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Truly an NSV!! 👍👍 I am looking forward to the day I can wear riding boots, for fashion only. (My daughter is the equestrian.)

Glad to hear you are feeling better and about your NSV’s. Congratulations.

Today, I am officially one week and a day post-op. The first 2-3 days by far were the worse and even caused me to have “buyer’s remorse”. But for anyone thinking about surgery, do it! It gets a little easier each day. You do have to learn to be patient with how your body initially reacts to anything you ingest. Is the diet post-op boring? Absa-freaking-lutely! But I can definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thus far, I have lost 15 lbs, I am astonished. Those 15 lbs have allowed me to drop a size to a 16. I haven’t been able to get down to that size since 5 years ago, before I had my first child. Everyone has those shorts or clothes that you hang on to because you are determined to fit back into them. This week my NSVs were fitting into two pairs of shorts I have been hanging onto. I am so happy! Another NSV (TMI topic) is that I am fully back to being “regular” on my BMs, makes me feel a little more normal since it took about 4 days after surgery to have one.

I have always thought to myself this is too easy… I had vsg 2/24/21 I am down 80 lbs since surgery and 104 lbs overall since 10/31/20. Some of it is luck and some of it I feel is good choices and embracing the lifestyle changes as well as mindset. I listen to a few wls podcasts and belong to a few wls groups. I go to support meetings offered by my surgeon’s office and spend a lot of time researching. Celebrate the NSVs and keep making new goals. Tracking helps me meet my goals, measuring everything helps me learn proper portions. Walking and weightlifting are also contributing to my weight loss. I did have 1 hiccup- gall bladder had to come out 5 months after vsg- but I did have a history of gallstones and the rapid weight loss probably was what caused my gall bladder to become inflamed. Hoping it continues to feel easy and I can stay on track for the long term.

Way back in the Bad Old Days, I was on whopping doses of not one, but two blood pressure medications, one of which had a water pill (diuretic) baked into it... and still my blood pressure was usually about 140/85, so barely controlled at all. When I had my VSG, my primary care doctor told me to take one dose of the one with the water pill the day after surgery to help me pee out the surgery fluid and then leave off taking it. I continued on the amlodipine at 10 mg. A week and a half later I had my blood pressure taken in the office and it was a bit low, so my doctor started me on 5 mg a day, but told me to monitor my blood pressure each morning before taking it. If it was normal, don't take the drug; and if it was normal for four days straight, to leave off taking the drug altogether and send him a message. Today was the fourth day. I took my blood pressure this morning as always, and it was 118/65. I am no longer on blood pressure medication, which was arguably my biggest reason for getting the surgery done! I've only lost 33 lbs. since surgery and have 84 to go, but apparently my circulatory system appreciated it and I went from barely-controlled-with-two-big-doses to no medication needed at all in a day short of three weeks.

So I have experienced some good NSV's like many of you during these past few months. Stuff like fitting in restaurant booths better, fitting clothes better, not having to worry so much about weight limits on certain things, the car seatbelt not making that dreaded sound cause it was pulled out too far.........lol.......etc. But this weekend I had something else happen that took me by surprise. So since surgery on May 19th I lost 62 lbs and since March the total is 81 lbsl! Even though those numbers sound good and I can see some changes in me, whenever my husband says stuff like, "Wow, I can't believe how thin you've gotten!" etc. I always reply with how I don't see it and how I still have lots to go. He always says I don't give myself enough credit, etc. Anyway, this weekend we were out and about and we decided to stop and have lunch and as I approached the restaurant door, I was taken aback by the figure/person I saw in the reflection. It was almost as if I didn't recognize myself for a split second. It was strange. I usually wear my old baggy clothes still but this day I decided to wear leggins that actually fit and were NOT baggy, I had my heel boots on, a nice sweater, etc. I was feeling really good about myself. Well, the next day we were out again visiting a lake/park. This particular lake has different boat rentals like kayaks, canoes, etc. Things I could never do cause of my weight. So we went inside to inquire and, low and behold, I was actually UNDER the weight limit!!! I was so happy I could barely contain my excitement!! So we walked outside, me in front of my husband, and he again commented on my weight loss and how I've been looking and so I told him to take a few full body pics of me so that I could see what he sees. He took one of the front and back. Now, taking a photo of my whole body has always been a HUGE NO NO and everyone knows it so I was scared to see the results. Well when I looked at the pictures I actually burst into tears!!! It was such an unexpected reaction from me that it caught us both off guard. My husband was asking and hoping they were tears of happiness and I told him YES! That it was the first time in decades that I could actually stomach seeing a photo of myself that I was Ok with. I cried some more and hubby comforted me and told me how proud he was of how well I was doing and how happy he was that the surgery was finally helping me lose weight when so many things I tried never did. He said he was happy I was getting healthy, that I was off some medication, and my labs were coming back great. He also reaffirmed that my weight was NEVER an issue for him and that he loved me always, no matter how big or small I am and I told him that I always knew that but that it was always an issue for me. Which is why I had the surgery. I guess it was the combo of the catching a glimpse of myself in the reflection, the better fitting clothes, learning I can now kayak and then seeing myself in the photos that it just really hit me. I have a ways to go still, like I always tell him, but I am FINALLY starting to feel happy with what I am seeing. It feels really good!!

We have a huge thread about NSVs (non-scale victories) but I wanted to share a scale-related one. As I posted in another thread, I had to go to the emergency room. Once I was in intake and triage, of course the first thing they said was "hop up on the scale please." And for the first time in my adult life, I didn't dread it. I didn't dread a nasty "guess what we found those 8 pounds you lost and they brought their cousins" number. I didn't even empty my pockets. It felt so liberating.

Congratulations on the awesome NSV's and your amazing scale victory! You have done so well! I have 13 pounds to go to onederland and I can't wait to join you! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

NSV update - (plus a scale related victory 'cause i am so excited i can't help it) checking back in for September. THis month I have noticed... Sitting "criss-cross applesauce" is comfortable and I have so much room in my regular office chair that I find myself crossing my legs inside my chair while I work. I notice my period bloat. I never used to understand it when women would complain that their clothing felt tight because of period bloat, I mean - that is how I felt all of the time. Now I get it! I can't get over feeling and seeing my bones. The little bones in my wrists and feet, bones in my chest, my ribs, my jaw and cheekbones, and my wonky collarbone that I broke as a kid all amaze me. Sometimes I just sit around discreetly feeling my bones in awe. 😄 Ok, throwing in one scale victory, because it's a big deal for me....I hit onederland! I've now lost slightly more than half my excess body weight. It feels amazing.

That first week is tough! In fact, the first few weeks are a big adjustment. Having feelings like, "What did I do?"😱, came up a few times over those first few weeks. Recovery from the surgery was smooth for me, but drinking & eating weren't fun or easy. It gets easier & better as you move through the stages of the diet plan & can tolerate more foods & beverages. Seeing success on the scale or with NSVs will also help it all seem worth it. Right now, I am almost 2 months post op and slightly over 40 pounds down. My clothes are getting baggy. I am able to eat a variety of foods, but know when to stop. I feel like I am in control of my eating for the first time in my life. It is so much easier for me to make better choices & try to practice mindful eating. At this point, this seems to be effective for me & I would do it again. I hope it continues to be a helpful tool in successfully losing weight & maintaining it. I hope the surgery is successful in helping you achieve your weightloss goals & that you will be pleased with your decision. 😁

👍 I have wondered how long people continue to lose - How long after your surgery had you thought your weight had settled? And how much did you lose since that time? I wish I had thought to take a picture of all the clothes I donated because they are too big! I (gladly) lost 1/2 my closet! The rest are the clothes I thankfully didn’t get rid that finally fit again. NSV!!!!

Update: Getting much easier to deal with. My energy levels are coming back though I’m still as weak as a newborn kitten. Gas pains got a lot better, especially once I finally had a BM. I think it was backing up in there—take your Dulcolax or Miralax or milk of magnesia religiously! I do get grinding hunger pangs that feel like my stomach is literally twisting on itself. I made some protein jello (big box of orange sugar free Jello plus half a scoop of vanilla whey protein = creamsicle) for when I can’t handle the pains. They pass quickly but are debilitating. 8 cal of protein jello and I can sort of stave them off. I walk one minute every 15 minutes plus 5k a day which takes about 40-45 minutes. I’ll start running once I feel like I can sweat safely. Scale victory: down 9.6 lbs. in three days. NSV: Had to size down in shorts and throw out unders that are too big. Also my BP went from 145/85 with two meds a day before surgery to 123/68 with one med three days out.

I was on two blood pressure medications. One contained a water pill, and my PCP decided that since I'll be struggling to hydrate, I don't need to take the one with the water pill. In two days—TWO DAYS—my uncontrolled (pre-meds) blood pressure dropped from 155/95 to 134/75. I really don't understand how that would work physically, but I'm not going to argue with it!

Congrats! I remember how fun it was when I started fitting into smaller clothing. NSV's are everything to me. Keep up the good work! I always lost really really slow before surgery. And now almost everything I bought after surgery is too big. (And as much as I think it's a great NSV, it's a double edged sword. I hate shopping for some things, like bras. Now I'm having to shop again, but its less fun since I'm broke from surgery) Congrats again, keep up the good work.

I had a small NSV today. I put on a size large t-shirt and it actually fit! This is surprising to me as I am a slow loser and thought it would take longer for this to happen! I've had other victories but this one stuck me as the shirt I tried on has been in my closet for years....and I can finally fit into it!! I can't wait until I shrink into the rest of my clothes! Many best wishes and small NSV's to you all!

I bought a couple of sweaters from Ann Taylor Loft on sale because I have nothing for the colder weather. The size small was not the NSV - but the freedom to not feel like I “shouldn’t” wear a sweater with horizontal stripes was a big one! I didn’t realize how much my mom had instilled that in my head until I was looking at the website and purposefully skipping the ones with horizontal stripes because it would make me look bigger. Well, I got it in the mail yesterday and I think I can now say wearing horizontal stripes will be part of my life! PS - I think anyone at any size should wear what they want and what they feel good in - but my mom hammered into me all of these things about being heavy from like middle school on (suck in your stomach, be in the back behind people so your full body isn’t on display, no horizontal stripes, etc.) so this is just 30 years of baggage I’m trying to unload. Wearing horizontal stripes is major for me.

Surgery Status: 6 weeks post-op tomorrow. Sx 7.14.2021 VSG Phase: Regular foods Highest known weight: 218 Surgery weight: 200 even. Current Weight: 182 This morning. I gained 3 pounds 😭 Inch loss: 3 inches off waist, 4 inches off lower belly (Fupa), 1 in off arms, 1 in off neck, NSV: Went from a size 18 to 14 in pants and XXL to XL in shirts !

Checking in Surgery Status: ~4 weeks Post Op VSG (July 27th) Phase: week 2 soft food (tomorrow I am able to start regular food) Highest known weight: 241 Surgery weight: 229 Current Weight: 211 NSV: Some of my office slacks are fitting better, and even a bit too loose in some areas. I can also see a big difference in my face, especially when comparing photos side by side. I have been stalled on 96kg / 211lbs for almost a week now, but I am not too bothered since I fully expected this based on others' experiences. The hardest part for me has been the morning nausea and some lightheadedness. Otherwise, I keep on keeping on.

A two-for-1 yesterday; an OOTD and an NsV. OOTD of leggings and a tank to wear on a little spur-of-the-moment road trip to Niagara, where this statue of Nikola Tesla was screaming to be taken a pic with. The NSV being that it took no effort at all to hop on (and jump off!) that statue base to get the pic. 100+ lbs ago, this would have been very challenging…and i probably wouldn’t have even tried, lol.

Surgery Status: 5 weeks And 2 days Post Op VSG (July 13th) Phase: week 5 soft foods, introducing back into normal diet Highest known weight: 210 Starting weight: 210 Current Weight: 180 Inch loss: 6 inches off waist, 4 inch off hips. About 1-2 inch from legs and arms NSV: my face looks completely different in photos! Also got back into my favourite Barbour coat! 😊

Hey July Surgery People! It has been a while since we have had any updates in this thread. I can't wait to hear how you are all doing. Let's do another stats check! ✔📉⚖ How is your progress going? (NSV, inch loss, weight loss, pre or post op, phase.) Good luck!🤗 ________________ Surgery Status: 3 weeks Post Op VSG (July 26th) Phase: post op soft food diet week 2 Highest known weight: 291 Starting weight: 280 Current Weight: 253 Inch loss: 2 inches off waist, about 1 inch off most other spots. NSV: I fit into a pair of pants that I never fit into! (They are my current size but cut smaller & I bought without trying them on.)

I'm back with some new NSV. One of these gets me right in the feels. Comfortably sitting with my legs crossed, arms folded across my belly. This does not get old. One of you mentioned being able to see willy, well....female equivalent is being able to see kitty. Sitting up, lying down she is visible! 😸 Last weekend I had an auntie day with my 7-year-old niece. She loves to run and asked me if I would race her. The look on her face when I said sure! She looked completely shocked then so delighted. We ran three races, she won them all (for real - the kid is fast) and her delight in play racing me was priceless. Had to blink back the tears a bit because it meant so much to her that her auntie was running and playing with her in a way I couldn't just a few months ago.

It’s funny how I still find myself doing something & suddenly realise there was no way I would have been able to do it before surgery. Yesterday I was standing in one leg undoing my laces to take my shoes off. Not sitting & not heaving up my leg to try to reach the laces. Just standing on one leg with the other leg raised by itself & being able to balance & reach to undo the lace without even thinking about it. Even after two years you still discover little nsv.

I don't know where the other one is, but the NSV one is here:

My surgery was on 7/13, and I had my first day back at work as a teacher today. It went really well, and I didn't run out of energy even though we went from 7:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. (open house). I think it helped that I was prepared with plenty of foods and I ate a few times. We had a staff luncheon and I was a little worried what people might say because I haven't told most of them about the surgery. I ended up putting more on my plate than I plan to eat, and I slowly ate a small portion of those things. Nobody seemed to notice. One more exciting thing for me: I went shopping for some new school clothes yesterday and I had to keep bringing back the bigger sizes for smaller ones! I got a couple of pairs of pants that were 14s and a few 16s and some shirts that were either XL or 1XL. The scale doesn't move very rapidly for me, so it was nice to see this NSV. I hope everybody else is doing well and getting back into the swing of things!