birth control making weight loss difficult

lizzynewm
lizzynewm Posts: 199 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
hey all!

so i just started taking birth control about a month and a half ago. all the time before that, i was losing weight fairly quickly and easily. it was all just a basic mathematical equation that was working. i would run a calorie deficit, and i would lose weight. oh so simple!

anyway, during the entire first month of starting the pill, it was incredibly difficult to simply MAINTAIN my weight. i continued to log every day and would be eating at a deficit, but the scale would remain. then, if i overate one or two days (only by a couple hundred calories) then i would immediately gain weight. and i assumed it was just water weight or something, but the weight would stick for weeks...

then came the week of the "sugar" pill, or placebo pill, or what have you - and i continued to eat at the deficit i normally maintain, but i lost like 4 pounds that week! it was glorious! and now i'm back on the regular pill and the scale either remains static or creeps up after limited amounts of over-eating.

it's just really frustrating because at this point it seems like my only shot at losing weight is the one week i'm not on the real pill, and for the other 3 weeks i just have to try my best to not gain weight, when i'm definitely not eating enough to be gaining weight!

if anyone has/had a problem like this, did it eventually end when your body got used to the hormones? or is it just another added struggle i have to deal with?

thanks for reading!

Replies

  • jessalleyne
    jessalleyne Posts: 41
    I think that this is one of those areas where every "body" is different. There is some truth to the fact that at least some birth control pills can prohibit weight loss - and cause weight gain. I don't know the science to this to speak to it more than that.

    I would suggest seeing your dr. & expressing your concerns. There are a whole lot more options for you - from other pills designed to NOT do this - to the Nuvaring, etc. Fortunately/unfortunately - you have a lot of options - and it's about finding what works best with your body, your lifestyle & your budget. And then there are the other questions - like what's more important - being healthy, being at a certain weight - or not getting pregnant! :) All of this is good to go over with your dr. And - I would advise doing some of your own research on birth control option now so you are somewhat educated going into that meeting.

    Keep your head up - it's not easy - but it's helpful to get to know your body!
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