hi tammy: i, too, had surgery in february. i've been watching myself gain and lose the same five lbs now for what seems like forever. as of six months i had lost 106 lbs. now i've lost 115 (or so) i refuse to let it depress me, though, since any progress is better than none and i'm way better off than i was last february. i'm not sure what to recommend as a jumpstart. i know when i start getting impatient, though, i read my pouch rules again and generally find where i'm slipping or slacking off. i doubt that's what you want to hear, but it's what i do. good luck, tami. hope it gets better. hugs to you dorthe

Kathleen, I triple checked with my surgeon to make sure it was okay. Since I had so little to lose (compared to a lot of his patients) and have lost all of it and have no desire to lose more (other than the 10 pounds of excess skin)he said it was fine. I just have to make sure I maintain my weight from here on out and not lose anymore weight. I will be having another checkup with him next month before preop to be sure that I'm not losing anymore and get the final go ahead from him. He did say normally he didnt suggest plastics so soon, but there are exceptions to everything and I was a good candidate to get it done. Now price wise~~~ roughly $20,000 for all three procedures including a night in the hospital. It brakes down to $4500.00 for the surgeons fees, and roughly $3500.00 for each procedure. The silicone implants are an additional $1800.00 , saline were cheaper not sure how much though. The rest is the hospital, anesthesiologist, pain pump, and support garment fee. I'm glad they gave me a discount b/c I was self pay and having all 3 done at the same time. Thankfully I had been planning on having plastics and saving since well before my bypass. All we needed was a small loan to cover the rest and that wasnt a problem to get. Capital One has a great Healthcare Finance plan and from what Ive heard are easy to get approved by even for the more expensive procedures. Krystle

Kate, Wow girl you are doing great! You are so pretty! I can so relate to this post. I'm having major head issues with food. I feel guilty for eating anything. I am petrified that I will gain the weight back. I'm actually starting therapy next week to get a hold of it before it gets out of control. Even healthy protein rich foods make me feel like I'm eating like a pig with no self control. Ive actually had to stop myself from purging. Its really scaring me since Ive never had this kind of eating disorder. But like I said I know I need professional help so I'm just gonna have to go and talk it out till my head catches up with the rest of me. I'm actually at goal and about to have plastics, but I feel like I'm still 260 lbs. Looking in the mirror I still see the old me. Just the other day I bought a pair of 6 jeans. Granted they were stretch and still tight, but I started off trying on 22's that same store trip. Even though Ive been out of that size for months I STILL go to the plus section and get the bigger sizes convinced that I cant wear anything smaller. I end up getting 6 or 7 of the same thing in sizes from 22 down to 8 just b/c I dont think I can wear the smaller, but my hubby insists that I can so I take them "in case". Of course hes right, but its still a major trip to me. And yes, I have had the occasional s/f ice cream bar or a few bites of a biscuit or things like that. I find if I have a "taste" it gets rid of the craving and I dont over do it. Now if I wait and try to resist the craving I end up going overboard and then feel 10 times as bad about it. My surgeons told me from day one ~~~ nobodys perfect, if theres something (within reason of course) that you want go for it, just remember MODERATION is the key. A bite of cheesecake here or there is not gonna make or break us, just brush of and do your best. (easier for me to say I know, I never could follow my own advice) Besides before surgery what would you have had?? I know I would have had a whole gallon of chocolate icecream with the works so my s/f icecream bar is definetly not such a bad thing in comparrison and isnt gonna hurt anything (as long as we remember MODERATION) You really are doing great!!! I think we are probably all having similar feelings with this. Thats why this site is so great. I know I'm not alone and there are so many others out there that can relate to what I'm (and many of us) are going thru. Krystle

OOPS!!! Just noticed the post below about jump starting the weight loss again. Sorry!! Tami~ 268/185/120?

I started getting more protein in every day (70 - 80 grams) and I lost 5 more pounds pretty quick... Cory