I don’t know where I stumbled on this Instagram account. I think a friend liked a picture, I noticed and thought it would be a fun account to follow. So I did. The account owner is a woman on a weight loss journey who posts pictures of herself but doesn’t show her face. She started January 1st, 2014 and to date she has lost 90 lbs. She also posts inspirational messages and her food prep. One picture caught my eye because it was labeled #NSV. I can’t keep with all of the internet lingo and hashtags so I Googled #NSV and to my surprise, it stood for “Non-Scale Victory”. Her particular NSV was that her pants had fallen to her ankles (while at home, thank goodness) because she had lost so much weight they didn’t fit her any longer. What a great term – I love it!
I took to Tumblr, Instagram and My Fitness Pal Forums to see what other NSVs people were celebrating and I came across the following:
-
“Riding a horse with Saraswati [her daughter] for her birthday. At this time last year, I couldn’t take her horseback riding for her birthday because I didn’t meet the weight requirement and felt wayyyyyy too self conscious to even try anyway. “
-
“My doctor told me that after more than 20 years, I no longer needed medication for high blood pressure.”
-
“I fit back into my favorite pair of jeans.”
-
“I drove by McDonalds and didn’t stop—even though I was craving a Quarter Pounder. That was a victory for me!”
-
“I can finally touch my toes again.”
-
“I was able to sit down in a booth at my favorite restaurant without my stomach squished up against the table.”
-
“I can climb hills faster on my bike!”
-
“The TSA agent looked at my driver’s license, then me, then back to the license, then back to me, and said, ‘Well done!’ with a big smile.”
Sometimes we can get too caught up in the number on the scale and forget that there are other accomplishments we can celebrate and help keep us motivated! What’s a NSV for you regarding weight loss or a healthier lifestyle? Share and we can celebrate together!