Loosing weight on birth control 😑😑😑

jessim87
jessim87 Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I can’t drop this 10 pounds that i gained when i started BC about 6+ months ago. Anyone have any tips. I have changed my eatting habits and eat really well but im struggling to loose any of it 😩😩😫😫

Replies

  • Terytha
    Terytha Posts: 2,097 Member
    Eating well is separate from weight loss. Do you have a food scale, are you weighing and logging everything you eat and staying at a deficit?
  • JBanx256
    JBanx256 Posts: 1,479 Member
    I've been on hormonal birth control for ~20 years, first the pill and now the depo shot. BC doesn't make your body violate the laws of thermodynamics - most recently I did a HARD cut to compete in bodybuilding shows this past Oct & Nov. You just have to create a calorie deficit.
  • Muscleflex79
    Muscleflex79 Posts: 1,917 Member
    yup - as others said, "eating really well" means nothing in terms of weight loss. you need to be at a deficit and a kitchen scale can certainly help with that.
  • kperk91
    kperk91 Posts: 226 Member
    I've been on the same birth control (pill) for 11 years now. I haven't had any problems losing weight because of it. I have to measure/weigh/count every last calorie I eat to see the scale numbers go down. I eat well for the most part - but I can hinder my own results by telling myself that a little piece of candy, cookie, etc here or there "isn't much."
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I am on my second Mirena. When I got the first Mirena, I had a BMI of 42. I lost 100 pounds and have been in maintenance in my optimal BMI range for 2+ years. All of that was with a hormonal birth control device. Before the Mirena, I was on various birth control pills, but I was not actively trying to lose weight then.

    The point is that for everyone, fat loss happens when you eat fewer calories than your body burns. You do not lose weight by "eating really well." Fat loss is 100% caused by a consistent calorie deficit, not by the specific foods you eat. Hormonal birth control may make you feel hungrier or change your body's pattern of water weight fluctuation, but it does not stop you from losing fat if you are consistently in a calorie deficit.

    For most people who have a very small amount to lose, the issue is inaccurate logging and lack of patience. You don't mention anything about weighing your food or how many calories you're eating. With only 10 pounds to lose, your deficit should be very small. You should not be attempting or expecting to lose more than 0.5 lb/week, and the scale may only go down every 4-6 weeks. Most people with so little to lose find it necessary to weigh ALL food using a food scale. That includes your cooking oil, your fruit, your veggies, everything. If you exercise, you need to be certain your exercise calories are not inflated. A small deficit is very easily wiped out with only a few logging errors, which typically come from not weighing ALL food. After you start weighing ALL your food, be patient and consistent. It would not be unusual for the last 10 pounds to take many months to come off.
  • lmew91
    lmew91 Posts: 88 Member
    I gained and lost weight on a birth control pill. It was my eating habits, not the pill, that made the difference. Still on the same pill, having lost about 35 lbs.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    Birth control pills have been around for a very long time now. If you think it’s the cause of your eating more calories than your body burns, discuss it with your gyn. There are many to choose from.

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