In celebration of all the Non-scale victories out there, and in conjunction with this silly holiday some people celebrate- I thought I'd turn my frown at being single upside-down by sharing a NSV for today!

I was chatting with a co-worker about a dress I saw at Salvation Army and mentioned it was a size 14- she said "You're WAY smaller than a size 14!" (I'm a 12 so not WAY smaller but still!!) It made me smile BIG on the inside that someone looks at me and does NOT see

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I went in to see my regular doctor today after having not seen him since prior to my surgery- he was blown away by the way I look and my amazing progress. The best thing that happened though, is that he took my A1C blood test while I was there and it came back 4.6!!! A normal range for A1C is anywhere below 5.7 and mine USED to be anywhere between 9 and 10 which is ridiculously high! I am officially NOT a diabetic and I NEVER will be again. Thank you SLEEVE!

The incredible last 6 months have completely transformed me- not just physically, but emotionally as well. Here are a few highlights of these post-surgical last 6 months:

* I have lost 79lbs
* I am off all medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol,infertility, and severe metabolic disorder
* I no longer have to use a CPap breathing machine at night
* I have 4 regular periods in a row after never having a natural period on my own in my entire

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I knew this surgery was going to be a success for me because in my heart, I felt like the timing and the desire had aligned- I was extremely positive and enthusiastic for a new life that did not include me hating myself for failing to meet the standard of feminine beauty- but somewhere in my heart of hearts I still feared that it might not be the answer. I could not be more delighted that I have defied the fears of my heart of hearts.

Here I stand this morning, only 2 lbs away from

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We've all talked about this before- the beautiful, life-changing accomplishment of seeing a 1 as the first digit of your weight and knowing that the 2s are gone forever, for the rest of your life, and you will never see them again. It's such a tremendous feeling. As a 30 year old woman, I had spent at least 5 years resigned to the fact that I would be a fat person forever- and that fat people were not worthy of love. Despite what individual friends and family may have tried to convince me of

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