Today I had an unexpected and surprisingly satisfying NSV. I noticed that my belly button shrank. It's about 50% shallower than it used to be! Who knew I would be so pleased about less depth to my belly button? ?

Only one month into this thing, but so many happy changes already. Decided to get out of the office during lunch today. Instead of feeling the back pain and just finding someplace to sit, I ended up wondering over to the mall across the street, getting in a few hundred steps and buying my wife a nice birthday present. All with zero back pain. I feel so free.

11 hours ago, Nepenthe44 said:

I just walked straight up the stairs, quickly, without getting out of breath, because I needed to get something from my bedroom. Didn't even think about it.

I used to have to haul myself up with my arms, stopping on each step.

Now I'm looking for excuses to take the stairs just to show off!

Nice! Isn’t it amazing how much easier it is to get up the stairs without hauling all that extra weight? I lost 200 pounds, and it’s mind-blowing to think that I was basically walking around with a 200-pound person on my back everywhere I went.

16 hours ago, Nepenthe44 said:

I just walked straight up the stairs, quickly, without getting out of breath, because I needed to get something from my bedroom. Didn't even think about it.

I used to have to haul myself up with my arms, stopping on each step.

Now I'm looking for excuses to take the stairs just to show off!

This made me smile, isn't the surgery worth it when you can be like you were years earlier.

17 hours ago, Nepenthe44 said:

I just walked straight up the stairs, quickly, without getting out of breath, because I needed to get something from my bedroom. Didn't even think about it.

I used to have to haul myself up with my arms, stopping on each step.

Now I'm looking for excuses to take the stairs just to show off!

Oh wow! that is such great progress??

I'm the same I hold onto the rails pulling myself up or if I'm really tired and my knees are hurting I will go up in crawling position?

3 hours ago, summerseeker said:

isn't the surgery worth it when you can be like you were years earlier

I'm sure it'll be even better post surgery. I have my first appointment/consultation with the surgery program next week so I'm still at least 6 months out. Hopefully by my surgery date I'll be running up the stairs.

So today I was walking down the hallway at work and I realized I could see my legs... silly but pre-surgery I had a Buddha belly, almost pregnantish. I could only see belly if I looked down. It was a treat to see something else.

Another victory is my 16 year old seems to be warming up to me being around her in public, like at her band events and such. Not 100% if that weight related or her maturing or a combo but a good feeling. Nice not to embarrass the kiddos.

I walked around the fair today…. All day…. And I wasn’t miserable ? (it was like 94 degrees out too!)

Shopping online for a ladder and NOT looking at the maximum weight with dread. They're all 100kg and up! I could carry three very large cats up those things and STILL be cruisin'! I could haul a child up some of them!

I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE WEIGHT-LIMITS! COME AT ME! ?

One of the nicest non scale victories I have experienced is that I am not sweating near as much as I have in the past. I walk outside during the work day to get a little extra exercise. In the past walking around in 90 degree weather would make me soaking wet in just a short 10 or 15 minutes. I am walking a good 20 minutes several times a day without sweating very much at all. I did not think it was possible.

13 hours ago, Smanky said:

Shopping online for a ladder and NOT looking at the maximum weight with dread. They're all 100kg and up! I could carry three very large cats up those things and STILL be cruisin'! I could haul a child up some of them!

I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU ANYMORE WEIGHT-LIMITS! COME AT ME! ?

I'm going on a band trip in March (my surgery was June 7,2022). They were talking about roller coaster rides and zip lines and hike, oh my! It was the first time I didn't cringe because I've already lost 57 and have 6 months to lose at least 50 more. I can go on the fun rides without fear of not fitting!

I never sweat anymore. It is kind of weird, I have never been a huge sweater but now it's never.

I had to prepare a hall for a Celebration of Life. 32 Steps, outside in 100* heat. Carried stuff up and down, heavy stuff. cases of sodas/water, platters of foods, all kinda of stuff never once needed a break. Never got too tired, didn't even really loose my breath. I lost count at 20 trips between carrying things in and then out at the end.

The next day, my knees didn't hurt. Nothing hurt, I couldn't even tell I went up and down those stairs so much!

We've had really extreme heat in many of the cities I've been working and vacationing in in the last month, and I've been a lot less bothered by it than before I lost 120 lbs. I can feel that it's too hot, but I don't feel cranky and miserable, and I am even able to walk outside early in the morning for a few miles.

On the other hand, this week I'm in San Francisco where it's 61 and indoors I'm wear long underwear, tops and bottoms, under pants and a long sleeve shirt and a fleece... and my legs are under a blanket at my desk!

So, some good some bad...

I think fitting back into clothes I hadn't worn in 2-3 years and have them even loose is a wonderful feeling!

I never sweat anymore. It is kind of weird, I have never been a huge sweater but now it's never.
I had to prepare a hall for a Celebration of Life. 32 Steps, outside in 100* heat. Carried stuff up and down, heavy stuff. cases of sodas/water, platters of foods, all kinda of stuff never once needed a break. Never got too tired, didn't even really loose my breath. I lost count at 20 trips between carrying things in and then out at the end.
The next day, my knees didn't hurt. Nothing hurt, I couldn't even tell I went up and down those stairs so much!

I feel this! I went out last week on Friday to the bars and walked 4 miles and went dancing. My friend who is a bit heavier was complaining of being sore the next day and I didn't feel any soreness when in the past, my legs and knees would've been in pain. Def an NSV for me.

Another weird NSV but shopping less and having a fuller pantry. Because of how little I can eat, I don't need to buy groceries like I used to. I use to spend so much money on groceries and go through them within a week because I ate so much. But now I'm spending less money and my pantry is fuller longer. It almost feels like a bariatric super power as I see my roommate buy hundreds of dollars worth of groceries and go through it within a week!
I can make one 100 dollar trip last 20 days! Of course I spend a fortune ordering my fairlife shakes online hahaha