birth control and losing weight...thoughts please.

sizesixorbust wrote: »

personally, sometimes it felt like the pill made me put on a lot of water weight, but now when i look back on when i used to be on it i was just constantly, constantly overeating, even moreso than when i wasn't on it. i can never stay on a pill for more than a month because my hormones overreact and i go into a spiraling depression (yay). it's definitely different for everyone!

I had to shop around for the right pill for me for the same reason - I called it the crazies, but basically the same reason. I will never forget the humiliation I felt when, in college, trying to explain to a older, male doctor who didn't believe the pill could affect mood. I was basically just a silly girl, and he had more important things to do. Ugh ... so glad I've moved past all that and (I think) people now know better!

I was on the pill. I gained weight. I had mirena I gained weight while dieting. Everyone's body reacts to hormones differently. Trust yourself.

fwiw: with mirena I also had painful breasts, migraines, acne, bloating, and lowered libido. All of which resolved after my hormones settled after having it removed.

I've been on two different types of pills in the past year (I was switch from the "regular" pill to a progesterone only pill due to migraines) and I've lost ~40 lbs.

You can lose weight being on birth control. Even with hormones being messed up you can lose weight. You might have to lose at a different rate than expected at a lower calorie goal than expected, but there is a tipping point where you will lose weight.

Start with the numbers MFP give to you for a reasonable rate of loss. Make sure you are being accurate with your intake (weighing solids, measuring liquids) and give it a month. If you don't lose, cut the calories by 100 and then give it another month. Rinse and repeat (you may have to mess with macros a little bit if you have certain health conditions like PCOS). If you get below 1200 calories and you're still not losing (assuming you are being super accurate with your tracking because that's the problem when people don't lose 99% of the time), then see your doctor. At least at that point you will have a solid food log to bring to your doctor to show them what you've been eating.

lgutches wrote: »

britishbroccoli wrote: »

Science says no ...

I think that people posting, "Well, I gained weight!" is a detrimental confirmation bias.

While I appreciate your reliance on science, I think it's unfair to negate people's physiological experiences (en masse) in a few short sentences and a list of articles. Science sometimes takes time to catch up, and there's a lot of money to be made in hormonal birth control by drug companies.

Can you imagine how much money would be on the line if a pharmaceutical company could prove that their competitors products cause bloating, soreness, weight gain, whatever, and that their brand new product doesn't? That hasn't happened because all evidence points to confirmation bias in adverse symptoms.

The studies actually demonstrate that women on oral contraceptives gain slightly LESS weight than women who are not on birth control. As far as symptoms, read up on confirmation bias, nocebos, and the article above with placebo controlled studies. Women who were on sugar pills had the same rate/severity/spread of symptoms as women who were on hormonal birth control. Thinking you are on a hormonal birth control is enough for many people to claim the symptoms associated with hormonal birth control.

All of these studies have been initiated because of the very common misconception that birth control causes weight gain/symptoms. Many women discontinue birth control because of the symptoms that they attribute to the medicine, exposing them to the risk of pregnancy.

It's possible that women with these symptoms are sick from something else. If so, they should know not to blame their BC and see a doctor ASAP. Or, it's possible that these symptoms are just part of being a woman. Either way, it's not helpful to falsely blame BC that has run the gauntlet of scientific research.

lgutches wrote: »

britishbroccoli wrote: »

Science says no ...

I think that people posting, "Well, I gained weight!" is a detrimental confirmation bias.

While I appreciate your reliance on science, I think it's unfair to negate people's physiological experiences (en masse) in a few short sentences and a list of articles. Science sometimes takes time to catch up, and there's a lot of money to be made in hormonal birth control by drug companies.

I knew very little about Mirena when I chose to do it. I read the pamphlet, but since I don't tend to have reactions to such things, I forged ahead. I knew immediately something was wrong. As I mentioned above, my midsection was terribly bloated and there were accompanying physiological symptoms that were extremely unpleasant. In a few short months, I had gained about ten pounds and couldn't button my pants. I'm a regular runner with a predictable diet. It was the Mirena. No "science" will convince me otherwise. Perhaps in ten years, the declarations made today will be reversed and those of us told that it's in our head will feel slightly validated. Either way, though - I got that thing out of me and moved on. I simply suggest that people proceed with caution and choose their own paths.

YOU know your body. Definitely do what makes sense to you.
Mirena was NOT good for me either.

Lorraine, I remember vividly the frustration, the embarassment of having to describe the symptoms to my doctor, the reluctant acceptance that I should give it a "fair shake," and then the insistence that it be removed from my body. It took a month or so to start returning to normal, but it's a memory for me now - and will be for you, too. I'm sorry you are going through this. Nobody goes to the trouble of putting that thing in - dealing with the side effects for however many months - just to go back to the doc and have them remove it. Awful experience.

I also have that implant in my arm due to come out this October. I didn't gain any weight with it & have had no trouble losing since I started my weight loss journey. It's all about how the BC affects your specific body. My best friend has it also & she put on 35lbs with it.