Losing weight to conceive (300+lbs)

My main motivation for losing weight right now is to have a baby pretty soon in the next few years. I'm 28 yo and I've been married for about 3 years now. I was off of bc at one point a long time ago for almost a year trying to conceive and it just didn't happen for us. I figured it just wasn't our time yet and thought maybe stress was a factor. I'm hoping that losing weight and getting into a healthier lifestyle will help us for when we are ready. Feel free to add me if you'd like some support.

I was 380 at one point after I had two children I am under 220 now and I have pcos and haven't been Able to conceive I'd love to be an encouraging friend !

Two years ago January, I started MFP and by May I had lost 60lbs and then found out I was pregnant. I started at around 315 and got down to around 250ish when I became pregnant. I was 38 at the time and we had been married for 11 years without children. Losing the weight makes all the difference. So I am back because I gained all the weight back and my son is 1 year old now....so now I am losing the weight for him.

What is PCOS?

We tried for three years to get pregnant. I have PCOS and started taking metformin, after losing 25 pounds I got pregnant with my daughter at 250 lbs. My second daughter came 22 months later and I concieved her at 275. I will say that I was ssssoo uncomfortable during my pregnancies. My hips hurt so bad I could barely walk. I really had a hard time being pregnant. If we have another it will be after I lose weight, Id love to be able to enjoy being pregnant.

What is PCOS?

It is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It causes you not to ovulate. Symtoms include irregular periods, weight gain especially in the midsection, excessive facial, body hair, hair loss and acne to name a few. Its a hormonal disorder and often metformin, which is a diabetes drug is prescribed to kick start the ovaries.

I have been around the 300lb since I turned 20 (13 years ago) and I have two lovely kids, my son is 10 and my daughter is 9. I had no problem getting pregnant, no problems during the pregnancy and giving birth was straight forward too. Ive also never had any miscarriages. So for me, being over weight didnt stop me having kids.

For me the problem was after the birth - running around and playing with them, getting down on the floor, being embarrased to have my picture taken. I really wish I could have lost the weight before they were born so I could have been more active with them when they were little.

Im still over 300lb, but its coming off, and Im much more active with the kids

I weighed 289 when we conceived my oldest son in 2008. When I delivered him, I was at 303. I gained about 12 lbs in four years, had a miscarriage in there (unknown cause) and joined MFP in May 2012 after being diagnosed with HBP. During my pregnancy, I did not (to the surprise of my OB) develop Gestational Diabetes, I worked very hard at keeping my weight from going too high. I did start to show an elevated BP in the last few weeks of preg, but nothing that warranted medical intervention. I ended up having a C-Section because my body wouldn't progress. No dilation, no thinning, no water breaking, nothing. 3 days of attempted induction, and on day 4, after still no progress, he was delivered in perfect health.

I lost about 40 lbs in 2012 and discovered at the beginning of October that I am once again pregnant. Starting weight (on home scale) was 262. Today (after a salty, but yummy dinner last night), my home scale shows 272. I will likely gain less than 20 lbs for the duration of this pregnancy (due June 4), which *hopefully* means I will finish this pregnancy weighing LESS than my starting weight of my oldest son AND THIS TIME, when all the fluids and baby escape, I will work my *kitten* off to keep the weight that shows on the scale.

HOWEVER, THIS TIME, four or five years later, I am older. I have an intervening HBP diagnosis, soooooooo, this pregnancy, I am working EVEN HARDER at what I eat. I am still logging food here on MFP. I am actually NOT doing as well, food-choice-wise, as I did last time (partly because of the season, lol) and, while BP tends to drop a bit during 1st and 2nd trimesters, I expect I will be on a HBP med during my last trimester. I go in a few weeks to test for GD, but I am not actually very concerned about that.

To sum it up - I have been over 300 and pregnant. I have lost and become pregnant. I have lost while pregnant and I have gained minimal while pregnant. IT CAN be done. Of course I wish I would've been a smaller size going into each pregnancy, but I'm 34. Practically speaking, if I had waited until I was at a goal weight, I might encounter health problems related to age instead of weight. You always worry about whether you're harming your fetus, you always get paranoid about everything until you see it's tiny face in real life. Whether it's weight, age, ibuprofen, fish, skiing, whether you'll be a good mom, hubby a good dad, daycare, balance, blah blah blah - there is ALWAYS SOMETHING to fret about. You do the best you can, period.

Do your own research on the risk factors of being plus sized and getting pregnant and being pregnant. Don't assume you will have a hard time getting there (I was off the pill for only two cycles) and don't assume you will have every medical problem the media says plus size pregnant women have. But be prepared that they are possibilities.

The key right now IS getting into good habits. KNOW how to eat right, KNOW how to move more, KNOW what your current health state is (Sugar, Cholesterol, BP). DON'T try to cheat the tests, DON'T ignore the results and DON'T chalk the results up to a fluke or a bad meal the night before. Set your baseline with your GP and improve upon it. Take a prenatal. Function and prepare for a pregnancy like you would any other test or competition. Prepare yourself mentally and physically while you can! Because, once you get pregnant, you will probably lose your mind over how little control you have over so much.

Oops, that was long. Lol.

Being around my nephew gives me some extreme baby fever. I want a baby so bad. I don't plan to have a baby until my mid to late twenties though, but I do know that in order to even consider being a mother I need to be healthy. I'm a worrier so if I was to get pregnant at the weight I am now I would constantly worry about the effects on myself and the child. I also worry that sometimes because of my weight I might never have a healthy pregnancy.

I am 320lbs and have PCOS, but (despite being married for four years) am not trying to conceive. I'm finishing my doctorate and just can't make time for it, at least for a few years.

That said, there is a blogger I adore. She started out in the 340s with PCOS and she got down to 185 (in about a year and a half). She is so inspirational. She never reached goal because she became pregnant, but she had become a serious runner. Anyway, I thought I'd share it. She shares her struggles with losing weight, binge eating, and now--pregnancy while overweight. www.asmallloss.com

I conceived my daughter at 280 pounds. However, it was a very difficult pregnancy and she was a premmie. It caused issues for both of us.

I also started having PCOS symptoms, pretty much right after her birth. I am losing weight again in preparation to TTC later this year.

Good luck

No no no no no! Don't ever let a doctor tell you that the reason you can't get pregnant is because of your weight, it's just a load of crap and only means you need a new doctor. If you're having regular cycles, it's not your weight, it's hormonal. I weighed 316lbs last year in May and I couldn't get pregnant, I weighed 211lbs at the start of July this year and the only reason I got pregnant was because I was taking Clomid. My OBGYN told me that I wasn't ovulating at 316, I wasn't ovulating at 211 and even if I got to my goal weight, I probably still wouldn't ovulate even though I had clockwork 26 day cycles.

I know ladies that have become pregnant and carried healthy babies at 400+ lbs. Don't let a doctor tell you it's your weight! I wish I could somehow stress that more over the internet but you really need to take your fertility into your own hands. The only plus side to loosing weight in regards to pregnancy is that it of course is healthier for the both of you, you lessen the risk of some complications and if you do end up needing something more than just a few tablets, IVF, IUI, then you can work towards the BMI goals that most fertility clinics set. Pure and simple, it's not healthy and pretty wreckless for a doctor to encourage someone 300+lbs to get IVF. It's not mean, it's just the cookie crumbling.

Feel free to add me anyone!

PS: Don't forget to have your partners semen tested! If the sperm aren't swimming properly or there aren't enough of them, no amount of you losing weight is going to fix that.

I am attempting to lose weight, so I can have children as well. I lost 80 pounds last year and was well on my way, but life happened and I gained it all back. I am currently 320, hoping to get down to AT LEAST 260 before we start.