Weight loss and Birth Control=Bad Luck
hypoallergenic
Posts: 11
Hello everyone!
I recently decided to weigh myself and I have found out I am 275 pounds. I am almost in tears. I didn't think I had gained so much weight and it was almost unbelievable the amount I've gained.
To put a little backstory on my struggle with weight loss, I weighed 240 pounds in December of last year. This was around the same period of time I was prescribed the Nuvaring by my OBGYN.
Flash forward to now...I'm 275. I hadn't changed my eating habits til about a month ago and I walk 2 miles to and from work 5 days a week. I feel as though this weight gain would be justified if I had been eating close to 3k in calories per day...but I'm not. I'm watching my calorie intake constantly and I'm at a loss of what else to do.
It seems I've had issues with my weight previously. Prior to being prescribed the Nuvaring, I was on the Mirena IUD for almost 5 years. In those five years I gained 40 pounds. I was always around 190-200 pounds. No more than that. It seems as if there is a sliver of a chance of weight gain with any kind of birth control, that is the side effect I will suffer with the most.
Like I said above, I am in tears and I'm absolutely frustrated. Restricting my calorie intake to 1500-1700 calories a day isn't working. It's been a month.
I'd love someone to offer me advice or link me to some kind of diet that has worked for you. Thanks for reading.
I recently decided to weigh myself and I have found out I am 275 pounds. I am almost in tears. I didn't think I had gained so much weight and it was almost unbelievable the amount I've gained.
To put a little backstory on my struggle with weight loss, I weighed 240 pounds in December of last year. This was around the same period of time I was prescribed the Nuvaring by my OBGYN.
Flash forward to now...I'm 275. I hadn't changed my eating habits til about a month ago and I walk 2 miles to and from work 5 days a week. I feel as though this weight gain would be justified if I had been eating close to 3k in calories per day...but I'm not. I'm watching my calorie intake constantly and I'm at a loss of what else to do.
It seems I've had issues with my weight previously. Prior to being prescribed the Nuvaring, I was on the Mirena IUD for almost 5 years. In those five years I gained 40 pounds. I was always around 190-200 pounds. No more than that. It seems as if there is a sliver of a chance of weight gain with any kind of birth control, that is the side effect I will suffer with the most.
Like I said above, I am in tears and I'm absolutely frustrated. Restricting my calorie intake to 1500-1700 calories a day isn't working. It's been a month.
I'd love someone to offer me advice or link me to some kind of diet that has worked for you. Thanks for reading.
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Replies
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Were you tracking calories before a month ago, or did you just start?
Did you weigh yourself a month ago, or have you not weighed yourself since December?0 -
Were you tracking calories before a month ago, or did you just start?
Did you weigh yourself a month ago, or have you not weighed yourself since December?
I admittedly wasn't tracking my calorie intake until a month ago. Now you can probably see my diary and I've started using this app about a week or so ago.. But I did keep a personal log of what I ate. After researching...it wasn't more than 2000 calories.
The weight issue wasn't brought to my attention until I was weighed at a clinic and they expressed concern about my weight gain. they had stated the fact they weighed me in December and I was 240. They weighed me recently and they were shocked about the 30ish pounds gained. I own a scale but I try not to weigh myself because I will become obsessive about it...which is why I didn't weigh myself often.0 -
Maybe it's time to switch types of birth control? I take Minastrin 24 FE and I haven't gained due to it. Maybe Implananon would be good for you, it's low hormone and lasts 3 yrs.0
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highly unlikely the pill is the cause, that's an old wives tale , track your food , this site is awesome and were all here to support you.0
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highly unlikely the pill is the cause, that's an old wives tale , track your food , this site is awesome and were all here to support you.
I'm not on the pill.0 -
Maybe it's time to switch types of birth control? I take Minastrin 24 FE and I haven't gained due to it. Maybe Implananon would be good for you, it's low hormone and lasts 3 yrs.
My OBGYN strongly advised me against this method, since it requires something to be embedded under the skin (the idea of this makes my skin crawl *no pun intended) and he gets more clients requesting it to be taken out due to the heavy bleeding.0 -
Ok, so if I'm reading you right (btw, your diary isn't open) you started keeping a personal log about a month ago and started using the app about a week ago, but hadn't weighed yourself since December. Given that, I would recommend the following:
1) Make absolutely sure that your tracking is accurate. Make sure that you are weighing everything that can be weighed, and, for example, if you use a bit of butter in a pan or a bit of butter on bread, include it.
2) Continue tracking for another month before you decide it is not working. It is absolutely possible that you had gained to even more than 275 while not tracking, and your weight has already started to decline from a peak. Getting obsessive about weighing can be problematic, so I would make a rule for yourself -- for example, you can only weigh yourself on the 15th of the month, or something like that -- but you can't tell if what you're doing is working or not without data.
3) Measure yourself as well, since you have already been weighed, and take measurements again 1 month from today. It is possible for fluid fluctuations to mask weight loss.0 -
I've been using the Mirena insert for the last two years. Since I started tracking my calories and exercise on MFP in December, I've lost over 20 lbs.
Since the implantation of Mirena I have had averse side-effects such as constipation and chronic water retention or bloating issues. A lot of people with this IUD suffer from the same thing, and it can make my scale go all wacky sometimes. However, while the side-effects suck, I can control them somewhat if I stick to a decent diet, get plenty of exercise, and drink a ton of water.
I've been on Birth Control of some sort for the last 5 years and I managed to lose over 100 lbs. You can do it too.0 -
Were you tracking calories before a month ago, or did you just start?
Did you weigh yourself a month ago, or have you not weighed yourself since December?
I admittedly wasn't tracking my calorie intake until a month ago. Now you can probably see my diary and I've started using this app about a week or so ago.. But I did keep a personal log of what I ate. After researching...it wasn't more than 2000 calories.
The weight issue wasn't brought to my attention until I was weighed at a clinic and they expressed concern about my weight gain. they had stated the fact they weighed me in December and I was 240. They weighed me recently and they were shocked about the 30ish pounds gained. I own a scale but I try not to weigh myself because I will become obsessive about it...which is why I didn't weigh myself often.
So how do you know for sure your eating habits didn't change? Hormones can make you hungrier and eat more without realizing it. Keep logging, you'll be glad for the hard evidence of your food intake.0 -
Ok, so if I'm reading you right (btw, your diary isn't open) you started keeping a personal log about a month ago and started using the app about a week ago, but hadn't weighed yourself since December. Given that, I would recommend the following:
1) Make absolutely sure that your tracking is accurate. Make sure that you are weighing everything that can be weighed, and, for example, if you use a bit of butter in a pan or a bit of butter on bread, include it.
2) Continue tracking for another month before you decide it is not working. It is absolutely possible that you had gained to even more than 275 while not tracking, and your weight has already started to decline from a peak. Getting obsessive about weighing can be problematic, so I would make a rule for yourself -- for example, you can only weigh yourself on the 15th of the month, or something like that -- but you can't tell if what you're doing is working or not without data.
3) Measure yourself as well, since you have already been weighed, and take measurements again 1 month from today. It is possible for fluid fluctuations to mask weight loss.
Would you recommend any diets that have worked for you?0 -
Ok, so if I'm reading you right (btw, your diary isn't open) you started keeping a personal log about a month ago and started using the app about a week ago, but hadn't weighed yourself since December. Given that, I would recommend the following:
1) Make absolutely sure that your tracking is accurate. Make sure that you are weighing everything that can be weighed, and, for example, if you use a bit of butter in a pan or a bit of butter on bread, include it.
2) Continue tracking for another month before you decide it is not working. It is absolutely possible that you had gained to even more than 275 while not tracking, and your weight has already started to decline from a peak. Getting obsessive about weighing can be problematic, so I would make a rule for yourself -- for example, you can only weigh yourself on the 15th of the month, or something like that -- but you can't tell if what you're doing is working or not without data.
3) Measure yourself as well, since you have already been weighed, and take measurements again 1 month from today. It is possible for fluid fluctuations to mask weight loss.
Also I'll say something about this...In the first few weeks of tracking on MFP, I was exercising more and drinking more water. It shocked my body and I was bloating and retaining water horribly. The scale said I was gaining. But after my body stopped being so freaked out and settled into a routine guided by MFP, I started losing weight and haven't stopped.
So you might not see what you want to see in the first month, but this guy's totally right. You need to keep going. Birth Control doesn't prevent you from losing weight.0 -
Were you tracking calories before a month ago, or did you just start?
Did you weigh yourself a month ago, or have you not weighed yourself since December?
I admittedly wasn't tracking my calorie intake until a month ago. Now you can probably see my diary and I've started using this app about a week or so ago.. But I did keep a personal log of what I ate. After researching...it wasn't more than 2000 calories.
The weight issue wasn't brought to my attention until I was weighed at a clinic and they expressed concern about my weight gain. they had stated the fact they weighed me in December and I was 240. They weighed me recently and they were shocked about the 30ish pounds gained. I own a scale but I try not to weigh myself because I will become obsessive about it...which is why I didn't weigh myself often.
So how do you know for sure your eating habits didn't change? Hormones can make you hungrier and eat more without realizing it. Keep logging, you'll be glad for the hard evidence of your food intake.
While I might not have kept a food journal with me at all times, I definitely make sure I really really think about what I'm eating. Do I really want to have that tasty piece of bread? I don't need that soda. Water. Water. All the time. (I work inside a grocery store).
Now granted, like you've stated, hormones make one eat more without realizing it. But I sincerely feel as though I never ate in excess or ate anything outside of my normal routine. I really do feel as though any kind of birth control I am on will make me gain weight. It's a frustrating cycle, if you could imagine it.0 -
Were you tracking calories before a month ago, or did you just start?
Did you weigh yourself a month ago, or have you not weighed yourself since December?
I admittedly wasn't tracking my calorie intake until a month ago. Now you can probably see my diary and I've started using this app about a week or so ago.. But I did keep a personal log of what I ate. After researching...it wasn't more than 2000 calories.
The weight issue wasn't brought to my attention until I was weighed at a clinic and they expressed concern about my weight gain. they had stated the fact they weighed me in December and I was 240. They weighed me recently and they were shocked about the 30ish pounds gained. I own a scale but I try not to weigh myself because I will become obsessive about it...which is why I didn't weigh myself often.
So how do you know for sure your eating habits didn't change? Hormones can make you hungrier and eat more without realizing it. Keep logging, you'll be glad for the hard evidence of your food intake.
While I might not have kept a food journal with me at all times, I definitely make sure I really really think about what I'm eating. Do I really want to have that tasty piece of bread? I don't need that soda. Water. Water. All the time. (I work inside a grocery store).
Now granted, like you've stated, hormones make one eat more without realizing it. But I sincerely feel as though I never ate in excess or ate anything outside of my normal routine. I really do feel as though any kind of birth control I am on will make me gain weight. It's a frustrating cycle, if you could imagine it.
I thought I was eating well normally, and after tracking my normal days on MFP, I would be over on calories- like at 2300 or something- several days a week with no exercise to burn off that excess. You need to log what you're doing, and measure everything. Every bite.
There's no "fad diets" that work for you, you just eat what's good and in your calorie budget and work off excess calories by lifting and doing cardio. That's really all it takes. I weighed 260. Now I weigh 155 and I continue to lose.0 -
I thought I was eating well normally, and after tracking my normal days on MFP, I would be over on calories- like at 2300 or something- several days a week with no exercise to burn off that excess. You need to log what you're doing, and measure everything. Every bite.
There's no "fad diets" that work for you, you just eat what's good and in your calorie budget and work off excess calories by lifting and doing cardio. That's really all it takes. I weighed 260. Now I weigh 155 and I continue to lose.
Could you provide me with an example of what you normally eat on a daily basis?0 -
I'm just going to speak to the nuvaring issue because I have also tried it . . . I was using it for all of about 3 or 4 months and I HATED it. I craved carbs like crazy and gained about 5-7 pounds and counting when I went off of it. Granted, I was attempting to do my first bulk for the first month or so I was on it (which didn't go so well, I didn't really count calories, just ate what felt like too much food). But even after I realized I was gaining weight too fast and tried to slow it down a bit, it was extremely difficult. I would eat healthily during the day / week and then basically went on carb binges sometimes in the evenings or on the weekend, stuffing my face with all sorts of sweets and just any kind of carb I could get my hands on. Not sure why it was just carbs. I definitely do not experience this normally, and especially not for weeks on end. I felt like I couldn't get enough. During that time I was also not really doing an extraordinary amount of exercise, just some moderate weight lifting, so I don't think it was just my body craving what it needed.
Anyway, just my experience, I realize, but I do feel that it changed something in my chemistry that made me want to go overboard with certain foods, not to mention other weird side effects. I am not using this medication any more. I have heard that pills with lower amounts of estrogen effect the body less, but I do not have experience with any. I'm sure your doctor would be willing to help you out with this, also if you explained you're trying to lose weight and want a type of medication that will at least not counter your efforts in this area.
Good luck with your weight loss journey!
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I thought I was eating well normally, and after tracking my normal days on MFP, I would be over on calories- like at 2300 or something- several days a week with no exercise to burn off that excess. You need to log what you're doing, and measure everything. Every bite.
There's no "fad diets" that work for you, you just eat what's good and in your calorie budget and work off excess calories by lifting and doing cardio. That's really all it takes. I weighed 260. Now I weigh 155 and I continue to lose.
Could you provide me with an example of what you normally eat on a daily basis?
I just made my journal public. I ate 1680 today and I worked off 500ish. I usually don't eat back all of my workout calories giving me a little room for error. I net anywhere between 1200 and 1400 a day.
And I log every bite and every glass of water. It's essential to living a healthier lifestyle and in turn losing weight.0 -
Hey!
So, I have been where you are at right now. I thought that I was eating right and exercising and it was the birth control making me gain weight. Actually, after I started logging my food and exercising I realized that birth control had nothing to do with it but it was actually my terrible habits! You might think you're eating okay, but if you log everything accurately you might realize that there's something you're doing wrong. I've been on birth control for the past year, and been watching what I eat for about 40 days and have lost almost 15 pounds!
You just have to be honest with yourself! Birth control has nothing to do with it 0 -
While I might not have kept a food journal with me at all times, I definitely make sure I really really think about what I'm eating. Do I really want to have that tasty piece of bread? I don't need that soda. Water. Water. All the time. (I work inside a grocery store).
Now granted, like you've stated, hormones make one eat more without realizing it. But I sincerely feel as though I never ate in excess or ate anything outside of my normal routine. I really do feel as though any kind of birth control I am on will make me gain weight. It's a frustrating cycle, if you could imagine it.
Feeling like this is very common. Watch secret eaters -- they will swear they eat mindfully and healthfully and don't understand why they aren't losing weight on 1200 calories/day, and then the PI's watch them scoff 4000 in a day. If you aren't tracking, you *can't* know.
With respect to the "diets that have worked for you" (sorry, can't figure out how to multi-quote), I have done calorie restricted with moderate protein and I have done low carb high fat. Frankly the difference in weight loss speed was statistically insignificant at the same calorie level, but my food was a lot more expensive on LCHF.0 -
I think you gained weight because you ate more than you burned off. Birth control really is as much as a factor as stress would be for a nervous eater. Bottom line is that you are tracking now and realize the calorie content/nutrition of the food you are eating and can now make more healthy and informed decisions.0
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While I might not have kept a food journal with me at all times, I definitely make sure I really really think about what I'm eating. Do I really want to have that tasty piece of bread? I don't need that soda. Water. Water. All the time. (I work inside a grocery store).
Now granted, like you've stated, hormones make one eat more without realizing it. But I sincerely feel as though I never ate in excess or ate anything outside of my normal routine. I really do feel as though any kind of birth control I am on will make me gain weight. It's a frustrating cycle, if you could imagine it.
Feeling like this is very common. Watch secret eaters -- they will swear they eat mindfully and healthfully and don't understand why they aren't losing weight on 1200 calories/day, and then the PI's watch them scoff 4000 in a day. If you aren't tracking, you *can't* know.
With respect to the "diets that have worked for you" (sorry, can't figure out how to multi-quote), I have done calorie restricted with moderate protein and I have done low carb high fat. Frankly the difference in weight loss speed was statistically insignificant at the same calorie level, but my food was a lot more expensive on LCHF.
Unless Secret Eaters is available online or on Netflix, I wouldn't be able to watch it.
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While I might not have kept a food journal with me at all times, I definitely make sure I really really think about what I'm eating. Do I really want to have that tasty piece of bread? I don't need that soda. Water. Water. All the time. (I work inside a grocery store).
Now granted, like you've stated, hormones make one eat more without realizing it. But I sincerely feel as though I never ate in excess or ate anything outside of my normal routine. I really do feel as though any kind of birth control I am on will make me gain weight. It's a frustrating cycle, if you could imagine it.
Feeling like this is very common. Watch secret eaters -- they will swear they eat mindfully and healthfully and don't understand why they aren't losing weight on 1200 calories/day, and then the PI's watch them scoff 4000 in a day. If you aren't tracking, you *can't* know.
With respect to the "diets that have worked for you" (sorry, can't figure out how to multi-quote), I have done calorie restricted with moderate protein and I have done low carb high fat. Frankly the difference in weight loss speed was statistically insignificant at the same calorie level, but my food was a lot more expensive on LCHF.
Unless Secret Eaters is available online or on Netflix, I wouldn't be able to watch it.
The point is to be honest with yourself. Track everything. Even your water. I used to think I was drinking plenty and I wasn't even drinking the minimum. Trust me, you need to be faithful to your logging.
Use MFP for several weeks to a month and track what you're eating. Tracking my calories is what inspired me to begin working out and burning them off and it's also made me healthier in general. Just give MFP a try- birth control has nothing to do with weight loss, just emotional eating.0 -
I'm just going to speak to the nuvaring issue because I have also tried it . . . I was using it for all of about 3 or 4 months and I HATED it. I craved carbs like crazy and gained about 5-7 pounds and counting when I went off of it. Granted, I was attempting to do my first bulk for the first month or so I was on it (which didn't go so well, I didn't really count calories, just ate what felt like too much food). But even after I realized I was gaining weight too fast and tried to slow it down a bit, it was extremely difficult. I would eat healthily during the day / week and then basically went on carb binges sometimes in the evenings or on the weekend, stuffing my face with all sorts of sweets and just any kind of carb I could get my hands on. Not sure why it was just carbs. I definitely do not experience this normally, and especially not for weeks on end. I felt like I couldn't get enough. During that time I was also not really doing an extraordinary amount of exercise, just some moderate weight lifting, so I don't think it was just my body craving what it needed.
Anyway, just my experience, I realize, but I do feel that it changed something in my chemistry that made me want to go overboard with certain foods, not to mention other weird side effects. I am not using this medication any more. I have heard that pills with lower amounts of estrogen effect the body less, but I do not have experience with any. I'm sure your doctor would be willing to help you out with this, also if you explained you're trying to lose weight and want a type of medication that will at least not counter your efforts in this area.
Good luck with your weight loss journey!
We are absolutely on the same page with the Nuvaring. I hate it with a passion, but my OBGYN pushed me to try it out.
Can't stand it and I've told him this a month after using it and he's not really taking what I say seriously.
I don't know, maybe it is stress causing me to gain weight. Who knows?0 -
Unless Secret Eaters is available online or on Netflix, I wouldn't be able to watch it.
Most of them are on youtube. They're put out by the BBC and the BBC isn't very anal about trying to yank shows off youtube. Here's one of my favorites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6POC5TPHUY 0 -
I'm sorry this happened! I cannot handle taking any kind of hormones. They make my system freak out and I get sick. I really don't have any advice that hasn't been mentioned here but I feel for you!0
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I have used the NuvaRing and absolutely loved it!! I am now on the Mirena IUD. I didn't gain weight with either one. I loved, loved, loved the nuvaring. The only reason I changed was because I needed something that lasted longer and that I wouldn't have to think about. I have had the Mirena for 10 months and its been good to me.
But everyone is different.
If in the past you were eating out. Don't blame the birth control because of it. For example. I have gained weight in the past 6 months. But its not been the mirena. Its because I ate garbage!!! But it was significant weight gain.
If it is the birth control or you believe it is and you're not comfortable with it no more. Then maybe you need to talk to a doctor about a different method of birth control. Or just not use birth control at all.0 -
I have used the NuvaRing and absolutely loved it!! I am now on the Mirena IUD. I didn't gain weight with either one. I loved, loved, loved the nuvaring. The only reason I changed was because I needed something that lasted longer and that I wouldn't have to think about. I have had the Mirena for 10 months and its been good to me.
But everyone is different.
If in the past you were eating out. Don't blame the birth control because of it. For example. I have gained weight in the past 6 months. But its not been the mirena. Its because I ate garbage!!!
This ^
Stress doesn't magically cause weight gain, either. You need to track your calories. Be honest with yourself I can't say it enough. I'm stressed as hell but I also take care of my body. Stress causes cravings just like hormones, but it's up to you to keep track of what you're putting in and working off, or else it won't get better.
I'm not trying to come off as rude. It can be hard to gain weight...I've never been thin in my entire life and I'm at my lowest weight ever right now. I know what it's like to lose and gain, but stress and birth control aren't what makes you gain. Keep tracking and be honest.0 -
Before I went on bc I weighed 160, within 6 months I gained 20 lbs, nothing in my life had changed either that would cause me to jump that much. A close friend of mine went on the bc shot and she gained 80 lbs, its hormones really. When I spoke to my doctor he admitted that any form of bc can affect a person by making them gain weight, moodiness, blood pressure, etc.0
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Before I went on bc I weighed 160, within 6 months I gained 20 lbs, nothing in my life had changed either that would cause me to jump that much. A close friend of mine went on the bc shot and she gained 80 lbs, its hormones really. When I spoke to my doctor he admitted that any form of bc can affect a person by making them gain weight, moodiness, blood pressure, etc.
I'm a pretty boring eater, to be honest. If I like something, I'll eat it every day. I hate granola bars, but there are some Lemon Zest and Blueberry Bliss Luna Bars I eat all the time for breakfast.
I'm not a breakfast person and generally don't eat in the mornings, so that's probably not helpful to my weight loss efforts either.0 -
I'm not a breakfast person and generally don't eat in the mornings, so that's probably not helpful to my weight loss efforts either.
FTR, I have not needed to eat breakfast to lose weight. I generally only eat it if I know I'm going to be too busy to eat before supper, if I didn't eat supper the night before, or if I'm going to work out before noon.
However, if not eating breakfast is causing you to eat more heavily at later meals and/or snack more heavily, it would be advisable to start.0 -
I'm not a breakfast person and generally don't eat in the mornings, so that's probably not helpful to my weight loss efforts either.
FTR, I have not needed to eat breakfast to lose weight. I generally only eat it if I know I'm going to be too busy to eat before supper, if I didn't eat supper the night before, or if I'm going to work out before noon.
However, if not eating breakfast is causing you to eat more heavily at later meals and/or snack more heavily, it would be advisable to start.
In hindsight, it could potentially be.
The bars are only a buck a pop so I'm intent on eating one for breakfast daily.0
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