5’8 birth control help!!!

patriciciajnm
patriciciajnm Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys! I normally don’t need to watch what I eat. I’m usually around 125 lbs.

I’ve started a birth control I’m on the third month pack- and I weighed myself 135. I have a small frame so it’s very curvy for me.

My measurements are
Bust : 35 inches
Waist: 26 inches
Hips: (biggest part) 39!
Thigh: biggest part: 22 inches
Thigh mid- 19 inches

My normal measurements:
Bust : 33.5
Waist:25-26
Hips:37.5
Thighs: 21

I ditched the scale bc it was freaking me out and I go by measurements. I’m at about 1400 calories a day. Scared to weigh myself.

Has anyone gained on birth control and it dropped off by the third month? I don’t mind like 1 inch bigger- but the drastic change in those parts are making me very uncomfortable. I’m afraid of exercising bc I don’t want the lower part to get bigger.

Any tips / success stories will be great!!

Replies

  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    I have been on birth control for many years and lost weight despite it. Yes, maybe I have a greater appetite but now I exercise more to offset what I eat. Do not be afraid of exercise causing your lower body to get bigger, if you’re eating at a deficit it’s pretty tricky to unintentionally gain muscle mass. Even if you did it would probably be offset by fat loss and I suspect you’d be happy with the aesthetic results. For maximum calorie burn/hr consider activities like running or cycling/spin classes. The most likely exercise to increase your lower body measurements would be progressive overload strength training eg squats & deadlifts etc with a weighted bar.
    You could always simply just walk more to burn more calories.
  • patriciciajnm
    patriciciajnm Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you!!!
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
    When I started birth control, I went up a bit in weight, felt hungrier, and (oddly) my taste buds changed slightly. I chalk this up to the artificial hormones. However I've lost 30 pounds since I started. It's been over 5 years so if there was truly an uptick in appetite, it's been long enough that it's normal now and I just live with it.

    Birth control may not explicitly cause weight gain, but many women experience hormone fluctuations that can lead to altered behavior such as eating more due to feeling hungry, more bloating around the abdomen, food preference alteration (craving carbier or saltier food), or emotional roller coasters that can only be abated with food. Your mileage may vary. They do make non-hormonal birth control, if that's an option for you.
  • patriciciajnm
    patriciciajnm Posts: 13 Member
    Thank you for the reply! I DO know it’s water weight for sure. Does it flush off? Lol I take measurements and I started on the third pack- I gained an inch in my thighs and hips literally within two days- no exaggeration. I know it’s water, but I cannot stand it as it’s so extreme. I just wonder if anyone has had success in this crap flushing off. I work at a job where I walk/lift a lot and don’t eat heavily of course. I just weighed in and I’m up 7lbs total since starting and I simultaneously started restricting more. I appreciate everything :)
  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
    birth control in any form hasn't ever made me gain weight. my appetite stays the same.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,944 Member
    No problems with birth control here. I'm on long-term cycle and don't really experience pre-break weight gain and al the other unpleasantries. Some people gain some water weight on the pill because one of the 'female' hormones just attracts water. It's not fat though.
  • exhilen
    exhilen Posts: 43 Member
    patriciciajnm wrote: »
    Thank you for the reply! I DO know it’s water weight for sure. Does it flush off? Lol I take measurements and I started on the third pack- I gained an inch in my thighs and hips literally within two days- no exaggeration. I know it’s water, but I cannot stand it as it’s so extreme. I just wonder if anyone has had success in this crap flushing off. I work at a job where I walk/lift a lot and don’t eat heavily of course. I just weighed in and I’m up 7lbs total since starting and I simultaneously started restricting more. I appreciate everything :)

    Assuming no other changes happen, meaning you are accurately measuring your intake with a food scale, the water weight should come off eventually. Any time I switched birth controls, I typically saw a spike. I don’t ever recall paying attention to how long it took, but I didn’t have to change anything beyond what I was always doing. Of course, people react differently to different meds. If it doesn’t come off, taking a look at your logo g may be in order.

  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    I was listening to a podcast about the benefits of creatine supplementation but one of the side effects of water weight gain. Apparently this 1-2kg goes on in as little as 3-5days yet takes 4 to 6wks to come off! Wow... now I quite realise that creatine is nothing to do with contraception but it does go to show that losing that water weight might take a while and not to bd disheartened if it’s still on 2wks down the road. If you KNOW that you are accurately logging & weighing all foods & drinks and in a deficit then you just need to keep faith it’ll come good in the end.

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