losing weight when going off the pill?

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i'd been taking ortho tri cyclen lo for about a year and a half, and i just stopped taking them two weeks ago because they 'helped' me gain over thirty pounds!! not to mention i had no cellulite at all before i started and then i had tons, and i didn't change my lifestyle much at all (if anything i was being more active as i was walking FAR more since starting college). so have any of you ladies found that going off the pill has helped you lose weight at all? (i've heard that cellulite can be worsened by an excess of estrogen and water retention so that's what leads me to believe HBC was the culprit)

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  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    bump
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    No, but I didn't gain when I was on it either.
  • mandr97
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    Bump...I had the same problem!
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
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    I'd talk to your doctor about it. I can't go off my pill for I do not wish to be pregnant and I'm married sooooo yeah no need to go into detail. I will say that I gained 35lbs on the Depo shot and lost 35lbs while taking Ortho Tri cyclen lo and only eating 1,300 max cals a day... So I'm not sure the pill has that much of an influence on weight loss as it gets the bad rap for.
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
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    When I was on the pill a couple of years ago I only gained a little bit of weight, and when I started trying to lose, I was only able to lose a litte. So, I was talking to my OBGYN and she said that it's a myth that the pill has any effect on your weight. (I didn't believe her). So, I decided to stop taking it and see what happened. In the first few weeks I lost as much weight as I had in the past 2 months. I think the pill can definitely make it harder to lose weight.
  • Cryss2390
    Cryss2390 Posts: 6 Member
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    I was on Depo for about 2 years and gainedlike30 pounds ..that made me sluggish and tiresome..(not that im blaming it all on the shot). When i got off of it last year i stopped gaining and my cycle was really out of wack.. So i went to the doctor and he suggested that i tried the pill since i insisted no more depo and told him the affects it had on me. Ortho tricyclen was great to me and i even lost weight. It did exactly what it said it was going to do and didnt affect me in a bad way at all.. However when i slacked off of it in July my weight loss slowed and eventually came to a sudden stop. Now ive been back on it for about a week now and i already have lost a pound. So i dont know. It does different people different ways. (Keep in mind that my periods are really irregular and when i wasnt on the pill i had heavy bleeding. So the fact that my period was on for like 1 month in half my have had something to do with it.

    Just sharing my experience with ortho tryclen with u or how ever u spell it. Good luck!!
  • Runnermadre
    Runnermadre Posts: 267 Member
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    I should also mention that the first time I as on birth control I gained about 20 pounds, the second pill I was on helped with an additional 10, and my most recent pill (Loestrin 24) didn't cause any gain.
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
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    I have not seen women gain from it, but when they went off, whatever weight they had, disappeared.
  • getxsleazyy
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    yeah i have a doctor's appointment in two weeks, i just figured i'd ask around. i had a FANTASTIC metabolism all from sophomore year of high school - freshman year of college and didn't have to watch my weight, but i found that since starting the pill every single little thing i put in my mouth makes me gain weight. ugh, it's the worst.
  • WendyHJ
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    I was on the pill for 22 years. I never credited it with weight gain, just less activity and whatever the heck I wanted. Now I'm off it but didn't lose any weight until 6 months later when I started working with a doctor to lose it, and keeping calories around 1200.
  • Misstakenart
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    I am seriously hoping that because I came off the pill two days ago,that i will start losing some weight now!
    been on the pill 2 years and just cannot lose weight no matter how little i eat or how much i exercise! I've tried everything!
    Going to get a test on my hormones too in two days time just to see if everything is okay.
    I've already check thyroid etc and they were fine.
  • sarah12789
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    Hello,
    i'm not sure if i'm on the right website but I've been searching google for ages for answers of reassurance. I'm 23 and have been taking the pill since I was 21. I've been on microgynon, cerezette and now marvelon. Before starting on the pill I was 9 stone, I never dieted or regularly exercised but id still never weigh over 9stone. I started taking the pill and two and a bit years later i'm 12 stone. I barley even eat the amounts I used to before taking the pill and i'm very unhappy with the weight gain, so I'm thinking of coming off the marverlon and pill(s) all together for a few months, see if my weight goes back to what it used to be or close to. I'm just worried for some reason and wondered if this was an okay idea? I dont want to come off to try for a baby, i'm single. I just want to be happy again and lose this extra weight the pill seems to have put on me.
  • daisyboo84
    daisyboo84 Posts: 37
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    Hello,

    Sarah12789, sorry to hear about these problems you've been having. I too started on Microgynon aged about 18/19, I put on about a stone within six months and my body filled out, whether it was timing or the pill I don't know, but my hips and bust grew, I was definitely more womanly.

    I came off it for a while and then started on Cerazette as I get bad headaches. I have not put on any weight with cerazette, and i've been on it for about 5 years now.

    The reason I think for me is because Microgynon (like marvelon) is a combined pill containing a mix of synthetic version of the hormones Oestrogen and progesterone.

    Cerazette is the mini pill, which contains only Progesterone. I think it is this difference which leads one to cause weight gain and another not to. Speak to your doctor/nurse and explain the issues you're having, I think maybe give cerazette another go, it's been great for me.

    Good luck.
  • sc10985
    sc10985 Posts: 347 Member
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    I think it all depends on the person. The only place I lose weight when I stop the pill is in my boobs lol.
  • momzeeee
    momzeeee Posts: 475 Member
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    No, i gained around ten pounds after having to go off of it, due to the darn thing giving me a blood clot. Besides weigh gain my vision got worse (which my dr. said is normal ugh) and my cycle is all over the place, stil a year later.
  • sarah12789
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    I don't eat half the stuff I used to and I only have small portions of things now, so I want to come off the pill all together till around September/October. See if I notice a difference, then i'll know for certain it was the pill keeping all this weight on. Ive not heard of women gaining weight from coming off before, people i've spoke to have said they lost some. I guess its a never solved Q really as everyone seems to be different. I didnt have any problems with cerezette and the non stop taking = no periods was def a bonus ha bit I only changed cause I was still gaining/staying at this 12 stone. So I guess im coming off for a piece of mind, see if I lose this extra weight or even a little of it. Might give me my confidence back hopefully. If nothing changes come september ill go back onto cerezette or marvelon

    ALSO i spoke to my local medical centre nurse and she wasnt very helpful just kept telling me theres no research to prove the pill makes you gain weight....... when there clearly is ha.
  • sammy87x3
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    I'm 22 and have been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for the past 3 years. For the first 2 1/2 years it was GREAT! No side effects, little weight gain (as expected), and I wasn't getting pregnant (phew, thank ya baby Jesus). However, the past 6 or so months my anxiety has gone through the roof and my weight has been skyrocketing for the past 10 months. I am constantly having panic attacks, sex drive is diminished, no energy, and I've lost all drive to accomplish tasks. When I spoke with my OBGYN back in June she accredited none of my symptoms to the pill and was quick to prescribe my anti-anxiety medication (obviously there is something going on in my body that is not right and I did not want to band-aid it with MORE PILLS). Well, well, well. I went to the doctors and had my hormone levels checked. They are SO incredibly out of whack (due to the pill). They have destroyed my adrenal glands and my brain is receiving the wrong messages (causing panic and anxiety). Needless to say, I will be on these for one more month and then will be coming off of them. I miss my old self. I miss looking forward to going out and doing things with my days without the fear of wreaking havoc because of panic. Now remember... EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT! That is the key. If you feel changes in your body... that's because there are. Your body is not producing hormones naturally anymore. You may not be a candidate for someone who should be on pills. I don't want to get pregnant either, but I would much rather live in a happier world and deal with that issue when it arises rather than live in a heavy world that I don't want to be a part of everyday. Good luck!
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    The pill doesn't cause weight gain. It doesn't cause weight loss either. Some might experience a bit of water retention but that is pretty much it.
  • samiam518
    samiam518 Posts: 1
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    I'm having the same issue. I went on the pill only 4 months ago and in those four months I've tried 3 different pills with absolutely no luck at all. In the first month (in between my initial visit and follow-up appointment) I had gained 20 pounds. Let me remind you that I'm 18 and only 5 feet tall. I went from weighing 105 to 125 and that couldn't have been a coincidence. I've since gained another 10 pounds. I'm eating about 800-1000 calories a day and I run two miles and bike anywhere between 10 and 15 miles a day. Along with cardio I do a lot of strength training. And I've only managed to lose 5 pounds. I'm stopping taking the pill today because I can't fit into any of my clothes and it's not worth staying on the pill. I hope this works.
  • MizJordo
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    Hi guys!
    I'm having the same issue, well that or it's a big coincidence! I've been losing weight steadily for a few months now. I'm strict with my diet and go to the gym about 3 times a week. Anyway, all was going well until I started dianette just over a week ago. In that week I've gained 3 pounds. I know 3 pounds isn't a lot but when you're actively trying to lose weight and have been doing so it's so disheartening. I've decided to stop taking the pill now as weight gain is just not an option for me ????