Weight gain and the contraceptive pill...advice please?
AAllen1965
Posts: 8
Hi all, 18 months ago I successfully lost 2 stones using the 'Body Chef' diet at 1600 calories per day. I'm 49 years old, 5ft 4", active (swimmer and runner - just completed my first marathon) and have maintained my goal weight since then right up until about July this year when, because of OB/GYN problems my GP put me on the mini pill which I've never used before. The weight has slowly crept on since then and I have gained 10lbs - and all this while I've been training for a marathon and burning huge amounts of calories.
I've gone back to the Body Chef diet (twice weekly deliveries of pre-prepared fresh meals with everything portion controlled and calorie counted for you) as I was so successful the last time and while it's expensive it worked...until this time! Three weeks in and I've not lost a single pound - how does that work? I've honestly not cheated, I'm exercising a reduced timetable as picked up an injury during the marathon but still do 2 Pilates classes per week and 3 x runs per week of approx 5 miles each plus a couple of swims if I can fit them in. I'm losing the will to live, don't know where I'm going wrong, is it the pill? Any suggestions?
I've gone back to the Body Chef diet (twice weekly deliveries of pre-prepared fresh meals with everything portion controlled and calorie counted for you) as I was so successful the last time and while it's expensive it worked...until this time! Three weeks in and I've not lost a single pound - how does that work? I've honestly not cheated, I'm exercising a reduced timetable as picked up an injury during the marathon but still do 2 Pilates classes per week and 3 x runs per week of approx 5 miles each plus a couple of swims if I can fit them in. I'm losing the will to live, don't know where I'm going wrong, is it the pill? Any suggestions?
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I wish I´d know the answer. Actually I´m very afraid because I think the doctor will prescribe me the pill due to some ginecologic problems and I´m dreading the weight gain and hair loss that I may suffer. 10 years ago I took the pill for some months and it made me gain 10 kilos and loose lots of hair. I didn´t recover until I stopped the pill. I will tell the doctor, I hope there´s another alternative to it because I don´t really want to go thought that again.0
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AAllen1965 wrote: »Hi all, 18 months ago I successfully lost 2 stones using the 'Body Chef' diet at 1600 calories per day. I'm 49 years old, 5ft 4", active (swimmer and runner - just completed my first marathon) and have maintained my goal weight since then right up until about July this year when, because of OB/GYN problems my GP put me on the mini pill which I've never used before. The weight has slowly crept on since then and I have gained 10lbs - and all this while I've been training for a marathon and burning huge amounts of calories.
I've gone back to the Body Chef diet (twice weekly deliveries of pre-prepared fresh meals with everything portion controlled and calorie counted for you) as I was so successful the last time and while it's expensive it worked...until this time! Three weeks in and I've not lost a single pound - how does that work? I've honestly not cheated, I'm exercising a reduced timetable as picked up an injury during the marathon but still do 2 Pilates classes per week and 3 x runs per week of approx 5 miles each plus a couple of swims if I can fit them in. I'm losing the will to live, don't know where I'm going wrong, is it the pill? Any suggestions?
No, the pill will not cause you to gain weight unless you eat more than you are burning. It may make you feel more hungry, and it obviously effects your hormones, but it can't cause weight gain in a negative calorie balance.
Birth control affects everyone differently. Whenever I have gone on the Nuvaring I have lost weight. I just started back on it a few weeks ago, and I have lost 5 lbs already.0 -
Hi,
I've been on the pill for 6 years (since I was 16), and initially I noticed some weight gain. In saying that, I was also gaining weight by my own accord. For the past 3 years on my weight loss journey I've noticed that the week I stop taking the pill and get my "period" I lose a significant amount of water weight. When I get back on, it usually goes up a little more but less than the week before my "period"...
Since I've been on the pill longer than starting my weight loss journey, I haven't really had anything to compare not being on it whilst losing weight. I have never taken the mini pill either.. So maybe you have fluctuations like I do whilst taking the pill?0 -
Take a look at the fillers and binders these can be a problem for some and not only in "the pill". Maize is often used. We've all seen the problems some have with corn syrup giving weight to the international belief we are becoming a more reactive species, suffering increasing allergies or sensitivities. My first sensitivity was to maize.
I have read, in recent years maize intolerance has been cited as yet another indicator of possible thyroid issues which is hardly surprising because in the view of thyroid support sites many of us are low in the essential elements which support this key gland. Many of us would benefit from ensuring we achieve the RDA for iodine and selenium among other minerals especially when eating at a deficit. There is so much information on line.
Who said being healthy was easy. It's more about discovering how your specific body works best.0 -
It's not the pill, you're eating too much.
I have never found any diet that works well the second time round, you know it too well and the cheats
My advice would be to weigh food, log food, eat at a defecit
Real food that you like so you have a learning curve and can hit maintenance...not expensive short term solutions0 -
Take a look at the fillers and binders these can be a problem for some and not only in "the pill". Maize is often used. We've all seen the problems some have with corn syrup giving weight to the international belief we are becoming a more reactive species, suffering increasing allergies or sensitivities. My first sensitivity was to maize.
I have read, in recent years maize intolerance has been cited as yet another indicator of possible thyroid issues which is hardly surprising because in the view of thyroid support sites many of us are low in the essential elements which support this key gland. Many of us would benefit from ensuring we achieve the RDA for iodine and selenium among other minerals especially when eating at a deficit. There is so much information on line.
Who said being healthy was easy. It's more about discovering how your specific body works best.
All I see in this post is nonsense.
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Can you not change which pill you're on?
When I was on Microgynon 30 I gained 3 stone and couldn't shift any of it unless I did loads of exercise and barely ate anything, so I was just setting myself up for failure.
When I came off that pill the weight literally fell off without me doing anything.
I was reluctant to go back on the pill because Microgynon made me fat and made my depression worse so I was put on a lower dose pill called Femodette.
I've lost another 20lbs since being on this pill and am now at my lowest adult weight.
So I know doctors and such say that the pill doesn't cause weight gain and generally it doesn't but before I get attacked by people saying everything I've said is BS there can be anomalies.0 -
It's not the pill, you're eating too much.
I have never found any diet that works well the second time round, you know it too well and the cheats
My advice would be to weigh food, log food, eat at a defecit
Real food that you like so you have a learning curve and can hit maintenance...not expensive short term solutions
The Body Chef diet is fairly idiot proof in respect of 'cheats' - it is delivered refrigerated, weighed, prepared and calorie counted for each meal including snacks. The only addition to the diet is daily milk allowance and so to cheat I would literally have to eat 'off diet' which I do not. I have eaten only the items sent to me and have added nothing! It is 'real' food - all fresh not vacuum packed including fruit and vegetables and all chosen by me from the menus offered within the calorie range. It is food that I like and would normally eat. The diet the first time around WAS my learning curve - portion control was my issue and I've successfully adjusted that and have maintained for over a year. The weight gain started only when I began taking the pill and, as I said in my post, I was in the middle of marathon training and running 30+ miles per week. 30+ miles burning 100 calories per mile while eating a normal diet which I'd maintained for over a year - eating too much?
Marthamagic92 - thank you for your post. I don't think that everything you've said is BS in fact I've been looking on the NHS website and their information confirms that you're not!
The progestogen-only pill is generally well tolerated and side effects are rare. Some side effects can include:
acne
breast tenderness and breast enlargement
an increased or decreased libido (sex drive)
mood changes
headache and migraine
nausea or vomiting
cysts (small fluid-filled sacs) on your ovaries (these are usually harmless and disappear without treatment)
stomach upset
weight gain
So maybe I'm not going mad after all!
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Birth control pills do not cause weight gain. Eating more than your body burns does. Some people may eat more after starting the pill, which causes them to gain weight. If you are honest with your food intake/exercise, you won't gain.
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Cut your calories. You are eating more than your body is burning. It's not the pill.0
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Since you're on the mini pill (progestrone only) try to progesterone-estrogen mix (if ok with your Dr.) I was on them for many years, and although they caused irregular bleeding and a host of other issues, I never felt that they were responsible for weight gain.0
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kaseyr1505 wrote: »Birth control pills do not cause weight gain.
So, the NHS are wrong then?Cut your calories.
To eat less than 1600 per day? Seriously?misskris78 wrote: »Since you're on the mini pill (progestrone only) try to progesterone-estrogen mix (if ok with your Dr.)
Not ok with the Dr hence the mini pill
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the NHS does say that progesterone only mini-pill can possibly cause slight weight gain but that's because you can get hungrier and are eating more than your defecit
but it's easier to find a reason rather than re-focusing on lack of control
also what I meant by buying in your diet food is it's all done for you so where's the learning curve about preparation and portioning and how to make your real food work in your real life - eyeballing an amount to eat that is pre-prepared for you isn't the same as months of shopping, cooking and weighing it out0 -
I've just gone (well 6 months) of the mini pill.
Before that I was on the contraceptive patch. This was perfect for me... until I went back to the Dr and they said I had gained. Lots.
Had my 3monthly check up with the pill last week and I had gained a kilo in the 6 months. The patch over 2 years I had gone from 88kilo to 105kilo. Yes it could have been my eating, but once I came off the patch (I had a gap between patch and pill) I lost 5 kilo in a month.
My Dr tells me that contraception does cause a weight gain because of all the hormones. Have you tried asking if you can go on the coil/implant?0 -
the hormones affect your appetite so you eat more / reach for more comforting food which is the causal link of weight gain
there may be minimal fluid retention but that tends to be short term
there is no research to back up the widely-held belief that combined pills cause weight-gain
I am not disputing that there is a very-real link just that it's not pill = weight gain but rather pill=hormonal increase in appetite = eating more = weight gain
so the equation is still calories in < calories out = weight loss0 -
there is no research to back up the widely-held belief that combined pills cause weight-gain
Nor is there any research to back up the claims that it does not cause weight gain! Every woman is different, every woman reacts differently to hormones whether biological or synthetic and particularly during the peri-menopausal years. Without individual endocrinology testing there is no definitive answer.
If a noted side effect of the progesterone only pill (included in the patient literature in the pack and the one that I have been prescribed) states 'weight gain' as a side effect and the NHS information is the same then to dismiss it as nonsense based on your own personal feelings is rather nonsensical also. Clearly, this has affected some women at some time otherwise it wouldn't be published.
As for my pre-prepared diet - let me quantify; I shop for and cook fresh food daily for my son and husband. We do not have ready meals, take aways or junk food - only real food, cooked from raw ingredients, every day. My son is an elite competitive swimmer who trains in excess of 20 hours per week and was recently selected to swim for GB. Nutrition has been a vital part of our lives since he was born and more so since he took up this demanding sport. I do not have a problem with shopping or cooking, what I had lost sight of was portion control. When you have a son who is consuming monumental amounts of calories and huge portions daily to sustain his training regime, it is very easy to lose sight of your own portion amounts which is what had led to my initial 2 stone weight gain. The pre-prepared diet simply readjusted my focus on the correct portion size for me and in doing so I was able to lose the weight I had gained and had maintained that weight loss until I began taking the pill.
As I said in my original post, I am a distance runner and regularly run between 20-30 miles per week and even more when I was marathon training. I am a fit and healthy person and even with the current weight gain am still within my healthy weight range. Poor self-control is not a trait generally found with marathon runners and not something that I am guilty of either.
Thank you to those of you that have offered your own experiences - it seems that I'm not alone.
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the hormones affect your appetite so you eat more / reach for more comforting food which is the causal link of weight gain
there may be minimal fluid retention but that tends to be short term
there is no research to back up the widely-held belief that combined pills cause weight-gain
I am not disputing that there is a very-real link just that it's not pill = weight gain but rather pill=hormonal increase in appetite = eating more = weight gain
so the equation is still calories in < calories out = weight loss
I actually agree with this...
Is the pill itself making you gain weight? Probably not. Is it causing an increase in appetite due to the changes in your hormones? Possibly.
I personally lose weight while on the pill because my hormones seem to be better balanced and I have less of an appetite.
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Regardless of *why* you're gaining weight (the pill itself or the fact that the pill increases your appetite), the fact is, you could try a different pill and have a different experience. I haven't been on the pill in many years so I don't know what's available these days, but I'm sure you can ask your doctor to try something different. It's a pain to have to go through months of trying the right pill, but worth it in the long run imo. Good luck.0
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Talk to your doctor. I've heard different pills and hormone combinations can effect women differently. I've never experienced weight issues with mine and I've been on it for 6 years.
Best of luck!!0 -
Hang on you asked for suggestions because you weren't being successful losing weight and you were "losing the will" and yet you are only happy with those who share their story of pill= weight gain which reinforces that you have something external to blame
Yes you sound amazing and fit and totally capable (I could never run a marathon and I don't cook for a competitive swimmer with years of nutrition training)but we are not competing against each other, only against ourselves
I'm sorry you're unhappy but your choice is to either do something about it or don't ...nobody said this was easy but neither is being overweight - we all have reasons / we all have excuses it's only we stop making our own excuses and focus on the simple rule of CICO, however we want to reach that, that we lose
Good luck on your journey0 -
I was on the pill for years. I didn't think it effected my weight at all until I stopped taking it. Within 4 months of being off of the pill I lost 22 pounds. I then got pregnant and gained that and some back, but I felt better being off of it, my skin looked better, I had less headaches etc. After my daughter was born I needed to do something but did not want to go back on the pill. I got an IUD that is hormone free and its wonderful.0
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Hang on you asked for suggestions because you weren't being successful losing weight and you were "losing the will" and yet you are only happy with those who share their story of pill= weight gain which reinforces that you have something external to blame
I do apologise, I didn't realise that I wasn't supposed to challenge your overly judgemental opinions of me and my lifestyle, made without any knowledge of who I am and what I do.0 -
AAllen1965 wrote: »Hang on you asked for suggestions because you weren't being successful losing weight and you were "losing the will" and yet you are only happy with those who share their story of pill= weight gain which reinforces that you have something external to blame
I do apologise, I didn't realise that I wasn't supposed to challenge your overly judgemental opinions of me and my lifestyle, made without any knowledge of who I am and what I do.
Take offence if you wish, but none was meant. So I'll just reiterate this part of what I said then, the part of my quote you edited out...and confirm that I really have no feelings about you or your lifestyle whatsoever.
"'Yes you sound amazing and fit and totally capable (I could never run a marathon and I don't cook for a competitive swimmer with years of nutrition training)but we are not competing against each other, only against ourselves
I'm sorry you're unhappy but your choice is to either do something about it or don't ...nobody said this was easy but neither is being overweight - we all have reasons / we all have excuses it's only we stop making our own excuses and focus on the simple rule of CICO, however we want to reach that, that we lose
Good luck on your journey"
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branflakes1980 wrote: »I was on the pill for years. I didn't think it effected my weight at all until I stopped taking it. Within 4 months of being off of the pill I lost 22 pounds. I then got pregnant and gained that and some back, but I felt better being off of it, my skin looked better, I had less headaches etc. After my daughter was born I needed to do something but did not want to go back on the pill. I got an IUD that is hormone free and its wonderful.
Thank you for sharing your experience - I too had a similar experience years ago with the Mirena coil which is the same hormone as the mini pill - headaches, low mood, poor skin and hair and weight gain (again). I had it removed after 18 months as I felt it was having a negative effect on my wellbeing and hence why I felt that the mini pill was doing the same.
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Talk to your doctor. I've heard different pills and hormone combinations can effect women differently. I've never experienced weight issues with mine and I've been on it for 6 years.
Best of luck!!
Thank you, I have an appointment with the gynae consultant next week so will speak to him then.
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I think it's more that the pill affects hormones which affect appetite/energy levels. I actually found that when I switched from Microgynon (not because I thought it was making me fat, but because it gave me massive spots and made me feel like I was possessed by a murderous rage demon) to Cilest I lost weight, because it took away the hormonal food cravings and the horrendous periods which left me basically bedridden for a week per month - so a lot less chocolate scoffing and a lot more activity.0
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All of the scientific evidence says that there is no effect on weight gain from taking BCP. Studies have been done on thousands of women and the % of women who gain weight is equal the to the % of women who gain weight without taking the pill. These studies would include water retention, chemical changes and as people talked about in this thread, comfort food. The research just doesn´t support the claim.
Older forms of the pill, ones high in Estrogen, could sometimes cause weight gain because of water retention, but those are not commonly used anymore for birth control.0
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