Iron tablets and gaining weight

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sxsh
sxsh Posts: 1 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi guys,

For the last few weeks I've turned back to healthy eating and exericising. I've also been consistently taking my medications (thryoid hormones for hypothyrodism and iron supplements). However my sister and mum commented on the fact that it looks like I've gained weight, instead of losing it - even though I've been exercising and cut out junk good :(

Now my friend has told me it might be because I've started to also take iron supplements. I had NO idea that iron tablets can lead to weight gain so I've just researched it and apparently its true. Has anyone had the same experience?

Should I just incorporate more iron-rich food into my diet, rather than the tablets? Or would it make no difference.

At this point in time I'd rather have the symptoms of low-iron but at least lose the extra chub on my body.

Any help would be verrry appreciated!

Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,008 Member
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    Follow your doctor's orders on iron. It's really dangerous to be low-iron, so don't stop the supplements without telling your doctor FIRST.

    You can still control your weight with the iron. It's just a matter of calories. Keep good records on your food and exercise, adjust each month based on results.
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 403 Member
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    I've been taking an iron supplement for the last couple of weeks (as prescribed by my doctor), and I haven't noticed any change in my weight or appetite.
  • teri899
    teri899 Posts: 1 Member
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    I take 65mg iron supplement every night before bed. I have been taking it for at least 6mo but in that time I have gradually noticed my weight climb up. not sure if it's the iron or maybe the fact that it's winter and I have not been as active as I was when it was warmer weather.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Eating above maintenance calories is the only thing that causes weight gain. Eating below maintenance is the only thing that causes weight loss. ARE you gaining weight?

    More iron-rich food wouldn't hurt. But it might not be enough. Are you deficient in iron? Is the iron supplement prescribed by your doctor?
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,431 Member
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    How much calories do you think are on an iron tablet? A tablet is probably not even 1gram. Thus if the iron tablet was completely made out of fat it would be less than 9 calories. No, you don't gain weight from taking an iron tablet.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
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    Did you actually gain wait? Or are you considering changing your doctors ordered based on someone saying you look like you're gaining weight? Seems a little extreme.
  • TonyB0588
    TonyB0588 Posts: 9,520 Member
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    I've been taking Iron tablets for the last two years and i haven't noticed any weight gain caused by them. Actually, my MFP weight loss was all during the same two year period.
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    edited February 2018
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    If iron supplements makes someone gain, then i would be trying to lose right now. I finally gained the 40+ lbs i needed after being on iron supplements/ infusions for almost 15 years until my doctor said stop last fall. Don't do it on your own

    Check your calorie intake. Are you using a food scale, logging the right food entries, etc?

    Are you weighing yourself? Did you actually gain weight, or are you relying on what someone else says?
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,387 Member
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    IMO, it's always preferable - when practical - to get nutrients from food rather than supplements: It's evolution tested. ;) That said, if you are iron deficient, do not stop taking your supplement until your blood tests are normal, and then make changes in consultation with your doctor.

    Your iron supplement should not cause you to persistently or continuously gain weight. If you consistently eat at what should be a deficit level of calories (for say, 2 months), and have hard data (not opinions) that your weight loss is way less than expected, consult your doctor again, show him/her your food diary, and maybe ask for referral to a registered dietician.

    As a fellow hypothyroid person, well controlled with meds, I found I lost weight fine eating normal foods I like, at whatever time of day I felt like (including right before bed), without restricting/eliminating any particular foods. All I did was eat foods I like in portions and proportions that gave me well-rounded nutrition and helped me hit a sensible calorie goal most days over a long time period.

    As far as people telling you you look like you gained, that's possibly the least accurate way I can think of to gauge your progress. Get a scale, compare week to week. Get a tape measure, compare month to month. Take before & progress photos (underdressed ;) ), compare every 2-3 months.

    Other people's opinions are distorted by everything from poor memory, to fit/pattern/color of what you wear, to jealousy/resentment, to worry that you'll change your life and be totalky different from the person they love today.

    Ignore opinions - except your doctors' - and use data (on the right time scale) instead.

    Best wishes!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I lost 150 lbs while taking iron supplements.
  • melissa6771
    melissa6771 Posts: 894 Member
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    This is really going to be a very personal thing for you. My body reacts strangely to things. I can take Tylenol or Advil, but if I take Alieve I gain weight. Biotin supplements make me gain. And there's a few other things that I have adverse reactions to. So while many others might not gain weight with iron supplements, you may. I think it's trial and error and something to be talked about with your dr.
  • AbigailS2211
    AbigailS2211 Posts: 1 Member
    edited May 2023
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    I gained so much weight from my iron meds. Many members of a Facebook group (The Iron Protocol), that are also taking iron meds confirmed the same
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,431 Member
    edited May 2023
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    It's a ghost thread. But an answer nonetheless. I see two options here:

    * short term. Iron tablets can cause constipation: more waste in the intestines, hence a higher weight on the scale. This is not bodyfat though, thus of no consequence
    * it's possible that low iron makes you so sick that just getting through the day requires a lot more energy, and hence a higher calorie expenditure. Once you fix this your body goes back to normal. If you continue eating the same you'll gain weight. Basically you need to adjust to a new, lower baseline. I honestly can't see how this would lead to a quick and substantial weight gain though. It's probably very moderate. More likely, people that are severely anemic shut down too much activity and burn less calories instead of more. Unless you're in the US or any other country with poor safety net should you get sick.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,568 Member
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    Hmmm, I'm on a 26mg iron tab a day due to ferrous being low in my system (although I don't have any of the symptoms that shows anemia). Docs are still trying to figure it out. But I didn't gain weight when I started them.

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  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
    edited July 2023
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    I was anemic for decades until my hysterectomy last fall and lost, maintained, and gained weight while taking iron supplements.

    In the study below MICE taking iron ate more. However, these MICE were not anemic. My supplementation got me into low normal ranges; these mice had a 215 percent increase of iron.

    I'll add this to my list of Reasons Why To Not Supplement Iron Without Bloodwork.

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150824212301.htm
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,014 Member
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    yes - there is also a thing called haemochromotosis - iron over load. For such people taking iron supplements would be terrible idea.

    I agree - don't just decide yourself to take iron supplements.

    If a blood test shows low iron levels or if you have a specific medical reason - yes.

    other wise- no.

    and no, it wont cause weight gain - other than possibly the indirect gains that Yirara mentioned - of constipation or less activity if they make you feel nausea

    See your Dr for alternatives if nausea is an ongoing issue.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    I had horrendous pain with the VA-prescribed ferrous gluconate. I had no digestive issues, including constipation, with iron bisglycinate.

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