When will people understand that you can't spontaneously....

..."GAIN WEIGHT"

I hear people complaining how being on a type of birth control or a medication "MADE" them gain 30-50 pounds. and they truly believe that taking said medication caused them to somehow spontaneously gain weight, regardless of their food intake.

Explain this to me? Why do people believe things like depo vera can "cause" weight gain on its own?

the body CANNOT create fat storage out of excess calories that do not exist. If this were true, starving to death wouldn't be possible, because you could somehow create a layer of fat storage without eating the excess calories necessary to create said fat.

medications affect your mood and appetite (leading to more food, meaning more weight) the shots and pills themselves do not /cause weight gain/

just wanted to reiterate, and confirm that this is true? I'm open to hear facts about any other opinions, but I'm fairly certain you can't gain weight out of nowhere XD
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Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    some medications can also impact metabolic rate which means that at the same food intake at which you were maintaining, you are now gaining weight. Some medications also have a rather substantial impact on hormones and hormone imbalances often do cause metabolic issues for which, again, you can go from maintaining to gaining on the same calorie intake.
  • Katus130
    Katus130 Posts: 50 Member
    some medications can also impact metabolic rate which means that at the same food intake at which you were maintaining, you are now gaining weight. Some medications also have a rather substantial impact on hormones and hormone imbalances often do cause metabolic issues for which, again, you can go from maintaining to gaining on the same calorie intake.

    This.
  • gwhizeh
    gwhizeh Posts: 269 Member
    I dunno. I will ask my doctor why he told me one of my meds causes weight gain. Ill get back to ya.
  • bamf82
    bamf82 Posts: 14
    Agreed with cwolfman13, that and a lot of the antidepressant meds have metabolic impacts. Not saying that it can cause a 50-60 lb gain, maybe 10-15 at the most. But sometimes just gaining 10-15 is enough to make someone feel like it's pointless to try to lose weight, and just keep eating.
  • mariahmilan
    mariahmilan Posts: 28 Member
    Maybe you can explain to me then why I gained 50 pounds in 2 months when I was 16 and went on the pill when there were no other changes in food and exercise? Medicines can certainly change the metabolism and mess with hormones. It's a fact. it has nothing to do with calories.
  • Agreed with cwolfman13, and birth control can also have side effects of water bloating and retaining more water.
    I see where you are coming from, cause some birth controls do increase appetite which in return makes people feel as though the pills made them gain weight.
    I'm currently struggling with my new birth control because I found that it makes me retain a lot more water and my metabolism isn't as fast as it used to be.
    I'm on a very stable diet for the past 3 years, and on this birth control(8 weeks on), I went from 118 to 124 and my eating habits haven't changed.
  • journey_man
    journey_man Posts: 110 Member
    I also like how people claim some dramatic weight gains overnight, without questioning the accuracy of their scales.

    One shouldn't have to spell this out, but it is literally impossible to gain more mass than you have ingested.
  • katesnewbody
    katesnewbody Posts: 62 Member
    hm yeah, I guess that makes sense :D metabolic rate decrease makes scientific sense, but I still don;t see how 50 or so pounds can be gained from being on a shot? I'd cut my intake immediately if I noticed a 5-10 pound gain even :/
  • sandylion
    sandylion Posts: 451 Member
    .
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Hormones control your ENTIRE body. If you don't think there is any way they can change your metabolism to make you "GAIN WEIGHT" out of "No WHERE" you need to do some reading. And maybe don't make vast judgements on people on a topic you know nothing about.
    lol.........unbelievable.
  • Actually...

    I gained about 100-140 pounds in 3-5 months.

    When I went *off* birth control the last time. Since then I have been on some form of hormone control.

    When my doctor put me back *on* birth control, I lost 50 pounds within 3 months. With NO diet changes.

    Why you ask?

    Metabolic disorder called PCOS.

    So yes. Yes you can.

    I think some reading is in order- some definite things in life are out of the control of other individuals.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    hm yeah, I guess that makes sense :D metabolic rate decrease makes scientific sense, but I still don;t see how 50 or so pounds can be gained from being on a shot? I'd cut my intake immediately if I noticed a 5-10 pound gain even :/
    Well, I see exactly where you are coming from with your questions. I was on the pill for many years and my weight did fluctuate, but there was never any evidence that the pill had anything to do with it. To be truthful, I just ate too darned much!

    I can see gaining a few pounds from water retention with the piill, but it seems unrealistic that 10, 30, or 40 pounds would pile on just due to the pill, unless a person is eating way above their TDEE.

    I can't speak for other medications, though.
  • From the [admittedly brief] research I've done on the topic, most of what causes weight gain in people using certain medications is an increase in appetite. Antidepressants and Diabetes medications most notably cause an increase in appetite, which in turn takes a day where you feel just as sated with food that you no longer maintain with.

    Corticosteroids do cause trouble with using blood sugar, and that can increase the amount fat that is deposited in the body, and makes it more difficult to access the stored energy in those fat deposits.

    Depakote causes a weight gain in 8-9 percent of people, but the majority of them lay the blame on increased desire for sweet foods as opposed to their previous intake.

    Birth control medications come in a wide variety, but seem to fall into one of three camps. They either will increase the amount of water retained, increase appetite or cause abnormal glucose metabolism. However, sympomatic weight gain of more than 10 percent is usually indicative of an onset of insulin resistance which should be addressed with/by your doctor.

    However, I am not a doctor, just a student that took a Nutrition and Metabolism course one time.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Actually...

    I gained about 100-140 pounds in 3-5 months.

    When I went *off* birth control the last time. Since then I have been on some form of hormone control.

    When my doctor put me back *on* birth control, I lost 50 pounds within 3 months. With NO diet changes.

    Why you ask?

    Metabolic disorder called PCOS.

    So yes. Yes you can.

    I think some reading is in order- some definite things in life are out of the control of other individuals.
    So, it sounds like PCOS cause a reverse effect for you in that you lost weight when going on the pill. Thanks for sharing this.
  • kasimarie29
    kasimarie29 Posts: 128 Member
    *Depo Provera* Shot.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    some medications can also impact metabolic rate which means that at the same food intake at which you were maintaining, you are now gaining weight. Some medications also have a rather substantial impact on hormones and hormone imbalances often do cause metabolic issues for which, again, you can go from maintaining to gaining on the same calorie intake.
    true but it still boils down to they were eating more than their bodies needed.

    and i think what the OP means is what is exactly stated in the OP: no one wakes up overnight and finds themself 30+ pounds overweight. unless of course they were in some type of coma.

    most adults dont become obese without some sort of complacency/complicity in the situation
  • However, sympomatic weight gain of more than 10 percent is usually indicative of an onset of insulin resistance which should be addressed with/by your doctor.

    Yes. that insulin resistance can be the signs of a metabolic disorder. But it does happen.

    And a lot of the weight that is gained, you'll lose as soon as you're off any medication.

    It can be triggered by ANY medication. And as for diabetes medications- some of the new injectibles can cause metabolic imbalances that do cause issues with fat deposits. Thus why they've been pulled off the market- or have black box warnings.

    I do have extensive research on the topics.
  • 19amm82
    19amm82 Posts: 16 Member
    I completed eight cycles of fertility medications for my infertility and it messed with my hormones so bad I gained nearly 30 pounds over the course of 8 months. I had no change in eating habits or anything like that. After I stopped the fertility drugs, the pounds started to come back off.

    There are some medications out there that will mess with your metabolism and hormonal imbalances that also contribute to weight gain. That's what my fertility doctor told me when I asked him why my weight was going up. All of my tests came back fine so we contributed my weight increase to the fertility medications.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    some medications can also impact metabolic rate which means that at the same food intake at which you were maintaining, you are now gaining weight. Some medications also have a rather substantial impact on hormones and hormone imbalances often do cause metabolic issues for which, again, you can go from maintaining to gaining on the same calorie intake.
    THIS
  • I dunno. I will ask my doctor why he told me one of my meds causes weight gain. Ill get back to ya.

    Ask the doctor "HOW" does it cause weight gain
  • Maybe you can explain to me then why I gained 50 pounds in 2 months when I was 16 and went on the pill when there were no other changes in food and exercise? Medicines can certainly change the metabolism and mess with hormones. It's a fact. it has nothing to do with calories.

    Okay I will explain it to you, but please tell me how many calories you where consuming, and your TDEE during that time...
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    From experience, absolutely you can. I was at 205 lbs for ages, had one week of steroids, and I went up to 213 lbs. One month later after eating HORRIBLY (it was the Holidays last year, I was easily eating 4000 calories a day) I had lost 5 lbs.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    From experience, absolutely you can. I was at 205 lbs for ages, had one week of steroids, and I went up to 213 lbs. One month later after eating HORRIBLY (it was the Holidays last year, I was easily eating 4000 calories a day) I had lost 5 lbs.
    Prednisone? I gained 13 pounds in 10 days on prednisone once. Good times.
  • katesnewbody
    katesnewbody Posts: 62 Member
    and i think what the OP means is what is exactly stated in the OP: no one wakes up overnight and finds themself 30+ pounds overweight. unless of course they were in some type of coma.
    THIS.
    Everybody seems a little riled up at my post, like I'm being judgmental. I was just trying to clear the air, and I still don't believe you can gain over 50 pounds without eating MORE (increase in appetite) like one poster said :)
  • Most women with PCOS in severe forms DO gain EXTREME amounts of weight with no hormone regulation. The doctors couldn't find the root cause because- obviously- most women *gain* weight when on birth control...and they were like, why are you gaining weight, hrrrmmm

    And yes, MANY medications that mess with cortisol, hormones, or fluid balances cause weight gain- temporary or not, it's real.
  • katesnewbody
    katesnewbody Posts: 62 Member
    From the [admittedly brief] research I've done on the topic, most of what causes weight gain in people using certain medications is an increase in appetite. Antidepressants and Diabetes medications most notably cause an increase in appetite, which in turn takes a day where you feel just as sated with food that you no longer maintain with.
    ----
    This, as well~! that's really all I was trying to say you guys, chill out. XD
  • watchhillgirl
    watchhillgirl Posts: 597 Member
    At 42 I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Chemo threw me into menopause. This along with steroids (to deal with chemo) 19 months of chemo, surgeries, rads kinda messed with my hormonal balance. (You think?). So yeah I think meds can really screw with you matobolism. So I gained weight...was real thin and fit prior.
  • I'm sorry that you don't believe it's possible. It's a documented FACT.

    As is this:

    I currently eat MORE than I ate at nearly 600 pounds, and I weigh LESS daily.

    Why?

    Metabolism.

    Hormones.

    However, I'm glad that you know everything that there is to know about this:)
  • rachnh
    rachnh Posts: 12 Member
    I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease (my own antibodies are attacking and slowly killing off my thyroid) and hypothyroidism (my thyroid doesn't put out the correct amount of hormones for body regulations) after I went to the doctor complaining of having trouble swallowing occasionally, being exhausted, cold all the time, memory issues and gaining almost 20 pounds in a matter of a few months without changing my daily habits. He felt my thyroid, sent me for a sonogram and it was indeed enlarged and of not the normal texture so they ran blood tests, my hormone levels were all over the place. I was put on synthroid to try and even out the hormones, I'm feeling a little better after about 4 months on the medicine, but my doctor agrees I will always probably have these issues to a degree and losing weight will probably be more difficult for me than someone who doesn't have this disease.
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
    for me back then the meds i was on gave me an endless stomach meaning i never felt full. i acually got type two diabes from bad food and meds. until you have been there you have no idea what these meds do. one i tried had a side affect that would make you look like you had a stroke. when it was just the meds. theres some pretty wicked ones out there. the ones i'm on know are better but if i miss takeing them i get real sick