Can birth control KEEP you from LOSING weight?

For sure! It depends on the kind tho. I was on Yaz and it actually helped me lose. It raised my blood pressure though so everything has pros & cons.

I think birth control slightly inhibits your ability to build muscle, because of the hormones. I did an experiment for myself one time, went off BC, got stronger and ran faster without more training, but stayed at the same weight. It only made a small difference in my appearance though, and acne free skin was more important to me, so I went back on it.

There have been a few studies saying that serious athletes and long distance runners shouldn't use hormonal BC, I think for everyone else the difference isn't significant.

well, 6 lbs is an outstanding loss for a week.

sometimes birth control can make your hormones go wacky, making you feel hungry when you really aren't, making you want to eat, and generally giving you a sort of pregnancy effect where you either feel crazy sick or you just want to eat eat eat everything.

I've been on a few different kinds and it did seem like the weight was easier lost on one compared to the other, but I have to take into consideration how much weight I had to lose, how active I was, what kinds of foods I was eating, how much of it, how well hydrated I was... lots of stuff.

Do you and your friend eat the same exact food? It is possible that you need to eat more or less to lose weight faster. It is also possible that her body is just better equip to lose weight.

Whatever it is, 6lbs in a week is :noway: !!!!!! so keep doing what you are doing and try not to stress the speed of it

I tried to blame my weight gain on birth control but my doctor told me that wasn't the case... I still have a hard time believing her. But it's been two years since I made a serious effort to lose weight (before my wedding) and two years can make a difference in one's metabolism I guess. =P I've also noticed it seems harder to lose than before BC.

I have heard that certain birth controls can lead to weight gain. Losing 6 pounds in 5 weeks is good, that is a little more than a pound a week.

Everybody loses weight at different speeds. Also if you have more weight to lose it is going to come off faster than someone who has less to lose.

Hope this helps.

People keep saying that it does, but I honestly think it is an excuse. I don't want to play the blame-game, but I did go research what was out there and it says that it doesn't technically cause you to gain/unable to lose weight, but it CAN increase your appetite and water-retention. That being said, I don't think there is any 100% agreed-upon conclusion in the science world. I am on the Depo shot, which is one of the big "omg weight gain!" one, and I have lost 7lbs in two months, without being hungry or overworking myself.

Agreed. I am also on the depo shot (and have been the entire time) and I've lost 80lbs.

I thought that the pill I was taking was perhaps making me put on weight or holding me back from losing - once I stopped I realised that wasn't a factor.

As everyone else has said - different meds can do different things to people. Perhaps your friend had a pretty unhealthy lifestyle to begin with hence the reason she is dropping weight quickly?

Considering how much you would gain if you became pregnant, no lol.

^ this

also i have tried every birth control there is and they ALLL gave me horrible side effects ... so now i just dont have sex... it seems to be working lol

I'm on Loestrin and I'm losing weight. Only problem is the cravings on my off days from the pill. They are a pain!

No.
It can hinder weight loss and make it more difficult, but not impossible. Few medications can actually make it impossible to lose weight, but they do exist.