When will I finally Lose the Weight After Depo Provera?

LorinaLynn

I've heard some say studies or doctors say it doesn't cause weight gain, and a whole lot more that say it does.

In my experience, I joined here when I wasn't on depo. I lost the weight I wanted to lose in six months time. I kept that weight off for a year and a half with no problems whatsoever, until after my second depo shot, when my weight started creeping up.

If it had just been a matter of the weight creeping a little, I would have said, "Well, maybe I was slacking a little." That second shot was around Christmastime, so it's entirely possible I had too many cookies. But then after the next injection, I gained more weight.

I've been carefully watching what I eat and exercising regularly, including heavy strength training, since the beginning of May, trying to shed the 10-15 pounds I gained since those past two injections.

Last fall, I was losing weight easily on anything under 2300 calories. This summer, the scale has not budged while staying under 2000. At least I stopped gaining. I finally lost a half pound this week. Finally. I'm hoping that the erratic nature of my period the past few weeks means the hormones are getting out of my system, and that I'll return to normal soon.

I'm not one to make excuses. I'm not one to play victim or place blame. I'm not one to shy away from working my *kitten* off. I'm not some noob who doesn't know anything about weight loss. I didn't suddenly forget how to count calories after two years of doing it perfectly.

I'm just saying that, for whatever reason, despite strength training, remaining just as active, hitting my macros and watching my calories, my body is not functioning the same, burning calories the same, as it was before I got on depo. And that's just too big of a coincidence for ME to overlook. Especially when there's research to back that up.

SezxyStef

not to poke but there is research to contra what you are saying as well.

It's all in what we believe and experience.

babyluthi

This drug is pure evil as far as I am concerned. I had one when I was 17yo and within 3 months people thought I must be pregnant because the weight gain was SOOO ferocious. I ate healthily, I was very active with a very active job at the time. I never menstruated for 9 - 10 months and the weight just kept piling on. This drug changed my life forever. This was the beginning of my battle with weight. I had never been over weight before that. I am almost 50 now and the battle continues. Not a good drug for me, and the Dr agreed.

Ugh! Started taking Depo Provera last May. Within months, I had already gained 15 pounds, but I didn't put it together that the Depo is what was causing my weight gain. I ended up having two more shots and gained a total of 50 pounds. I was about 3 pounds underweight before and now I'm 13 pounds overweight. I stopped getting the shots and hoped the weight would just come off, but it didn't. I exercise like crazy and eat a mostly vegan diet. I thought there must be something else wrong with me and had every blood test known to man done on me. All the labwork came back as 'normal' and I'm back to questioning if this could be because of depo. I finally am getting a normal cycle as of this month and have lost about 4 pounds in the past month or so. I have never had an issue with my weight. Am I finally turning a corner with my weight loss journey? Will the weight come off easily now? Advise from other would be very helpful!

chelsea1990r

ive seen alot of rubbish on here and it makes me really angry that i have people saying its not the injection its you i was 8.7 stone when i went on the injection i gain a little weight over the years but i didnt mind i have been off the injection for 10 months now not had a period and in the last 3 months gained a stone and a half i go to the gym 5 times a week and have a balanced diet i dont drink so there is no excuse the side effectd off coming off have been horrible for me i used to box so when i train i train to the point where i can move so this rubbish about exercise is rubbish i cant shift the weight ive cut carbs out in the past few months taken diet pills increased my trainning for 2 hours a day to 3 and a half and nothing my breast have finally stopped hurting so finger crossed im coming to the end off it now i have gain 4 stone from the injection and not being funny but if you read the side effects it says weight gain not you get hungry .............. there a lot of people who struggle with this im lucky im 5ft 10 so im still very health for my hieght and was to skinny before but there people who are in a very bad place with this your ment to support them not make them feel like it ther fault if it was there fault it wouldnt have side effect warnings on them !

Berry2084

I am currently trying to decide whether to come off the depo in the hope it is that that has caused my weight gain. I was on depo when younger and didn't notice weight gain then I came off as I thought i'd try the implant that was a disaster cycle all over the place I hated it. I was about to go travelling for a year and decided to have the implant taken out and went natural for that year.

Weight wise in that year I had lost a lot through being ill then went back to normal when i started eating properly again.

When i got home went back on depo and have been for the last two years the weight has crept on 2st in two years but i feel i have eaten a lot more takeaways and big portions and have a sedentary job was on my feet all day when travelling.

Been cutting back lost a few pounds not much is it worth coming off the depo ohhh i dont know

beckywilliams1967

Hiya I've been on this for years and did put on weight up wouldn't blame it all on depo. I've lost 38 lbs over the last 15 months and only a few pounds left to go. I do put on a couple of pounds about 3 weeks before my jab is due but generally have kept the weight off. Stick with it you can do it! Good luck!

sweetp809

I went on the depo shot 4 years ago. I gain 30lbs in 3 months. Dr kept telling me it was water weight and it would go
away. Well it has not! I have tried everything.

raichhype

I was on the depo shot for two years and gained 25lbs in those two years. I stopped taking it around a year and a half ago and moved on to cerazette instead, managed to lose nearly all of the weight I gained BUT I've just switched to nexplanon (implant) and my weight loss is dropping quite quickly now I think the pill was still hindering it but not as much as depo!

hollymcdaniel73

I was on depo when I was 16-19 with no problems then I quit and my emotions went nuts. I I tried it again at 22 had 2 shots gained 30 lbs and quit. It took 9 months to get my period back this time and the weight is SLOWLY falling off. I was originally 125 I am now 140 and have had periods every 2.5 wekks for almost 3 months. Im writing this for all the woman who are having problems long after depo. One thing I did is start taking womens one a day vitamins they help regulate hormones. Also I take fiber so I feel fuller through the day and don't eat 25 meals a day anymore. I hope this helps someone calm down because this would have helped me mentally about 3.5 months ago. Also a little exercise won't hurt I jog when im up to it and do sit ups when im alone and feel fat. Just do what you can and keep those old old jeans!!!! ;-)

FreyasRebirth

I didn't gain anything after my first shot. After my second, I gained 15 lbs. I've logged for only 5 consecutive days since my 'missed appointment' (its in your system for much longer than 13 weeks) and I haven't seen the weight budge yet. At least I'm not still gaining. I wish I'd never taken it.

hollymcdaniel73

I would also like to say all the research that says depo does not cause weight gain directly is correct BUT as it does throw your hormonal balance off (a common cause of weight gain) it DOES indirectly cause weight gain but that is different for everyone. I know some who have gained and some who lost. Everyone is different. But saying its not depo well... you should work for their company too!!!

hollymcdaniel73

I did not get my period until 9 months after my missed shot. 1 year after my last. When our terrible aunt flo starts coming over I started losing. Also I recommend womens one a day to regulate hormones, GOOD LUCK!!!

sueclare38

I went on this after my 4th child at a healthy weight, gained 3 stone, a spare tyre, and lost all my hair. After I stopped it my hair grew back and I lost a stone really quickly, but sadly never lost the spare tyre. 2 more children later and it's now almost disappeared, but it's taken a long time.

evette5635

Ladies, I am so glad for the blog. Everyone has been so honest and supportive of one another. My doctor just recommended depo for me because I have been having a period for 8 weeks. My endometriosis makes my periods extremely painful!! I was happy to have the prescription but don't want the weight gain. I didn't realize how likely it was until I read this blog. I just started getting my weight under control. I am 175, 5''8. I am a good size 12. 10 pounds can be impossible to loose at my Age. I'm thinking I need to think long and hArd before this injection. Maybe the hysteromy would be better!! Any suggestions .....

mischaaaronalexander

I GAINED 72 LBS. IN 3 MONTHS AFTER GETTING THE DEPO SHOT AND WENT UP ANOTHER 23LBS. WITHIN A YEAR. NOW I'M STRUGGLING TO LOSE THE WEIGHT AND I HAVE ALMOST NO TIME FOR EXCERSISE OR EATING HEALTHY.

smittyapple

I didn't know much about Depo when I started getting the injections. I was 17 (almost 18) and within 1 year I had gained 30 pounds. I didn't realize it was the shot, and I had not changed my diet or excercise routine at all. I stayed on it until I was 20 -just over 2 years. Gained a total of 60-70 pounds. I managed to lose about 50 of that within a year and a half after stopping the injections, and am now pregnant with my first child (8 months and only 15 pounds gained) But either way, it took alot of hard work. I worked out every other day, doing a variety of different excercises (with my now ex fiance). We would do weight training along with 1 or 2 miles on an excercise bike or treadmill but switched up our routines each time, and also changed our diets slightly (I gave up chips and soda -but he did not). Within 4 months, I lost over 30 pounds. The other 20 just slowly came off over the first several months after quitting the shot before I started really trying to lose the weight, further proof that it was indeed a side effect of taking it. Then I discovered that I was pregnant and immediately changed my excercise routine to a light-and-fit type program. It is very possible to lose the weight gained on this birth control method. ~~**Also, I was never a tiny girl, I have always been a little bigger and have more of a wider-set structure in general. I am 5'3 and weighed 190 when I started taking the depo-shot. At my heaviest I weighed 265, which was when I did a little reseach and decided to get off the drug. At my first prenatal visit (over a year later, at 9 weeks pregnant) I weighed 210. So to be 100% real and honest, it is all about will power and determination in my opinion. I hope my story will inspire or help someone else Good luck girls, and STAY AWAY FROM THE DEPO-SHOT!!
Sorry it's so long and a little jumbled.

vanessa10371

Am really glad of this blog. I lost 4 stone in 2010 and after putting 36lbs on and not being able to lose it despite doing exactly what i did before to lose 4 stone when it dropped off i have been getting depressed. I thought it was my epilepy medication but it is not that. Then a thought struck me - the Depo injection. The weight started going back on after i started having it. But I have endometreosis and etremely painful periods that take me off my feet, so not having a period at all has been an absolute blessing so am kind of stuck - have the depo and be without periods but gain weight or stop the depo be ill with panful periods and lose the weight. i dont know what to do

MzKym81

Thanks for the feedback guys. This is something I've been dealing with myself. I started the depo shot November 2012. Since then I've gained over 30lbs. I've been working out like crazy. I would lose 4 or 5lbs only to gain it back plus some a few weeks later. I reached my highest weight October of 2013 263lbs and that's when I said enough is enough! My last shot was given in August 2013 I was scheduled to go back in November for 5th shot but decided not to. I'm still working out & logging through mfp & down to 254lbs now! Hoping to see greater results over the next few months.

albr0271

I've been on depo for just under 2 years and I have put on 25+ pounds. I don't eat much differently and I have an active job. Just in the past 8 months I put on 15 pounds. It's very discouraging when I am exercising and watching what I eat. I just got my last shota few weeks ago and I'm switching birth control when this cycle is done. I understand the weight will not just fall off,but I can't just keep gaining weight like this. It's basically impossible to lose it while I'm gaining a pound a week....

SezxyStef

I would also like to say all the research that says depo does not cause weight gain directly is correct BUT as it does throw your hormonal balance off (a common cause of weight gain) it DOES indirectly cause weight gain but that is different for everyone. I know some who have gained and some who lost. Everyone is different. But saying its not depo well... you should work for their company too!!!

It's not the depo...

weight gain is caused by calories in>calories out....no calories in depo...and yes I am on it.

Used it for years...then moved to Mirena for 7 now back on depo (Mirena got dislodged is why) and I am still loosing weight...got my shot in October...and I keep losing...

Why because I weigh my food, track my intake and remain at a deficet while lifting weights.

And I am not a "SPECIAL SNOWFLAKE"

ETA: my weight gain was me eating too much food...now it's gone from not eating too much food.