Quitting birth control to help with weight loss?

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  • GeoJenna223
    GeoJenna223 Posts: 68 Member
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    Quitting birth control to lose weight would be akin to quitting caffeine to lose weight...all it does is make you drop water weight. I consulted my nutritionist and my doctor before getting back on the pill one month ago. They each said that I had nothing to worry about. I have gained no weight since January 1, in fact, I have continued to lose weight.

    Calories in > Calories out = weight gain. That's the bottom line. If you feel like you are hungrier try to, eat more protein at every meal. Try to keep your meals no more than 3 hours apart. If you are trying to stick to 1200 calories and cant, don't worry, 1200 may not be enough for you, especially if you exercise a lot. Try increasing your calories for those days, that may actually help jumpstart your weight loss.
  • ziggiezambi
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    I quit my BCP last month and with that and my new diet I some how managed to drop 15pounds In one month. Idk If I can contribute to it all being on the pill but I feel sure that it did have at least a small part in it. I plan on getting a copper IUD for my next method of BC. They are a non hormonal form of contraseptive.
  • MeTAUmorphosis
    MeTAUmorphosis Posts: 1 Member
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    Ladies that are on BC, I am starting Lo Estrin (Microgestin) today, how are you losing weight on BC? I entered a 90 day challenge and I don't want that to hinder me...
  • KimmyEB
    KimmyEB Posts: 1,208 Member
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    Everyone is different, and every type of birth control pill affects everyone different. I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for about 3 years, and gained a very significant amount of weight. Once I got off of the pill, I lost it all and then some with absolutely NO change in my diet or lifestyle. Was still working the same job, eating the same crappy foods and sodas nonstop...yet I magically was losing weight. Fast forward a few years and I entered into a serious relationship and we decided that I'd get back on the pill. New gynecologist recommended the same pills, and stupid me, I went back on them. Not fun. Same bad side effects (including weight gain due to increased appetite...only this time, I was eating healthier and had cut out soda almost entirely!)....for me, personally, the side effects are not worth it. I had no energy on the pill, was always moody and grumpy and felt upset/sad/angry (I wouldn't say habitually depressed, but never really happy or "myself"). I finally got off of the pill for good about 2 years ago. No significant weight loss (I am older now, plus I gained more weight the second go-round of them, haha), but I do have energy to exercise and no longer crave food 24/7. I'm no longer grumpy or easily angered or sad all the time, either, which to me is the best part. That's just my personal story, and as you can see, everyone else's is different. For me, it's not worth it to be on those pills, and the weight gain was the least of the bad side-effects for me.

    There are horror stories for every form, it seems...the shot seems to be the most prevalent with women I know personally. Also, I get rather tired of hearing "Well just ask your doctor which one is best for you." I've had 3 doctors all tell me that Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo was the best for me, even when I tell them my side effects. They looked at me like I was insane when I told them I was always feeling tired yet getting adequate sleep, that I had no energy, had an increased appetite, and was moody constantly.
  • KimmyEB
    KimmyEB Posts: 1,208 Member
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    I hate what the pill did to me and got my tubes tied as soon as I could find a doctor who would do it. Needless to say, anyone even thinking of maybe having more kids in the future can't go this route and even if you're %100 sure you never want any or more kids, it's nearly impossible to get it done when you're young. For some reason a guy can get 'fixed' in his early 20s, unmarried, no kids, but good luck with that if you're a woman.

    I agree! It's ridiculous that a man can get his tubes tied on his 18th birthday basically if he wants to...but when I was 18, I was told absolutely not, no one would tie my tubes for me (and believe me, I tried...lol). Every few years I go on the hunt looking for a doctor who will do it for me, but I've had no such luck. They see my age (I'm currently 26) and assume I'm just "confused" or being stupid, and that I'll regret the decision. I've never once in my entire life wanted my own children. I have a very strong opinion of adoption, and knew since I was a teenager that if I ever wanted children, I was going to adopt, and I've stood by those convictions ever since. But to the doctors I've spoken to, that's not a legitimate enough reason. Saying "I do not want children" isn't, either. The double standard pisses me off...a man can make that decision for himself as soon as he's 18, but a woman can't.
  • Lady_Clarington
    Lady_Clarington Posts: 76 Member
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    My (female) GP had a chat to me about weight and birth control at my last check up (very dangerous for me to get pregnant right now so she's a little hyper about it). Now as a doctor she says that birth control has no affect on your weight. As a woman she says that she has to avoid certain pills as she gets the need to EAT EVERYTHING!!!
    Perhaps I've struck lucky with a doctor who is willing to let me try different forms of contraception in order to find one that best suits me but it is worth having a chat with yours to see what they suggest and THEN deciding if you want to quit / try something else.

    If you're hoping that dropping the BC is a quick fix to help you loose weight are you prepared to stay on your chosen alternative long term (i.e. condoms) to keep the weight off? Or would you be going back to the one that makes you put on weight and yo-yo on and off birth control as the weight creeps back up?

    Don't think about the short term goal of loosing weight here. Think about the long term aim of keeping yourself trim and the potential of ending up having to squeeze an unplanned 8lb bowling ball from between your legs.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
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    I wouldn't stop without discussing it with your doctor... but have a backup plan in mind, go talk to your doctor for sure. There are so many options out there right now, your doctor should be willing to help you find something that will be better suited to you. If this BC is making you ravenous, and the previous one made you crazy - try another one. Seriously - there are a pile of them out there.

    If you don't medically need the pill, and getting pregnant isn't a concern, your doctor may take you off them completely.
  • darkangel1986
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    ive had thesame issuse it dose something to your metabolic rate people whom are prone to carry more weight tend to do so whileon contraseptives were as people whom have a hard time keeping it on will llose more i whent on camprese lo its a three onthcycle and this is no longer the issuse
  • bananapancakebella
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    Switching birth control pills to one that worked with my body is one of the best things I've ever done. I was on seasonique for a few years and gained somewhere around 30 pounds. The pill also made me depressed, constantly moody, and I basically felt terrible. For some reason, I didn't associate it with the pill right away. I switched doctors, and when the new one saw which pill I was on, asked me if I had noticed any of the side effects- including weight gain (average for this pill is 74 lbs! holy crap! bad mood swings, etc.) she switched me to yaz, which has been working fabulously. I lost the weight quickly and easily (this might not be the case for everyone) and my moods improved within a few days of switching. Best advice I can give is to talk to your doctor about side effects, and finding a pill that works well with your body.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    I quit hormonal birth control because the contraceptive poll gave me liver tumors. Since I stopped the pill that time of the month is harder than before in that I crave foods more and it's a difficult week. For me being off it didn't make things easier in that sense

    That being said I feel I can now feel emotions better and I feel more balanced in general. I did nave a tough few months when first coming off, felt emotional... But then I had just had major liver surgery.

    I now have the copper coil. The first 4/5 periods were not very nice at all, but once they were over and it has settled I have been fine. No hormones, and 5 years now of not having to worry about it. Expect a few ropey months if you go for it, but I reckon it's well worth it in the long run!

    Zara x
  • Mommy2nate1023
    Mommy2nate1023 Posts: 3 Member
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    i was on oral birth control for 10 years. First, imediately after I stopped taking birth control I got pregnant (it was planned). Now I have an IUD (Mirena) and have maintained my weight for over a year (wasn't working out), no bloating and NO PERIOD!! Its great, no worry about remembering to take anything or using protection and its good for 5 years! I'll see how the weight comes off now with the IUD now that I am starting to work out since I have been stuck at the same weight for 2 years and would love to finally get rid of my pregnancy weight since my son is now 2½ years old!
  • cds_momto3
    cds_momto3 Posts: 316 Member
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    I had the SAME thing happen to me when I first got on BCP when I got married. I gained 30 pounds in a very short period of time. I got off it, and while the weight didn't drop off, the gaining stopped immediately (without me making any other lifestyle changes). I didn't experience hair loss or any other negative consequences. We used other methods of preventing, and I didn't have a child until 4 years later. I haven't gone on BCP since, and it's been about 10 years now!
  • brooksie2027
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    I was off birth control for about 6 months because I went to my family doctor and had high blood pressure. During this time I lost so much weight and I didn't crave any food. I went back on in September and gained weight (about 15 lbs) and got so much more cellulite and I also crave food so much more! I am getting off of it. Just going to use other methods. I am getting married and need to get the weight off!
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
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    Well, just be careful. Getting pregnant certainly won't help with weight loss.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
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    This is probably the worst idea i've ever heard.

    The only birth control that's been PROVEN to actually CAUSE weight gain is depo provera. The birth control you're on may make you moody and you may consume more, but that's an issue of will power.

    Just all around... no.
  • Greytfish
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    There are hundreds of OCP options. See a doc (got to PP if you can't find an affordable one to do something other than push diet pills).
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    BC affects everyone differently, and there are so many different options that there's no reason you should be taking the pills if you don't feel they work for you. Before you go talk to a doctor, I'd really suggest doing some research and figuring out what you'd like to use. Every pill I've ever taken has made me sick, to the point that they interfere with my day-to-day life and I refuse to take them. (I love my IUD!). I've had several doctors refuse to listen to me or even argue with me when I said I didn't like the side effects and wanted to try a different method. I finally had to start telling them I can't remember to take the pill every day and THEN they'd talk to me about other options, because they find it easier to believe that I'm a ditzy little girl than that I just have a preference about my own health care. Silly me, thinking I know what works for my own body! :noway:
  • butterrum13
    butterrum13 Posts: 77 Member
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    Careful with that. I ditched my birth control because it had caused weight gain (though I had a Mirena IUD and not BCP), I got a new baby out of it! In my defense, I continued to lose weight through my first two trimesters and delivered him at less than I started.

    But seriously, check with your Dr. Maybe try a different pill first?
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    Careful with that. I ditched my birth control because it had caused weight gain (though I had a Mirena IUD and not BCP), I got a new baby out of it! In my defense, I continued to lose weight through my first two trimesters and delivered him at less than I started.

    But seriously, check with your Dr. Maybe try a different pill first?

    This made me laugh, I have a friend who is taking out her IUD early since her husband just had a vasectomy and she would rather get pregnant now (if it didn't take) then in a year or so when its supposed to be taken out.
  • Supadoopafly
    Supadoopafly Posts: 248 Member
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    Hi,

    I've recently come off the pill. The doctor took me off it. In the time I've been on it, I've gained 50lbs (I was on a high dose, not pregnancy protection related). My eating hasn't been significantly different yet I gained lots of weight. I've been bad, but not to the extent of gaining.

    I'm wondering if there is any hope for me, do hormone pills have a long 'half life'?