) decided that I could never wear something like x, y, z. All of this might seem extreme given that I seem to be less overweight relative to some people on this forum - but I am sure these are issues we all share to varying degrees. Also, I am so short and small in frame that my weight is probably largely as evident as others. All in all, I suppose I subconsciously 'decided' I was chubby years ago and have become obese as a result. It is such an unhealthy pattern. GOALS First goal: get under 80kg. Second: get under 70kg. I want to take it as it comes. But, longer term: to be 60kg or under. 55kg would be ideal. 60kg would be great, too. NSV: Throw out all the old clothing I have been wearing to cover up - aka my 'fat' clothes. NSV: Buy size 28 jeans for comfort, like I used to. I am currently in a 32 of the same jean. To be honest it's really hard to write my goals as I have not yet even conceptualised this working! It has been so long since I lost weight and felt good that I can't even remember....perhaps I will work on the goal list later! I'm also gonna post some headless pics....I think that will help me... Anyway, this is a start. I have an appointment on Monday to see the Dr and take bloods...then it's straight to it on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

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!!!

My Hemoglobin A1c a year ago was 8.3 with four diabetes medications maxed out. Three and a half-months post-surgery I am on the lowest dose of ONE diabetes medication and my A1c is 5.6! A year ago I was at 130/90 with three blood pressure medications; I am now on ZERO blood pressure medications and have a BP of 116/70. This is the best thing I have ever done for my health, and I am so glad I did

I dropped from a 50 to a 36 in pants and I pretty much dropped a size a month. I ended up getting a few pairs of inexpensive pants every size because of work (I hate the baggy look). I found that Haggar makes a great and cheap dress pant (about $20-25 on sale online) that did the trick. I dropped neck sizes too, but only from an 18 1/2 to a 17, so I didn't have to cycle through so many dress shirts. T-shirts and polos went from XXL to L, but those are acceptable baggy, so I used the XXLs until the L's fit. Now I am down to where I'd like to stay, so am starting to build up my wardrobe again. It's been incredible shopping in places that I never thought I'd be able to use. Best of all - I went from an XXL in boxer briefs to a S!!!!! Me in an S!!!! Best clothing NSV of all!

Love it! And the others are right, that's not a small NSV. Congratulations!!

That's not a small NSV. It's HUGE!! I find myself taking pictures of myself now and I've never done that before. I take pics because I really like the outfit I have on, or because I like my hair that day. NEVER would have happened before. I'm thrilled that you're now in the family pictures! That's terrific for you and for them!!

So... it's almost with a heavy heart that I make this announcement. BUT I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'll suppress those feelings for awhile. Let me cut to the chase here. Ever since I've been working for my current employer and I've discovered a certain position, I've had my keen eye on it. Always hoping, praying that when the day it comes available, I would stand half a chance of it. It turns out that day has come. I've found out through the grapevine that as of September the person who holds the position will be retiring. Anyhow, here's how the Lord really works in mysterious ways... I was curious to find out if this rumor was true. I didn't want to be rude about it so I went to ask someone if they knew of this, someone I talk to often. He responded "Yes!! She's retiring in September!!" Don't get it twisted, that's just his demeanor and not out of the ordinary for him to speak this way. So, I was immediately excited! Then he says, "She works for me, I'm her boss". I immediately felt a little embarrassed... I really had no idea!! So, I guess I had no other choice so I just blurted out that I would definitely be interested in that position if / when she does retire. He just looked at me and nodded. Mmmhmmmm he says... now before I go on from here, know this... this man is a true character. I would never mind having him as my Supervisor. He's so crass and funny, very down to Earth. After this, he just smirked and said, well they really want someone with a background in Education. I immediately felt so let down!! I really didn't realize they wanted someone with that many credentials as I certainly don't have that. However I didn't let that stop me. I knew her classification and I know we are the same exact classification. It would be a simple lateral transfer, I wouldn't even have to apply for this job. So I told him, hey! I can take the position and GET those credentials at the same time. I can go back to school and get an BA in ECE. Okay so there! What's four years worth of education for a position I'd retire with? I still will work another 20 (maybe more) years... I can do that!! This is my absolute dream job!! I would be traveling all over the State of California speaking to K-12 Teachers and educating THEM on materials regarding Forestry and Trees. I would provide them with fun facts and materials they would then pass on to their students. O...M...G... you know, I've always been called to do something like this. I've wanted to be a teacher since I was a child. It just never came to fruition. I think this might be where my path has lead to all these years. Teaching Teachers about the beauty of Gods Creations. Of course I can't say it exactly like that, I work for the Government. That's okay though. Back to the conversation with my co-worker: He seemed pleased that I really spoke up for myself. He seemed interested and impressed. I did tell him I was very interested and I asked him exactly what she does, and he explained it all to me. He also said she does a lot of telecommuting, also know as working from home. She travels a lot and makes a lot of contacts. She also sets her own schedule, pretty much is free to come and go as she pleases so long as the program is always up and running efficiently. I can so do this!! He suggested I speak with the nice lady who runs the program, I said I would. She came in later that day and he told her to come talk to me about it... WOW!!! That's awesome right there! He was thinking about me in regards to filling her position. He did say she wanted to hand pick her replacement (of course she will never truly be replaced...) and she came right over to talk to me. Then later while I went out for a break and came back to a stack of materials on the program.. What does this mean? I don't know, I won't count my chickens just yet, but I surely won't back down until the bitter end!! So, why is this my best NSV to date? Because if it weren't for my sleeve and my diligence in losing all my excess weight, and keeping it off I NEVER would have had it in me to go after this job. I never would have put myself out there to the extent I did with such courage and confidence to go get what I wanted. I don't know if I'll get the job or not, but I sure want it and I'd say right now it's looking good!! Be blessed everyone. Dreams do come true.

Well I do A LOT of exercise. I started out doing water based exercise (lap swimming and water aerobics) and once I had lost enough going on walks. Please note when I started I was getting injections to my right knee because I had pain so bad I could barely do my grocery shopping. Today I did a 6.5 mile walk at 3 miles and hour. To me that is the ultimate NSV. I'm doing 1-2+ hours cardio 7 days a week.

To celebrate reaching my goal weight (95% excess weight loss), I had a DexaScan done to measure my body fat percentage. I'm at 20.6%, which is in the Ideal range for my age. The scan revealed that my weight loss was mostly fat and not muscle.

sorry, newbie here: What does NSV stand for? And congratulations Susan, I'm very inspired by your success.

Congrats on your NSV's!!! I have step-monsters too. I try not to let them get to me anymore.

...But, my NSV was that my only thought was, "sure, I may be fat now, but I will soon be thin and when I am, you will still be a bitch." (sorry for the profanity). Truer words were never spoken/thought! :clap2: :clap2: You are in a very good place about your progress now and giving yourself the kind of positive feedback you desire and deserve. The best kind always comes from within....we're just your cheering gallery! You go girl!! :croc: Jo Ann

Susan - thanks for the info - NSV - thats cool! I am soooooooo impatient - good grief I had to keep myself from calling the doctors office today to see if they got any info from my insurance. I noticed everyone is different in the order of how things are taken care of. I had to have all my tests done before they submitted anything to the insurance and haven't gotten a surgery date yet and then I read where others have their band date and haven't even had the pysch eval yet - I guess its all in where you live or is it the doctor? I'm just hoping that when I do get the call that my insurance has ok'd the band that they will say can you come in tomorrow.. LOL ... ok so next week. And then I'll say ... YOU BETCHA!!!