Non Scale Victories

[Suzagrace9 3]

I have to say I love seeing this topic. I was literally reading about Non-Scale Victories as part of me preparing for the Gastric Sleeve Surgery. Thank you for posting.

[ckrewer 8]

I am a new sleever, and while my pants are looser and I have a coat that actually zips (non-scale victories), what I am amazed at is how many people mentioned they can sit in a chair with arms. I really thought I was the only one that had the issue. I know it is silly to think that, but no one else at my work or in my circle of friends/family understood what I felt like in those chairs! I am not to the point of no pain in the arm chairs yet, but I am really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to no more bruises from the arms. It's the small things that mean a lot . . . .

[NancyLF 234]

2 hours ago, ckrewer said:

I am a new sleever, and while my pants are looser and I have a coat that actually zips (non-scale victories), what I am amazed at is how many people mentioned they can sit in a chair with arms. I really thought I was the only one that had the issue. I know it is silly to think that, but no one else at my work or in my circle of friends/family understood what I felt like in those chairs! I am not to the point of no pain in the arm chairs yet, but I am really looking forward to it. I am looking forward to no more bruises from the arms. It's the small things that mean a lot . . .

Yep! You're not alone! That was a HUGE NSV for me. I felt like a "normal" person!

I loved standing up just so I could sit down and do it all over again.

I must look like a Jack-in-the-Box! LOL!

[RobertaMSN 60]

Fantastic topic! I'm six weeks post- op and so far my non-scale victories are

1) Much better sleep - my sleep apnea and snoring are gone (after 40 lbs lost.) Incredible. I now sleep through the night when before I would awaken every couple of hours sometimes knowing I was choking.

2) Much lower food costs - and since I had to pay for the surgery myself (BMI was 34) I've calculated my lower food bills will pay for it within three years and after that it's money in the bank making for an easier retirement. As you can imagine prior to my pre-surgery liquid diet then now post-surgery I was spending a lot of money at the grocery store plus sometimes eating out. I could eat a huge amount at one time and was used to doing so. Now I average about 850-900 high quality calories a day and love seafood - no, not the breaded stuff I used to eat but salmon, shrimp, lump crab meat, etc.

3) My plantar fascitis is gone and I can now walk without pain or worry, though I make sure to always wear good support shoes with gel inserts - no way do I ever want that again (like walking on shards of broken glass.) Am looking forward to joining a local once-a-week walking/hiking club when they start up again after winter.

4) Lower blood pressure. Prior to surgery it was 140/90 - doctor ready to put me on medication. At my one month post-op check it was 100/60! The nursing assistant took it twice because she couldn't believe it but when I was younger and thin that was normal for me. My resting heart rate was 62 bpm but prior to surgery was 85 bpm. So my heart is not working nearly so hard. I don't know what my A1c blood sugar is now since it won't be checked for a couple months but it was pre-diabetes before surgery. Since I'm virtually off sugar and starches it has to be in the normal range now plus I no longer have to get up multiple times each night for the high blood sugar side effect of having to go to the bathroom frequently.

3) Planning to travel with my sister - before we couldn't share a room because of my snoring and choking from sleep apnea waking her up so we would have had to pay for separate hotel rooms, making it much more expensive so a lot less trips would be possible. Now we can share a room with separate beds saving money that can be used for more trips. And because my plantar fascitis is gone we can explore each location fully with long walks. We're planning on spending Xmas and New year's 2020-21 in Paris

[RobertaMSN 60]

On 12/28/2019 at 5:31 AM, sideeye said:

My sister gave me a structured dress for Christmas that’s a size 10 in a non-flexible fabric. It’s one that goes right up to my neck and has long sleeves. I took it out of the bag and thanked her, all the while thinking there’s no way this will fit.

Well, it does. PERFECTLY. I’m kind of boggled.

I also went on a two-week business trip with only carry-on luggage. I’ve been able to do this for vacations before, but never for a business trip. My clothes are smaller, I pack far fewer sweaters, and everything is interchangeable as long as I pack carefully - this used not to be achievable, since Slacks 1 only looked good with Sweater 3, and Skirt 1 could only be worn with Top 1... both my problem areas and the weird quirks of plus sized tailoring really made mixing and matching difficult. Now I can pack a pair of black jeans, and because they’re pretty high-end and I’m not overweight anymore, they just look great when paired with a sleek top and jewelry.

Wow, had never thought about the smaller-sized clothes meaning you can pack more into a carry-on suitcase plus mix-and-match more easily! Awesome - one more non-scale victory to add to my list.

[momof3_angels 465]

Wow, had never thought about the smaller-sized clothes meaning you can pack more into a carry-on suitcase plus mix-and-match more easily! Awesome - one more non-scale victory to add to my list.

Yes... this is something I am super excited for. Last summer I travelled Europe with my daughter and she could pack 3 times as many clothes as I could I'm the same size bag. This summer we are hiking across Spain and carrying all our belongings on our backs. My pants will still be bigger than hers, but tops and everything else will be the same size and for me, much lighter. I am also lookinf forward to fitting in train and plan bathrooms better and having a less cramped plane seat.

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

[DuchessDeviance 50]

I went to the Health Unit at my job the other day because I was a little worried about my blood pressure. I automatically reminded the Medical Assistant to use the extra large cuff but she looked at me, squeezed my arm, and said, "No, I think the smaller one will fit." She was right and the added bonus was that my blood pressure is still holding steady at below 120.

[Sienna20 5]

I had surgery on 11/29 and I’m trying to not focus too much on the numbers on the scale or on my clothes.
My non scale victories since 11/29
Had to have a spacer put on my wedding ring
I’m wearing a coat I haven’t worn in 2 yrs
I got rid of my pre-surgery work uniforms
I’ve cleaned my closet twice already
What are your non scale victories?!

No more diabetic medicine or blood pressure
Glasses are falling off face(which is quite annoying)
Can walk longer distances

Sent from my Z557BL using BariatricPal mobile app

[darcyjae 106]

Here are two more for me:
1. Went from a three or four hook bra down to a two hook bra. (Cup size is mostly hanging in there. 🙏🏻)
2. Walked into a DSW today and bought a pair of non-wide calf boots. Yikes!!

[Fazzini Bee 76]

33 minutes ago, darcyjae said:

Here are two more for me:
1. Went from a three or four hook bra down to a two hook bra. (Cup size is mostly hanging in there. 🙏🏻)
2. Walked into a DSW today and bought a pair of non-wide calf boots. Yikes!!

I still cannot believe I can fit in non wide calf boots. every time I go to put my boots on now I always look at them suspiciously like I can't fit them.

[TamiWBThin 9]

I can zip and button my coats up! No more open coat!

[jubug09 33]

2. I went hiking for the first time since my surgery on a Mountain I have hiked a few times before. This isn’t a huge climb, but has about 2000ft of elevation gain over about 2 miles with a few very steep sections. In the past this mountain has wooped my butt and taken me about 2 hours to reach the top of. I am usually soaked from sweat by the time I reach the top due to the effort of dragging my big butt up there. It also has always left me soar for days afterward due to the weight putting pressure on my joints when coming back down. This time however I was able to reach the top of the mountain in just over an hour while hardly breaking a sweat the whole time. Then coming back down I could immediately feel the difference on my legs. The lack of pressure on my knees and the softer foot falls were an amazing difference over before.

Yes!!!!!! This is one of the biggest goaIs I have. I want to go hiking so bad. When I was a bit younger I used to love being outdoors and just walking in the woods, even though I was still fat and couldn't do much. As I got older though even that was a hard thing to do. I cannot wait to get back out there and walk some trails or just pay in the woods. Such a country girl. Lol.



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[rs 1,473]

Fantastic topic! I'm six weeks post- op and so far my non-scale victories are
1) Much better sleep - my sleep apnea and snoring are gone (after 40 lbs lost.) Incredible. I now sleep through the night when before I would awaken every couple of hours sometimes knowing I was choking.
2) Much lower food costs - and since I had to pay for the surgery myself (BMI was 34) I've calculated my lower food bills will pay for it within three years and after that it's money in the bank making for an easier retirement. As you can imagine prior to my pre-surgery liquid diet then now post-surgery I was spending a lot of money at the grocery store plus sometimes eating out. I could eat a huge amount at one time and was used to doing so. Now I average about 850-900 high quality calories a day and love seafood - no, not the breaded stuff I used to eat but salmon, shrimp, lump crab meat, etc.
3) My plantar fascitis is gone and I can now walk without pain or worry, though I make sure to always wear good support shoes with gel inserts - no way do I ever want that again (like walking on shards of broken glass.) Am looking forward to joining a local once-a-week walking/hiking club when they start up again after winter.
4) Lower blood pressure. Prior to surgery it was 140/90 - doctor ready to put me on medication. At my one month post-op check it was 100/60! The nursing assistant took it twice because she couldn't believe it but when I was younger and thin that was normal for me. My resting heart rate was 62 bpm but prior to surgery was 85 bpm. So my heart is not working nearly so hard. I don't know what my A1c blood sugar is now since it won't be checked for a couple months but it was pre-diabetes before surgery. Since I'm virtually off sugar and starches it has to be in the normal range now plus I no longer have to get up multiple times each night for the high blood sugar side effect of having to go to the bathroom frequently.
3) Planning to travel with my sister - before we couldn't share a room because of my snoring and choking from sleep apnea waking her up so we would have had to pay for separate hotel rooms, making it much more expensive so a lot less trips would be possible. Now we can share a room with separate beds saving money that can be used for more trips. And because my plantar fascitis is gone we can explore each location fully with long walks. We're planning on spending Xmas and New year's 2020-21 in Paris [emoji4]

Awesome!

[JessLess 1,163]

I finally went up to my attic and took everything plus-sized and either donated it or mailed it off to my friend who's that size. Because I'm a size 12/14 (I have big hips) and I'm not going back to being that heavy again.

[amond 9]

I went zip lining and when the receptionist wanted me to sign a waiver said you have to be maximum 275 which obviously you are much less! That was a great feeling! Also zip lining was fun!