Stuck In a Rut :/

Hi all,

I don't post here, ever. I just use the MyFitnessPal and Runtastic apps to work out and keep my title as the Fly On the Wall here. But... I'm really in a rut. Let me tell you my background:

Before taking BC, I was a freshman in college and was able to lose weight by, well, falling into a hole and practically starving myself. I was 126 pounds -- my all-time low. I got out of that hole and remained a steady 132-135 pounds for two years. Fast forward to last summer; I turned 21 and drank a little at the bars, but it wasn't a lot at all. I only went probably twice a month, because I had summer classes and straight up didn't have the time to do much. Steadily, I started to retain the water weight when it came around to be my TOM. I gained about 5 pounds of water weight each month, still on BC, mind you, but I would always lose it the week after. So I'd always say, "Eh, no big deal."

But then it never went away. I panicked a little and told myself it would be fine. It'd go away soon. I drank more water and continued to work out like I usually did, but it never went away. Was it muscle? Most likely not. I wasn't even going to grace that topic of making myself feel better. School started, and my weight kept rising. I was 140 by the time classes began, and I was just fed up with the fact that my regular routine wasn't cutting it. However, what really hit me was when I was switched to another generic by the pharmacy that I work at. Within that very month, I gained TEN pounds. Holy. Crap. And I STILL hadn't changed anything about my diet and exercise! I went to the clinic, got a new prescription for birth control to help lower the levels of progesterone and ultimately to decrease the chances of my appetite being increased.

I'm about to graduate with a degree in biology and chemistry, so I have a grasp on some of the major mechanisms of the hormones and birth control. I know the general concept that the contraceptive alone does not make you gain weight. While I am going to question why this certain generic BC caused me to balloon up 10 pounds within a month, I'm also hoping I could reach out to anyone who can relate and share their opinion and advice. It would really, really be appreciated.

This speculation about BC assisting in my constant water retention is one thing. However, I feel that said constant water retention is leading to something more severe. I absolutely cannot get rid of this increase in weight. I've probably gained about 3-5 more pounds while trying to figure out what to do. My diet used to be loaded with sodium (I ate ramen all the time), but now I'm going Paleo -- more protein, no grains, more water, etc. I've been adapting to this diet for a little over a month, and I'm kind of discouraged. I'm working out every day if I can help it, but nothing is helping. Yesterday and today, I didn't feel hungry at all. My stomach was hurting, and I did not want anything to do with food. But I did eat dinner, because I couldn't let myself go without food for an entire two days (I have this fear of going back to my "darker days" as a freshman). I REALLY want to get back down to at least 135. But I'm discouraged and straight up frustrated!

Is it highly possible that I could have a thyroid issue? If so, I wish I had known earlier, because I just had blood work done yesterday for pharmacy school and missed my chance to get another test done for thyroid levels lol.

A huge THANK YOU to anyone who's willing to read my spiel and give me some input!!