Does birth control make it harder to lose weight?

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  • Tigg1011
    Tigg1011 Posts: 146
    Yes. I recently switched to generess fe from lo-loestrin because my migraines were increasing and becoming worse. I have now been on generess for 2 weeks and have gained 5 lbs, I eat clean and exercise regularly. Ive been on bc for more than 10 yrs and have never gained weight on any pill except this one. Also switching from lo-loestrin which has 10mcg of estrogen to generess which has 25mcg of estrogen means its a higher dose obviously-I know my body needs to adjust, however once I am done this pack, I am going back to the original loestrin fe where I had no side effects.
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    A little over two weeks ago I've started birth control (Generess Fe), and I just keep gaining weight! I'm not really hungrier or anything, and I'm still doing everything the same (if anything I'm eating less). I log everything so it must be water weight, I hope so anyways (can it slow down your metabolism?). If I don't lose it by the time I get my period I might just stop taking it, I've already gained over two pounds doing nothing out of the ordinary! If I gain weight I'd rather do so from shoving my face with cake, not taking a tiny pill every day .-.

    Don't stop taking it after a month. It takes your body at least three months to get used to a new pill.

    OP, birth control can make it a bit harder but it won't actually stop you from losing fat... nor will it actually make you gain fat. A pill cannot magically put fat on your body.

    The only way the pill will make you gain is it can increase your appetite causing you to eat more, cause you to retain water, or cause you to feel more tired than normal which may cause you to not exercise as hard/long/as often. If you change nothing at all you will not gain fat weight regardless of the pill you are on.

    It can take your body three to six months to get used to a new BC. Ensuring you are taking it at the exact same time each day will keep the hormones level and your body will get used to it quicker.
  • lee91356
    lee91356 Posts: 330 Member
    for me over time it effected my hormones and my pms. i have had the mirena for over a year (after being on yasmin/ ocella for over 7 years) and when i first started losing weight I didnt have issues with it but now that I have lost a lot of weight its been effecting me, the week before my period i'm constantly hungry and eat anything thats not nailed down. my weight stalls during that time and sometimes the scale does in fact inch up a bit, however, generally within the first few days after my period I lose my crazy snacking and my excess weight and the scale goes back to normal. so perhaps your body is transitioning and changing and you need to make some changes to your diet, exercise to shake things up. Sometimes I eat more than my calories (like during the time of the month) and I have yet to see my weight adversely effected by it. Or maybe like other suggest takes a excersice rest day if you work out all the time or change up the exercise. See if any of that makes a difference. Then if nothing else you know it may be the BC.
  • EverythingIsTakenAgain
    EverythingIsTakenAgain Posts: 19 Member
    A little over two weeks ago I've started birth control (Generess Fe), and I just keep gaining weight! I'm not really hungrier or anything, and I'm still doing everything the same (if anything I'm eating less). I log everything so it must be water weight, I hope so anyways (can it slow down your metabolism?). If I don't lose it by the time I get my period I might just stop taking it, I've already gained over two pounds doing nothing out of the ordinary! If I gain weight I'd rather do so from shoving my face with cake, not taking a tiny pill every day .-.

    I gained weight like crazy while I was on Generess Fe...about 15 lbs. I was running about 20+ miles per week, doing P90X 6 days per week, and eating pretty well. My eating habbits did not change, and no matter how hard I worked out, I kept gaining weight. I had other side effects as well. I changed to Nuva Ring and lost 7 lbs the first week. Seriously. And I was on Generess Fe for 10 months, so my body had plenty of time to get used to it. I also gained the weight in my stomach area, which I had never done before...still trying to get rid of that fat.
  • christinet2013
    christinet2013 Posts: 6 Member
    If you had asked me a few years ago, I would have said "absolutely not." HOWEVER, last year I switched birth control pills from Seasonique which was crazy expensive under my insurance to Altavera which was super cheap and supposedly the same chemically. I almost immediately hit a plateau in my weight loss. Then my weight started creeping up. Over 6 months I gained about 13 pounds which was ridiculous since my diet had not changed at all and I had added in a lot of exercise. Everyone told me it was probably muscle weight gain, but my measurements didn't show that. My clothes fit tighter and I just felt heavier.

    I never believed the whole "BC makes you fat" thing so I didn't even think to change that. I went to the doctor for every test under the sun. Everything came back perfect - thyroid running slightly high (I should have been losing). I was eating well and chugging water, but I was still gaining.

    The pill was the last thing for me to try and change. I changed my pill mid January back to Seasonique and have already lost 6 pounds without changing a thing diet/exercise wise. It was like I flipped a switch and my body finally started to see that I was doing good things for it. I definitely think the more expensive pill is worth it now....no complaints here!

    So I guess my answer is "It depends on the specific pill and how it works with your specific body." Ive been on about 10 different types of pills in my life and only one cause any type of change in my weight.

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