I was at the grocery store yesterday when my shoe came untied. I looked down at it, and thought, huh, I wonder if I can just bend over and tie it these days? I bent over and tied my shoe!

Just 5 months ago, I could not have done that. Honestly, it makes me so embarrassed and sad to even say that. And actually, when I think of how I used to have to be sitting (in a certain chair, even!) to get the job done, it already seems like a ghost of a memory. I'm really trying to fully appreciate and acknowledge these things as they happen, because I don't ever want to forget what 350 lbs feels like as I make my way down.

It is amazing how the pounds can just sneak up on you, and before you know it you are so large you cannot tie your shoes and that becomes your new normal. I can't wait to find out what else I will be able to do as my normal changes!

Great NSV!!!!!

yeah Shannon! Look how far you've come already!

It's the small things that add up, and I too try to appreciate them as they come along. It's so easy to forget them after a while, and lose sight of how far we've come! You're doing great, and are are a real inspiration.

That is really wonderful!
Being able to do common everyday things is something that I hope I never take for granted. To tie my shoes, I used to have to sit either on the bed or couch, turn sideways and prop my leg on the the bed or cough so that I could get my shoe close enough to tie. I think about that every single time I bend down and tie my shoes now. We don't have to get to goal to reap the rewards of our new lifestyles!

That's an awesome NSV! You're well on your way to a whole slew of new NSVs. Looking forward to reading about them!

Awesome! I remember the day I could clip my toenails and still be able to breathe while doing so!! Keep on keeping on!

Congrats! When I first realized I could stop, bend to one knee, tie my shoe and then stand back up without holding on to anything, I went around and modeled the move to other people.

I shudder when I realize how resigned I was to my life. How I'd made my peace with being fat and just accepted my measure of misery. As you say, I need to never, ever forget that. The capacity of the human mind to accept, as you say, a new normal, is both our greatest strength and our greatest weakness. It allows us to adapt when things change rapidly, but it means we can come to accept some pretty bizarre things--like physically and emotionally abusive relationships, terrible jobs, and health problems.

that's an awesome NSV!

my back is 'out' right now, and this morning i opted for slip on shoes as the distance between my hands and my feet seemed unsurmountable! lol I need you to come tie them for me

Those are the best ones, when you realize you're doing something you couldnt before, congrats!!

I know the sadness feeling though, a few weeks ago some one asked me how much I had lost (a close friend) and then how much more i wanted to lose . . . she did the math and was surprised that I 'needed' to lose 100+ lbs. I was embaressed that I had let myself get to the point i needed to do that rather than proud of what i've already done.
Funny how that works.

Great NSV! Shoes that tie, heck I need to get me some of those again. I've been wearing slip-on Crocs for years. Lol

I think it's good to acknowledge the bittersweet nature of some of these accomplishments. Celebrate them, but keep the bitter taste too to help remind you why you don't want to go back there.

It's like the ritual at Passover, eating the sweet tasty charoset with the bitter maror, the sweetness of freedom mingled with the bitterness of slavery.

Not long ago I proudly told a very close friend, "I've lost 50 pounds. I've never lost that much before." And she said, "does that mean you're thinner than you've ever been as an adult?" Nope. It only means I was fatter than I'd ever been and had that much further to go.

YAY! That is a good one. Never thought of it before.

That is a GREAT NSV! You will have more and more of them and they add up to a better quality of life. Congrats

That's a great NSV and I have to say I'm glad you're making note of the milestones. I wish I'd written mine down as they came along...