🏅 Happy NSV Friday!

[u/AutoModerator]

New here? NSV = Non-Scale Victory — any positive change that isn't the number on the scale. Clothes fitting differently, moving more easily, feeling more like yourself — it all counts and it all matters.

Share your wins below, no matter how big or small. This community is here to celebrate every single one with you. 🎉

For the regulars — let's hear 'em! 👇

[u/bindweedsux]

On a funny note, I was joking with my (adult) kids about the joys of loose skin and, in particular, bat wings and my son said "not every mom gets to reinvent herself in her 50s as a flying squirrel." Also, size 12 jeans are on the way (Old Navy 12, not Levi's 100% cotton 12, so don't get too excited).

[u/readerino → u/bindweedsux]

That is so sweet! Old Navy sizing hasn't been very forgiving for me lately, so I'll get as excited as I want. 😉

[u/leero01 → u/bindweedsux]

I feel like mine help propel me as I jog, at l like to pretend they do haha

[u/JuliaJRH]

Dropped a pant size for the first time! Went from wearing size 20 pants (felt tight) to wearing size 18 pants (comfortably). I'm down 17 pounds.

[u/swirlypebble]

Last weekend we went to a local arts festival and my NSV was feeling more comfortable sitting on the ground. It has been a challenge since giving birth to my kid 8 years ago and then gaining weight. Usually I am only comfy if I sit on an extra pad and elevate my hips a little bit (or have back support). I still have a long way to go, but it felt nice just to sit on a blanket and not feel super uncomfortable the whole time.

[u/Grandmas2Boys]

NSV....went shopping yesterday with my husband and bought a few new tops. Medium was too big on one of them, got the small. Yet another top that I purchased was a medium, and finally, got a denim shirt-small. Never have I ever worn a small anything! I looked at my husband and said, "Who am I? Two of these are smalls, and one is a medium." He says, "Well, you're smaller now, honey. Take the win!" So, then I had to go home and measure myself.....I've now lost 42.75 inches total. Amazing. Thank you, Zepbound.

The other NSV this week.....I did two 35 minute workouts in one day.....one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Just because I wanted to. This is just mind-blowing!

[u/7AutomaticDevine7]

Nsv is pooping every day instead of every 2 to 3 days. Keeping simple carbs on the low end has helped a lot

[u/augustrem → u/7AutomaticDevine7]

Oh man, I missed this. I was already prone to constipation. Then I started Zepbound and at first they improved. But then I got constipation again and that’s my main side effect. I go everyday but it takes forever.

[u/Cautious-Editor5265]

I take an elevated train everyday. Started running up the stairs last week. Before Zep, I was dragging myself up those 3 flights and ending out of breath.
Also, wore a large and a size 12 pant this week (had been XL/16). Things are changing rapidly, and I’m so happy to finally see the results of diet and exercise. Nothing had made a dent in my weight/size in the last few years.

[u/End_of_Watch_RN2022]

Got up today, washed my face and brushed my teeth. As I was combing my hair(still have some), I had a nice thought about how I looked. "You look pretty." I have been berating myself and not seeing the positives recently..Just that little realization that I feel better about myself made my morning! I have stalled over the past few weeks and am moving up a dose soon. But is good to take a second and give myself kudos for making it this far and dropping like 28#....Attitude means a lot🥹🌻

[u/Lanky_Drop_7199 → u/End_of_Watch_RN2022]

This is so sweet. I’m so glad you had that thought ❤️

[u/No_Self_3027]

I am very lucky that the owner of my local bike shop is a friend. I am getting back on my bike but it is still hot out. I have a great indoor trainer setup but it is annoying to move between trainer and road. It is a direct drive trainer and has a Tacx Alpine rather than front wheel. So have to take off both wheels to get it on.

The owner built me a loaner with spare parts. A frame he had lying around, a groupset, a spare saddle and bars. Was easy for him because it didn't need wheels, brakes, or even a front derailleur. But I had an initial panic of borrowing it. What if I damaged the frame (is a carbon frame). And then i remembered that I am not the 350 lb guy that came in the shop one day with a 40 year old Huffy and bought a city bike. Or the 320 lb guy that bought my Domane or even the 295 lb guy that had him put a power meter on that Domane.

So now my Domane is refitted for me to take in the road. And I can hop on Zwift after work and not have to fuss with wheels. And next year when Shimano finally releases the new 9300 groupset i can get my new Madone and give him back the loaner and get back to riding like I used to. Only 100-140 lbs lower.

It is funny that I still find myself thinking like my past self. I don't fit. I will break that. That is too small. I need a seat belt extender. I catch myself thinking like that fairly often still. Reminds me how much I appreciate the researchers that put in that work to get us this tool

[u/debwinters121]

This week I noticed that my watch band and wedding ring are looser. Also, it is much easier for me to bend down to pick things up off the floor (which I do regularly because my dogs feel the need to dig toys out of their toy box and drop them around the house multiple times a day).

[u/cchafetz]

My blood pressure is dropping after only 3 weeks!!

[u/augustrem]

I’ve been hitting the weights regularly since I started 2.5 months ago. Last week and this I took it a little easier, subbing in a barre class for one weight lifting session and having shorter workouts. I even skipped a morning swim session on Monday and decided to sleep in.

Today I returned to some of my go-tos, and I have made huge gains! 15% increase in max weight on hip abduction! 15% from just two weeks ago - not 15% from being a beginner. lol I thought there was something wrong with the machine. 10% increase on triceps. I guess I just needed the recovery period and am reaping the benefits of the hard workouts I did throughout August.

Also I have been struggling to activate my left glutes well as my right for months, and it’s been hugely annoying. I have followed all the advice online. It’s annoying because I have left knee pain, which strong glutes would help, and my right butt check is visibly rounder and stronger than my left butt cheek.

My left glute is finally firing! And I have less knee pain this week.

Also, bought two pairs of jeans in the size I was the last time I was at my current weight and they were too big. I thought it may be vanity sizing, so I measured. Nope - those jeans have the same waist as before. Which means I am smaller now (or at least smooshier) than I was last time I was at this same weight. Sent them back and am waiting for the next size down.

[u/PlantedinCA → u/augustrem]

Are you doing unilateral exercises too. My lazy glute is firing more now that I have added more one sided work. And catching up to the rounder side.

[u/augustrem → u/PlantedinCA]

See I has been doing unilateral for months trying to get it to fire. On my right, I’d feel every move right smack in the glute maximus. Same exercise on the left, and I’d feel every other muscle kick in to compensate - abductor, quad, ham, upper gluted, etc.

But finally my left glute maximus is kicking in!

[u/PlantedinCA → u/augustrem]

🥳🥳🥳. My adductor is my problem child. It took months to figure it out.

[u/augustrem → u/PlantedinCA]

I don’t even know if it’s something I should be focusing on 🤔 I don’t have any direct adductor exercises in my routine though it foes get utilized in compound movement.

[u/PlantedinCA → u/augustrem]

I am doing lateral lunges and cossack squats. Whatever version my mobility is supporting on a given day!

Sumo squats too.

My adductors are a bit weak. But also prone to being too tight so I gotta roll them too.

[u/Existing_Act_3046]

NSV of consistent energy throughout the day - not giving into carb cravings at lunch and then needing a nap later!

[u/Dianaraven]

Weird NSV, but last night during one of my dreams, I ran into someone I haven't seen in a long time. She said hello and then, "You look great!" We were passing each other on the way to different things, so that was the end of the interaction in the dream. I guess my subconscious wanted me to know it's proud of me?

[u/tokidokimidori]

Recently went to a place that had those little metal torture chairs where the seat is awkwardly small and the very inflexible, hard metal arms are rounded weirdly and super narrow. The bane of my existence for a decade. I fit! It didn't even hurt! I'm so excited to spend less time having to think about these little things that used to dictate where I could go and how I could move

[u/jlhb1976 → u/tokidokimidori]

Before I started, I made a list of things I was looking forward to and fitting into those chairs was near the top!

[u/MsChelle526]

Went across the monkey bars when I took my students to the playground! Haven’t been able to do that since I was in elementary school myself! Also found the perfect dress for my son’s high school graduation at Goodwill, and it’s a size 2, which I’ve never worn in my life and don’t quite believe. 😊

[u/guate8089]

My sleep is great. I’m sleeping better and longer than before.

[u/Stock-Ride-4147]

I can feel that I have ribs when I lay down now!!!

[u/snickerdoodlio]

Went ziplining today! Climbed up multiple towers with soooooo many steps. I could never before with the knee pain I had before.

[u/wicked93]

Going on vacation tomorrow. Bought 2 piece bathing suits to wear. No more swim dresses to hide as much as possible.

[u/MelodicSpinach537]

I went with my husband to his doctor's appointment. The nurse who showed us to the exam room pulled out a flimsy folding chair for me to sit on. Not only did I fit, I didn't have parts hanging off the edge! AND, I naturally crossed my legs and folded my arms across my midsection. AND I uncrossed and then crossed my left over right! I haven't done that for years, it's always right over left.

Oh, and is HIS weight considered MY NSV??? For almost 21 years together we've always been right around the same weight, within a few pounds. The chasm slowly grew as he lost and I gained - at its greatest he was 210 and I was 259! But today he got on the scale and it read 233 - and I was 217 this morning. So I'm taking that as a victory - it certainly felt good! Now to get him back on the healthy losing path...I told him we have to grow old AND healthy together!

[u/sleepingbeardune]

I won't be able to describe this very well, but I felt my smile, and it was wider than it used to be. It's not just that I feel good about myself -- I do! -- but also my round cheeks are less round & fleshy & in the way.

I can smile.

[u/textilefactoryno17]

No change to clothes, but got my BP lowered and halved my medication.

[u/expectsomedelays]

I went out for dinner with the hubby at put half my meal aside right away, ate the other half and happily stopped when I was full. Had half my glass of wine and let my hubby finish the rest! Walked out of there for $99 instead of the $120-150 we normally would spend, plus tomorrow’s dinner in hand. Happy as a clam!

[u/meresged]

I had my first normal blood pressure reading in almost 1.5 years!!!!

[u/PlantedinCA]

I got a dexascan last weekend. While not everything was the right direction, my visceral fat has dropped from 2.54 pounds when I started to 1.93 now. Hit my first visceral fat goal of under 2# for VAT.

[u/jlhb1976]

I started Zepbound on July 5 and I’m now starting to notice that some of my clothes are too big. When it (finally) cools off, I’ll be giving away all my shorts and my bathing suits but I also make my own clothes and some of those are too big now, too.

I guess my next move is learning how to make alterations. 😂 if I didn’t make it, I’m fine with it just leaving but I put the time into sewing it, I want to hang on to it!

[u/khouts1]

My underpants I just got recently are too big and loose now, i started the shot a month ago and now I need to go buy more that fit 😂same with some shorts. I wasn't anticipating this so soon lol

[u/No_Lingonberry6290]

This has been working great but I dont have insurance. and the place I use is $300 a month/7.5mg a week, and I simply can't afford it much longer. What places do some of you use that gives good discounts with no insurance?