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So I turned 50 and followed my doctors advice to go get a screening colonoscopy. They did a phone interview and couldn't believe I didn't take any prescription medication (after getting rid of high blood pressure, Water retention pills, etc.). Got to the procedure room and my BP was 115/60 with a resting heart rate of 56 bpm. Gastro doctor comes in and goes over the procedure and then tells me "you are in the best condition of a 50 year old I have seen all year!" If he had only seen me 1 year ago! He would have never said that as I was 130 lbs overweight and couldn't keep my blood pressure under control even with meds. Gotta love the sleeve!

NSV's wrapping a bath towel around my small body sitting in the middle seat on the airplane or booth in restaurant certain body parts no longer hurt or have improved doing a double take past a mirror in Kohl's, is that really me?? not running away from the camera confidence to go out and about don't feel "everyone" is staring at me & my weight now if they stare, it's because i'm cute as a button!!! not having to use handicap public toilet saying good-bye to plus size clothes phew, this is an add on during my 720 minute allotted time!! doing volunteer work is a BIG BIG NSV for me being in the public around 100's of people in a hospital i would never have done that before WLS losing weight does NOT fix all evils/problems but it doesn't hurt!! i still can't play the tuba!! but i never could why would i want to?? LOL consolidate all my NSV's........... i am healthier and happier than i would have ever dreamed possible life is good one day at a time kathy

NSV's wrapping a bath towel around my small body sitting in the middle seat on the airplane or booth in restaurant certain body parts no longer hurt or have improved doing a double take past a mirror in Kohl's, is that really me?? not running away from the camera confidence to go out and about don't feel "everyone" is staring at me & my weight now if they stare, it's because i'm cute as a button!!! not having to use handicap public toilet saying good-bye to plus size clothes phew, this is an add on during my 720 minute allotted time!! doing volunteer work is a BIG BIG NSV for me being in the public around 100's of people in a hospital i would never have done that before WLS losing weight does NOT fix all evils/problems but it doesn't hurt!! i still can't play the tuba!! but i never could why would i want to?? LOL consolidate all my NSV's........... i am healthier and happier than i would have ever dreamed possible life is good one day at a time kathy

I made another run to Goodwill this weekend because my size 14 were starting to become way too loose. At my local thrift stores, the larger your size the harder it is to find stuff. Getting into size 12s , I had so many clothes to choose from that I got the luxury of being discerning and not just buying some pants because they were my size! And it might have been my wishful thinking, but the smaller size clothing just seemed to all have less wear. Everything I got looked brand new. I spent $30 and got 5 pairs of capris and 4 shirts! I really had to stop myself because as we all know, I might only be in size 12 for a couple of weeks lol

Yes, I think it's natural. You have already invested a lot in this decision and you deserve to enjoy those dividends. A lot of people on this forum talk about NSV's (non scale victories), but be honest, it's all about the scale! I hit my goal 3 months ago and my maintenance program is to eat like I'm still on my post opt diet M-F and loosen up on weekends. I still weigh in almost every day. Now I weigh just under my goal weight on Monday morning and drop 3-4 pounds by Friday. I'm still scale obsessed!

July 2014 vs Now And a huge NSV....actually having my picture taken on vacation and NOT hating it. Looking back thru old photos I was rarely photographed. Making up for that with my son now! When I asked him who his favorite Disney princess is.....his answer was mommy. Best weekend away ever.

I've got a few NSV's I'm lumping together, because this weekend was full of 'em. I went to Orlando FL for a whirlwind, two day trip. I was overwhelmed by a few things that happened. 1 - No seat belt extender! Not only did the seat belts buckle on two different airline's flights, but I had room left on the belt! 2 - Disney World - I spent a whole day in the heat and humidity and felt I actually had energy and wasn't a giant ball of sweat (gross, I know, but...y'all know what I mean). 3 - Universal Studios. This was a big one for me. I've heard horror stories of bigger guys/gals not being able to ride 90% of the rides there due to the size of the seats/restraints. I went to go sit in the test seat outside of Harry Potter and the attendant looked at me and said, "Um, sir, you really don't need that. You're more than fine". Not having to use the test seats and riding every single thrill ride? Best. Thrill. Ever. Worth more than I spent on tickets, and then some.

Oh, I am so looking forward to trying this!! So what was there to do that made you not good at it? I'm curious, so that when I go I'll know what to look out for And Congratulations on your NSV, AND being lighter than your super skinny guy friend!!!!!!!

I went zip lining for the first time on Saturday. It's another goal item because I previously weighed too much to go. AND since they weigh you as they put the gear on you, I saw that I weigh less then my super skinny guy friend that was doing it with me. Probably won't ever go again, turns out it was a lot of work and I wasn't good at it so I finished the last half of the course tandem with the cute 22 year old guide.

@@livvsmum so many NSV's, so little time LOL vacation, great place to have new experiences,accomplishments (NSV's) for many/you/me, you gain confidence post op while you lose weight 2nd honeymoon, closing in on 3rd year surgiversary you look so happy 140 lbs gone! gone! and still gone you are aces!! keep up the good work i know you will kathy congrats

I am only @ 11 weeks post-op and already enjoying the following NSV's: 1. Back, hips & knee hurt so much less when walking now 2. I can walk up the steps to my 2nd floor apartment with ease now, if I have to make multiple trips to carry groceries up, I do it without getting exhausted, before this I would have to rest between trips. 3. I am 3 sizes smaller so far 4. Everyone tells me I have more pep in my step, that I glow, and I am so much happier I smile all the time now. People noticing is a great motivating booster. 5. I admit to not using my bipap every night, but I can tell I don't need it much longer !! Will follow up with sleep doctor soon. 6. Starting to see & feel my knee bones. My arms are slimming. I am starting to feel my hip bones when laying down. 7. And new NSV today, I woke up with a stiff neck, was rubbing my neck to my shoulders and I felt my shoulder bones !!! I don't know if I can remember feeling that in over 15 years Loving this journey to a healthy me. Yes surgery sucked, I was in pain for weeks after, I have stalls (oh the stalls), it isn't always easy, I'm not perfect at fluids, Protein & exercise every day. I have some people who don't support my decision and sometimes I just want something I can't have (well my head wants it, lol) but I wouldn't change a thing about my decision. Sent from my KFSAWI using the BariatricPal App

Great post! I stalled for 2 weeks 2 weeks post-op. I came to find that was common, but still it was frustrating. I'm noticing so many little NSVs here and there that even though the scale isn't always moving (thankfully right now, it is), I'm still making progress.

Stalls happen. Usually they say around week 3. I've had several. Some lasted days, and then boom. You won't be the "only one" the surgery doesn't work for. I promise. We ALL think that. Instead of the scale, try putting your jeans on. Are they looser where they weren't before? Can you pull up a pair of pants, not necessarily button them, that you couldn't before? Those are the NSV's we talk about. You don't mention other forms of Protein. Are you getting enough? THAT will cause a stall. Don't mess with protein requirements. Get it all in. Use your shakes. Walk walk walk. Good luck!!!

Wow! What a difference a year makes! I have been thinking about this day all week. One year... What a ride! Here are some stats: I am 1.1 pound away from being "normal" BMI; I am down 147.8 pounds total (121 pounds of that since surgery); I have lost 83.5 inches (18 inches off my hips ALONE / 12 inches off EACH thigh!); pants size down from loose 28 to 12 or 14; dress size down from 24 or 26 to a size 12. Some of the best NSV's: Buckling airplane seatbelt and not having bruises on my thighs from the plane seat arms; ability to get up and down off the floor so easily; my clothes have stopped falling off hangers; ability to fit in a "normal" robe when I go to a spa or even the doctor; crossing my legs; not sweating all the time; diabetes in remission and no diabetes meds; off cholesterol meds; ability to mow my own lawn without being so exhausted I had to lay down for hours afterwards. I know there are more.... How did I do it? Perseverance. Seriously one bite at a time. I ate poorly or too much, I got right back up and did better next meal - not tomorrow, not next Monday. My keys to success: Therapy and logging my food daily and having occasional checkups with my NUT. (It is good to have someone look over my food logs and say "careful on that, or try more of this"). I really think therapy though is my number one tool. I had some breakthroughs just this week in how I saw food and will continue to see this therapist for AT least another year if not longer. Oh and I cannot forget the support I received from friends and family. Were it not for those cheering me on and yet still staying out of my business (i.e. not constantly saying "should you be eating that"), I do not think I would have been so successful. And of course this incredible website. Without the advice and the ability to rant and read others experiences here, I would never have been able to do this! What do I eat: deli turkey, cheese, blackberries, blueberries, apples, tuna, pork tenderloin, lean ground beef (less than once per week), turkey sausage, turkey pepperoni, LOTS AND LOTS of chicken (grilled, boiled, fajita style, rotisserie, baked, roasted, etc etc), cucumbers, avocado, green olives, mushrooms, onions, occasional slice of bread (a few times a week), triscuit crackers (limiting myself to 2 or 3 at a time), did I say cheese LOTS and LOTS of cheese. I still have 1 Protein shake per day (30g protein) to make sure I get to my protein goals. I eat around 100 - 120g protein per day / 60-80g carbs / 45-55g fat - total calories 1100-1300. (I have been averaging closer to 1000 this last 2 weeks and I need to be sure t get those calories UP because I am ready to stop losing weight.) I cook for myself, so it is much easier to manage I am sure than others who cook for families. What didn't change: I am not one of those people that have SO much energy they cannot stand it. Nope. I am still a fairly lazy person. I hate that I am but it is true. I watch too much tv still and I still don't enjoy exercising really (and don't do it as often as I should). (I mostly walk and it is nice to know that I can go on a 2 mile walk without a lot of effort but I don't get that HIGH from exercising some talk about.) I want to be healthier and I will keep working on that part but I will never be a marathon runner or CrossFitter, etc. I still struggle with making food choices. The struggle is much easier than it used to be (most things don't even cross my mind to eat anymore) but I still crave salty Snacks. I give in sometimes but I am working on the addiction part of that. Not because you cannot have salty snacks but because it is an ADDICTION for me. And yes - I have loose skin. LOTS of it. My butt and boobs took the worst hit. You cannot see it when I am dressed and it isn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I am going to have it fixed. I am planning my first of plastics for this fall. I took money out of my 401K to pay for it. I do not need to be perfect, but I want to be able to wear sleeveless shirts and some shorts without being uncomfortable and I need my butt and thighs to be reshaped so I can fit in pants (which are tough to buy right now). I had some struggles in the beginning - I had a stricture which we didn't figure out until 3 months post-op so I was constantly vomiting. I stayed nauseas until 6 months post-op. The constipation is probably the very worst part and it has only really resolved in the last couple of months as I have started to incorporate more Fiber in my diet. (It is tough to get fiber in the beginning.) I thought I was a SLOW loser (average 10-12 pounds per month). I know now that isn't slow. It is just right. My best advice to people starting this journey - DO IT! Seriously - just do it. Just work the program. Use the tools - all of them - therapy, logging, NUT, restriction, Vitamins, exercise. STOP comparing yourself to others!! It will derail you! (PLUS I just don't buy into the "I lost 40 pounds my first month") This is your journey. No one else's. Everyone's journey is different and comparing yourself to others is defeating mentally. GO SEE A THERAPIST! Please... accept that you have a food "issue". I will buy that some of you don't but let's be honest, the overwhelming majority of us have food "issues" and until you face that fact, you cannot learn how to start to move past it. HANG IN THERE - just keep moving forward. You are going to be stunned when you look back a year from now... My journey is not over. The hardest part is just beginning - Maintenance. I have lost weight before but never kept it off, so this is the real test. Can I do this for the rest of my life? I truly hope so. I have a great head start by having developed some great new habits and faced some of my food addiction issues that I allowed to derail me in the past. I have some big changes in my life coming up job-wise and it is going to take discipline to make it work. I will keep seeing my therapist and keep my eye on the prize!

Ladies...Our sleeved bodies are going through a major surgery and need to heal. It does not happen overnight (unfortunately). I know that it painful and that it is an emotional roller coaster , but it is worth it. Everyday you will feel a bit better and with the weight going off, you will have more energy. Think also about all the NSV (non scale victories) to come! Check the forum for them. Take it easy, ensure Protein and Water intakes, rest. We all went through this. Take care. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Looks like you had an amazing time! What a wonderful vacation! Congrats on all your NSV's! Your story is so encouraging - I hope to be able to post a similar story in 3 years!

I can't believe I'm coming up on 3 years post op in just a couple of months! Time flies! I just wanted to share some "non-scale victories" as I have more of those these days as the numbers get smaller. I'm not where I would love to be ideally. I have loose skin that I've come to terms with, and another 15 or so pounds to lose, but my husband and I recently went to Mexico for a vacation that I have been planning for what feels like forever and it was just crazy to me what a different experience it was for me to go 140 pounds lighter. I did things I never would have done like snorkeling, paddle boarding in front of strangers, Water zumba, etc. I got rid of all of those bathing suits with the skirts that I hated wearing so much & walked around in a bikini all week without feeling terribly self-conscious. I broke out of my comfort zone for sure, and had the most amazing time. I finally just felt "normal".... Just another experience to cross off my post-surgery bucket list. Here are a couple of sneak-peeks, but I posted my full "Top-10" list with a bunch more photos here if you are interested! http://themeiamnow.blogspot.com/

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!

@@her1981 - you are so right. Exercise, able to enjoy your daughters birthday physically and feeling good about your decision to do WLS is a TRIPLE NSV! So happy you shared this good news.

Awwww, what a great NSV!!! Yay for you! Making memories, for sure!

What fun! More NSV's to come!

I threw my 4 year old daughter a birthday party at a trampoline park yesterday. OMG it was soooooooooo much fun. I was able to jump quite a bit and get myself up when I fell, lol. Being able to do that reminded me of the whole reason I chose the sleeve. It's allowing me the life I want to have with my family. On the other hand, while so much fun and very good exercise, I am completely wiped out! My legs, knees, shoulders, ankles (whole body) hurt. Here's to more fun!!!

I am going through the exact same thing... Had surgery 5/10, lost 20lbs from pre op day of 5/2 until about 5/21 and then started slowing, almost to a stop and I was CONVINCED that the surgery didn't work. Like my dr didn't really change anything, just made incisions, let me lay there for a few hours then sewed me back up and told my family I was done! So... #1 I stopped weighing myself every day. I'll weigh once a week and that's about it bc I don't think it's mentally healthy to start obsessing over that number on the scale this early in the game. #2 As everyone's said, it's completely normal to stall week 3-4. And it makes sense. Not only are we healing but most of us go from 2,000+ calories/day to maybe 500-600. So it's a very drastic change that our bodies are trying to deal with and wonder if it's the new norm. Not to mention it's hard to fuel our heavier bodies with such a drastic cut in calories... #3 I'm trying to focus on the small NSVs I've had, for instance the disappearance of my second chin lol We just have to stay positive and trust the process because clearly, it DOES work! Message me if you ever need some encouragement!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App