depo provera

pandaeye

what are your experiences on taking this? i have been having the injection for a year now but have found my weight has gradually crept up to the point where i'm loosing motivation. Have done some reserch and i know it affects people in different ways. not sure if its the injection or whether i have let myself go a bit on the food front. i have been eating out a bit more than usual but have tried to balance it by either doing more exercise or not eating much for the rest of the day. i excercise as much as i can (with an almost full time job, two kids and a house to run) such as walking for at least 50 minutes a day plus i do the zumba on the wii for half an hour 3 times a week. any ideas or suggestions? thinking of stopping it to see what happens.:ohwell:

rosalang

go back to basics and start again with the diet. that is the only way you will know for sure. eat more veg and fruit too
go to maintenance cals for a while and while doing this dont log exercise but make sure you do some every day. do this for a month to let your body readjust and then start again by recalculating your settings on MFP
give yourself a well deserved break you will be amazed how many cals you can have , but you do have to be honest with yourself. that is my downfall and i have to keep checking myself
good luck and enjoy the new healthy way of eating

rosalang

when i used to go to slimmingworld a number of years ago they had the following tip for when you cant avoid the meals out
on the day you know you are going out, make sure you eat so you are not hungry but only eat what they call free foods. this is any amount of meat, fish, eggs, veg, salad and fruit. on a day you are not prepared for that unexpected meal or treat, the following day eat only the free foods. dont do this for more than a day as its not good to go a long time without carbs. but it definately works and lets you look forward to treats
it means you can have egg and bacon, no fat for breakfast, meat, fish or egg salad for lunch, soups without bread, and a evening meal of chicken/ meat and veg and as much fruit as you like in between.
the key is not to starve
the same choices could be made when you eat out too
hope that helps

pandaeye

thanks ravenschild just getting a bit fed up thinking of food all the time! keep trying to distract myself but its hard.

lozzieemay

I started the depo in July of last year and since then have gained 6 stone. I've never been as big or heavy as I currently am.. I don't blame the depo entirely as I'm aware I've been eating like a complete pig for months, but I blame the depo for giving me these eating habits! Even with appetite surpressants from the doctor I'm still constantly hungry and craving rubbish food.. I stopped having the injection in September this year cause I believe it's done me more harm than good, and also the fact it seriously lowers your bone density over time worries me....

fit4lifeUcan2

The shot does NOT cause weight gain. My daughter has been on the shot over a year now and so are many of her friends. None have gained weight. In fact, they have all lost weight easily while on the shot. Our daughter lost that pesky 10 pounds in a matter of weeks. Her other friends are for the most part stick skinny and one other is a big over weight but I certainly wouldn't say she needs to lose much. Our daughter tried other forms such as the pill and didn't gain weight on those either but she had other issues so went on the shot. She has horrible TOM and was in agony. The shot was the only thing that gave her relief. But don't use the shot as your excuse to not lose weight. Get moving, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and avoid salt. Look at your food diary and be honest with yourself. Are you eating right and exercising?

mitsi94

I was on depo for several years, and I absolutely blame it for some of my weight gain during those years. And while I was on it, it seemed that it didn't matter what I did or how hard I tried, I couldn't lose any of my weight either. I know it wasn't the depo entirely, but I am convinced the depo definitely played a part for sure. I have been off it for about 3 years, and am finally having some weight loss success this year. I am doing lots of other successful things to accomplish the weight loss, but being off the depo is definitely key.

If you happen to be ready to make a permanent decision about birth control, I highly recommend the Essure procedure. I did this 3 years ago and have been very happy with it. It is a non-surgical sterilization procedure that can be done in your doctors office, it feels like a pap smear, and you are back to normal the very next day. Now I don't have to take any kind of hormones, birth control pills, shots, or anything. I am very happy with my results. (no more babies for me!)

Crying_In_Color

Don't do Depo and if you are get off it. Depo WILL make you gain a hell of a lot of weight. Not only will it make you gain weight but it causes bone loss on top of it. The benefits of Depo do NOT out weigh the risk.

I personally was using NuvaRing and had no issue with it.

lozzieemay

The shot does NOT cause weight gain. My daughter has been on the shot over a year now and so are many of her friends. None have gained weight. In fact, they have all lost weight easily while on the shot. Our daughter lost that pesky 10 pounds in a matter of weeks. Her other friends are for the most part stick skinny and one other is a big over weight but I certainly wouldn't say she needs to lose much. Our daughter tried other forms such as the pill and didn't gain weight on those either but she had other issues so went on the shot. She has horrible TOM and was in agony. The shot was the only thing that gave her relief. But don't use the shot as your excuse to not lose weight. Get moving, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and avoid salt. Look at your food diary and be honest with yourself. Are you eating right and exercising?

It's scientifically proven that a side effect of the depo provera is weight gain, my doctor even told me this. Your daughter and her friends are obviously very lucky! Whereas myself, my younger sister & a group of friends of mine, most of whom have been stick thin skinny their entire lives HAVE gained weight since starting depo provera, some a few lbs and others a lot more.

lesliev523

Yes... I gained a lot on depo, and with any hormonal birth control. My body does not like the hormones.

rml_16

Of all the side effects of Depo, weight gain is the most benign.

You couldn't pay me to get Depo, but I had Mirena (same hormone, just less of it) and it caused weight gain and made it literally impossible to lose. I had it out on September 18 after more than a year of working my rear off and not making any progress and I've since lost 7 pounds without even trying.

katiefridley

I got my first round 2 month ago and in that time I have lost 15lbs.

katdepadua

I've been on Depo for a few months now and I gained about 5 lbs. I decided to diet and get back down to my goal weight so even if Depo does make me gain weight, it won't be so bad. I'm dieting now and have had no problem losing weight.
You may not be losing weight because you are overestimating how many calories you're burning from exercise. It is best to count your calories so you know exactly how much you are eating (this means having to measure all your food!)

staceyhuff

I tried the Depo shot and it made me ravenous, i felt like i couldnt stop thinking about food it got to the point to where my stomach was growling every hour and a half or so. so i switched back to the pill and it seemed to go away but eventually got off the pill as well and now i feel like i am finally myself again. but if that is not an option I would say the pill is the best of those options. As for losing weight wich i am now trying to do i found that not being on anything seems to work for me the best. with everything though it affects people differently.

Humbugsftw

Was on depo for one dose (3 months). Gained 20lbs in 3 months - I was tired all of the time (so sedentary) and ravenous (eating about 2000-3000 calories a day). Though funnily enough it all went to my boobs, *kitten* and thighs lol.
Lost 20lbs of that though and toning up as well Personally I wouldn't go back on depo, I'm very happy on the pill, but thinking about going on mirena.

raichhype

Personally, I had a lot of trouble with Depo Provera. I was on it for almost two years. My doctor never wanted me to go on it in the first place and my eating habits were.. strange to say the least!

Straight after the injection for around a month, I would have no appetite. Everything tasted wrong but I forced myself to eat.
And then BAM for the next two months I was ravenous all the time.

Over the course of two years I fluctuated from a size 14 to a size 18 and then back again.

I wasn't calorie counting back then so maybe that would have helped. If you aren't aware of what you're taking in then yes, I think it can cause weight gain esp over a long course of time.

raichhype

The shot does NOT cause weight gain. My daughter has been on the shot over a year now and so are many of her friends. None have gained weight. In fact, they have all lost weight easily while on the shot. Our daughter lost that pesky 10 pounds in a matter of weeks. Her other friends are for the most part stick skinny and one other is a big over weight but I certainly wouldn't say she needs to lose much. Our daughter tried other forms such as the pill and didn't gain weight on those either but she had other issues so went on the shot. She has horrible TOM and was in agony. The shot was the only thing that gave her relief. But don't use the shot as your excuse to not lose weight. Get moving, eat healthy, drink plenty of water and avoid salt. Look at your food diary and be honest with yourself. Are you eating right and exercising?

Yep, that's why I took it because of horrible TOM and cramps.
But, it does actually vary with different people. I wish I hadn't gained so much weight, I'm jealous of those that have it and don't. It was a side-effect that even my doctor warned me about so you're right, it doesn't CAUSE weight gain but it can do!

Hopelessone

Everyone's body is different. I gained between 60-80 in less then 6 months after getting the shots, without any lifestyle changes , my neice also gained about 40 pounds. Ten years later and I am still dealing with the weight gain

secretlobster

Depo is NOTORIOUS for awful amounts of weight gain. I would highly suggest another form of birth control, it's just not worth having a gigantic obstacle in your path to weight loss. This is a big one to be up against.

Cindy873

I was on it years ago and gained 25 pounds very quickly (I was skinny before I took it). Everyone I know that has taken it has gained at least 20 pounds. I lost the weight again when I went off of it, but I had to work for it.

Heather_Rider

I have a 15 year old autistic daughter who is NOT sexually active, however she is easily persuaded to do things she shouldnt, and doesnt know better due to her disability. So her doctor and i decided to give the Depo shot to protect her against pregnancy, incase she were to be in a situation that wasnt in my control.

She was on it for one year, then off for a year (and on the pill) to give her body a rest.

Being that *I* am watching the food in the house, i can assure you she does not eat junk. She is home schooled, so i know every piece of food that goes into her body. We also exercise as a family, DAILY.. not once twice or three times a week.

She gained 20 pounds and 2 pants sizes while on this shot.. and as soon as she went off of it, she lost 25 pounds and the two pants sizes. (over the course of the year.)

She has since gone back on the shot and has gained 10 pounds and another pants size.. so i can assure you that the shot DOES cause weight gain, no matter WHAT kinds of food and exercise you do.