How to lose weight with the Depo shot

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  • glitterrainn
    glitterrainn Posts: 73 Member
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    Please be careful choosing depo. Long term depo use shows it can cause bone loss and infertility. They put a black box warning on it years ago. ❤️❤️
  • mram3582
    mram3582 Posts: 2,482 Member
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    I've been on depo since 1999. I also have PCOS to the point of we are in the beginning stages of talking about a hysterectomy. For the first 15 yrs. of depo I did not have a period at all. Now, as I approach peri-menopause I find that I have spotting and/or sometimes a full month worth of bleeding in the 2-3 month depo range. I was able to lose 80+ lbs by just logging food and exercising before I got sick. I'm back and not having any problems losing weight this time either.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
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    glitterrainn wrote: »
    Please be careful choosing depo. Long term depo use shows it can cause bone loss and infertility. They put a black box warning on it years ago. ❤️❤️

    Which is why my doctor carefully went through my family history for bone density before she put me on it. I can't take the pill because I get migraine with aura (stroke risk) and like hell I'm having anything shoved under my skin or up there.

    I'm still losing weight on the depo.
  • jeanettemahon499
    jeanettemahon499 Posts: 19 Member
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    Hi.. just reading comments regarding 'Depo' .... as a sexual health nurse, I can confirm this type of long lasting contracteptive CAN indeed cause weight gain...thousands of women do, but not all. It may be a fab contraceptive but unfortunately (and the pharmaceutical company recognises this) it can be an very unwanted side effect. I think it is kind of like a steroid? anyone who has taken them or knows someone who has, will tell you they found they had an appetite from hell!! (hence why so many women complain they notice the weight around their middle first..?). I gave this contraceptive injection to many many women and would say that the majority loved it and would be devastated if refused it, but some ladies unfortunately, had to look elsewhere due to the weight gain. Yes, you can do the maths (calories in and calories out), but a shift in metabolism and the Depo can cause the weight gain.
  • phill_143
    phill_143 Posts: 64 Member
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    Of course CICO still holds whilst using hormonal contraceptives - and it is possible to lose weight via a calorie deficit.

    That doesn't mean it's impossible that the contraceptive can change either side of the equation indirectly - making it harder to do so.

    Personally, I found that known/well-documented side effects of the pill and implanon implant made things more difficult.

    Specifically:
    - Mouth ulcers caused by the pill made it harder to eat certain foods, leading to a change in diet
    - The pill caused joint pain and headaches, changing the intensity of exercise I was comfortable with
    - The implant caused 'morning sickness', a cycle which was extended by two days and more severe cramping than usual. As a result, I worked out 2-4 days fewer per month at the gym and sometimes chose not to ride my bike to work
    - Persistent spotting between cycles meant that I felt less like swimming

    I switched to the non hormonal coil instead, which I found much better.
  • romancing_oblivion
    romancing_oblivion Posts: 1 Member
    edited October 2020
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    asheffield13 wrote: »
    It baffles me that women can be so nasty to one another. These threads are not meant for women to spout rude comments to one another. But rather, for women who are truly experiencing REAL issues seeking other women going through the same thing. You cannot tell a stranger that they are not experiencing something... How do you know?

    All I know, is that I am an athletic woman who works out consistently and eats a healthy consistent diet. And over a 7 month period of time experienced a 10 pound weight gain doing nothing differently... Except taking the depo shot.

    EXACTLY Why I never ask for advice on here. Sure, it's "user error" :) I can't believe in women can't support one another better than this. I am glad you said something.

    The average weight gain per Depo user on this thread alone is 30# and I've had it since August and gained....30# BUT I am sure by the looks of some of these responses, it must be PURELY coincidence. LOL.
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    edited October 2020
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    Hormonal contraceptives affect weight in two ways:

    1) Increasing appetite
    2) Increasing water retention (oestrogen causes this - this is why overweight women are often given the progestin-only mini-pill).

    So, to those saying that it is only due to increased appetite/ calories - do your research - hormonal birth control can have other side effects which result in weight gain. They don't, however, lower your metabolism (in fact there has been one study which showed a slightly INCREASED metabolism for people on hormonal contraceptives)

    OP, I don't think you can do anything much to kick start your diet... If you stay on depo it will be a case of tracking calories, moving more, and probably a willpower battle to overcome any increases in appetite.

    It might be worth discussing a different type of contraceptive with your doctor... I gained less weight with the mini-pill than any other contraceptive I have taken.
  • BeckyKnox971
    BeckyKnox971 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've been on the Depo shot since I was 19 and I'm 37 now and weigh 233lbs, I'm finding it HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight. Been using Noom since Dec 22nd 2020, I cut my calories. I've never been a JUNK FOOD only eater, I use to eat every 2 hours and don't now. My weight goes up a bit and down to where it was but that's it, the ONLY way I've EVER been able to lose weight is by not eating at all. CAN NEVER drop below 200lbs even with eating once a day and walking 2 miles EVERYDAY in the Summer. In 2005 is when I noticed weight gain, and been going up ever since, my heaviest was 250lbs.
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    edited January 2021
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    BeckyKnox971 wrote: »
    I've been on the Depo shot since I was 19 and I'm 37 now and weigh 233lbs, I'm finding it HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE to lose weight. Been using Noom since Dec 22nd 2020, I cut my calories. I've never been a JUNK FOOD only eater, I use to eat every 2 hours and don't now. My weight goes up a bit and down to where it was but that's it, the ONLY way I've EVER been able to lose weight is by not eating at all. CAN NEVER drop below 200lbs even with eating once a day and walking 2 miles EVERYDAY in the Summer. In 2005 is when I noticed weight gain, and been going up ever since, my heaviest was 250lbs.

    Can you open your food diary, and you as well @asheffield13? We can get a better idea of what’s going on. What are your stats? We can help. And seriously, don’t worry if it shows fast food or anything like that, since it doesn’t matter whatsoever in losing weight. Heck it’s part of my weight loss plan even.

    Would also love to see any evidence that shows you can gain fat without eating above your TDEE. Would be a medical anomaly, so keep us posted.
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
    edited January 2021
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    Nvm- the user is gone
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    msalicia07 wrote: »
    erinbersell wrote: »
    Hi ladies! Nutritionist here. Unfortunately, it’s harder to lose weight gained by birth control because hormones slow your metabolism but making a few changes like always eating breakfast, only eating nutrient dense food, never eating before bed, etc. are a few ways to boost your metabolism. Hope this helps!

    Always eating breakfast and not eating before bed boosts metabolism? Can you explain that metabolic biochemistry?

    She has just the one post from March 2019 so don't expect an answer :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,897 Member
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    I've tried many forms of BC over the decades, and my favorite by far is - vasectomy!

    thumb_100-juice-no-seeds-happu-vasectomy-seedless-meme-65392060.png
  • Ddsb11
    Ddsb11 Posts: 607 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    msalicia07 wrote: »
    erinbersell wrote: »
    Hi ladies! Nutritionist here. Unfortunately, it’s harder to lose weight gained by birth control because hormones slow your metabolism but making a few changes like always eating breakfast, only eating nutrient dense food, never eating before bed, etc. are a few ways to boost your metabolism. Hope this helps!

    Always eating breakfast and not eating before bed boosts metabolism? Can you explain that metabolic biochemistry?

    She has just the one post from March 2019 so don't expect an answer :)

    I just realized that lol!

    And I gotta admit I never heard a vasectomy put that way before. Amazing 😆

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