Can’t lose weight on the pill
amw12784
Posts: 2 Member
I’m having the worst time trying to lose weight while being on the birth control pill. I’ve been on it for about 6yrs. Does anyone else have difficulty losing weight while on the pill? Any suggestions?
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Replies
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Depo Provera increased my appetite so I gained weight because I simply ate more than I was before I started taking it. Is it possible that you are eating more than you were previously? Are you logging every thing you eat accurately?3
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How are you tracking your calorie intake and how long have you been trying to lose weight? Birth control in and of itself doesn’t inhibit weight loss. It’s usually the cravings and increased appetite that can be a side effect which makes it difficult for some people to eat at a defecit to lose. I haven’t had any issue with weight gains or loss on any birth controls I’ve been on, including the pill, 2 nexplanons and mirena. My weight gain was 100% the fault of my own doing and I lost 30 lbs and am now doing a (so far successful) lean bulk while on mirena.7
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It's not the fault of the pill that you gained weight. It might increase your appetite or make you a bit less active, but that's it. Time to take responsibility, track your food properly (on a scale) and then the weight will go down. promised
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There are a fair few threads on this already, but to simplify weigh gain on any medication is down to one of two things:
- Increased appetite - often because of changes in Hormones
- Water retention - side effects of medication
You can't gain fat without eating higher than your body needs, so if you've gained fat you have been eating too much. Water weight it's usually temporary, so 6 years later that's not the problem.
Get a food scale, take responsibility for what you put in your mouth and if you're not feeling satisfied by what you're eating, change things up and find what works - different people are satiated by different macro ratios.8 -
its not the pill, its the increased appetite they cause. ive never gained weight because of a pill, and ive been on several different kinds.
learn methods for curbing the appetite, drink water, take up a new hobby, go for a walk - taking a hot bath for me was always my go to if i was at home lol. and you can always work out a little bit longer to make room for a few extra calories. also a go to for me.6 -
I must admit that it is my fault for the weight gain. It seems to be psychological cravings where my mind craves certain foods4
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I must admit that it is my fault for the weight gain. It seems to be psychological cravings where my mind craves certain foods
Nothing wrong with that realization. Most of us have been there one way or another. I remember an old forum post of mine elsewhere stating that I don't understand how I could be close to overweight as I only ate about 1400kcal per day. Mind you, I forgot those few bags of crisps I had per week, and some hard candy.
Why not start slowly: track everything you eat now, preferably with a scale. Then make small changes. Try out things for a few weeks. For example for me: I can't moderate liquorice, this hard candy and crisps. So I don't get them in the house at all, unless I decide to make one of them my dinner instead of having dinner and a bag of crisps.2 -
It can definitely affect how you gain/lose weight due to hormones. If you're really keeping to your daily calorie allowance & nothing is happening, or if you just feel constantly tired/hungry, have your doctor test your hormone levels. They may want you to switch to a different pill or recommend something else to balance your hormones. Or it could be something else entirely. Giving you this advice because that's where I'm at right now & I need to do it too!!!!4
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I must admit that it is my fault for the weight gain. It seems to be psychological cravings where my mind craves certain foods
That you know this shows you're well on your way to success. Just awesome!
This is one of the expected adverse events from nearly all hormone influencing drugs.
It's important to know what hormones can and cannot do. These can influence appetite, but not usually hunger. It is critical to know the difference - if you crave sweet/salty or specific foods that's appetite learned through routine and therefore can be changed. Hunger is the physiological need for food, which is quite different and non-specific. Hunger doesn't come on quickly. One of the habits I've developed is drinking a glass of water if I feel "hungry" and wait 30 mins.
Weight gain/loss driven by hormones is largely water weight and normal. This is your body protecting itself against external damage by your cells taking on water. This should correct itself within 5-7 days with proper hydration.0 -
Agreed that it really boils down to the hunger cues which get thrown out of wack. I have found being on Mirena, my best bet is just to accept a slower loss rate and then carefully track my food and intake (mostly to keep myself honest about how much I'm actually eating).
Accepting a slower loss rate makes the hunger more tolerable, along with an eating plan that works well for me and my lifestyle. Combined, I've had a steady loss since late summer. Slow, but steadily heading in the right direction. Using a trend weight app helps me stay focused as well, and I've realized there are certain foods I like that always result in a scale jump due to (mostly water) retention. If I eat those foods, I know I'll be up the next day. No biggie anymore!2
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