Birth Control and Weight Loss?

BettyyRoss

Anyone find it difficult losing weight while on birth control? I've been on the pill for about four years and throughout those four years I've gained about 20 pounds. Which I am now trying to lose. I switched to Yaz since the pill I was on prior to that made me bloated a lot, but I don't feel any different. I've tried many birth controls and it seems as though me being bloated doesn't go away. "/
Has anyone had any of these issues? As far as being bloated and gaining weight?

capauls

I was on birth control for about 6 years and my weight steadily crept up that whole time. overall i gained 20lbs over a few years but didn't change my exercise or eating habits at all. I actually just stopped the pill a few days ago in hopes that my hormones will level out and allow me to lose some weight, because I have been exercising and eating less calories for several months now with no results.

memcd911

You can do it. I lost 60 lbs while I was on the pill. I gained some back while on. A LOT back when I got off of it. But I'm determined to get back in to tip top shape again, even though I'm back on the pill.

evansproudmama

I am on the depo shot and have been since my son was born three years ago, in the begining I noticed a little weight gain but after that It hasnt seemed to do much more and it hasnt hindered my weight loss at all.. I think the only thing hindering me is me lol anyway to answer the question no I dont belive all the crap people say about the depo shot blah blah blah lol I love it! I get it once every three months and It does not stop me from losing weight (if anything it helps to keep me on track cause i have to weigh everyt ime i go to get it lol) Good luck hun! Hang in there

Chantal34

I have gained about 13 lbs in the last year due to Implanon. I am having this thing taken out this month! I've lost 4 lbs in the last couple of weeks and I don't want Implanon to impede anymore of my progress.

Moonblood

I was on birth control for 6 years and gained 20-25 lbs. I stopped talking it this spring 2011 when my fitness goals really became a priority. I have lost all the weight, but I did put a lot of hours and determination into my work outs. I do believe it helped me though, because I was working out in the past and not losing weight. I am now down to my pre-BC weight.

MandaJean83

My weight has steadily increased over the years since I've been on the pill, despite not changing my eating habits. It also makes me moody as hell. But the benefits outweigh the side effects I guess. Can't do without it... LOL

pmich08

There was a study recently that showed birth control doesn't actually make you gain weight.

As you get older you have to tailor your habits or you will gain.

I have been on bc for 7 years and ya I gained weight but because I ate too much and didnt exercise enough.

My suggestion is eat a deficit high protein and exercise both cardio and strength training. Once I started doing these thing i started losing weight.

MelissaL582

I honestly can't say I gained weight by being on the pill. It was my own fault. ;-)

ehoward54

I have never had any problems losing weight on the pill. Not now, not in years past.

JMarigold

Yes, I've had difficulty.

In particular, in the first couple months I was on this brand of birth control I gained 30 lbs, in total since I got on this pill (1 year 3 months) I've gained 45 lbs. I feel like my appetite is very much increased and I'm still debating on going off it to help with weight loss, but I think I'm going to try losing while on it for a while longer since inevitably I will be back on it again.

BUT I think that you need to consider that it could be other factors. Of course you know how you are living better than anyone. I just think that so many lifestyle changes tend to happen in the late teens and twenties.

c0lm4ns

I was on Depo-Provera around 6 years ago and didn't change my eating habits. Within 2 years I had put on 5 stone.

I came off of Depo-Provera and then went back on it over a year ago. So far I've yo-yo'd within a 2 stone limit.

This year is different. I have to be really strict with my diertary habits knowing that i so easily ballooned; I also have an underactive thyroid which means I need to be extra careful.

I don't eat anything after 7pm (unless I know I am going to be working nights due to my job which I can't really avoid!) and I eat porridge for breakfast. Lots of fruit daily, small lunch, decent dinner. But mainly just changing my attitude towards eating and what I cram in my mouth has really helped. I'm eating 3 meals a day and I'm eating healthily.

Not only has it made me shed pounds from my body, i'm saving pounds in my wallet.

I had the same problem when I was taking Co-Cyprindol, but not when I was prescribed Dianette. I think weight gain on birth control is a really common side effect so just be careful, patient and don't push yourself too hard. You can do it!

BettyyRoss

I am on the depo shot and have been since my son was born three years ago, in the begining I noticed a little weight gain but after that It hasnt seemed to do much more and it hasnt hindered my weight loss at all.. I think the only thing hindering me is me lol anyway to answer the question no I dont belive all the crap people say about the depo shot blah blah blah lol I love it! I get it once every three months and It does not stop me from losing weight (if anything it helps to keep me on track cause i have to weigh everyt ime i go to get it lol) Good luck hun! Hang in there

does it also help with keeping your skin clear? I've noticed while being on Yaz my face began breaking out a lot! I've never had that issue.

JimieLou

I've been on the pill for 5 years. I never gained weight because of the pill. In fact, my weight pretty much stayed the same. However, I can tell you that I am still on the pill and I have lost over 80 pounds and am continuing to lose while being on the pill.

I am not on the Seasonquie variety, but my doctor has my presription written so I can take the pills continuously and I get to choose when I want to get my period. Then and only then do I take the sugar pills in my pack. The only she asks is that I have at least 3 a year. This is lovely because then I can "schedule" them when it's convenient for me...but really, is it ever convenient for anyone??

ebahde

I have been on the Nuvaring for about 5 years now and I currently weight 5 pounds LESS than when I got on it in the first place. I did gain a little weight initially because I was eating more (one side effect is increased appetite), but now I have that under control.

BrandyontheRun

*bump* very interested in this topic right now- would like to follow the responses

ZachyABaby

yeah it was the damnest thing. i just kept piling the weight on and grew moobs.

c0lm4ns

I am on the depo shot and have been since my son was born three years ago, in the begining I noticed a little weight gain but after that It hasnt seemed to do much more and it hasnt hindered my weight loss at all.. I think the only thing hindering me is me lol anyway to answer the question no I dont belive all the crap people say about the depo shot blah blah blah lol I love it! I get it once every three months and It does not stop me from losing weight (if anything it helps to keep me on track cause i have to weigh everyt ime i go to get it lol) Good luck hun! Hang in there

does it also help with keeping your skin clear? I've noticed while being on Yaz my face began breaking out a lot! I've never had that issue.

Nope. Dianette does though. Not a single spot in over 2 years whilst I was on that.

jordanlell

There was a study recently that showed birth control doesn't actually make you gain weight.

As you get older you have to tailor your habits or you will gain.

I have been on bc for 7 years and ya I gained weight but because I ate too much and didnt exercise enough.

My suggestion is eat a deficit high protein and exercise both cardio and strength training. Once I started doing these thing i started losing weight.

I agree with this. My doctor told me that being on the pill won't *cause* you to gain weight, although I think she mentioned that there is a possibility of an increase in appetite. But as long as you're aware that it could cause you to want to eat more, you should be able to keep it in check. There's nothing about being on BC that will cause your weight to be out of your control.

cmhickey616

I had been on the pill for about 4 years and I thought that was why I gained so much weight over those 4 years. I went off the pill and still didn't lose anything so went back on it. It was once I drastically changed by diet and exercise routine that I started to lose weight even while on the pill. I realized that i had just been using that as my excuse the whole time, but it really didn't effect me one way or the other.

daffodilsoup

Before going on birth control (I've been on the pill and Nuvaring, liked both), I talked to my doctor about my concerns regarding BC and weight loss. She said that the pill itself won't cause weight gain, but sometimes you can experience an increase in appetite and cravings for refined carbs.

As long as you keep those two things in check, you shouldn't experience weight gain from BC alone.

BettyyRoss

I am on the depo shot and have been since my son was born three years ago, in the begining I noticed a little weight gain but after that It hasnt seemed to do much more and it hasnt hindered my weight loss at all.. I think the only thing hindering me is me lol anyway to answer the question no I dont belive all the crap people say about the depo shot blah blah blah lol I love it! I get it once every three months and It does not stop me from losing weight (if anything it helps to keep me on track cause i have to weigh everyt ime i go to get it lol) Good luck hun! Hang in there

does it also help with keeping your skin clear? I've noticed while being on Yaz my face began breaking out a lot! I've never had that issue.

Nope. Dianette does though. Not a single spot in over 2 years whilst I was on that.

that's wonderful! my husband told me to go on the shot and give it a try. i think i will.

clairification

I was on Yaz for a couple months and had to be taken off because of how bad it made my skin.

amiles21693

I started out on Yaz and wound up having to go to the hospital. Then I gained 50lbs when I tried the depo shot. It was awful. Now, I'm on a lower dosage pill and it has not affected my weight loss at all.
If you look at my photos, the picture of me in the pink and black dress is from when I was on the depo. I look swollen! lol.

mlc323

birth control doesn't cause weight gain. birth control changes your hormones which in turn affects your eating habits/activity level.
I've been on birth control of one type or another for over 10 years and only started gaining weight once I stopped being active. Re-evaluate your diet and lifestyle. Don't blame a pill for the low activity level and high fat foods you are eating.

BettyyRoss

I was on Yaz for a couple months and had to be taken off because of how bad it made my skin.

Same here!!! I read online that you should give it a few months for your body to get used to it and what not. But I tried it for two months and within those two months it made my face breakout so much, it's disgusting. I got off it.

Tropical_Turtle

I am on Lovara bc pills and I didnt gain any weight while on those. It is possible to sill lose while on the pill.

BettyyRoss

I started out on Yaz and wound up having to go to the hospital. Then I gained 50lbs when I tried the depo shot. It was awful. Now, I'm on a lower dosage pill and it has not affected my weight loss at all.

What's the name of the pill you are on now?

JMarigold

I wanted to add that after reading countless reviews on the different brands of birth control (not to mention different forms of medication) I have found that every prescription medication, every different birth control, affects each single person differently. While some people may have no side effects others have severe side effects. On the same pill some people lose weight while others gain. Sometimes it may be other factors, not the pill, causing these changes but I think the general consensus (and the logical conclusion) is that these pills do affect us in ways the doctors have yet to understand.

As for studies. Until they study a couple million women of every type over many years I don't know how much faith I can put into them.

BettyyRoss

I wanted to add that after reading countless reviews on the different brands of birth control (not to mention different forms of medication) I have found that every prescription medication, every different birth control, affects each single person differently. While some people may have no side effects others have severe side effects. On the same pill some people lose weight while others gain. Sometimes it may be other factors, not the pill, causing these changes but I think the general consensus (and the logical conclusion) is that these pills do affect us in ways the doctors have yet to understand.

As for studies. Until they study a couple million women of every type over many years I don't know how much faith I can put into them.

^ THIS.

amiles21693

I started out on Yaz and wound up having to go to the hospital. Then I gained 50lbs when I tried the depo shot. It was awful. Now, I'm on a lower dosage pill and it has not affected my weight loss at all.

What's the name of the pill you are on now?

I'm on Ortho Cyclen