for women that are on the shot as birth control...

ljsmamma07
ljsmamma07 Posts: 30
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
are you finding it harder to loose weight? i did ww last year from jan. to july and lost alittle over 25lb with no problems, but i had the iud. i switched to the shot about 4 months again and started gaining...and i cant seem to loose! ive been working out hard core for over a month and been doing the calorie counting and staying at or under for over a week and havnt lost a single pound! wondering if the birth control could really be my problem, if im just not being patient enough(on ww i lost 4lb in the first week because of changing my diet) or if maybe i should have my thyroids checked. i should have lost something at this point!

Replies

  • I am on the shot and have been for over two years now. I was the same weight between then and last May, with no fluctuations. Now, I am counting calories and exercising A LOT and have only lost 14 pounds. I am at a standstill now but I feel better than ever and I've lost inches. I would not focus so much on the scale. Its muscle gain and fat loss that is important. Take measurements - its what you and others see anyway, not the number on the scale.

    The shot may have something to do for it, but don't let it discourage you. I think its just a little road block. If you diet and exercise correctly, I don't think it will stand in your way. So just wait about another month, and if it is still driving you crazy that you aren't losing fast enough, talk to your doctor and get your birth control switched.
  • Barrettmomof3
    Barrettmomof3 Posts: 140 Member
    It could be the BC shot but I would also suggesting having your thyriod checked. As with the shot there seems to be a decrease in thyroid function. I have been on the depo shot for 6 mths now and I am going back to bc pills at my next apt. because I do think this has hindered my weight loss.

    Good luck.
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
    I am at a stuck phase but i do not believe it to be the shot, as i been on the shot almost 3 years, and last fall i lost 40 pounds in about 3 months. though i hear alot about people having problems with weight with it among other issues, i have had no side effects
  • LizzieBee17
    LizzieBee17 Posts: 123 Member
    I was on the depo shot for years and the one time I did try to lose weight I lost 65 lbs in three months. I have gotten conflicting information from doctors some believe it does make it harder to lose weight and some are very adamant that is myth. They did take me off depot because they have found that long term use can cause osteoporosis. I was on it for about 6 straight years. I miss it. I never had a TOM just a shot every three months.
  • FTIM2015
    FTIM2015 Posts: 460 Member
    Come off it NOW!!!

    It is the reason that I ended up the size that I am, it causes depression, wrecked my friendships and relationships as it turned me into a raving loon!
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
    I was on the depo shot for years and the one time I did try to lose weight I lost 65 lbs in three months. I have gotten conflicting information from doctors some believe it does make it harder to lose weight and some are very adamant that is myth. They did take me off depot because they have found that long term use can cause osteoporosis. I was on it for about 6 straight years. I miss it. I never had a TOM just a shot every three months.


    will have to look into the osteoporosis thing as is runs in my family, may discuss alternatives now that my blood pressure is controled, though i like the only every 3 month, i really dont trust my self to take a pill every day. The only meds i have been that consistant on is my requip, and that is because the hell if i don't take it is good reminder.
  • mizjohnston
    mizjohnston Posts: 196 Member
    I've done a lot of research because I have had problems with birth control on this issue plus in the past. I hear more about weight gain on depo then loss. Have you been on it a long time? I have been on pills for seven years and my fiance got fixed lol. My last pill is Saturday and I can't wait to see how it goes. I too lost a lot of weight on the pill and then by the 5th year for get it. Its brought me to tears even. I have weighed between 150 and 160 for the last two years. I count calories. I exercise 30 minutes to 1.5 hours nothing. I always lose 5 pounds which is pretty much water weight. It comes to your body. Every women is different. Try a low dose pill that should help some what.
  • ginabina13
    ginabina13 Posts: 202 Member
    I was on the shot for almost 2 years back in my 20s and I gained 40lbs!! I also think it altered my thyroid function. I did get checked back then and my doctor said my thyroid was normal, but now I'm on thyroid medication. I never new the BC shot could affect thyroid function, but it sure makes a lot of sense when I look back at my health. Good luck to you!
  • mizjohnston
    mizjohnston Posts: 196 Member
    Come off it NOW!!!

    It is the reason that I ended up the size that I am, it causes depression, wrecked my friendships and relationships as it turned me into a raving loon!


    You said it sister. Hormones are no joke. I had anxiety really bad for three months, the doctor said it wasn't the bc. I took myself off and I went back to normal in three days. Crazy how it changes a woman's body.
  • ljsmamma07
    ljsmamma07 Posts: 30
    I've done a lot of research because I have had problems with birth control on this issue plus in the past. I hear more about weight gain on depo then loss. Have you been on it a long time? I have been on pills for seven years and my fiance got fixed lol. My last pill is Saturday and I can't wait to see how it goes. I too lost a lot of weight on the pill and then by the 5th year for get it. Its brought me to tears even. I have weighed between 150 and 160 for the last two years. I count calories. I exercise 30 minutes to 1.5 hours nothing. I always lose 5 pounds which is pretty much water weight. It comes to your body. Every women is different. Try a low dose pill that should help some what.


    ive been on it for about 4 months...i actually am not getting it again because we are going to start trying to have another baby in december and i want to give my body a few months to go back to normal before hand. i did the pills and thats house i ended up with our first. lol. after this next baby im getting the iud again. i LOVED it!
  • ljsmamma07
    ljsmamma07 Posts: 30
    I was on the shot for almost 2 years back in my 20s and I gained 40lbs!! I also think it altered my thyroid function. I did get checked back then and my doctor said my thyroid was normal, but now I'm on thyroid medication. I never new the BC shot could affect thyroid function, but it sure makes a lot of sense when I look back at my health. Good luck to you!

    i may go ahead and have it checked. thyroid cancer and problems run in my family horribly. and if the shot can affect it(which i didnt know and i had it before) then i will def have to have it checked. cant hurt right!
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member
    Come off it NOW!!!

    It is the reason that I ended up the size that I am, it causes depression, wrecked my friendships and relationships as it turned me into a raving loon!


    Not everyone has bad expiernces with bc. i have been on the depo for almost 3 years and have had no side effects, can't blame it my size as i was fat and unhealthy before i started. actually at a better weight and more healthy since, but not because of the shot.
    I am actually much happier on it , NO PERIODS. heh.
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
    If you had asked me what I thought of Depo when I was 20, I would have sung praises till I was blue in the face. What's not to love, right? No periods. No daily pills. No rings or creams or barriers. Perfection!

    I was on the shot for two years. Once I got married, I went off the shot, took 1 month of BC pills to kick start my period. That was June '07. During the time I was on Depo, I went from around 190# to 250#. Very little changed in my daily routine. I was raised to eat when you're hungry and don't eat if you're not. On Depo, I was ALWAYS hungry. My doctor called my weight gain "normal" and "nothing to worry about." 30 pounds a year is normal? Right.

    Well, it's been four years, and I've managed to lose about 15 pounds. I have been TTC off and on over the years with no success. (BTW, Depo can lead to infertility.)

    What I've found on the internet is that the weight gained while on Depo is likely permanent. Osteoporosis, thyroid problems, and infertility are all side effects that they don't tell you about.
  • FairyMiss
    FairyMiss Posts: 1,812 Member

    What I've found on the internet is that the weight gained while on Depo is likely permanent. Osteoporosis, thyroid problems, and infertility are all side effects that they don't tell you about.


    weight gain is weight gain, therefore, weight gain from depo is not special. and no more permanent then any other weight gain.
  • FTIM2015
    FTIM2015 Posts: 460 Member
    It is much harder to loose weight gained whilst on the depo. I went from being super fit and very slim (I was 10.5st and NEVER above that). I was like a black hole on the jab, constantly hungry, suicidal at my worst, I didn't know what to do with myself and neither did my Dr as all blood work and any other test came back normal and the anti depressants didn't do a thing. There are a lot more people who experience bad side effects with it than good, yes no periods is great, but put up with the rest of it just for that? No thank you!

    My friend was on it and didn't gain an ounce. However she was terribly depressed.

    I have been off it a few years now and although my diet isn't that bad, and I exercise several times a week, it's still slow progress.

    edited to say that I never had any problem dropping weight until I went on it.
  • LizzieBee17
    LizzieBee17 Posts: 123 Member
    Come off it NOW!!!

    It is the reason that I ended up the size that I am, it causes depression, wrecked my friendships and relationships as it turned me into a raving loon!


    Not everyone has bad expiernces with bc. i have been on the depo for almost 3 years and have had no side effects, can't blame it my size as i was fat and unhealthy before i started. actually at a better weight and more healthy since, but not because of the shot.
    I am actually much happier on it , NO PERIODS. heh.


    I haven't had any issues. I am still fertile, I can lose weight if I back my fat *kitten* away from the table. I have had a bone density test and it was normal. I have been on and off for 17 years but the longest time on was 6 years. My only side effect was no period. I LOVED it. Everybody is different. Hormones effect people in different ways so you really have to try for yourself.
  • craft338
    craft338 Posts: 870 Member
    i gained SOOOOOO much when i started the shot, plus it had CRAZY side effects. it was horrible :( i'm on the nuva ring now and i've lost weigh, and have no weird side effects.
  • boobear42
    boobear42 Posts: 9 Member
    I was on Depo Provera for 3 years, and while it seemed like an attractive option at first, it DEFINITELY wasn't worth all of the horrific side effects. I was always a tad overweight, but I was fairly healthy overall prior to starting on this method of birth control.

    About 9 months after I started, my hair thinned to half of its original volume, I gained about 50 lbs, my breasts almost doubled in size, and I was irritable and moody for no reason. My libido was pretty much non-existent. The worst was when my doctor recommended that I book an appointment for a bone density scan, to ensure that I wasn't developing osteoporosis. This was in 2004 after studies revealed that bone density loss as a result of using Depo Provera may not be reversible. I stopped using it right then and there, My periods didn't start up again for another year, and when they did start again, they were extremely erratic, both in terms of length and intensity. It took another 3 years before my menstrual cycle normalized.
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    Depo shot was a nightmare for me. Constant bleeding, constant crankiness, no energy... blech...

    I did better on the pills.
  • hey i was on the shot 6 months ago, and i had trouble as well losing weight, but i also had alot of other problems, i swore once i got off i would tell everyone how horrible it was, my hands and arms would go numb and would be useless for a couple of minutes. i had no sex drive, gaines weight, and was a total b all the time, when i got off i relized it also can soometimes cause infertility, my sister and myself both had misscarriages after being off the shot. please read comment sites of the drug you will find many similar stories as i did. i would recommend getting off it asap. i have the murana now and its the best thing ever!
  • findingfit23
    findingfit23 Posts: 845 Member
    Ive been on it for about 10 years now I think. Yes, I gained weight, but Im pretty sure that was my twice daily Mc Donalds habit that did that to me. Thyroid has been checked, bone density checked, Im all good. I did go off it once about 5 years ago. My period came right away the next month, I couldnt take it, went right back on!

    Id like to add that I have read a lot of research studies regarding depo and weight gain. Average weight gain is something like 4 lbs over 8 years. Im ok with that.
  • jenwarship
    jenwarship Posts: 28 Member
    I hate birth control in general- all of them seem to affect me (depression/weight gain/difficult weight loss) but the shot was the worst. I, too, turned into a total crazy person and gained weight. Everyone is different though and some people have worse reactions than others. Talk to your doctor and try something else for awhile to see if it makes a difference?
  • ljsmamma07
    ljsmamma07 Posts: 30
    hey i was on the shot 6 months ago, and i had trouble as well losing weight, but i also had alot of other problems, i swore once i got off i would tell everyone how horrible it was, my hands and arms would go numb and would be useless for a couple of minutes. i had no sex drive, gaines weight, and was a total b all the time, when i got off i relized it also can soometimes cause infertility, my sister and myself both had misscarriages after being off the shot. please read comment sites of the drug you will find many similar stories as i did. i would recommend getting off it asap. i have the murana now and its the best thing ever!

    i have noticed that my sex drive is horrible now too! unfortantly i just got it again a month ago so i just basicly have to let it wear off at this point, but after that im not getting it again. i had the IUD before but took it out because it was hurting during sex and i wanted to let me body go back to normal for a while before we started trying for another baby, but my hubby was worried we would get prego before we wanted to and im not good at taking pills so i did the shot again. but after i just couldnt stop eating! ive gained about 10lb in the 4 months that ive been on it. when im done having kids, i will be getting the iud again!
  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
    Depo-Provera has not affected my weight loss.
This discussion has been closed.