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running_mom
running_mom Posts: 204 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been taking birth control pills for quite some time. And when I stopped I lost 3 lbs immediately. I've heard they are not supposed to make you gain weight. But, I am so afraid to start back on them because I am only 15 lbs away from by goal. Does anyone else experience this? Would taking the shot make me gain weight too? I know it's only 3 lbs but still... that's 3 lbs closer to my goal. We don't want anymore children so I have to do something. Is it all in my head? Am I crazy? ; )

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  • Hype
    Hype Posts: 349
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    As far as i am aware, the increase in hormones could either lead you gaining or loosing weight. Weather its the pill, jab or implant. They are all different so will obviously give you a different result but weight gain is always a possibilty.

    Sorry :(
  • arwensb
    arwensb Posts: 275 Member
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    I was on bc pills for many years but never really noticed whether they made me gain weight or not. After my last baby I got the Mirena IUD because it can be in for 5 years and has a higher reliability rate than bc pills. It did not make me gain any weight at all and has been totally free of side effects.
    Just a thought.
    I would talk to your doctor if you are worried about side effects and weight gain/loss, they are the one who know your body and your history and can tell you if you need to be concerned or not.
  • gooberr4
    gooberr4 Posts: 253 Member
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    i was blaming BC pills on the weight gain but I'm still on them and have been losing 1lb per week consistently. I wouldn't let the weight-gain discourage you if you want to go back on them. You'll lose those 3lbs somewhere along the line.
  • han182
    han182 Posts: 82
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    I'm on the implant and although one of the side effects is increased appetite (which leads to the weight gain) I've continued to lose weight - forewarned is forearmed! I would talk to your Dr or nurse but it wont be something to MAKE you stop losing weight :)
  • Sallerina84
    Sallerina84 Posts: 138 Member
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    I've been on the "depo" contraceptive injection for just over a year, and was really worried that it was going to make me gain weight after reading horror stories on the internet! But my doctor assured me that it does not make you gain weight, but it does increase your appetite......hence why some people gain weight, because they simply eat more!

    So, so long as you're sensible and don't eat too much, if you go for the injection or the implant, you shouldn't gain weight.

    I haven't gained any weight and continue to lose weight as I'm doing more exercise etc. I did feel ravenous though for the first few weeks when I first had the injection, but it calmed down, you just have to be careful not to give in to the hunger.
  • Shweedog
    Shweedog Posts: 883 Member
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    From what I have read weight gain happens for four reasons with birth control. Water retention, increased appetite, increased estrogen, and insulin resistance. As long as you are following a specific caloric diet then the increased appetite reason will only be a nuisance, as opposed to a cause for weight gain (because you will control your urges and not indulge :)). Increase your water intake for the first couple of months to help your kidneys out with the water factor. Ask your doctor for a bc with low estrogen. Lastly, if you still end up gaining a few pounds then you may be one of the few that is susceptible to insulin resistance. In this case you would want to adopt a low carb diet if those few pounds are truly a bother. Good luck!!
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
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    I was on Depo (the shot) for about 5 years. I gained weight. All of the people I know that have ever been on it gained weight!

    LISTEN UP: Everyone is saying that the Dr. will tell yu it doesn't MAKE you gain weight....which may technically be true....but....they will tell you that it WILL increase your appetite...so......

    Either you will gain weight or you will be hungry or you will need to exercise more.

    Wake up! It's a marketing gimmic! If the Dr. said you would gain weight then would you want to take it???? Probably not....which would make for some very angry drug companies.

    So they tell you that an 'increase of appetite' is what to expect....well what happens when your appetite increases people????

    Geez!
  • imdoune
    imdoune Posts: 17 Member
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    I took the depo and in fact, its written in the side effects that you may take up to 5 or 10 pounds a year, I think its 5 in 6 months and 10 in 1 year, but i'm not sure. The pills don't make you gain weight, they just make you hungrier, but the depo really make you gain weight, my nurse told me...
  • Sallerina84
    Sallerina84 Posts: 138 Member
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    I was on Depo (the shot) for about 5 years. I gained weight. All of the people I know that have ever been on it gained weight!

    LISTEN UP: Everyone is saying that the Dr. will tell yu it doesn't MAKE you gain weight....which may technically be true....but....they will tell you that it WILL increase your appetite...so......

    Either you will gain weight or you will be hungry or you will need to exercise more.

    Wake up! It's a marketing gimmic! If the Dr. said you would gain weight then would you want to take it???? Probably not....which would make for some very angry drug companies.

    So they tell you that an 'increase of appetite' is what to expect....well what happens when your appetite increases people????

    Geez!

    Appetite can be controlled though, I really noticed an increase in my appetite almost instantly after my first shot, but as I was so paranoid about putting on weight I just made sure I didn't eat more than I usually did before the shot......so I didn't gain weight. After a few weeks the hunger subsided and now I feel "normal" and no hungrier than I used to.

    So, I believe if you work hard to control your food intake in the first few weeks, your body levels out and gets used to the increased hormones. Increased appetite doesn't have to equal weight gain....you've just got to be mega strict with yourself!

    Or, if you do increase your food intake to take away the hunger, increase the exercise to compensate for it, like you say!

    But having said that, everybody's different, so what worked for me might not necessarily work for everyone else!

    x
  • kuaaina
    kuaaina Posts: 44 Member
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    I actually gained approx 10 lbs. It also took me over a year for my cycle to get back to "normal"
  • AnnieeR
    AnnieeR Posts: 229
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    I'm on depo and was obese when I started it and am now overweight and still losing. It doesn't make me hungry and it's decreased the amount of water I retain when it would normally be my TOM.

    Different people react differently and as Sallerina says, if it does happen to increase your appetite, that's not something that can't be overcome....
  • Sallerina84
    Sallerina84 Posts: 138 Member
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    I actually gained approx 10 lbs. It also took me over a year for my cycle to get back to "normal"

    was this on the depo injection?

    how long were you on it if you dont mind me asking?

    i was warned by the docs that it can take between 3 months and 2 years for your cycle to return to normal, luckily I'm not planning on having any kids for at least another 5 years! So not too much of an issue for me at the moment.

    I haven't had any weight gain, and lost a stone last summer (through diet and exercise, not from the depo), but I do feel the injection may possibly be slowing my weight loss.....but if I keep up my diet and exercise the weight does come off.
  • Sallerina84
    Sallerina84 Posts: 138 Member
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    I'm on depo and was obese when I started it and am now overweight and still losing. It doesn't make me hungry and it's decreased the amount of water I retain when it would normally be my TOM.

    Different people react differently and as Sallerina says, if it does happen to increase your appetite, that's not something that can't be overcome....

    woohoo :) well done you on the weight loss.

    yes I agree, may need more hard work than if not on the depo, but it's not impossible as you say.
  • kuaaina
    kuaaina Posts: 44 Member
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    I was on BCP. A lot of my issues I think were related to the fact that we had two children less than a year apart. I went on BCP while nursing my second and when I stopped nursing I went back to normal BCP. When nursing you can only be on the mini-pill which is progesterone only.

    When we decided on a permanent method of birth control I went off the pill. In that time I also hit 30 and now I'm a few years into my 30's and I believe my body chemistry changed.

    It literally has taken me a year for things to be regular. But as I never let my hormones work themselves out after childbirth I think that might have had a lot to do with it.

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