Birth Control and losing weight???

cholibear

Do any of you notice problems losing weight while on the pill? I'm currently on the Yasmin and can't seem to shed any pounds...

JadeHymora

I had that problem when I was on the Nuvaring

spiralated

I'm on a different one and I can't seem to kick it either! In fact, I'm at my heaviest now that I've start BC. ... (I was down 10 lbs before starting it now I'm up 10 plus the 10 I lost).

tdmcmains

I have mirena and it's awesome. I don't feel like it affects my weight or hunger level at all. When I was on the pill, i did gain a lot of weight -- don't know if that was because of the pill though or if I ate too much! I think it might take more discipline to lose weight when you're on medication that makes you hungry but I also know people do it...

good luck!!!

MariaLivingFit

I noticed it with Mirena (an IUD), but not with a regular BCP.

grubb1019

I have been on microgestin for almost 10 years and have never had any problems. Five years ago I lost 30 lbs, but put it back on. Currently I have lost 15 lbs in about 8 weeks.

mlewon

I never had trouble losing weight when I was on the pill (I was on Seasonique), but it affects everyone differently.

momo2011Tuck

I had an IUD in and noticed I was having the hardest time losing. I would only lose a pound or two here and there, nothing consistent. I was at a 10lbs lost before i took it out. Which took a few months. I had it removed almost three weeks ago and I am now at about a 21lbs loss. Nothing else changed. Diet and exercise was all the same, I just stopped the birth control and the weight started coming off again!

itsuki

Every type of HBP (pills, Mirena, Implanon) unfortunately effects different women in different ways. If you think your current one is causing problems, you could talk to your Dr. about switching to another type (some have different amounts of hormones, or different combinations).

Just keep in mind if you do switch, it can take 3-6 months for your body to regulate to the new type, so you have to give it time to see if it's any better than the one you were previously on.

Josie_lifting_cats

In clinical trials, weight gain only occured in 0-1% of those on the trail. I think birth control gets a bad rep for no real reason. Weight gain on bc is like a big fish story - it keeps growing and getting exaggerated.

I'm curious how many calories you are eating a day. I know that I have Mirena, (which I fell is totally unrelated to what I'm about to say), but if I eat the 1,200 calories that MFP recommends, I don't lose an ounce. I even did that and 30 Day Shred and didn't even lose half a pound. I upped my calories to about 1,400, and BAM! The weight started falling off.

I'd recommend determining your BMR and TDEE, and making your BMR your daily goal, but not going over your TDEE.

I hope that helps! Feel free to add me or message me if you have any questions. Totally been down this road.

Stephyshoes

I gained about 20 pounds when I started taking the pill. I've lost about 10 of that, but it definitely seems harder than it should be.

Twidget12

I have been on the pill for the better part of 11 years (Ortho TriCyclen) and started getting serious about my weight loss back in April (although I had been loosing a pound, gaining a pound here and there probably for the majority of the 10 years). But, since April I can't say that I have noticed any problems shedding pounds. I have my MFP goals set to loose 2 pounds a week and I have been averaging anywhere from 1.6lbs-2.6lbs depending on the time of the month.

celtictechie

I gained 10 lbs when I went on it, but that was 2 years ago. I gained a lot more of my weight from poor eating and medications I had been on that were tons worse. Now it's just a new normal of that there is probably 10 lbs extra that I will have to lose. I'm losing just fine at this point. I'm on low-ogesterol

mzkezh

I'm on the shot, and cant really tell a difference, I heard stories of weight gain and loss, but I feel it's not affecting me (knock on wood). I thing I did notice is that my hair is growing more.

pokat302

Yeah, I gained all of my weight while on hormonal birth control. Gained 30+ pounds in ONE month while taking Tri Cyclen. Gained 10+ while on the nuva ring. I since learned that the estrogen in birth control caused my pre-diabetes and insulin resistance to really go into overdrive. Estrogen makes insulin resistance worse. You need to get your A1C checked. I switched to non-hormonal IUD - Paraguard and started to follow a low-carb diet, and the weight started to come off. If you can't use a non-hormonal birth control - cut out your carbs.

PinkKitty724

I was on Safyral (which is Yasmin with folate) and I gained a pound or two. But- I am not sure if that was because of my horrible diet and lack of exercise at the time.
I am now on Sprintec and all has been well. I've lost weight during my reduced calorie/exercise plan, albeit, it's been slow going. I never thought of it before but maybe my BC has something to do with it!

Twidget12

In clinical trials, weight gain only occured in 0-1% of those on the trail. I think birth control gets a bad rep for no real reason. Weight gain on bc is like a big fish story - it keeps growing and getting exaggerated.

^ This is very true. It was a big topic of discussion among the female classmates in my pharmaceutical class a few years ago.

JadeHymora

I put on 30lbs my first year of BC I thought I was crazy until I switched to an IUD

78brownie_wechanged

I only noticed it when I begin to take BC. Once it's been in my system for a cycle or two, there is no collation (that I can tell) with weight gain. Right now I'm using the birth control patch (Ortho Evra).

RF3377

I'm on yasmin aswell, never gained any weight while on it, I'm only big because well I was a glutton with food lol

So far in my weight loss journey I've had no problems have lost 27lbs since 22nd Feb 2012. So personally it hasn't been causing me any problems. Talk to your doctor and see if ye can change it maybe?

momo2011Tuck

In clinical trials, weight gain only occured in 0-1% of those on the trail. I think birth control gets a bad rep for no real reason. Weight gain on bc is like a big fish story - it keeps growing and getting exaggerated.

^ This is very true. It was a big topic of discussion among the female classmates in my pharmaceutical class a few years ago.

I defiantly agree that is often times and most times does not cause weight gain, but In my opinion I think its defiantly possible to aid in slower weight loss. The way I was explained is that my IUD was gonna trick my body into thinking I was pregnant so I could not get pregnant... correct me if I am wrong but wouldn't that mean my body is going to want to hold onto the weight more so than normal?

Josie_lifting_cats

In clinical trials, weight gain only occured in 0-1% of those on the trail. I think birth control gets a bad rep for no real reason. Weight gain on bc is like a big fish story - it keeps growing and getting exaggerated.

^ This is very true. It was a big topic of discussion among the female classmates in my pharmaceutical class a few years ago.

I defiantly agree that is often times and most times does not cause weight gain, but In my opinion I think its defiantly possible to aid in slower weight loss. The way I was explained is that my IUD was gonna trick my body into thinking I was pregnant so I could not get pregnant... correct me if I am wrong but wouldn't that mean my body is going to want to hold onto the weight more so than normal?

Totally wrong.

Paragard and Mirena, while one is hormonal and one is not, do one thing the same - they thicken the cervical mucus, so it is harder for sperm to get through. That is one aspect, not the complete picture. This is essentially where their similarities end.

Mirena is a low dose hormone. It encourages you not to ovulate. And while you may hear the "tricking you into thinking you're pregnant" thing, you wouldn't shed your uterine lining (period) if you thought you were pregnant. Only 20% of Mirena users cease to have periods. So by that general rule, only 20% at the max should have weight gain because their body "thinks" they are pregnant - and on most other birth control methods, it would be virtually none.

Mirena does keep you from releasing eggs. You are more likely to see a shift in where you carry weight than overall weight gain (I do believe this - I seem to carry my weight on my hips a bit more than I used to, and my boobs aren't as huge as they used to be). But not necessarily weight gain.

The problem is watching what you're doing. At first the hormones will mess with you. Anytime you alter your hormones your body has to adjust. I think initially there is a hunger increase. Be mindful of it and manage it. And don't maintain the overeating that you are tempted to do in the beginning. I think that's the biggest key. This is what I've noticed over the years.

Also, I know people love the Paragard as it is non-hormonal, but I'm honestly slight weary of that. Other than thickening the mucus, they aren't quite certain why it prevents pregnancy. Apparently sperm do not like copper.... but they don't know why. They just know it works. Paragard also tends to lead to heavier periods while Mirena leads to lighter periods. Plus during clinical trials, the numbers of pregnancy on Paragard were higher than Mirena (but still lower than having your husband get a vasectomy, so you can't worry about it too much! I believe both were below 1% if I remember right). So that's why I opted for the hormonal option. Just a personal decision, but thought I'd share.

PinkKitty724

The main reason women complain of gaining weight while on BC is because many will make you more hungry. Thus, women may eat more if they give in to the additional cravings of hunger pangs.
Pair this with lack of exercise and many women gain weight. However, if you are gaining weight while on BC while eating right and exercising, it could be water retention or hormonal issues......?

beccabuckle

I've been on birth control since I was 14 years old; I had a cyst on my ovary and the pill actually helped to shrink it. When I was on it from 14 to about 18, I had no weight gain at all, but when I was taken off of it my body went into overdrive and I gained 30 pounds. I went back on BC about 3 years later and I didn't gain weight, but I haven't been able to lose it. At this point though I have gained some weight and I know it was because of my lifestyle choices. My best friend just got off of the pill and onto Paragard and she claims that she has finally started losing weight; I don't doubt her because I've seen the pictures.

I have been working out five days a week between 20 minutes to 50 minutes and changing my diet for the last four months... There has been no change in my weight. =( I see things tightening and toning, but no change in weight. I know BC affects all women differently, but I feel less alone knowing I'm not the only one who's having trouble losing weight while on it.

celtictechie

All of you individuals who are saying bc does not make you gain weight are false. However, a lot of times it is a temporary or minimal weight gain, because the hormonal changes cause your body to retain more water. 10 lbs is usually the top end (which is what I gained).

But it can also come down to like why gained weight on Lexapro-I gained not 10, not 20, but 40 lbs while I was on Lexapro. The doctor replied, "Oh it's not from the pill, honey, it's from the fact it makes you crave carbs." ... Yeah, okay. BC can cause you to have different sorts of binge cravings for food and such if your hormonal changes affect you to do so. That's what you really need to watch out for.

kimad

I haven't had an issue myself, and I even take mine continuous... I don't get many cycles. I do drink alot of water, not sure if that helps.