NSVs

I am really happy with my weight loss.  I have been doing my best to work with my still nameless band, and the band has, in turn, been working with me.  It is easy for me to get bogged down with the reality that I still have 100+ pounds to lose, but I do my best to remind myself of how far I've come in under six months.  One of the easiest ways to do this is through NSVs.  The numbers are always important, but the reality is that NSVs drive us.  What is the point of losing all this weight if the weight loss does not positively impact our lives?

My first two NSVs relate to airplanes.  A couple of months ago I was able to fasten my seat belt, regardless of the size of the plane.  Prior to surgery, I could JUST fasten my belt on CO 777s and would actually break into a sweat doing so.  I'd have to recline my seat to give me a bit more room, pull both ends of the belt as much as possible, suck in my gut, and hope for the best.  I had absolutely no chance of doing so on CO 757s or on 737s and stopped trying.  Lucky for me, flight attendants are not that observant, so I never had to use an extender.  Now I can fasten my seat belt without any problem.  That was NSV #1.  NSV #2 is pretty similar.  Now I can actually fit into my seat when I fly.  Before surgery my legs and butt would expand under the armrest and invade the seat of the person next to me, frequently my poor husband.  It was SO embarrassing.  I always hated what I refer to as 'butt ooze' and had little patience for people whose butts invaded the seat that I paid for.  One day I became butt oozer- so not acceptable, but nothing I could fix immediately.  Well, my butt ooze no longer encroaches upon the poor soul seated next to me.  I still might ooze a bit, but said ooze is limited to my seat!  These things sound trivial, but for me they are gigantic.  I fly most weeks, and it is so nice to have less anxiety when doing so. 
   

I'm having so much fun documenting my NSVs that I will post one more.  Walking was really becoming a chore once I surpassed the 300 pound mark.  I don't mean that I couldn't walk, but I could not maintain any decent pace when walking.  Walking also fatigued me to no end.  When K and I would travel, I'd try to find the most direct route to every sight to reduce the amount I'd have to walk and do everything in my power to avoid stairs.  Even with these methods, I would be exhausted by the end of the day.  Those days are behind me.  K and I were recently in Italy, and boy did we walk.  We walked and walked like we hadn't walked in years.  When we didn't walk, we climbed.  We climbed San Marco, we climbed the Doge's Palace, we climbed the Rialto Bridge more times than I care to remember, and that was just in Venice.  My most exciting victory (NSV #3) was that we climbed Pisa- all 294 (or 296, not sure which staircase we used) steps!  I did stop a couple of times on my way up, but my breaks were no longer than 30 seconds.  Other than that, it was pure climbing.  I was a bit hot and sweaty when I reached the top, but I couldn't have cared less.  I had done it- I CLIMBED PISA!  K was very excited for me as well.  He is experiencing the benefits of this surgery and is liking the results! 
   

Yup, that's me... on the top of the Leaning Tower!