Does being on "the pill" make it harder to lose weight?

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journeytofitxx
journeytofitxx Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
I have gained thirty or so pounds since I started the pill, and I know that all of that DEFINETELY didn't come from my eating habits alone. It seems like I can't lose weight as quickly as most people can... anyone else had this problem before?
My only concern is: will I be able to get the weight off if I continue taking the pill?! I've heard you have to work a lot harder, which is okay, but at the same time it's a bit discouraging, you know? Sigh. ~
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Replies

  • VickyJo68
    VickyJo68 Posts: 90 Member
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    Some can yes. Especially the injection.
  • tequilasunris3
    tequilasunris3 Posts: 197
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    bump
  • Jacole18
    Jacole18 Posts: 716 Member
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    Just keep at it, and you will lose it. I have been on the pill since I was 16 and I'm almost 30 now. You can do it. Don't let anything or anyone discourage you beautiful :)
  • Hezzietiger1
    Hezzietiger1 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    umm.. change your pill. And yes, it is your eating habits. Run a search on here for the hundreds of other posts regarding the pill. I'm sure you will find some good info.
  • journeytofitxx
    journeytofitxx Posts: 20
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    umm.. change your pill. And yes, it is your eating habits. Run a search on here for the hundreds of other posts regarding the pill. I'm sure you will find some good info.
    Not ALL of it is my eating habits. You know nothing about my eating habits or what I ate before I started the pill. I specifically asked this question because I know that birth control made me gain some weight. Not ALL of my weight, but it did. And thanks! I've been doing some research but am finding mixed results... most people say that it was very hard to take the weight off and I was just wondering if anyone had personally experienced this.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Everybody is different, especially with hormones. I started losing weight in July last year, went fine until I started birth control in October. I was on the pill for 4 months and lost only 5 lb in that period. I won't go back on it until I'm in maintenance. I was starving all the time, lowering calories more than previously, and couldn't lose weight. Even at maintenance, I'll try a different formulation to see if I can not be starving.

    ETA: I think some people are prone to hormone imbalances more than others, I also went through a period of amenorrhea when I started leangains.
  • journeytofitxx
    journeytofitxx Posts: 20
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    Everybody is different, especially with hormones. I started losing weight in July last year, went fine until I started birth control in October. I was on the pill for 4 months and lost only 5 lb in that period. I won't go back on it until I'm in maintenance. I was starving all the time, lowering calories more than previously, and couldn't lose weight. Even at maintenance, I'll try a different formulation to see if I can not be starving.
    Yeah, see, I've heard a lot of stories similar to yours and I really don't want that to happen to me. I would just get so discouraged... I'm not saying I want some huge rapid weight loss but about a pound a week would be nice...
  • LeslePG
    LeslePG Posts: 105 Member
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    I don't know if it's coincidence or not, but....... I was on my last pack, with 2 months b4 my next checkup so I called to get a refill to get me thru till then. They only called in 1 pack with a "you need to schedule a checkup" note with my script. I am 45, and decided to just go ahead and get off the pill (and didn't want to "bother" my dr with calling and saying 'Hey, need one more pack!" Since I stopped taking it, got serious with my eating and exercise and the weight has been coming off! HOWEVER, it has kicked me into pre-menopause, which may have been lurking anyway, but who would have know if I'd stayed on it? lol

    So not sure if it was the pill or not...... I also have hypothyroidism, which has made me gain over the last several years, but luckily have been getting back to where I want to be

    You should be fine as long as you watch what you eat and exercise. Best of luck to you!:happy:
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    I take Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, and I haven't ran into any issues with weight loss with it. I am just starting however, but I have been on the pill for 2 years. Rather lose weight slow than gain the weight of a baby. :laugh:
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
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    I was on the pill when I started MFP and I lost 1-2 pounds every week through my first 30 pounds with just eating the calories MFP gave me. I wasn't even exercising at that point. So I didn't find that being on the pill was a hindrance at all.
  • LadyIntrepid
    LadyIntrepid Posts: 399 Member
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    You may want to ask your doc to see if a lower dose hormone pill will work for you. Sometimes that can make a positive difference regarding weight.
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    Everybody is different, especially with hormones. I started losing weight in July last year, went fine until I started birth control in October. I was on the pill for 4 months and lost only 5 lb in that period. I won't go back on it until I'm in maintenance. I was starving all the time, lowering calories more than previously, and couldn't lose weight. Even at maintenance, I'll try a different formulation to see if I can not be starving.
    Yeah, see, I've heard a lot of stories similar to yours and I really don't want that to happen to me. I would just get so discouraged... I'm not saying I want some huge rapid weight loss but about a pound a week would be nice...

    The only way you can find out is, unfortunately, to try it. And you have to give it at least 4 months, since I read that there can be wonkiness for the first 3 months. Hence why I won't be giving it another try anytime soon.
  • kixz
    kixz Posts: 13
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    I used to think that it was a total myth that bc made girls gain weight. I read some convincing literature which stated that we naturally gain weight as we age so the introduction of the pill wasn't the cause as some would think. I personally did not gain weight for the first six years I was on birth control, I honestly always thought my friends who blamed weight gain on the pill were just llazy and looking for an excuse.... Two months ago I switched pills in an effort to save some money and HOLY **** I have blown up. I thought at first that maybe my body was just adjusting to new hormones...it must be bloat right? Noway could I gain five lbs out of nowhere in less than a month, I was sure my body would right itself... Needless to say, I will be switching back to my previous contraceptive at the end of this cycle.
  • shortnerdy
    shortnerdy Posts: 131
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    I'm on Yaz and have been for 3 years now never noticed any weight gain but then again I was a bigger girl to begin with. By changing my eating habits and exercising after making a pact with my roomate to get healthy I lost 9 pounds and 7 inches in 6 weeks. I think that's pretty consistent so At least with me I am losing easily in spite of being on the pill

    Just my experience.
  • innocenceportrayed
    innocenceportrayed Posts: 569 Member
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    Depends on your body.
    I've had both the pill and the shot at different times, the shot, depo provera made me gain weight and I'm currently on it but I'm losing the weight I gained, it was mainly because it put me into a depression so it was emotional eating(and I've struggled with an eating disorder for years anyway) but when I was on the pill, I lost weight, probably 10 pounds every 6-8 months or so, but nonetheless.

    I really think it depends on your body and how it reacts to it. If that one is making you gain weight, talk to your doctor because they shouldn't make you gain THAT much weight, 10 pounds top from what I understand, you may need to switch pills.
  • Rachlmale
    Rachlmale Posts: 640 Member
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    I'm on the pill and I've lost 18 pounds in less than 2 months... perhaps it may affect - but not all that much in my experience.
  • laurenellenmarie
    laurenellenmarie Posts: 331 Member
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    This is a different subject for everyone.
    I suffer from intense migraines so I can't take quite a few pills.
    I tried the injection a few years ago and gained upwards of 60 pounds in nine months as well as I became a complete *****.
    Then I tried the Nuva Ring, My weight didn't climb but my libido went out the window. Completely. So it wasn't worth it either.
    Right after that, I gained even more weight. Afterwards.
    Needless to say I can't handle contraceptives.
    I just have to be EXTRA careful with certain things ;) but I feel much better than I ever felt on medication.
  • journeytofitxx
    journeytofitxx Posts: 20
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    Depends on your body.
    I've had both the pill and the shot at different times, the shot, depo provera made me gain weight and I'm currently on it but I'm losing the weight I gained, it was mainly because it put me into a depression so it was emotional eating(and I've struggled with an eating disorder for years anyway) but when I was on the pill, I lost weight, probably 10 pounds every 6-8 months or so, but nonetheless.

    I really think it depends on your body and how it reacts to it. If that one is making you gain weight, talk to your doctor because they shouldn't make you gain THAT much weight, 10 pounds top from what I understand, you may need to switch pills.
    That's what I'm worried about - 10 pounds every six months or more. I know it's better than nothing but that just is too slow for me!
  • NatashaB8
    NatashaB8 Posts: 202
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    It did for me. I am on my fourth or fifth pill now!

    My first pill made me have terrible mood swings and my second didn't help much either. I also tried dieting and hardly lost any weight at all and I found it so discouraging I gave up.
    I then went on Marvelon (Marvelous Marvelon ;) ) and started losing weight. When I changed to a lower hormone pill Yasmin the weight dropped off. A stone and a half in around 2 months, doing what I had been doing with the previous pills.

    Speak to your doctor about other pills available :)
  • scheatwood
    scheatwood Posts: 207 Member
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    I've been on the pill since January and was able to maintain my weight, but I began working out. But in the last two months my period has been lighter and I've been spotting between times. I've decided to go off it when I finish my current pack just to get my hormones back in order to see if that helps with the spotting.

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