Losing weight on Birth control?

foxythefox
foxythefox Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Please help ladies!!! How do you lose weight on bc? I had a baby just 4 months ago and I gained 70 llbs while pregnant! I have neve felt so ugly and unhealthy in my life. When I gave birth I realized that I couldn't eat what I wanted anymore and just exercise it off. I had to diet and workout together. With that said, I have 12 llbs to go and I am back to my prepregnancy weight!!

I am so close to my goals but I am ready to have sex with my husband again and the best option is the minipill until I stop nursing.
I am TERRIFIED my constant weight loss will stop or even worse...I will start gaining weight.

How do you ladies deal with your weight on the pill?

Replies

  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    The reason people gain weight on the pill is because it can cause cravings. Other than that, sometimes the hormones can make you retain water. You can combat that by making sure you keep your sodium low, exercise a little every day, and drink lots of water to keep your kidneys flushed.

    There have been many, many, many studies showing the pill, itself, does not cause weight gain. It's the increased snacking and bloating.
  • nixism
    nixism Posts: 258 Member
    I lost weight when I went off the pill for a year... about 5kgs.
    I've been back on the pill for about 2yrs now and I've put on 5kgs... I'm slowly losing it, but I mean slowly - only lost 2kgs so far, after 3 months of hard effort. I have however lost cm's all over and am fitting my clothes better.
    I know the pill causes me to weight gain (retain water)... so I am trying my best to somewhat ignore the scales, and focus on my measurements and how my clothes fit...

    Hope thats a help - you are not alone :)
  • Bonny619
    Bonny619 Posts: 311 Member
    I have had NO problem losing weight while on the BC pill.
  • lindsaykdesigns
    lindsaykdesigns Posts: 15
    Did you gain weight on the pill in the past? I can only do the depo shot, and I asked about the weight gain and was told it's not as common as you'd think, and that it would probably only happen if I already had a bad diet. And then... I ended up being one of the few who had an uncommon weight *loss* from it. Still dealing with it causing a loss of appetite (which is bad for me, already close to underweight [just pulled out of it yesterday] and on another med that suppresses my appetite as a side effect). Anyway, sometimes the "it makes you gain weight!!!!" can be one of those things that just gets passed on so much among us women that it almost becomes expected, like a placebo effect. Take the pill, but don't let it take over your mind. DO NOT LET IT TERRIFY YOU. Go on with your diet. Don't even THINK about it. Push that side effect possibility to the very very very back of your mind. Seriously. Put it on the farthest back burner you can possibly find. And if and only if you start to notice you're gaining weight and you can't find any other reason, then you remember it.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    The reason people gain weight on the pill is because it can cause cravings. Other than that, sometimes the hormones can make you retain water. You can combat that by making sure you keep your sodium low, exercise a little every day, and drink lots of water to keep your kidneys flushed.

    There have been many, many, many studies showing the pill, itself, does not cause weight gain. It's the increased snacking and bloating.

    This exactly. :)
  • crazyellybean
    crazyellybean Posts: 999 Member
    If you can control your craving and appetite increase you will be ok, keep lots of gum, eat protein and keep moving!
  • foxythefox
    foxythefox Posts: 8
    You guys told me exactly what I needed to hear (facts) and really make me feel good about taking pills again instead of dreading it.
    THANK YOU!

    Wish me luck on my will power and sweets! LOL
  • dg730
    dg730 Posts: 62
    Please help ladies!!! How do you lose weight on bc? I had a baby just 4 months ago and I gained 70 llbs while pregnant! I have neve felt so ugly and unhealthy in my life. When I gave birth I realized that I couldn't eat what I wanted anymore and just exercise it off. I had to diet and workout together. With that said, I have 12 llbs to go and I am back to my prepregnancy weight!!

    I am so close to my goals but I am ready to have sex with my husband again and the best option is the minipill until I stop nursing.
    I am TERRIFIED my constant weight loss will stop or even worse...I will start gaining weight.

    How do you ladies deal with your weight on the pill?


    The pill they give you when you are breastfeeding wont stop you from losing weight. I lost all my baby weight on it with my first one. Then i went on the real pill and started gaining.Try another form of BC
  • becs_91
    becs_91 Posts: 180 Member
    I have been on BC for years and never had any problems, although... (I don't want to scare you! but...) come to think of it, I did gain a bit of weight when I went on the mini pill. I was on it for 3 or 4 months and gained about 10 lbs over that time. BUT (and this is a big but, literally), I was also eating like a pig and basically sat around all summer. So I have complete confidence that you can continue to lose weight while on it!

    Side note, and I'm sure you already know this from your doc and the instructions, but REALLY make sure you take it at exactly the same time every day. This is generally true for all BC but it is actually necessary (lol) for the mini pill. Even a couple of hours off and you could be in trouble. It was kind of a hassle compared to normal BC but of course it's a good option for breastfeeding!
  • gingerbreadgirl86
    gingerbreadgirl86 Posts: 1
    Just wanted to echo the other posters in saying that there is NO evidence that the pill itself causes weight gain - it is the increased appetite/water retention that causes the scales to jump! Just be mindful of your snacking/sodium intake and you will be fine.

    In the middle of losing 20kgs I had to go on both the Pill AND another medication that has a weight gain side effect, and I was terrified it would slow/stop my weight loss. While I noticed a definite increase in my appetite in the first few weeks (hard to say which med was causing it though), I fought through it (gum, water, lots of protein and good fats are your best friend!) and my appetite went back to normal fairly quickly, and my slow, steady loss of weight as continued (now at my goal weight of 57kg, yay!)

    Good luck x
  • ksavy
    ksavy Posts: 271 Member
    I have been on the pill the entire time I have been losing weight. I gained weight when I started taking it, but that was because I was always seeming to be hungry and was snacking more than normal and on less healthy choices. It may take a little more will power to make smart food choices and trying not to snack, but losing the weight is entirely possible.
  • cruciia
    cruciia Posts: 94 Member
    I have gained weight on the pill before, but I think that you need to find the pill that is right for you. I started using Levlen ED and have NO problems with cravings or weight gain. I'm steadily losing weight and still on Levlen.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    I'm on the mini pill and have lost 45lbs on it. As long as you are determined to do it then you will, don't worry about it x
  • hopej81
    hopej81 Posts: 1
    The best way to help with water retention is to take a Benadryl, I do this after eating more sodium than I should. I have also seemed to retain water while on the pill. I have recently started drinking around 6-8 cups of water a day and the results were instant!

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