"The Pill" and weight loss

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lauractemple85
lauractemple85 Posts: 109 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone know anything about being on the Birth Control Pill and trying to lose weight? Is it harder to? I've been on the pill for years now and I've steadily gained weight...so here I am 26 years old, prime "baby bearing" age and I feel like my body (especially my hips) have changed, gotten wider. I remember being able to drop weight in no time, but now I feel like its harder to do. My mom says it's because I'm in this "sudo-pregnancy" state (FYI, being on the pill tricks your body into thinking it's already pregnant) and thats why any food I eat tends to stay with me.

I don't want to go off the pill because I'm not ready to start a family yet. Can anyone shed some light on this?

Replies

  • nikkishai
    nikkishai Posts: 407 Member
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    I can share my experience... when I started my weight loss journey, I wasn't on the pill (single and didn't need it). But when I started back up, I literally gained 8 lbs nearly immediately! I even asked my doc about it and she said that it increases appetite and takes a few months to balance out (paraphrasing). I'm steadily losing weight while on the pill, but the first 3 months may be discouraging.
  • jzaz903
    jzaz903 Posts: 306 Member
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    I've lost 42lbs since january while on the pill.
    I dont think it affects me.
  • meowmixx25
    meowmixx25 Posts: 20 Member
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    Hasn't affected me either
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    It's definitely harder, much of it is related to hormones in women. It's harder to build muscle when you have increases in estrogen. You may look into some natural options to balance your hormones while taking the pill .
  • lil_pulp
    lil_pulp Posts: 701 Member
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    I started gaining weight long before I started the pill and continued gaining on it...then lost quite a bit while still on it. Now I'm (newly) off it after 15 years and so far, and there's no marked difference in my weight. Good luck.
  • 715hopers
    715hopers Posts: 9 Member
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    I got to my heaviest weight ever on the pill - 150 lbs on my 5'3" frame and couldn't lose it no matter what I did. Even exercising intensely at the gym taking group classes didn't help. I stopped the pill in August and started using natural family planning (not pregnant yet either and don't want to be!) I started using MFP in January and I'm back down to 135, which is what my weight usually stabilizes at. I still want to lose 10 lbs, but at least now I'm in the range of normal weight for my height.
  • amy0975
    amy0975 Posts: 22 Member
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    I think all women are different. I recently found out that after all my years (almost 15 yrs) of being on different BC I was taking the wrong stuff. My estrogen and progestrin levels were screwed up. The BC I was taking was low in Estrogen which made me gain weight because I am naturally low in estrogen. My OBGYN prescribed me TriPhasal which is high estrogen low progestrin. I didn't gain an ounce with that.

    Yesterday, I quit the pill all together and got a Mirena. It has no hormones so no wacky weight gain and it's good for 5 years. Plus, you don't have a period after a couple of months. If I decide to have another baby it just has to be removed and I am ready to go. You may want to look into that or a non-hormonal bc. Good luck!

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