Weight gain AFTER stopping pill...FRUSTRATED!!!

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multiplecatz1
multiplecatz1 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
I recently lost almost 50 lbs, I still have about 15 or so pounds to go to goal. I recently stopped taking Ortho-Tri Cyclen low. I feel better emotionally off it, and my rosacea is much better off it. My skin in general is looking great. HOWEVER, I went up about three pounds, and now I am at a plateau, the scale will not budge!!! I was losing so consistently before. I track everything I eat and drink...I basically eat the same everyday, also. Activity is the same. The weird thing is my clothes fit great and I LOOK like I lost but not according to the scale! I thought people gaining starting the pill, not stopping it! Anyway else ever have this problem? Please tell me the scale will start going down again!

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  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    how long ago did you stop-hit plateau?

    hang in there, it happens. as you get closer to your goal you also need to tighten up your logging. weigh everything on a scale, not skip little things. and double check the entries you select. i realized mannny months in i was making serious issues with meats and corrected them recently.
  • vetvicki
    vetvicki Posts: 62 Member
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    I've neither gained nor lost because of starting or stopping the pill.
    However, it does give you a steady hormonal state. Allowing your own body to produce cyclical hormones may affect things?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,420 Member
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    Some pills leads to an increased water weight, others prevent it. Thus this might be it.
  • multiplecatz1
    multiplecatz1 Posts: 3 Member
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    It's been almost a month. I was 163 12/9 then went up a couple of pounds, then back down. Up and and down those same two pounds, can't seem to get below 163. I really am good with tracking; still using measuring cups, etc. A lot of what I eat is a "set" amount as in 1 container yogurt, 2 slices bread, etc. so therefore easy to track accurately. I try to keep my carbs on the low side though, and they are all healthy. Sometimes my calories tend to be on the low side (under 1200) because I just can't eat the quantity I used to. I know that can put your body in "panic" mode but the thought of eating more scares me when the scale creeps up! I am doing the old WW Momentum plan, I did well on it years ago and find it works best for me, I need the portion control including fruits, etc. I guess maybe it is water, but it's weird my clothes are fitting and I look/feel like I lost until I get on the scale! Thanks all for your comments.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
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    measure cups are not ideal for most foods, it's surprising how off they can be. and as you get closer to goal you have less wiggle room on calories.

    Carbs don't matter for weight loss. a calorie is a calorie

    I highly recommend moving to a scale VS measuring. here is a thread on why.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
  • thisPGHlife
    thisPGHlife Posts: 440 Member
    edited January 2019
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    A couple things:

    (ETA: sorry for the length. And the pill can do funny things to your body. It takes a while for the medicine to fully be processed out of your body. I was on the pill for two years and when I went off of it, it was three months before things started getting back to normal.)

    @Panini911 is right that ideally you should weigh your food. The serving listed on packaging can be up to 20% off. So while you might be having two slices of bread, the weight of those two slices might be 20% more meaning more calories.

    Given that you only have 15 pounds to lose, your goal should be set to lose .5 pound per week, 1 pound toss. I know it can be scary to eat more because of the jump in the scale. That jump will happen however it is usually just water weight. Eating more, in general, means more carbs and more sodium which means you retain more water. It will work itself out but you have to give your body time.

    Also, since you do have so "little" left to lose and your calorie deficit is so small, weighing food becomes even more important. Just a few of things per day can totally eat up your deficit.

    Eating below 1200 calories for an extended period of time is not a great idea. It can do serious damage to your body. As far as your body going into panic mode, that doesn't really exist in the sense that you won't keep weight on. If that were the case then people who are starving wouldn't be so thin. Your body will go into panic mode in the sense that if you don't get enough nutrition, your body will start to canabalize your muscles. This next but is a really important part: Your heart is a muscle. If your body starts to reduce muscle mass to preserve energy, it can damage your heart.

    I would suggest reducing your rate of loss to .5-1 pound per week, eat the calories that MFP gives you including about half of your exercise calories, use a scale to weigh all of your food, and then after 6 weeks reevaluate. If you see a jump in the scale at the beginning don't worry, a little patience and your body should sort out the water weight. And yes 6 weeks because you want your body to go through at least a menstrual cycle to account for hormone changes, especially since you're coming off the pill.
  • multiplecatz1
    multiplecatz1 Posts: 3 Member
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    Wow thank you both for that wealth of info. I never thought measuring devices (cups, spoons, etc. could be off. A real eye-opener. My PT has already suggested I increase my protein, as she's afraid I lost muscle with my weight loss and can't afford to lose anymore as I have several joint issues going on. Yes, I forgot the heart is a muscle, yikes. So maybe increasing my protein will help me out all around. I know I shouldn't be so focused on the scale and the number on it, I've just worked so hard these last 6+ months to shed the weight, it's discouraging to see it go up for "no apparent reason". I will try the suggestions and give an update. Thanks again!!!

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