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My surgeon didn't even want to hear my weight goal. He asked me what my other goals were. Being confident and active was what I told him. I want the NSVs more than a number. Walking and biking with my boyfriend. Hitting up the theme parks. Feeling better about myself. Spending time with friends I'm too ashamed to see. I even have a goal to be at a friend's anniversary party when I should be 8 months out. I would never go otherwise. Numbers? 200 lbs. No date. Just gotta go. That came from the bariatric nurse/patient liaison being frank with me ("Honey, you got 200 pounds to lose."). So it became my goal. If I get under that? Yay me. (I have a secret goal. Shhhhh. 150. Upper limit of my normal BMI. But that seems a million years away.)

@@jenn1 can't have too many NSV's your accomplishment/bravery must have felt great!! you have lost your "excess" weight enjoy what you are now able to do 122 lbs down keep up the good work kathy congrats

Losing your pants is the gold standard of NSVs. Congratulations!

Summer NSV! Had a great day with family and friends on the Boise river today. We rented innertube's to float the river. The park staff called my name to pick up my equipment. He handed me a child's life jacket to wear. He said the adult size would not fit me.

costco just opened up in my town. I went there and I was so excited bc it has all sorts of amazing things designed for people with WLS--little individual mozzarella cheeses, 4 oz containers of chicken salads (so delicious, 14 grams of Protein, 140 calories) individual hummuses. Boxes of small Greek yogurts! Lots of Protein shakes (although I hate almost all such shakes and am desperate for other sources of protein). It is amazing what makes me excited these days. Also, although I thought my weight loss was slow (and it is compared to many people) today (six weeks post op) my pants literally fell off me. That was pretty exciting.

Elode, you have had so many great moments recently, and you deserve them all! Congratulations on your most recent NSVs! It’s great that you’re getting the rewards you deserve from your hard work after surgery. It’s also neat that other people are noticing – that makes it so much sweeter!

I love this thread so much! I have been reading and decided to join! So I'm only about 3 1/2 weeks out (in my dreaded "three week stall" right now - ugh!) and I had an NSV the other night. We went out to dinner with some friends and I wore a maxi skirt that is elastic at the waist (so it is more comfy than my jeans that fall off of me!) and it kept hitting the tops of my feet. It's never done that before so I was highly confused until I realised that it's because it doesn't have to stretch so much to reach around me anymore! My skirt is actually longer, lol. Didn't see that coming! It was silly, but so fun when I finally made the connection!

I have an NSV I'm excited to share. Yesterday I went to the store to return some things and while there, I saw some jeans I liked. I had some issues with pants since I've lost everywhere except my hips and tummy. I worked up the courage to try on but had no idea what my size is now after losing close to 50 lbs. I selected a range from 16-12 and took them into the dressing room. Size 16, too big, size 14, baggy and I finally ended up in a size 12. To my amazement!! Of course I bought those puppies because they fit perfectly!! These little NSVs are my "rocket fuel" to keep on going on my weight loss program. Still have 35 pounds to lose.

​My NSV for the day - 3 mile walk this morning and NO low back or hip pain! Wow! That is huge. I don't love walking that much and won't do 3 miles walks very often (not great at the exercise part yet), but it was so encouraging to know that I was physically capable of doing it without having to stop and sit down and "release" my back pain, before I could continue. This time last year, I went for a walk on the beach on vacation and had to stop and rest because my back was giving out. Can't wait for my next walk on the beach!

Congratulations @@nprcowboy on your success and I am glad to hear you are not discouraged as it sounds like you are doing great.nI agree with @@cjnorris about one day at a time, something I try and live by. I know that moderate or slow loss can be frustrating although I've seen many others on this site with slower loss than yours, but I also see many folks with amazingly quick losses and it is so hard for me to not compare myself. Forgive me if you already read this, but I posted this last month and have to keep looking at it myself as I am in a bit of a stall... thought I'd share in case any resonate or are helpful. Best of luck! I am tired of focusing on how much I have not lost. I’ve been eating 80-100 g of Protein, drinking at least 70 ounces Water, staying under 1000 calories and am active. I started at very high weight and expected to lose more than 45 lbs my first 3 months, but I am tired of focusing on what I have not lost instead of what I have gained. I am so grateful for my sleeve and my chance to live a healthier life. This is my ode to losing weight more slowly than expected and the benefits: More time to develop healthy eating habits before maintenance Skin has more time to catch up (more time to lotion!) Shifting focus to NSVs like sitting in booths and chairs with arms Less chance of gallstones Opportunity to practice loving kindness towards myself and being grateful for any positive change Chance to manage expectations – if it wasn’t for WLS, I’d be thrilled with my loss, so why not be thrilled now? Practice focusing on my own wins and not comparing self to others Not having to explain to others since loss isn’t dramatic (yet) Chance to trust the process and not focus on the end (self-care, water/protein/low-carb/active) Redefine success as how I feel, not numbers on scale Understanding this is not a diet, this is my lifestyle now, so what is the rush? Have you had a benefit to a stall or slower than expected losing?

For me: I have just past the 3 month mark (surgery was May 18). The first few weeks were tough because of my internal stitch pulling, but at the 3-4 week mark it just popped and everything got much better. No real nausea and I could do liquids pretty easily so that was a blessing. However, I didn't lose much weight in first few weeks. I think it was like 4-5 pounds. Most of this was probably due to swelling and healing so I didn't sweat it too much. I was even able to do a trip to Mexico City for work without any issues (I did take some Protein mixes as back up in case the food wasn't going to work). July was a bit more challenging as I hit my first real stall. Thanks to everyone on this board posting about stalls, I didn't panic and kept to my plan. After about 1 1/2 weeks I suddenly started losing again. Yea! Also, I started telling people that I had the surgery, but only if they ask. I did tell my family after the 6 week mark just because I hate that feeling of being evasive when they know something is going on. I had wanted to wait until I was past the most risky time for complications so they wouldn't worry as much. Everyone seems fine with it, but if they aren't I have decided just to shrug and keep moving. It isn't their life and they don't have to live with it so their opinion isn't really that important. Not thumbing my nose at them, just deciding not to let it bother me. August has seen some good changes and a little bit of a concern. I hit Onedurland on my 3 month surgerversary, which is a total loss of 57 pounds. I have also dropped several sizes which lead to a closet purge and a day of trying stuff on. That totally counts as a NSV in my world. People have really started to notice and are asking me what I am doing. If they ask me directly I am honest. I also try to say that there are other ways to lose weight and just doing a high protein - low carb approach can work just as well. I just knew I wouldn't be able to stick to it. I think I am really helping out the sales of Premier Protein which seem to be flying off the shelves of my Sam's and costco. Maybe I should ask to be a sales rep. The one concern I have is rather recent, and I am not really sure if it is a real concern at the point. Over the last week I have noticed an increase in what might be a little bit of heart burn. I am really hoping that I don't get GERD from this so I am watching it closely. I was taking pepcid for the first 3 months on DR. orders (I also had a hiatial hernia fixed when they did the VSG) so I just went off it recently. The other thing is a small pain just to the left of my belly button. This just started in the last few days so I am going to watch it and talk to to the PA about it next week if it doesn't go away. I should be well past the point of having stitches pull or anything like that. I still struggle with eating out and limiting carbs (insert Mexican restaurant chips here...). I am also still figuring out how to fit in exercise but that has always been a challenge for me. Anyway, I would love to hear how this journey is going for everyone else. I know it isn't the same for everyone and I love to hear the different perspectives. It helps so much to know you aren't in this alone.

Hi May Sleevers I thought by now everyone sleeved in May would probably have settled into a bit more of a routine or at least gotten past some of the initial surgery questions. I imagine some of us have some great NSV's as well as some challenges. Soo.....I thought I would send up a general question to get a discussion started. I would love to hear how everyone else is doing. I am going to post my progress/thoughts below.

I began to ponder my reasons for seeking WLS (RNY in my case). i'm barely 30. I don't have much in the way of comorbidities. Pre-diabetes (Which came from pre-op testing) and back and joint issues. It was bugging me because I wanted make this drastic change for the right reasons. At first, I was all about being healthier and active. Joint problems keep me from walking too far and I hoped weight loss would fix it. Then, as silly as it sounds, I began to look at the NSVs. Smaller and cuter clothes. Window shopping without stopping to catch my breath. Roller coasters. Weighing less than my boyfriend. In short, maybe surgery would make me happier. Health reasons went by the wayside at this stage. Fun and vanity took over. Later, I came to this conclusion: I'm being proactive. I'm doing this BEFORE I come down with other problems in the next decade or two. I'm taking care of this obesity problem before it gets the best of me. And I think this is the reasoning I settled on. So I ask you, not your reasons for WLS but if you or someone you know did it for the "right" reasons. Heck, am I doing this for the "right" reasons.

I love it when you go to the wardrobe and something you have not been able to wear for ages just slips on a treat. Yes NSV s can really help you on if the scales are sticking ! Elide I love your posts

My instructions are to weigh once a week until I meet goal because we will obsess and get depressed with every little fluctuation. Once goal is reached, then I'm to weigh almost daily to keep myself in check. Your post is exactly why my surgeon and Nut says not to weigh that often in the losing phase. We allow our emotions and moods to be controlled by the scale. Concentrate on NSV!

I weigh only once a week ... sometimes even less. I can't keep myself from going into that really dark place if I see the scale go up & down each day. I try to use NSV to help me feel better about the slow times & weighing once a week still keeps me accountable.

@@Daisee68 congratulations! What a huge NSV for you with your great labs! I can really relate, my A1C was 6.0 prior to surgery and at my most recent appt last week, it was 4.7 (I am 4 months post-op). While losing weight was been amazing, it is labs results like this that totally motivate me. Congrats again and I know you will keep watching that number go down.

I try not to but I've noticed I'm weighing myself everyday, I'll try not to tho I feel is not very good for me, I like to see weekly results and NSV

Great NSVs!

Congrats girl, those NSVs are awesome. It really does help you to forget what's going on with the scale.<---Doing the happy dance w/ you!!!

Congrats Elode!!!!! I completely *love* NSV posts ... I think they really show just how hard you have worked & you deserve all the praise!

Congratulations Elode!!!!!!!!! I'm not familiar with NSV's....what does that mean?

Those are fantastic NSV's! Congrats! I can't wait until I'm able to go places without a jacket or big sweater. Nothing like being somewhere in the middle of summer and trying to stay as covered as possible while sweating buckets.

Wow! What an awesome day! Love those NSV's!!

I have a few NSV's to share! First, I started back to school Tuesday and I did NOT wear scrubs to school! (If you read one of my last trending post you will understand that) I actually went clothes shopping and bought some real school clothes including a size 8 in jeans!! Also, for the last two days in class I didn't wear a jacket, I didn't even bring one which is astonishing even to me because I ALWAYS have something to cover up with. Jackets are something of a security blanket to cover arms, stomach, any back fat I may have had (imaginary or not). It's a wonderful feeling to not feel self-concious while in the seated position. I can focus on my instructor instead of worrying if everything's covered and not poking out. Lastly while at Walgreens one of the lady's who works there came up to me and my daughter and said " I hope this doesn't sound rude but aren't you like half the size you use to be?" I just laughted and said yes I am, thank you! Then on the way home I started thinking dang how fat was I that the lady at Walgreens took notice Still pretty sweet NSV's if you ask me! Oh and I'm finally (34 years into life) getting braces! It's amazing how much you want to improve yourself even more when you feel good about yourself!