Birth Control Pills??

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Hey guys,

I'm new here but i recently started taking birth control pills because of health reasons. I initially stopped taking them because of the weight that i gained from it. Now that i'm back on them, do you have any nutritional/diet tips i can use so i don't gain anymore weight while i'm taking them.

I've already started to do some strength training and cardio to start losing some weight.

I'm planning to workout at least 4-5 times a day. But nutrition wise...what should i really look out for?

Any suggestion is helpful. Feel free to add me as a friend.

Replies

  • brower47
    brower47 Posts: 16,356 Member
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    You're going to work out 4-5 time per day?
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    I don't think there's a way to answer that. Everyone is different and birth control affects us in various ways, also depending on the type. I also took fairly low dose options because I'm prone to feeling blue. I didn't really gain any weight from it. Are you using the same one you used to or something new?
  • shapelyJ
    shapelyJ Posts: 57 Member
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    There are many different kinds of birth control pills you can try if you're not comfortable with the ones you're on now. Talk to your Dr about maybe swithching?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    if you're gaining weight, you need to eat less....
  • smarieallen85
    smarieallen85 Posts: 535 Member
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    if you're gaining weight, you need to eat less....

    Eating less is easier when your hormones aren't going insane...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    yes- this is true- but BC doesn't MAKE you gain weight.

    Over eating does.

    now. it's perfectly reasonable and logical to assume the BC is making your hormones think you are more hungry than you are- when I go off mine- it's PMS time I'm ravenous- and it's everything I can do to keep my paws off EVER piece of food in the office. Seriously- it's brutal.

    But- ultimately over eating makes you gain- not the pills.

    Find a different pill- there is a reason there are so many pills on the market. I'm on seasonque and have been on 2 other brands of monthly's and have never gained weight. You can figure out which one is going to work best for you- but ultimately... you have to really stay on top of the food situation.
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
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    yeah I know I shouldn't be commenting on this and obviously don't know your medical issues, but I know two girls who had strokes from using birth control. Both late 20s early 30s. It was pretty serious. My wife & I do everything naturally.
  • TheStephil
    TheStephil Posts: 858 Member
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    I suggest trying a different type of birth control pill that works better with your body. The first type I used (Yaz) caused my hormones to go crazy and I was hungry all the time so I overate and gained weight. I wasn't tracking at this time but when I gained 10 pounds in two months I knew something was up. I switched to Seasonique and never had a problem. Its also set up to only have my period once every three months which is amazing. I then had to switch birth control since my insurance didn't cover seasonique and it took a few tries to find a birth control that worked well with me but now I have one. Overeating is causing you to gain weight but if you find a birth control that doesn't cause you to feel more hungry it will help.
  • SheGlows
    SheGlows Posts: 520 Member
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    I suggest trying a different type of birth control pill that works better with your body. The first type I used (Yaz) caused my hormones to go crazy and I was hungry all the time so I overate and gained weight. I wasn't tracking at this time but when I gained 10 pounds in two months I knew something was up. I switched to Seasonique and never had a problem. Its also set up to only have my period once every three months which is amazing. I then had to switch birth control since my insurance didn't cover seasonique and it took a few tries to find a birth control that worked well with me but now I have one. Overeating is causing you to gain weight but if you find a birth control that doesn't cause you to feel more hungry it will help.

    I had a similar experience with Yaz, except instead of overeating (I did that all the time anyways) I would have massive anxiety attacks and anger fits. My mom (women's health practitioner who was prescribing to me at the time) switched me over to Yasmin and all was well. Been on it since I was 12, I now suppress my periods to only 1-3 per year (before they were extremely irregular), my periods are very light, and my cystic acne cleared up almost instantly. I've had lots of friends that like Implanon a lot, just a suggestion. But, really, every body is different, so it'll probably take experimentation with a lot of different kinds to see what you like. Good luck!
  • vmclach
    vmclach Posts: 670 Member
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    I gained all the weight I lost when I went on BC. 25 pounds gained in 2 weeks. I noticed I was sweating out buckets when I was workout. Eventually, over the course of the following 5 months, I lost all the weight. I was on the pill for 3 years, and I didn't think much of it after those initial 5 months of horror... But I recently went off the pill, and wow do I feel ANAZING :-D I feel like I can finally breathe again. I'm a runner, and I've noticed drastic differences since going off the pill. However, my weight has remained the same
  • losingforgood120
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    I really struggle with weight gain and birth control pills. It was interesting to try logging while I was on the pill. My hunger was extreme and I could never stick w/ my deficit for more than 3 days. I finally went off the pill so I could lose weight. It's been a lot easier to hit my goal.

    That said... since you're going on for medical reasons (not birth control) if you struggle w/ increased appetite on the pill this is what I would focus on: getting enough protein/fat/carbs, eating a variety of foods, foods high in satiety (some foods make you feel more full per calorie than other foods) and some of the foods you enjoy most (so you don't feel super deprived).

    Be patient and if it doesn't work you could always talk to your doctor about alternative solutions to whatever reason you're on the pill. Go easy on yourself, I know it can be very frustrating.
  • mojojorox
    mojojorox Posts: 24 Member
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    I hate to be one of those people blaming weight on BC, but honestly I just came off Marvelon and my binge eating has disappeared (touch wood)....it suddenly occured to me that it was when I went on Marvelon instead of Mycrogynon that I ended up stuffing face and not sticking to my calories for longer than a day. I agree with the people saying switch pills, Mycrogynon was great for me and if anything reduced my appetite!