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Julie, Couldn't agree more. My nemesis was also insatiable hunger, which the band has corrected. And like you, for years now. I was scared of losing my familiar food-comforts too; afraid I wouldn't find a suitable replacement. In the beginning, I didn't really have to. My band-journey was during the course of numerous surgeries, so the band wasn't necessarily my main focus for most of my weight loss. It was: Surgery --> laid up --> PT appointments, (no choice / no excuses exercise) --> back to work in a hostile, toxic work environment --> , then another, then another... 8 times over four years. I just listened to my body (restriction) and did what the ortho surgeons told me to do, made my intermittent fill appts, as prescribed. I was Knee-deep in the medical industry, and I come from a long line of doc avoiders. Oof! Not a happy place. Every once in awhile, I'd get dressed, look in the mirror, and say wow! THAT doesn't look very good anymore! Way too big! Sweet! Then, all of a sudden, returning to work after the last surgery, everyone called me skinny. Whaaat? Seemed odd. Still felt like me. I WAS still me! Just lighter; in pounds, in spirit and in mind. I think that's how it works with the band. Slow transformation over time - fine by me -cocooning (pre-surg liquid diet, first fills), then adding exercise (for me, just intermittent PT), and more fills, and the realization I'm living life sans insatiable hunger! Cool. And suddenly, out pops a butterfly! Amazing! Love my band! It not only saved my life (Co-morbidities) but made my long ortho-surg ordeal much easier, as pressure on my joints, and pain, lessened. Now, hardly any hip/knee pain to speak of. Fabulous! Presently, I'm thrust to focus on my band again, maybe for the 1st time. Before that, for the most part, It simply worked in the background. So grateful my band worked like that. And exercise, need to get back on track with THAT, ok- probably for the first time since banding too, now that it's not "mandatory" i.e.: PT appts. Do you agree that as vets, instead of fighting hunger, complacency is our new struggle? Are you paying attention, Professor? This is the ghost of x-mas future... For me, Remembering to self-reward NSV's, remembering to exercise, remembering how many oz (or was that grams?) of protein/diem, Am I still supposed to eat only 1-2 tbsp of carbs, because sometimes, I'm tanking. How many CC's are in that thing? Does knowing really matter? How important is it for me to stay in that band-inflaming, extremely toxic, bizzaro-world I work in? Should I tough it out to retire "early"? Or do I go back out into another scary unknown- a new career? Which ones scarier? (After this past week, without a doubt, it's work). IMO, Our bands are for LIFE! There will always be struggles and our bands are in it with us. Sometimes we'll be more band-conscious. Most of the time though, it works, unconsciously.

I can still distinctly remember having that fear of not fitting in a desk at school going back as far as grade school. This is indeed a monumental NSV! Congrats!

Happyyyyyy Monday!!!! Yesterday I ran 2.5miles with my pup and that was a HUGE NSV for me! I have been working up to it, but kinda of a weird weekend. It was such a busy weekend so I grazed a bit instead of sitting down and eating a full meal. so that annoyed me that I did that when its not my typical eating habits. Other than that, so far so good!

That's a great NSV!!! Congrats!

Yesterday for the first time ever, i balanced with my husband on the teeter-toter at the park when we took my granddaughter there!!! 27 years together and that's never happened! Love this!lol

That's a great nsv!

So! I did it! I reached my first goal. March 10, 2014 I had my lapband surgery and I weighed in at 343lbs. This weekend I weighed in at 298.2 and that is a number I haven't seen in probably 4 years. I had been over 300lbs for quite some time so I ate my first goal to loose 44lbs, to make me less than 300. I'm loosing on average about 2lbs a week. It is slow and steady but I am super happy with my lapband decision and everyday is a new day to learn and grow into a better, healthier me. I am down a pant size or two and I am loving all the compliments that I am getting. I feel like I am glowing! My next goal is to loose another 20 by September 6th! I have a wedding to go to so I am setting my standards high and reaching for the sky!!!!

@LadyDrDenyse i have had a turkey neck since i was a teen. i'm 64 years young. After i lost 105 lbs (goal) i decided to have a face lift, getting rid of my TN. this was a gigantic splurge for me. (money!!) but i came to the conclusion that I was worth it!! Wonderful NSV kathy

No longer classified as obese according to the Bmi calculator. My Bmi went from 42 the day of surgery to 29.9today. Yay!

Thought I would give an update here. VSG was done 9/14/2021, today is 11/14/2021. THE GOOD: Down 55 lbs from surgery, 64 lbs from the start of the pre-op diet, and 94 lbs from my heaviest weight. Hypertension and asthma diagnoses were officially withdrawn. Hypogonadism is under review. CPAP average setting went from 16 cm H2O to about 7 cm. Have an appointment soon to see if I need it any more. Depression has almost completely been put in remission. Went from 52/34 to 36/34 in the same cut of jeans, and actually need to go see if they have 34/34 at the outlet. Went from 4XL or even 5XL shirts to L or XL (mostly XL). Went from 15EE boots to 12D; my arch has returned, which shocked my surgeon and my PCP. Running and enjoying it for the first time ever. Way too many NSVs to count THE BAD: Still occasional bouts of constipation which mess up scale results, but then it all, um, resolves and the number on the scale goes WHOOSH. Had to fire my NUT for being a horrible person. Found a new NUT who is amazing and who does the same fitness I do. The extremely restrictive diet (especially under the old NUT's "guidance") caused a massive drop in strength, which did not help at work. It also caused me to stall out. The new NUT increased my intake from 600-800 to 1000-1400 cals a day, and WHOOSH went the scale once again. It actually hurts to sit down because my butt is bony. I'm cold all the freaking time, even when it's objectively-by-any-sane-standard not cold. Needed a chiropractic adjustment because my hips are not used to carrying 25% less of me and were hurting badly. Had to replace expensive work boots because they were giving me blisters. Clothes I can get from the Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less; work boots not so much. THE UGLY: Eating too fast or even one bite too much means spending the next 30 minutes to an hour in great physical discomfort. It takes time for the full signal to arrive in my brain. Eating lettuce salad was, in hindsight, a really, really bad idea. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Some gnarly skin tags as my fat melts away, and the beginnings of some loose skin. Added in a daily dose of collagen peptides to help. One incision is still quite visible, though it's healed over. Starting to notice a little more hairfall, including head, beard, and chest. Still the best thing I've ever done for myself.

oooh, I love NSVs!!! I have a few too! 3. walked into a restaurant (that I go to all the time!!!) where a cute waiter says, I know you look familiar, but I dont know where I know I know you from!, then as I leave, he tells me to come back and see him again soon. And I am married!! Ha!! But it still feels good. 2. got rid of all my size 16 pants, and fitting comfortably into size 14. I have 1 pair of size 12, but I still think they are a bit snug. 1. I can take the stairs at work and not be huffing and puffing when I get to the third floor!! Keep up the great work everyone!

I had a great NSV this week. My PCP lowered my blood pressure meds. Then today i went for a fill, and the nurse there took my blood pressure and said, it is probably time to see your PCP about lowering your blood pressure meds. I told her I already did that this week, and she was amazed that my blood pressure was perfect.

Love to hear these NSVs!. I think it's easy to get focused on that number on the scale which can lead to discouragement. I am struggleing to get back on track after some regain, going for 3 good days in a row. Hopefully some NSV's to come soon!

I was just thinking the same thing, about making my own NSV goals. Or whittling them down to a small list, anyway. 1. The ability to sit on the floor/ground, so that I can play with and train my dog 2. Walking more and eventually being able to jog and do 5ks 3. Kayaking 4. Swimming. My late grandfather swam competitively until he was in his 80s, so I'd love to get lessons at his swim club. 5. Wearing a bathing suit that's not a swim dress, and not feeling self-conscious about how I look 6. Shopping for non-plus size clothes 7. Reducing/eliminating meds & sleep apnea. Would love to not have to use a CPAP

My favorite NSVs do not belong to me. Coyotegirl (Terri) walking a few steps for the first time in years Being able to put my arms around my husband for the first time in our relationship because he's lost so much weight. My fingers actually touch! (he was 600 pounds when he was first banded 3 years ago.) My favorite NSVs that belongs to me: I didn't die from resperatory failure. My second one might sound weird, but it has to be being finally diagnosed with Cushing's. I would have never been diagnosed with it, and it too would have killed me.

@ Justine13: Well they go up to a 3X so I'm hoping I can realistically be in a 1X-2X by November. That would be at least a 50 lbs total weight loss for me. I have a lot to lose. I have my "skinny" clothes on hand in the house and I don't foresee buying anything new except bras, underwear and pants as the weight comes off. I have a whole stable of black pants and leggings on hand, but none have belt loops or zippers.They truly are my "big girl" pants with the elastic waist. I just can't wait to feel comfortable in my own skin. Just comfortable being able to cross my legs like a lady, wear a mini-skirt on "date night," sit comfortably at a booth in a restaurant, not have to request a seat belt extender on the plane, and sit Indian style on the floor w/o effort. Little rewards like that, I want to experience. I think the lingo on the forum is NSV (non scale victory). I think I got it right?....LOL. I just look forward to what I will be able to accomplish with this new tool (The Sleeve) to help me with my weight loss and health. Sigh...Lots of work to do!

Yes, there's a lot of work to do, but it's SO worth it when you start having those NSV's !!!

wow, Paul... new avatar looks great! Well guys... great NSV's this weekend! My hubby's cousins saw me for the first time since surgery and they were just full of compliments. Huge ego boost! I went and saw the Bellamy Brothers and they rocked! I looked good that night too!!! I am wearing a size 12L Levis right now and I don't know that I have ever worn that size in my life! I think it is possible that I might one day fit into an 8!!!

C - 261, -17.5, -0 (once again this week I am the same weight) but I won't complain because the heat and Water retention have me going up and down as much as 3 lbs - happily landed back down on weigh-in day - I'm thankful WTG Cheri on that itsy bitsy teeny weeny bathing suit! My new NSV was buying two new camis yesterday - two sizes smaller than the last one I bought! What is everyone else's new NSV????? Post and let us know!

So we decided to walk in a mall tonight. We head to the food court to get dinner and I have to go to the bathroom. My husband is going to wait for me. I come back in four minutes and he says, "I'm really sorry, but I ate without you" and shows me four toothpicks of free food they gave him as he strolled by the various stalls there. Yup, four pieces of chicken and the man is too full for dinner. I know people thought we were crazy when we both burst out laughing. We went to get me some chicken from a thai place there and it took a while for them to understand we didn't want rice or noodles just chicken. Then we made them put half the chicken back because we would never have finished it. And then we didn't even want a drink! We were no fun, I tell you and dinner was $4.24. For both of us. You can relate, can't you? hasn't life changed?

Great NSV from your daughter... and give her a break about being totally honest with you now. I think it's amazing that she managed not to say anything before you lost the weight! Most kids aren't that diplomatic.

OK gotta' chime in here. I'm a Woman's Health NP and spent most of my career caring for women, doing cervical cancer screening and prevention. Not bragging, just letting you all know I have the creds to address this. You are absolutely correct in saying your year of healthy eating has "cured" your dysplasia. Well, not exactly, but what has happened is your body is now able to devote some energy to fighting the virus that caused your dysplsia - the HPV virus. Chances are we've all had at least 1 of the more than 100 strains of HPV out there. Some of us got lucky and got one of the less aggressive ones. Some got one of the more virulent strains that cause high grade dysplasia and cervical cancer. Like all viruses, we need our immune system to be healthy in order to fight off the negative effects of a virus. (Ever get a simple cold but because of stress, it knocked you on your ass?) Stress comes in many different forms, and being obese is a HUGE stressor on which your body has to expend a lot of its resources fighting. Congrats to you for taking this step towards good health. A pretty major NSV, wouldn't you say? By the way, if you have kids, get them vaccinated against HPV. Girls AND boys ( it takes two to tango!)

Ok, so it probably didn't. But I've had abnormal PAPs for the last 7 years. I get checked twice/year and it ranges from From atypical to high grade. I've had 4 LEEPS, 5 biopsies and a conization. I can't believe I even have a cervix left after all the bits and pieces that have been removed. Two years ago I finally said fuckit....unless it comes back high grade again or precancerous, I'm not having anymore procedures...obviously the aren't working. Well I just got my most resent PAP result and it was normal! My OB/Gyn emailed me herself she was so excited. I'm chalking it up to outstanding nutrition over the last 10 months since surgery. Very nice NSV!

Thanks to everyone for their support and advice. I am constantly learning things about myself and my habits as I go through this process. One early learning was that I am compelled to finish what is on my plate. Somehow I just can't leave food that is available. So I bought small bowls that are just the right portion size and that helped there. The other learning is that I like the feeling of having a full mouth. So these little bites just don't yet provide the satisfaction I need with eating. But they will have to eventually. But I had a NSV today. A month before the surgery we went away to Italy to Celebrate my 50th birthday. I needed to buy some bigger clothes to feel comfortable on the trip. Today I tried them on and I cannot be seen in public with them or they will fall off my tuch. Yippee!

I lost 19 lbs pre-op (360lb at surgery) and as of this morning I am 344. There is part of me that wants more. However I am only 9 days post op. I have to remind myself I didn't get this way over night so i can't expect it to come off that way. It's hard to not be a slave to the scale. I like NSV more. My clothes are fitting better and I have have been losing inches on my measurements. Stay positive and keep up the work.