Joy & Austin 27 - Joy and Austin lost baby Annabell, TRIGGER WARNING miscarriage and stillbirth

[ViolaSebastian]

6 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I say this as a a failed barbaric (HA Freudian slip but it fits)  surgical patient. They deny because the chance of patients reaching a normal BMI is low, gastric bypass patients have the best long term outcome, and still approximately 35% of patients are fail, in that they do not maintain 50% total weight loss after 11 years. Meaning if you go in weighting 350 lbs and lose 175 lbs, depending on your height you can still be considered overweight or obese, and many bypass patients weigh significantly more than 350 pounds, so their weight loss isn't beatifically enough to justify the cost.  You get into sleeve surgery or banding (which I had) and the rates are even lower.  It is now found that more than 90% of lap band patients had complete failure to lose significant weight and maintain it past 5 years.  Sleeve patients do a little bit better, not as well as the GBP patients but much better than the band patients. 

I know 5 people who have had GBP and all of them lost around 100 to 150 pounds, all of them have gained back at least 50 of those pounds over the last 15 years. 1 of them made it to a healthy weight, but didn't stay their more than about a year before gaining back nearly every pound, and she is now back where she started and the only thing she can do is diet but won't/can't.  

Weight loss centers really hype up the weight loss as in everyone does so well you'll do great and look like this. They ONLY show you the success stories, What they don't tell you is that for every success story there are 50 people who failed, in their office. Their job is patients, more patients more money.  The clinic I got to does over 100 surgeries a MONTH, that is just ONE weight-loss clinic of at least 5 in the tiny state of Iowa. The vast majority of these people will NOT reach a healthy weight.  So while it seems great, up front, that I'm not going to be fat anymore, this will fix it. It won't.  The clinic I'm doing now says that the few who do succeed are people that had been thin and gained weight because of illness, injury or carelessness, but hadn't been overweight their entire lives. 

Be VERY VERY weary of weight loss surgery, it isn't the fix most people think it is, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm saying this because I've done it and I've failed, and everyone I know who's done has failed, with 1 exception and she'd only been over weight about 8 years of her 40 years on this earth.  My honest advice is to get into a program that will teach you how to eat properly, and how to change your lifestyle, so that you can maintain that loss, or if you do the surgery ALSO do the therapy and life style changes, because having your guts rearranged or shrunk will only work for a short period of time, if you don't also change how you associate with food. 

Best of luck to all of you, I'm working now on an 800 cal a day mostly liquid diet, and it is VERY hard, but I'm seeing really good results after only 3 week. 

I am absolutely against it and do not want to do it. However, to circle back around to talking about having zero say in treatment, I've been told by my spinal surgeon that it's a requirement for continued treatment. 

It's been a frustrating road, so far. Health care providers love to tell me I'm fat, but they provide little to no guidance whatsoever on how to actually be not fat. I had one PCP just tell me that I should eat more meat and vegetables, like I'm some kind of moron who can't figure that out on her own. Another told me to try keto with no guidance at all and I ended up so carb sick that I landed in the ER.

Edited May 30, 2019 by ViolaSebastian

[VelociRapture]

4 hours ago, front hugs > duggs said:

I am so very sorry, but this has been a long day and I can't remember if I found this article here from this very thread or not. I choose to (re?)post because I really don't know if I'm going crazy or not.

Pretty much, Target has been using data analytics for many years now to target (pun unintended, but embraced) at least pregnant women. They were able to figure out what pregnant women typically buy at which points during their pregnancy to determine how to market their next upcoming needs. Ex. buying certain vitamins and a purse the size of a diaper bag led a 15 year old girl to getting a coupon book sent to her house featuring cribs and other baby stuff. They got quite a bit of heat for this and altered how they presented these offers to their customers. Really interesting especially for this data analyst  

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/02/16/how-target-figured-out-a-teen-girl-was-pregnant-before-her-father-did/#1f0a141a6668

I texted my husband the other day about something like this. We announced my pregnancy on social media on my birthday this year and literally a day or two later I got an email about baby registries from Target. It’s like, I didn’t even do that for my first, but nice try Target.

[mango_fandango]

I put on weight when I was at university, particularly on my year abroad where I had a crap time and had little to do. At my heaviest I was 12 stone 4 (172 lbs). I’m now hanging around 11st (154 lbs), and want (ideally) to be about 10st (so 140 lbs). I’m not attempting to lose weight for vanity reasons, it’s because I’m genetically predisposed to type 2 diabetes (my grandmother) and high blood pressure (both my parents). I may well get high blood pressure anyway, but being a healthy weight will help me in other ways. 

I’ve currently got an advert for a furniture store. Don’t know why! 

[BachelorToTheRapture]

I've found my weight to be a struggle as I've become an adult and fast food is so convenient (and tasty) plus no dishes. My health issues (ibs) and low fodmap diet have forced me to cook all my meals from home and left me with almost no (easy) processed food I can eat. I've lost about 15 pounds since I started and since mid March have averaged about .8 lbs/week, which is a very healthy rate that I'm happy with. I've also seen my strength (and muscle definition) grow immensely which really helps on weeks the scale doesn't move or I feel down about myself. I'm really working on exercising and eating right since both of my dad's parents have had heart disease (triple+ bypass surgery) and my mom's mom had major strokes. I want to do what I can to keep my heart healthy! At this weight, it's just vanity if I lose or not so I'm much more concerned with eating right and exercising. I want to be able to hike, bike, canoe, climb to the top of towers on vacations, etc. when I'm old (and now, I got out of shape enough that I was concerned about an upcoming trip). 

For any of you struggling I wish you all the luck in the world (and virtual hugs when you have a rough time, high fives when you succeed no matter how small the step is!) What's helped me is avoiding processed foods and cooking all of my own meals. Even if my diet isn't perfect, not having things like added corn syrup and having portions that are more satiating for the number of calories you eat is huge.

[nausicaa]

2 hours ago, ViolaSebastian said:

It's been a frustrating road, so far. Health care providers love to tell me I'm fat, but they provide little to no guidance whatsoever on how to actually be not fat. I had one PCP just tell me that I should eat more meat and vegetables, like I'm some kind of moron who can't figure that out on her own. Another told me to try keto with no guidance at all and I ended up so carb sick that I landed in the ER.

That is a fair complaint. I'm surprised with how many people are struggling with their weight in this country, that more doctors wouldn't have some sort of procedure in place for nutritional guidance and sample meal plans. 

And please feel free to ignore this because I also know people get sick of having every weight loss recommendation thrown at them, but just in case you were still looking for an approach:

Spoiler

My sister has long struggled with her weight and eating healthy but for the past five years has really done well with Weight Watchers (she's lost about forty pounds and kept it off and would like to lose about 15 more). She finds it straight forward and it works well when she is busy and stressed and allows for meals on the road for her job (versus something more stringent like a keto or vegan diet). She also likes how the system continues to work as she begins to eat better, exercise more, and learn more about nutrition. 

 

[JordynDarby5]

I've struggled with my weigh since my early teens. I've gotten it off and put it back on. I really tried to get it off in my 20s but no matter how much I rode the exercise bike nothing change but my stomach diagnose end up revealing my stomach couldn't digest high fiber, whole wheat, multigrain, fruits and vegetables which is basically what every doctor tells you to do to lose weigh. Once I got the diagnoses I thought I'd really be able to get going. I knew what to avoid, and the call center I got a job at the office building it was in had this really nice square shape that I'd spend my two breaks walking around it. I just started out small with two laps and progressed to spending both breaks walking around before walking around the building outside. But that stopped when my second medical problem hit. I've been gaining weigh because I can't exercise to get it off. My current doctor is monitoring it but I still have to wait until things improve. It really did stink I was so sure after I got my stomach diagnose I could finally get it off. 

The one good thing between my medical problems and my mom my brother started going on walks and hikes, getting more healthy and doing all he can to try and avoid the problems our Mom and I ended up with. Its amazing he used to never exercise and only semi eat healthy. Now he's going on long hikes or bike rides every weekend, he's gotten his son into hikes and bike riding. They eat a lot of healthy food and he's lost so much weigh. 

[Thorns]

I prefer measuring my dieting progress by using a measuring tape around my waist and hips. The measurements start shrinking long before the weight does! 

(I usually start exercising in addition to watching my eating habits when I'm yo-yoing).

[Iamtheway]

I am also overweight and should loose at least 20 kg. I need to eat better and exercise more. I have been way to lazy but now I need to do better. I want to be a better rolemodel for my kid and I want to live until he is an old man and have the energy to do stuff. 

This week I have had a very tragic reminder about what can happen when you don’t take care of yourself. Our neighbour has not been managing his type 2 diabetes very well and a few days ago his heart gave up. He was rushed to hospital but could not be saved. He was only 32 and has small children. It is so sad and could probably have been avoided if he had managed to make better choices for his health. 

[Sullie06]

20 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

I say this as a a failed barbaric (HA Freudian slip but it fits)  surgical patient. They deny because the chance of patients reaching a normal BMI is low, gastric bypass patients have the best long term outcome, and still approximately 35% of patients are fail, in that they do not maintain 50% total weight loss after 11 years. Meaning if you go in weighting 350 lbs and lose 175 lbs, depending on your height you can still be considered overweight or obese, and many bypass patients weigh significantly more than 350 pounds, so their weight loss isn't beatifically enough to justify the cost.  You get into sleeve surgery or banding (which I had) and the rates are even lower.  It is now found that more than 90% of lap band patients had complete failure to lose significant weight and maintain it past 5 years.  Sleeve patients do a little bit better, not as well as the GBP patients but much better than the band patients. 

I know 5 people who have had GBP and all of them lost around 100 to 150 pounds, all of them have gained back at least 50 of those pounds over the last 15 years. 1 of them made it to a healthy weight, but didn't stay their more than about a year before gaining back nearly every pound, and she is now back where she started and the only thing she can do is diet but won't/can't.  

Weight loss centers really hype up the weight loss as in everyone does so well you'll do great and look like this. They ONLY show you the success stories, What they don't tell you is that for every success story there are 50 people who failed, in their office. Their job is patients, more patients more money.  The clinic I got to does over 100 surgeries a MONTH, that is just ONE weight-loss clinic of at least 5 in the tiny state of Iowa. The vast majority of these people will NOT reach a healthy weight.  So while it seems great, up front, that I'm not going to be fat anymore, this will fix it. It won't.  The clinic I'm doing now says that the few who do succeed are people that had been thin and gained weight because of illness, injury or carelessness, but hadn't been overweight their entire lives. 

Be VERY VERY weary of weight loss surgery, it isn't the fix most people think it is, I'm not trying to be mean, I'm saying this because I've done it and I've failed, and everyone I know who's done has failed, with 1 exception and she'd only been over weight about 8 years of her 40 years on this earth.  My honest advice is to get into a program that will teach you how to eat properly, and how to change your lifestyle, so that you can maintain that loss, or if you do the surgery ALSO do the therapy and life style changes, because having your guts rearranged or shrunk will only work for a short period of time, if you don't also change how you associate with food. 

Best of luck to all of you, I'm working now on an 800 cal a day mostly liquid diet, and it is VERY hard, but I'm seeing really good results after only 3 week. 

Believe me I know it's not a quick fix or some miracle that will automatically change the way you think and eat because it wont'. I'm 3.5 years post op currently and lost 120 pounds, gained 5 and have been maintaining there for a little over 2 years. However, I still go to support groups, I still see my nutritionist, I still follow a low carb 1200 calorie diet so I know it's not just the surgery. It's a lifestyle change. But for those that it does work for, think of all the money they save on medication for diabetes and other chronic illness alone. 

[CharlieInCharge]

I’ve been debating adding to this conversation since my experience was unusual. I had gastric bypass surgery at 19 and now, over 15 years later, I still struggle some with my weight, but it’s not the battle it once was. I don’t want to go into too much detail on here (if you’re considering the surgery or have had it and want to chat, feel free to DM me) but the surgery was a tool to help lose and maintain my weight, it wasn’t a cure-all. I now use an app to track my food every day, I used to food journal, but this is easier and faster. Tracking my food helps me stay aware of what I’m eating and that has helped almost as much as the surgery did. 

To all those struggling, it’s always a struggle, even if you get down to a ‘normal weight’ and maintain it long-term. The struggle never ends, it just changes, but it’s worth it to feel the best you can, whatever weight that is for you. Hugs to everyone who has put themselves out there in this thread 

[lizzybee]

I was out walking with my friend a couple of weeks ago. We've both had two c-sections a piece. She told me she'd mentioned it to her OB about wanting more children/attempting a VBAC, etc. He said he preferred her continue to do c-sections at this point, but that it shouldn't limit her family size. He also said he'd done nine c-sections on the same woman and that my friend would likely "give out" on having children before he'd tell her she needed to stop. Similarly when I was talking to my OB about having more and worrying about having c-sections, she told me "you as many babies as you want." 

[allthegoodnamesrgone]

50 minutes ago, lizzybee said:

I was out walking with my friend a couple of weeks ago. We've both had two c-sections a piece. She told me she'd mentioned it to her OB about wanting more children/attempting a VBAC, etc. He said he preferred her continue to do c-sections at this point, but that it shouldn't limit her family size. He also said he'd done nine c-sections on the same woman and that my friend would likely "give out" on having children before he'd tell her she needed to stop. Similarly when I was talking to my OB about having more and worrying about having c-sections, she told me "you as many babies as you want." 

It can depend on the woman, my BFF had 3 c/sections and had wanted to have 1 or 2 more kids, but her OB (and mine) told her after #2, to wait at least 18 months before having another baby, as he wanted more time for her uterus to "heal" she got pregnant 21 months after baby #2, and had no problems throughout, but was told her uterus was dangerously thin at the birth, and that having anymore children was a very bad idea, he strongly encouraged her to have her tubes tied, but they couldn't do it in the operating room since she had not signed consent prior. She  did get pregnant again, but that pregnancy was ectopic and she was forced to have a partial hysterectomy when her Fallopian tube ruptured. 

He did also tell me after my 2nd c/s to wait 18 months, I'm not sure if this is old school medicine, he was in his late 60's when DD was born in 2000 and retired 2 years later, so he'd been doing this since at least 1973, because he delivered my Bff's younger sister & she was born in 1973. 

[VelociRapture]

2 hours ago, allthegoodnamesrgone said:

It can depend on the woman, my BFF had 3 c/sections and had wanted to have 1 or 2 more kids, but her OB (and mine) told her after #2, to wait at least 18 months before having another baby, as he wanted more time for her uterus to "heal" she got pregnant 21 months after baby #2, and had no problems throughout, but was told her uterus was dangerously thin at the birth, and that having anymore children was a very bad idea, he strongly encouraged her to have her tubes tied, but they couldn't do it in the operating room since she had not signed consent prior. She  did get pregnant again, but that pregnancy was ectopic and she was forced to have a partial hysterectomy when her Fallopian tube ruptured. 

He did also tell me after my 2nd c/s to wait 18 months, I'm not sure if this is old school medicine, he was in his late 60's when DD was born in 2000 and retired 2 years later, so he'd been doing this since at least 1973, because he delivered my Bff's younger sister & she was born in 1973. 

It’s not. I spoke with a specialist at my hospital a year ago when we were forming a plan for my next pregnancy. He stated current recommendations are that women wait at least 12 months after a vaginal birth and at least 18 months after a c-section. That’ll absolutely depend on the individual person though - some women might be given the ok sooner or some might be told to wait longer. For example, my OBGYN recommended I wait 18 months due to my loss and my daughter’s premature birth, despite my daughter being a vaginal birth. We wound up waiting almost 22 months because my Endocrinologist wanted to optimize my TSH and this time we wound up conceiving right before the 27 month mark.

(I’m in the Northeastern US, so recommendations could very well vary based off where you’re located too.)

[Georgiana]

Spoiler

 

I've struggled with my weight my whole life, which was exacerbated by my incredibly thin mother (for most of my childhood she could not donate blood because at 5'6" she was not 110lbs) freaking out over my normal childhood weight gain.  My dad's family is obese, and she spent my entire childhood terrified I would become obese too.  Self-fulfilling prophecy, I suppose, as I am indeed obese now, and her food restriction/body obsession caused me to develop many food issues that caused me to get that way.  

At my highest, I was 250lbs.  Now, I'm around 225 (and trending down) since starting to seriously focus on weight loss since February.  My normal weight range is between 160-180 lbs.  

I've had a lot of success with an alternative program being offered through my insurance called Omada, though there are many similar programs out there.  Omada focuses on lifestyle changes, or as my friend and I call it, "sneak fitness".  It's all about a bunch of SUPER small changes that add up to overall healthy habits and a better relationship with food and fitness.   I'm talking really small.  Some examples are: moving your veggies from your crisper drawer in your fridge to the most visible shelf, staggering chores so that instead of being sedentary for long periods of time, you do pieces of chores every so often to keep you active all day, standing to fold laundry, taking deep breaths every time you wash your hands to keep your stress level down, stuff like that.  No one thing is difficult, and you pick a thing or two to do every week (it's up to you which ones you want to try).  But over time, it really adds up.  And it's ALL on your phone!

Plus, it provides you with a lot of resources.  I realized that one of the reasons I wouldn't buy veggies was because I really didn't know how to use them or store them.  My brother got me a vegetarian cook book, and Omada provided me with a chart of how long veggies last.  Now, I'm much more confident buying and using fresh veggies.  The program also discussed how cravings tend to be linked to habits, so if you can identify the habits that lead to cravings, you can either break those habits OR insert a different, healthier habit in it's place.  

Diets always felt really negative for me, but this feels positive.  My self-image, self-esteem, and relationship with my body have all improved since starting this program.  It does take a while to see results, because again it's all about little things that snowball into big changes, but when you get that snowball rolling, it feels great. 

 

 Weight talk, including an alternative, not diet sort of program that's working for me.  Spoilered because I know that can be triggering for some.

[Daisy0322]

2 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

It’s not. I spoke with a specialist at my hospital a year ago when we were forming a plan for my next pregnancy. He stated current recommendations are that women wait at least 12 months after a vaginal birth and at least 18 months after a c-section. That’ll absolutely depend on the individual person though - some women might be given the ok sooner or some might be told to wait longer. For example, my OBGYN recommended I wait 18 months due to my loss and my daughter’s premature birth, despite my daughter being a vaginal birth. We wound up waiting almost 22 months because my Endocrinologist wanted to optimize my TSH and this time we wound up conceiving right before the 27 month mark.

(I’m in the Northeastern US, so recommendations could very well vary based off where you’re located too.)

That is interesting I'm pregnant now and my two will be 27ish months apart. I had a c-section but my doctor told me to just wait 9 months. (However I was also told I couldn't get pregnant again but here we are, which is a long story). So the spacing of our kiddos was totally unplanned. 

[lizzybee]

That’s interesting with the recommendations. I’ve never been told to wait for any amount of time and my OB knew we weren’t preventing. 

[FreeCalifornia]

5 hours ago, lizzybee said:

That’s interesting with the recommendations. I’ve never been told to wait for any amount of time and my OB knew we weren’t preventing. 

Same here. I’ve had 4 kids since the end of 2014.

for 3 of those pregnancies I was pregnant within 7 months PP.

My OB never said anything and knew I wasn’t on Birth Control.

that said I know my body needs a break if we have more. Back to back pregnancies are rough on the body.

 

 

[Flossie]

On 5/29/2019 at 1:44 PM, ViolaSebastian said:

I'm finding that to be true right now. I'm starting to look into bariatric surgery and the amount of hoops I have to jump through before they even see me is absolutely UNREAL. I completely understand why they're requiring it (I've watched enough 'My 600 Pound Life'...), but I have to attend classes, turn up with a crazy amount of all of my past medical records, etc. and that's even before I can schedule an appointment. Again, I completely understand, especially given the nature of the weight-loss and surgical weight-loss, why they do it, but it's also a barrier to care for me. This shit is expensive to do, and it's all just proving I'm fit to be even spoken with about my weight. 

I had bariatric surgery back in 2001.  At the time I was researching it I heard from many people who had to jump through hoops to get the surgery, while I just sailed through.  I picked the surgery I wanted (BPD/DS) based on certain criteria:  most weight loss after the surgery, easiest recovery, and the easiest lifestyle change after the surgery.  I was double insured from both my husbands job and my own, so I would have to pay very little for the actual surgery, but I had to find a surgeon and a hospital within network for both insurances.  The woman at the surgeons office was astounded at how little she had to do to get my surgery approved because I'd already gotten a Certificate of Creditable Coverage and other forms needed for what was considered a non essential procedure.

But by bypassing all of the things other patients needed to go through, I shot myself in the foot, so to speak.  I never had to go to counseling to deal with the problems for why I overate, my relationship to food, etc.  I wasn't given any real discharge information regarding vitamin supplements I would need as a result of my surgery, or if I was, I don't remember them.  I was released on the third day after surgery, high as a kite from pain meds, and didn't even make it home before I ended up in the hospital again due to overheating on the 5 hour drive home and becoming dehydrated.

I was told what to look for as signs that my recovery wasn't going well, and after a year I was considered to be just an average person who had no need to think about such things anymore.  My family doctor wasn't given any instructions regarding my healthcare, either.

Now I'm going through a health crisis where I have very low levels of Vitamin B and as a result, very little calcium.  It's astounding how many things I thought were just normal aging might be as a result of the fact that I'm still obese (but still 100 lbs. lighter than before), and I'm the fattest person you're likely to meet that is actually starving in some ways.  My doctor says they're looking into thyroid problems, but they also got very interested in my past surgery.  So far none of them, with the probable exception of a specialist who is consulting from OHSU have even heard of the surgery I had.  It's still performed, but as far as I can tell, studies on it's effectiveness stopped after ten years out.  The problems I'm having now took longer than that to show up.

I wonder what would have happened if I'd had to go through the steps that many other people have had to go through to get my surgery.  Would I have been able to lose weight without surgical help?  Given up on the idea and maybe fatter but healthier instead?  Or have died by now?  Or if I'd known more and still had the surgery, maybe I'd have had a real understanding about what it means to have a body that doesn't absorb many vitamins and minerals normally anymore, and have either made sure that my doctor was educated on my particular circumstances and the need for yearly blood tests to determine if I was becoming deficient in such things.  I thought I was so smart to be able to jump into having a procedure that may now be killing me.

I still think that bariatric surgery has a place in healthcare.  Some people who want it are given one task after another to be approved, to the point that I think that the goal is to discourage or deny the surgery altogether.  The goal should be to make sure that the surgery is the best option, and not a quick fix that comes back to haunt the patient later on.  Do they really need it or can education and lifestyle changes accomplish the same goal?  Has the patient proven that they understand what is really happening and what will be required of them for the rest of their life in order for this procedure to be a real success?

There has to be a happy medium between sabotaging the process and giving out the surgery too easily.  

[xlurker]

Late to the party, but health insurance in US.....yes, almost everyone has some sort of coverage, but much of that coverage is not good.  I left I job I loved for a job I don't, primarily for health insurance.  Fast forward a couple of years and DH had a heart attack--a bad one.  While we have the (high) deductible the max out of pocket is going to kill us,  He's doing well, but the financial strain isn't good for either of us at this point.  I mean, what do you stop paying to meet the medical bills?  Food? Taxes?  Gas?  

I believe much of this cost is due to the high rates of malpractice suits.  Docs try to avoid, so they order EVERYTHING, insurance is super expensive and they still are at risk.  Years ago, there was a point in time that there were no practicing OB's (par with most insurances) in a 2-3 county area--solely due to the malpractice occurrences with that specialty.  In my opinion tort reform would be a huge help.  But that's just me 

[Gnomewizard]

On 5/31/2019 at 4:23 AM, Thorns said:

I prefer measuring my dieting progress by using a measuring tape around my waist and hips. The measurements start shrinking long before the weight does! 

(I usually start exercising in addition to watching my eating habits when I'm yo-yoing).

I will second taking measurements.

I finally found a gym and trainer to help me gain the results I want. I lift wieghts. I do cardio. I walk for miles. I do Yoga. I am looking at adding running stairs in the mix. The physical changes are very noticeable and the scale is not budging. I started in February. 

[Chewing Gum]

10 minutes ago, Gnomewizard said:

I will second taking measurements.

I finally found a gym and trainer to help me gain the results I want. I lift wieghts. I do cardio. I walk for miles. I do Yoga. I am looking at adding running stairs in the mix. The physical changes are very noticeable and the scale is not budging. I started in February. 

Wow, you do a lot! The reason the scale isn't budging is probably because you are losing fat but gaining muscles. 

[VelociRapture]

The Mayo Clinic actually recommends 18-24 month spacing between pregnancies:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/getting-pregnant/in-depth/family-planning/art-20044072

As I said earlier though, a lot will depend on the individual woman, her health history, and her location - recommendations likely vary based off where you are and what Doctor you see. If you trust your Doctor or provider, they tell you it’s ok to try, and you feel ready then i don’t see an issue with that. I was told to wait (and we decided to listen to that advice) for several reasons:

1. My first pregnancy ended in miscarriage

2. My second pregnancy ended in an unexplained premature live birth 

3. I have a family history of Hypothyroidism - that’s now being treated because my PCP referred me to a specialist to play it safe (my PCP is an awesome Doctor!)

I was also diagnosed with PCOS early this year, but that didn’t have any impact on us having to wait. It just meant we thought we’d need fertility treatments and we were genuinely surprised when we didn’t. Waiting gives us the best chance possible of carrying to term, though I still likely have a higher risk of another premature birth than most women at this point - that’s due to the PCOS (which can cause complications during pregnancy including a higher risk of loss and premature birth) and the fact my daughter’s premature birth is unexplained. 

[Gnomewizard]

3 minutes ago, Chewing Gum said:

Wow, you do a lot! The reason the scale isn't budging is probably because you are losing fat but gaining muscles. 

I know. That is the goal. I tried on my own at the gym for years and never got results. 

[feministxtian]

@Flossie you can tell me to butt out but are you taking vitamin supplements that are specifically for bariatric patients? The reason I'm asking is that the reconstruction done after my husband's pancreatectomy was very similar to the Roux n Y reconstruction used in gastric bypass surgery. He has some problems with vitamin deficiency, specifically Vitamin D, but is in good shape for the rest of them. You can get them OTC from Amazon, they're not that expensive. He takes Bari Melts. 

Again, feel free to tell me to STFU. 

[Thorns]

20 hours ago, Gnomewizard said:

I will second taking measurements.

I finally found a gym and trainer to help me gain the results I want. I lift wieghts. I do cardio. I walk for miles. I do Yoga. I am looking at adding running stairs in the mix. The physical changes are very noticeable and the scale is not budging. I started in February. 

I lost approx 10 cm on my waist and hips, while losing just 2-4 kg ? So measurements are the best motivational boost!