Hello all,

I have made mention of this in other posts, but I specifically wanted to get advice on this issue. I am about 270 now and will be having gastric bypass soon. I also want to start HRT ASAP, but I keep seeing/hearing about girls waiting until they are at a certain weight to do it.

Is my 270 starting point, when taken in combination with GB, going to leave me with a Grimmace-frame as a "law of MTF"? Or is this case unique considering many women, HRT or otherwise, lose quite a bit whilst in the period after the bypass?

Basically....I am being very vain. (This song is about me). Will it be extremely problematic to do HRT starting so heavy, no question, or can I still get down to 150 ish?

-X

I'm not an expert but I expect they will require to lose a fair bit before they start you on HRT. The hormones are are stress on a number of internal organs and they need you in reasonable shape before the process is safe. Given that many people put on weight when they start it's a good idea to have as little as possible. But like I say, I'm no expert. You should talk to an endocrinologist.

Ah, good point. Yes, up to this point I've only seen the gender therapist.

It depends upon your individual circumstances and your general health. Get your blood work done first, that is important. I am overweight (around 250 pounds). Doctor wanted me to lose weight to get my blood pressure down, because some mess can have serious impacts on blood pressure. But my blood work came back fine, so if it wasn't for the blood pressure, I would have started.

A walk for half an hour before work or after dinner will make a major difference. It helps with the blood pressure problems, stimulates metabolism, and burns calories. I wish you the best in your weight loss.

I don't know about weight requirements for HRT, it was never brought up to me. I was 265 at my highest but 180 when I first saw my endo. I can't seem to keep it under 200 however.

Hmm...well, this is certainly food for thought. I wonder if I could at least get on T-blockers while I slim down.....

That is a distinct possibility as spiro is a T blocker and high blood pressure medicine.  BTW, the weight will drop off quickly with walking. I lost 65 pounds in one summer ( 3.5 months) by only adding walks to my daily life, no other changes.

Walking, calorie counting, eating healthy, and avoiding cigarettes and alcohol. For me, since I started my weight loss regime, I am lucky to consume three quarters of the calories that I need for my every day life. On top of that, drinking A LOT of water (up to 3 litres), will help get the weight down, show the doctor you are serious about this, and he/she may be willing to start you while you are still overweight.

One of the people your talking about could be me.  I've said several times that I plan on dropping to 125-135lbs before I start HRT.  I'm gorging tonight and then starting the drop tomorrow.  I hope that I didn't make it seem like you need to loose the weight beforehand.  It seems that a lot of people have had good results with losing weight while on HRT, although it may be more difficult to loose once your on E.  A big reason for me doing this is because I want to start with as little muscle as possible.  It's unlikely that you have as much muscle as me, and that's good.  You'll be burning pounds as my muscles are eating themselves away.

I'm almost an expert on loosing weight and you can do it, anyone can with the determination and will.  Eat healthy, cut out the junk, and do loads of cardio.  That's the best advice I can give.  Also, as others have said, if there are worries in regards to your starting, then show your doc's that your serious. 

TheQuestion--

I wasn't referencing you specifically but thanks for your feedback. I'm pretty doughy, there may be a muscle or two in there somewhere.....but......as my students told me today, "without your beard, you look like a newborn."

I am hoping that the surgery in combination with the dieting/exercise will do the trick.