On birth control? Gaining weight?

Alright everyone. I'm sure I'll end up getting a lot of hate for this one but I know I'm not alone in this thought. I have seen more posts than I can count about wanting to change BC, go off of it or complaining because it "makes" you gain weight. If you have gained 10, 20 even 30 lbs on birth control it is NOT because of the birth control itself. BC can cause you to feel more hungry, have more cravings and simply have less physical energy. IT does not however actually make you gain weight. Estrogren or progesterone are not high weight gain causing hormones, despite what most people seem to think. Yes, a side effect can be some weight gain, some, meaning about 5lbs of excess water weight or weight that is easy to shed. Everyone responds differently to BC but in reality, so many people use it as an excuse for being overweight. So I guess my point is stop using it as an excuse and push yourself. N BC will make you gain more weight than another, yes they all have different side effects but don't let the IDEA that you will gain weight on BC slow you down!



EDIT:
I've lost 10lbs after starting Depo, which is one of the BC's that people claim is the worst for weight gain!

OK. I eat between 1,200 and 1,500 calories a day and work out almost every day. Before I went on Mirena, I lost 34 pounds in a pretty short amount of time and kept that off for two years. Within a month of getting Mirena, I began putting on weight even though I was not eating more than before and was still exercising regularly.

In the three years since, I have gained 20 pounds, despite very serious efforts to NOT gain and to lose.

So, go screw yourself.

I'm sorry that you feel the need to become hostile because you haven't been able to maintain weight on BC. I stated my opion, so please RESPECTFULLY state yours.

No. You stated that anyone who experiences what I have (and I am NOT the only one) is just lying to herself and making excuses and is in fact stuffing her face.

My initial sentiment stands. Your experience is not everyone in the world's experience.

I never said people were stuffing their faces and lying around. I recognize it makes it more DIFFICULT to lose weight, just not imposisble like *most* people seem to claim. Again, sorry you're so offended, but thank you for being less abrasive in your last response.

And, again, you're wrong. Period. For some people, it DOES make it impossible.

I'll agree to disagree!

So you're disagreeing with my personal experience because your personal experience is different?

OK then.

After reading your profile I can no longer talk intelligently about this issue with you. Your profile says it all, you use BC as an excuse and say "the universe is against you" right in your description. I'm sorry that you do not feel motivated enough to dedicate yourself to logging and tracking what you eat and how much you exercise. I hope some day you are able to make yourself happy and healthy!

"the universe is against you"

That would be sarcasm.
All she is trying to say is everyone is different, just because you have not had an issue does not mean others have not. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to eat well, and exercise, and still not lose weight? I have been friends with RML for a long time, she is not a BSer nor does she makes excuses. I

EAT THE FOOD TINA. TINA. EAT THE FOOD.

You can't read my profile and know everything about me.

I know you like cookies.

Alright everyone. I'm sure I'll end up getting a lot of hate for this one but I know I'm not alone in this thought. I have seen more posts than I can count about wanting to change BC, go off of it or complaining because it "makes" you gain weight. If you have gained 10, 20 even 30 lbs on birth control it is NOT because of the birth control itself. BC can cause you to feel more hungry, have more cravings and simply have less physical energy. IT does not however actually make you gain weight. Estrogren or progesterone are not high weight gain causing hormones, despite what most people seem to think. Yes, a side effect can be some weight gain, some, meaning about 5lbs of excess water weight or weight that is easy to shed. Everyone responds differently to BC but in reality, so many people use it as an excuse for being overweight. So I guess my point is stop using it as an excuse and push yourself. N BC will make you gain more weight than another, yes they all have different side effects but don't let the IDEA that you will gain weight on BC slow you down!



EDIT:
I've lost 10lbs after starting Depo, which is one of the BC's that people claim is the worst for weight gain!

That is your experience. I started one pill, and in 6 weeks, I gained 45 pounds. That is a lot of calories extra a day I would have had to eat to gain that weight that quickly. 3 months after stopping, it was gone. That is my experience. I realize that statistically, increase in weight isn't caused by the pill, but there are always outliers.

i havent read all of them comments on this so i dont know if anyone has wrote about it and also if its the same in america than in england but if you are gaining weight on the birth control pill and you are all ready overweight you shouldnt be on the compined pill, you should be on the mini pill with is proestrogen only and will not make you gain weight or have cravings.

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

One thing you have to keep in mind is that different hormones in different doses affect different people in different ways.

I've been on 6 different BC pills since turning 18 (8 years ago), trying to find one that has side-effects that are manageable for me (unmanageable side-effects for me include depression and intense mood swings). I have never gained weight on a pill until this year (so 5/6 of the pills did not affect me in this way).

I started MFP in December of last year and lost 20lbs in 3 months of eating well and exercising. In March I started a new BCP, and the weight loss stopped within a week. For three months I went up and down the same four or five pounds. But my lifestyle hadn't changed - still eating great, still exercising. And I tried all the "tricks" for combating a plateau - upping calories, shaking up fitness routine, IF, you name it. Nothing helped.

Then, after three months, I took my 1 week of lower hormones (Camerese has 12 weeks of active pills and 1 week of lower hormones for 4 periods a year), and low and behold, lost 7lbs in that week. Then once I was back on the higher dose, it's slowed down immensely again.

So I went to talk to my OBGYN, who has a degree (which is more than most people giving medical advice on the internet) and knows a lot about women's health and how hormones impact the body. She said that yes, the pill does cause weight gain in some women because it makes them eat more. But sometimes it's just the hormone that does it.

She also said it can make it difficult to lose weight - the hormones trick the body into thinking it could be pregnant, so it tries to hold on to all the weight it can. I asked her if my 3 month plateau could be attributed to the pill, and after she looked at my diet and exercise logs, she said yes, it was probably the case.

She said straight up that if I hadn't been on the pill I was on, I probably would have lost another 20lbs in those 3 months.

If you think you're gaining weight or having trouble losing weight with the pill you're on, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe something different - either a different combination of hormones or a different dose - that affects you differently.

Doctors will often give you this advice. Is the OP a doctor? If not, take her "opinion" with a grain of salt.

STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL, PERIOD. Pill popping to stop the course of nature is just wrong.

I love sex and dislike children so...no.

I was also on BC (the shot) and was having a very VERY hard time losing weight. In 3 months of kickin my a$s with exercise and eating healthy I managed to lose 4 pounds anyway!! The nurse even told me "hey you went down 4lbs from the last time". It is kind of upsetting this BC makes it A LOT HARDER to lose it though.

STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL, PERIOD. Pill popping to stop the course of nature is just wrong.

Ahhh, the reason millions of children are born to families who cannot properly support them... Truly the dumbest thing I've seen on here yet!

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

This is true

This is very true. Do some people use it as an excuse and a crutch, absolutely. Does everyone, absolutely not. I was able to lose a bunch of weight on the depo shot after I had been on if for a while and my body had adjusted to it. Went off to have my son and chose to start it again. Had to have a very long discussion with my endocrinologist about my decision to resume the shot as opposed to remain with a progesterone only pill. He was very unhappy with my decision and was concerned that my gestational diabetes may become permanent if I was unable to lose the baby weight. Apparently there is something about the depoprovera that can affect the way your body breaks down the food and reacts to the carbs and sugars. Does it happen to everyone, no but there are people that it does happen to.

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

This is true

This is very true. Do some people use it as an excuse and a crutch, absolutely. Does everyone, absolutely not. I was able to lose a bunch of weight on the depo shot after I had been on if for a while and my body had adjusted to it. Went off to have my son and chose to start it again. Had to have a very long discussion with my endocrinologist about my decision to resume the shot as opposed to remain with a progesterone only pill. He was very unhappy with my decision and was concerned that my gestational diabetes may become permanent if I was unable to lose the baby weight. Apparently there is something about the depoprovera that can affect the way your body breaks down the food and reacts to the carbs and sugars. Does it happen to everyone, no but there are people that it does happen to.

My doctor won't even prescribe it. And, to be honest, weight gain is the least troublesome of its side effects. For my best friend, it worked as a weight loss drug -- she lost a bunch of weight without trying and couldn't gain if she tried. But it messed her up so badly in other more permanent ways.

Who the hell Is so ignorant they they would promote not using birth control? People like THAT are helping mess up society. We are already over populated and people are starving. Foster homes are full and so are the orphanages. I'm sick of these IDIOTS breeding. Ignorance.

Except for those who are on it for medical reasons, what's wrong with using condoms? But seriously it's your personal choice. At the end of the day everyone's bodies reacts differently to BC. You determine with your doctor what is right for you.

I like being on BC because it helps with my heavy periods, but honestly, once you're in a long-term, committed, monogamous relationship, condoms are just a PITA.

If you don't mind using them, go ahead. But I love not needing to. The pill, an IUD, whatever, is just more convenient. Plus, for me, there's a level of intimacy that condoms interfere with.

I'm not against BC and different kinds affect different people in different ways. On the pill, I never had any problems with weight or really anything else for many years. The last couple years on it, I started having periods for two weeks straight and they were getting heavier and heavier, and it didn't matter how many times I changed pills, I had the same problem. So I got Mirena, which was a huge mistake.

Now I'd rather deal with the periods than be fat anymore so I'm going back.

BC makes me very sluggish & gives me the worse headaches. I stopped taking mine this month to experiment--I feel so much better. I'm going to talk to my doctor on switching me to a low-dose like I was on previously, which had little to no side effects. The Pill also virtually slowed my weight loss; everyone's different but it DOES contribute to a legitimate excuse involving lack of weight loss (or even weight gain). Then again, I'm on it because of my PCOS--so that probably puts me in another group of women altogether. :ohwell:

Agreed. I do find myself retaining more water these days and that is a side effect of BC.... says so on the package.... but that is not actual weight gain.....Also, prescription drugs that do cause weight gain have to include it in the possible side effects. BC does not cause weight gain. The sooner we stop blaming our BC for our weight gain, the sooner we can get it off or under control.