I am quickly discovering that the scale is not the only measure of success in my weight loss journey. In fact, some of the most important and personally meaningful changes have no quantitative value at all. In the bariatric world, these changes are referred to as NSV’s, or non-scale victories.
I am only a little over 2 weeks post op, but I am already noticing a few NSV’s of my own. These subtle changes, usually completely invisible to others, help me stay motivated until significant weight changes take place. Unfortunately, after weight loss surgery, most people obsess about their exact weight and lose sight of positive changes to their everyday lives. I am definitely seeing movement on the scale, but physical changes that I can see and feel are much more important to me at this point. That’s one of the reasons I am not getting on the scale often. I prefer to use the scale to reinforce a new non-scale victory that I am enjoying in life.
Non-scale victories are so important because these are the changes that are altering how I live my LIFE!! At the moment, my personal NSV having the most impact on my life is the complete disappearance of my acid reflux/GERD. Over the past several years, my reflux has grown to include regurgitation and choking in the middle of the night. I can’t describe the feeling of panic that would overtake me if I woke up unable to breathe because stomach acid had climbed all the way into my throat. After waking, I would spend almost an hour trying to clear my throat, catch my breath, and calm the severe burning sensation in my throat so I could attempt to go back to sleep. I would then spend the next two days constantly clearing my throat, which I knew had to be aggravating everyone around me. This became such a problem, that I started drinking a double dose of Pepto Bismol every night before I went to bed. Just like the commercial shows, this pink liquid gold would coat my esophagus and stomach so that I could sleep fairly well while propped up on at least 3 pillows.
My acid reflux was the main deciding factor in the type of WLS that my surgeon recommended. The gastric sleeve surgery often produces acid reflux long term after surgery. Many gastric sleeve patients end up having a revision to a bypass at a later date. I knew I could not risk adding to my already existent GERD problem, and I definitely did not want to go through major surgery only to end up in a revision later. Therefore, my surgeon and I decided that the gastric bypass (RNY) surgery was best for me, and I am so thankful. As a direct result of my RNY surgery, I have had ZERO reflux issues post op. After suffering with GERD for so long, I consider this NSV my own personal miracle. I just realized today that I am no longer clearing my throat every morning of every day, and I am sure my family and coworkers are thankful.
I have a few other personal NSV’s that I am noticing. I am keeping a list and may decide to share more as I travel this journey, or I may add a page to the blog to highlight them as they occur. In the meantime, I will probably post my NSV’s on the blog Facebook and Instagram pages (links at the top of the page). Even though these small victories are HUGE to me and my life, I don’t feel like each one warrants a lengthy blog post. So maybe just a status update will suffice.
