Deprovera (birth control) and weight loss.

iluvbep

So I was on the depo shot for about 3 rounds (9 months total) and I can honestly say that was the worst decision EVER!! I have not only noticed about 30lbs weight gain in the last year but I have also seen my metabolism die completely.. Has anyone else dealt with negative side effects from depo or any other birth control, and would you recommend anything to help boost my body's metabolism again?? I've noticed I can diet and workout and no lbs seem to disappear

iimaginei

I was on the shot for 2 yrs 10 yrs ago. I gained 60lbs. I have struggled to lose it. Worst decision ever

naps88

Yes yes yes!!!! I gained 15 kg (i think that's around 30lbs) in 10 months. I didn't changed anything about my lifestyle except for that fact that I started craving ice cream (and I don't even like ice cream) so I thought that was odd, but honestly I regret going on it to, but then again some women lose weight on the pill and others it has no affect on their weight so it's just a real luck of the draw. I came off the pill because my husband and me wanted to have a baby so I then put on a further 14kg from my original weight. After I had my first kid I had had enough of being over weight since I'm a pretty active person first thing I changed was my eating habit, not that they were too bad 2 key things helped me lose my weight first was not eating after 6.30/7pm and second was having breakfast or lunch as my main meal and a real light dinner, because I had quite a filling lunch I actually wasn't too hungry and dinner was fine for me. The nights i had the really light dinners (lemon chicken salad) I would lose the most weight overnight. The only exercise I did was play indoor netball once a week which was about 40mins of constant running. Doing all this combined I lost all the extra baby weight (8kg) and then an extra 6kg on top of that in about 10 months (and i didn't put any of the weight back on until i got pregnant witch my second baby), and of course meeting my calorie limit daily. By doing all these little things i feel that eventually boosted my metabolism. But honestly it sucked sooo much I am never going on the pill again. Sorry for the novel but hope this helps.

Stanley1903

Just go off of it, and stay off. I gained around 15 pounds during a year of birth control pills. And I kept gaining after going off of them. Depo is worse for some people, so the majority of weight gain you had is probably from that. I had to increase my activity and eat around 1400-1500 calories a day to start losing weight. (But I lost 4 pounds the week I went off them, and I didn't weigh a huge amount.) They were terrible for me. No more hormones for me.

HutchA12

iluvbep wrote: »

So I was on the depo shot for about 3 rounds (9 months total) and I can honestly say that was the worst decision EVER!! I have not only noticed about 30lbs weight gain in the last year but I have also seen my metabolism die completely.. Has anyone else dealt with negative side effects from depo or any other birth control, and would you recommend anything to help boost my body's metabolism again?? I've noticed I can diet and workout and no lbs seem to disappear

You metabolism isn't dead or need revitalized. If your body isn't using energy you'd be a ghost. Your metabolism right now is higher than it will be after you get to the weight you want. Higher mass = higher amount of calories needed just to be. If you follow you MFP goals and log acuratly then you will lose weight.

If you believe you are at a deficit and logging acuratly then you will needs to provide more info. General stats, length at a stall, how your measuring and such. Otherwise all anyone can say is eat at a deficit.

ivvassileva

I am with you on that one...
I was on the pill for about a year and I gained around 20kg (45lbs). Now, I don't blame the pill completely, probably I have just lost control at some point, but it deffinitely didn't help. I decided that it's not worth it and stopped taking it, now I have to deal with the consequences of it...

NotGnarly

I never had a weight problem until depo. I think I had 2 or 3 shots total and gained about 40ish pounds. Really wish I would of gotten on the pill instead. I think I was about 15yo so this was over 15 years ago and I'm still dealing with the decision I made. Unfortunately depo made me very hungry and hypoglycemic.

I'm losing now by cc but my weight issues started once I got the shot.

chandanista

I lost ~40 pounds while on Depo for 4 years. I went off it in late 2014 and have gained those pounds all back, along with all the aggravation that comes with PMS suddenly hitting again after my blessed break. All hormones do different things to different people. But I'm ultimately responsible for eating 4000+ calories a day, I had control when my hormones were in check and now I need to relearn that control.

KrisiAnnH

I was on the pill for 4 years, and over that time I gained 4+ stone, but I dont think it's down to the pill.
There's no logical reason that the pill would make you gain weight aside from water retention. If you look at CICO then logically the only way you can gain weight is through consuming surplus calories- the pill doesn't contain any calories, but it can cause cravings/make you hungrier, which in turn can make you eat over maintenance.
At the end of the day, the only reason you'll gain or lose weight is calories. I've lost 3 stone while on the pill, so it's just a case of ignoring cravings caused by the pill. It is possible

tkphotogirl

I had a very different experience to Chandanista. I took it for four years in my early-mid 30s. For me the worst thing was the effect on my moods - it was a gradual but eventually serious decline. A lifelong tendency for mindless eating (which got worse the more my mental state was affected by batsh*t hormones) and me eating more than I needed, consistently, for a really long time, because I simply didn't care.... I gained somewhere in the region of 50lbs (from a starting point of around 10lbs overweight, which had been the case for most of my life anyway).

However when I decided to lose the weight at age 38 (a couple of years after coming off the depo as it took me a LONG time to get back to feeling like my 'normal' self), I lost 60lbs in around 7-8 months; no issues with my metabolism whatsoever.

tl;dr:
Depo messed with my head and my hormones but it didn't bork my metabolism even remotely.

tristen_leigh

One of my close friends got pregnant THREE times while on Depo. That's the main reason I always stayed away.

I was on the NuvaRing for about two years and although gaining the weight was my fault - losing the weight was EXTREMELY difficult. Once I switched to Skyla (similar to Mirena) I've had no problem losing the weight.

Good luck!!

kgirlhart

I had the depo shot years ago and it was the worst. The only advise I have is to stop taking it. I always did ok on the pill. I did gain weight, but it was my eating habits that caused it, not the pill.

HutchA12

The pills/shots/rings don't make you gain weight. They may make you retain some water or change cravings. Your responsible for what you eat. On or off if you eat at a deficit you'll lose weight. Also the estimated weight gain side affect is suposed to be around 10 pounds. Not 30-100 pounds.

If changing your control helps you mentally go for it but there is nothing you will go on that will made the weightloss not happen.

xmichaelyx

There are lots of different types of birth control, and they affect different women in different ways. Work with your doctor to find one that works for you.

If your doctor didn't explain this to you before you started on depo, find a better one.

iluvbep

Not saying that depo (not the birth control pill) has caused the weight gain, but it has definitely made it a lot harder to lose weight! I've never really struggled with weight loss or gain but I've noticed that even if I eat 1200-1300 healthy calories, carbs and fats and work out 3-4x a week I do not lose a single pound! I am definitely relating this to some sort of hormone imbalance from being on depo (which once again, is not the pill- very different structure).

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

I don't know about weight gain, but I was diagnosed infertile after being on Depo. Coincidence? I think not.

iluvbep

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »

I don't know about weight gain, but I was diagnosed infertile after being on Depo. Coincidence? I think not.

That is terrible I am so sorry to hear. I ended up getting off depo because of the effects it made on my body physically and mentally and have been off birth control for awhile now in order to get my body back into sync.

HutchA12

iluvbep wrote: »

Not saying that depo (not the birth control pill) has caused the weight gain, but it has definitely made it a lot harder to lose weight! I've never really struggled with weight loss or gain but I've noticed that even if I eat 1200-1300 healthy calories, carbs and fats and work out 3-4x a week I do not lose a single pound! I am definitely relating this to some sort of hormone imbalance from being on depo (which once again, is not the pill- very different structure).

They both use progestin to create the hormonal response. They aren't crazy different, but I do understand there are variations. How are your food logs? What are your stats.? How do you measure your food? How long have you been try to lose weight? These are what matter pill or not. Give people this and they will help you.

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage

iluvbep wrote: »

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »

I don't know about weight gain, but I was diagnosed infertile after being on Depo. Coincidence? I think not.

That is terrible I am so sorry to hear. I ended up getting off depo because of the effects it made on my body physically and mentally and have been off birth control for awhile now in order to get my body back into sync.

Thanks. We were able to have one child with IVF but it was a long road. The doctors told me it was not related but after doing some research, I disagree.

erinc5

I've been on depo for almost 4 years. Sure I've gained weight in 4 years, but I don't blame it on depo. I was a little chubby even before depo. I lost about 20 lbs for my wedding while on depo, then gained a lot of it back (because I stopped counting calories for a few months). I'm back on track losing again, and I'm still on depo.

I'm only going to go off once I decide if I want kids or not. I have been on and off different forms of birth control. I can't remember to take the pill everyday, so depo has been working for me. I have heard that some people don't react well, but you have to weight that with the risk of being pregnant as well. Everyone is different - some people are A LOT more affected by hormones than others. It doesn't seem to bother my body much at all.

erinc5

SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage wrote: »

I don't know about weight gain, but I was diagnosed infertile after being on Depo. Coincidence? I think not.

That sucks. Did you start trying right after going off? I just recently got married and my doctor has been mentioning that if I want to get pregnant I should switch methods at least a year before I start trying. Definitely not ready AT ALL yet - don't know if I will ever be, but my doctor did mention Depo is such a high dose of hormones, it stays in your body for like a year or sometimes even more after your last shot.

cerise_noir

HutchA12 wrote: »

iluvbep wrote: »

So I was on the depo shot for about 3 rounds (9 months total) and I can honestly say that was the worst decision EVER!! I have not only noticed about 30lbs weight gain in the last year but I have also seen my metabolism die completely.. Has anyone else dealt with negative side effects from depo or any other birth control, and would you recommend anything to help boost my body's metabolism again?? I've noticed I can diet and workout and no lbs seem to disappear

You metabolism isn't dead or need revitalized. If your body isn't using energy you'd be a ghost. Your metabolism right now is higher than it will be after you get to the weight you want. Higher mass = higher amount of calories needed just to be. If you follow you MFP goals and log acuratly then you will lose weight.

If you believe you are at a deficit and logging acuratly then you will needs to provide more info. General stats, length at a stall, how your measuring and such. Otherwise all anyone can say is eat at a deficit.

This. The metabolism goes on until one dies. Seriously. The metabolism works all around the clock. It never stops. However, heavy lifting can help increase it slightly.

I've been on various BCs for around 19 years now, and managed to lose the most weight (100lbs) during that time just by following MFPs calorie recommendation.i have to be spot on with weighing and logging what I eat, though. It can be done.

JessRaddatz

Different women respond to different BC differently. I've been on Depo for 15 years, only went off for about 3 years to get pregnant (stayed off between babies). Then, right back on after my second kiddo was born. I gained weight while on it, but that wasn't because of the Depo. That was because I loved food and hated exercise. Once I put my mind to getting healthy, I had no problem losing weight. I'm down 56 pounds....all while on Depo.

Therealobi1

JessRaddatz wrote: »

Different women respond to different BC differently. I've been on Depo for 15 years, only went off for about 3 years to get pregnant (stayed off between babies). Then, right back on after my second kiddo was born. I gained weight while on it, but that wasn't because of the Depo. That was because I loved food and hated exercise. Once I put my mind to getting healthy, I had no problem losing weight. I'm down 56 pounds....all while on Depo.

i get really scared when i read everyone's horror stories re depo, but at present it suits me too,
i got a blood test and bone scan last year after some of the posts i have read here

for the op, i am plus 40 still on depo and lost weight. so i guess everyone is different.

CyeRyn

Ive been on the depo since having my daughter year and half ago. Ive lost over 50lbs while on it and wound up at a standstill for over 6mo which was because I was overeating. After tracking my calories and exercising here and there I started losing again. My only issues with the shot is it causes me to crave food more and apparently makes me overly emotional at times (according to my bf lol) Just dont give in to junk food.

erinc5

Therealobi1 wrote: »

i get really scared when i read everyone's horror stories re depo, but at present it suits me too,
i got a blood test and bone scan last year after some of the posts i have read here

The bone loss thing scared me too. I have gotten a bone test and it came back normal. Doctor recommended calcium supplements and weight bearing exercise if I am worried. She also said to get off before menopause and most all of the bone loss is reversible.

PLUS - do you know who really suffers from bone loss?? Pregnant and breastfeeding women! Pick your poison, I guess?