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I've had a difficult month. I've run 2 times in the last 4 weeks. Had to work way too many hours and then ended up with bronchitis and then had to travel for work last week. Finally got a good run in this morning and was worried about going long. I'm training for a half and I need the long runs to get me ready. The furthest I've run has been a 10K (6.2 mi). This morning I ran 8 freaking miles!!! I'm going to pay for it tomorrow, but everything is feeling good right now. Had another NSV this last week and only you all can understand how happy this makes me...

This is my MOST WANTED NSV. I cannot wait to be able to go and sit in a booth. It's a huge fear of mine, going out wondering if they're gonna have booths or tables.

The is the most awesome NSV I've heard! You are smokin! So proud of you! Bet hub is too!

I have a lot and y'all know I'm long-winded so grab your favorite cup of "whatever" and enjoy. . . 1) I am the only person responsible for what I put in my mouth 2) I am the only one that will endure the consequence or victory from what I choose to put in my mouth 3) This constantly cold thing that everyone experiences isn't forever. My body temperature has regulated, and if it's 30 degrees outside, it's perfectly acceptable to be cold. 4) Skinny bitches eat Cookies too. I'm gonna have a cookie occasionally. 5) hair grows back. Not always the same texture, but it grows back. So freaking out over it, isn't going to do anything, but make you freak out. Embrace it and honestly I gave up back fat for a little temporary hair loss, I think I'll deal with hair loss. 6) Follow the guidelines set forth by your medical professionals. It works. If something isn't working, tweak it to make it work. Your body is individual to you. Your needs might be different than mine. Respect your body because we didn't for years. Now, we've altered it, so treat it right, and it'll return the favor. 5) Weight loss surgery does NOT have to be a cookie cutter world. 6) Everyone has a bad day here and there. You have 2 choices: 1) wallow in the guilt/self-pity 2) Suck it up and move forward 7) Being skinny is not the only perk to losing weight, but sure makes life a hell of a lot easier. 8) Cherish every early out victory because once you're in maintenance, those little NSVs and SVs are non-existent and it's easy to take the little things for granted 9) Immediately after surgery, your weight is going to fluctuate, you are losing Water weight, if it's difficult to get in fluids, you will retain fluids, they pumped you full of iv fluids so don't freak out. It's not physically possible, nor is it logical to gain 5lbs of fat overnight. All you're doing is setting yourself up for disappointment and heartbreak, fears of failure are going to set in and you'll just sabotage your efforts. 10) LET YOUR BODY HEAL. . . Cheating is one thing, being irresponsible and reckless can result in complications. You can live on liquids for a couple of weeks. It sucks, NO DOUBT, but you will not wither away and die because you don't eat something crunchy for a couple of weeks. 11) Stop comparing yourself to every other sleeve patient. Refer to #6 12) You will hear many opinions throughout this journey. Remember opinions are like assholes and are pretty shitty. Stop allowing other people to dictate how you feel. No one can make you feel a certain way unless you allow it. 13) Pull up your big girl/boy panties/undies and stop making excuses as to why you can't take a high quality, adult Vitamin. Yes, some taste horrible, they are a pain in the ass to swallow, they might not be your favorite thing in the world, but your body needs them. Vitamin deficiencies suck. You can prevent it, you can make the choice. 14) Get your labs done regularly. Adjust your intake, vitamin/supplement regimen based on how your body is doing. 15) Loose, wrinkly, excess skin is fairly inevitable. Suck it up. I punished my skin for years being morbidly obese. Why should I expect miracles in the skin bouncing back department? ? ? Do I like that about me? Noper, not for one minute, but I'll take my wrinkly inner thighs, saggy skin bags I have boobs over being fat and miserable for the rest of my life. 16) If you do not change your relationship with food, don't think surgery will fix you. They operate on our stomachs, not our brains. You can still cheat, eat around the sleeve. I do it, and I know why I bounce around on the scale. Either I accept it, or I choose to follow the basic rules that proved to be so successful for me during my losing stage. I choose to live a life of moderation, and I wanted normalcy without hardcore dieting for the rest of my life. The trade-off I make is that I bounce on the scale up or down 5-7 pounds. I have a good relationship with food/drinks, and I reap the benefits of this life. 17) Every clothing store is different. Learn to love trying on clothes. For jeans, I wear size from 0's to 5's, for shirts I wear from a size XS to a Medium. Even being this size, I have to try everything on. The only thing that is guaranteed is leggings, and tights. Even panties are hit and miss because every cut is different. 18) Being skinny does not completely fix self-esteem or self-worth issues. If you don't think you are worthy of the best at a size 22, being a size 2 isn't going to change the way people treat you. I demanded to be treated with respect, and common courtesy at a size 22/24W, my core personality is the same. 19) If your marriage/relationship is rocky, or not solid, and you've allowed your spouse to treat you like crap for the last XX years, guess what? ? ? Being skinny is not going to magically make them treat you better. If anything, you'll realize that douchebaggy behavior is not acceptable anymore and you begin to resent them and start demanding better/more from them. However, their behavior isn't going to change just because you decide you deserve better. Again, it's a choice. You choose how people treat you. At the end of the day, you deserve nothing less than everything from your partner. If you aren't getting it at 250+lbs, being 125lbs isn't going to change it. 20) Therapy is a fabulous tool. If you have food demons/issues, recognize, address and conquer them. If you can not do it on your own, seek help. There is zero shame in asking for help. 21) Choose the path you want to take. If you fall off that path, pick yourself up, dust off, and move forward. I cut my own path, and while I have fallen off, I've never fallen far enough off that I couldn't find my way back. If you want to follow a similar path, do it, but don't expect to have the same identical results as anyone else. What worked for me, might not work for you. 22) Habits are just behaviors that we have established, and continue with over time. To rid myself of a bad habit, I had to replace it with a good (or better) habit. These habits are not permanent and engraved in stone. My habits, food triggers, and issues are just mine. We might share the common thread of surgery, and how I conquer my issues is what works for me. I can share what I did/do, but it might not work for you. Don't be disappointed, just find what works for you. 23) Exercise does NOT make me feel fabulous. It's a chore just like scrubbing a toilet. I wish this was different, but I hate it. I loved it early out, but now, I absolutely hate it. If you hate it too, find something you do like. I know that I need formal exercise of some sort. I choose to dance (Zumba, Hip Hop Abs, Just Dance2 for the Wii). I enjoy it, but still am not super excited to do it. I just know my heart, bone and lung health need it. Finally! ! ! 24) I will always be a fat girl on the inside. I still have cravings, and love food. I still never experience true hunger, but I still want food. There are good days, and not so great days. I take it one day, one meal at a time.

Great inspiring post. Been Mia for a while just living life. My NSV is my overall change in my thinking. Had a bump in the road of dating found out me wonderful well was not so much and the old me would of harped to figure out why and after a month or so gotten over it . The new me within two days is moving forward slightly bruised but not looking back. I got banded to be healthier which resulted in me being happier which resulted in me truly not settling less than I deserve . I know people say it hell I said it but settled this time no settling. Which I'm over the moon about to be living what I have been preaching lol... On a gym note I'm doing burpees wth can't do a lot but I'm doing them and each time I do it I'm in awe that I'm doing it. Sept 2013 couldn't do it and know I'm doing several during my classes. I beam in Btwn gasping for air as I'm working out not cause I can't do the workout but because I keep pushing my limits to be a healthier person. My trainer doesn't know about the lap band but his encouragement n motivation has transformed my body as well he pushed and believed in me when I sure I couldn't do the workouts. Now I'm a gym rat lol

These are the kind of posts I love.. so many successful bandsters. My NSV today is being able to have my Christmas shopping done and presents wrapped because I have so much more energy than I did before being banded. My other NSV is that I no longer run from cameras. We have had so many family functions where I refused to have my picture taken, it's a wonderful thing to not be ashamed of how you look. This surgery has enabled me to become more active and healthy. I am forever grateful to my surgeon and his staff for doing an excellent job for me.

memom~ congrats on the weight loss! That's fantastic!! Kathy~ great NSV!! Feels great doesn't it. Sugar~ I have only ran once outside when it was cold (a few days ago) and it was a lot harder. Hopefully it won't be too cold on Saturday. And you WILL get there. Hang in there. I would love to have a treadmill at home. Fanny~ that's great!! Keep up the good work!! Leslie~ my son is looking forward to halloween too. He's gonna be a mail man. We are going to get some pictures of him in the mail truck. It's gonna be so cute.

wow Suzanne! sounds like a great running partner very encouraging...but he had awesome material to work with!!! i'm very psyched for you! well i did w7d1 lst nite. my distance was shorter for some reason. i did feel my feet dragging a bit during the run. it was kinda weird though. I felt more competant with the run ...less winded and definitely not as lightheaded at the end. so mixed results i guess. im actually looking forward to the next run on Sat i hope. Or, should i take 1 additional day to rest, wondering if i need a little extra time to recover??? anyway had a revelation of sorts last nite too. after i run i have a hard time with my band when i eat. it seems that every time i run i get stuck badly very soon after i start eating. and yes, i was following the band rules for eating. i called my bari nurse ths morning and she said that since the stomach/esophagus are muscles, i should drink something warm before eating, again following my doc's band instructions regarding drinking/eating. she said the warm liquid can help relax the esophagus in particular. then she gave me a very nice NSV. she really complimented me on running and gave me lots of encouragement! tc, Carol

My recent NSV is when I went shopping for clothes before surgery I was in a 26R and now I fit a size 18(ultra stretch)

Jfc- that's a big NSV!

Nice to see you again. Great NSV!

I had a funny NSV over the holiday. I was with my brother and nephew when my nephew's mom (my brother's ex) came to pick my nephew up. She was totally skunk eyeing me something wicked. She wouldn't even respond to my attempts at small talk. I was thinking "wow, she hates me!". Still, I just tried to ignore her and loved on my nephew. When it was time for them to leave, my brother walked them out. When he came back, he was laughing. Apparently, she had no idea who I was and assumed I was my brother's new girlfriend! LMAO! She asked him who I was (curse words included) and he laughed "ummm, you mean my sister?" He said her jaw literally dropped and she goes "no way! but she's so little now! It doesn't look like her at all!" My brother told her I'd lost over 200 pounds so it's no wonder she didn't recognize me. I guess she then felt bad for being such a b#tch to me. I laughed so hard!!

I have to take my engagement ring off - it's too big to wear. I'm going to have to get it sized because I'm afraid I'm going to lose it. I'm a little sad, but it's an NSV!

NSV I went to Starbucks this morning because I wanted a skinny hot chocolate. So I paid with my debit card (which has my old picture on it) and the lady looked at me and said you have lost a lot of weight Congratulations! I smiled and told her thank you! I love my band!

So many nsv im amaze at the physical person I have become . Able to hug my knees in pedicure chair n put my feet n my a$$ in the chair wth is that shocked when I did that. Lol my trainer looked at me last night and said ur getting so dam skinny wth I was like me ? Lol

Another NSV went through a 4mile corn maze with the kids ran through a pumpkin patch and still had a host of energy what a awesome day I'm enjoying life more and more

My favorite pair of sliver jeans are too big. I got a 31 about two months ago and now even with a belt they are falling down. It doesn't help that I have no hips or butt. But I love these jeans... Guess I'll have to wait a while before I get new ones. :-(

Here is my first LBD entry. I haven't worn this dress in 3 years!!! I was super excited and apparently, so was my husband LOL I'm definitely not at goal, but a NSV nontheless

WOOHOO!!! What a FANTASIC NSV!!!!

of the days I can shop in the regular sizes, walk a lot and not get tired, have more energy, be more active, not worry about seat belts not fitting... I know there's a lot of these kinds of posts but when I'm having a bad day that's full of nausea and I'm feeling like a failure, this is what I think about. A small NSV for me is since I've lost 22 lbs., whenever I go to the store or go out and about, I don't get SUPER sweaty. I live in AZ so it's in the 100s right now, but I used to sweat for NO reason. Now, I only sweat when I'm in the heat for a prolonged amount of time. I don't sweat when I'm just walking around a store or anything. It's so nice.

Hey everyone! Happy Labor Day. Hope you are all well. Just checking in. I’m heading into my week 7. So far so good. Glad I can finally begin to do some intense workouts. Still feel some pain on my left side so I will take it somewhat easy. Lol. I feel so good and loving all the NSV. So far I’ve lost 37lbs since the day of surgery.

Well - I don't think this is a NSV yet. No divorce or breakup is until you are fully recovered. Sad to hear you are dealing with such drama while trying to get the new you down to goal size. Don't let this problem derail your weight loss journey. Easy now to slide into bad habits so be vigilant. Firmly agree with sassygirl advice - find yourself before even considering a new relationship. When my marriage ended (over a decade of marriage) it took me over 3 years fully heal. Oh, I thought I was good and ended up getting used cause I did not believe in myself. Truly am crying for you. Forge ahead but take time to mourn what was, plan ahead, seek a professional to reflect and learn for the bright future you know can make a reality. Hugs.

This probably goes down as one of the oddest post BUT sometimes you have NSV and never realize that's what it is. I have been crossing my legs for months now (comfortably ) but today we took a picture! Why? Just because I can and it serves as a reminder that not all victories are associated with a number. I showed you mine now show me yours!! (Legs people, legs!!) or just share a NSV if you have one.

Right now my current goals are: 1.) Have a weight loss of 70lbs by April 25th. I am at 61lbs down now. 2.) I also begin training to run a 5K on July 4th. My training starts April 2nd. It's so weird to think that I actually want to run :ohmy: 3.) I bought an XL tee-shirt that I want to wear by July. 4.) I want to have a "1" in front of my clothes size by this Fall. It's hard to think of any long term goals right now but I would love to be at goal this time next year. DH has promised me a clothes shopping spree for when that happens. So the motivation is there. I had a NSV last weekend when I was able to sit comfortably in a movie theatre seat with my jacket on I still had room to move around.

NSV: Kayak! For me, it was fitting back into the Giant Dipper. Woo-hoo! I've always wanted to go on that airboat tour of the slough. Lynda