Birth Control Pills and Weight gain...help!!

Birth control pills can do that, and you can ask your doctor about other types. My sister had to do that.

I would also ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels. I was incredibly frustrated with being unable to lose weight in my mid-20s, and on a visit to the doctor to check for something else, my bloodwork showed I had hypothyroidism. It took about a year to get my dose correct, but now I've lost 18lbs! I'm back to where I was before with a standard 5 day workout routine and a healthy diet that allows me to splurge every now and then.

Oh K. - I hate to tell you this, but that's pretty normal for chicks. I'm not sure the pill has anything to do with it. Girls loose weight more slowly than dudes, and they plateau more often. All I can say is just keep working at it. It's hard, and may not be the fastest thing you've done, but will be totally worth it when you get where you'd like to be.

Good luck - in April I'll be working on loosing baby weight, too.

Talk to your OBGYN, there are other alternatives but birth control pills can keep weight on.
One thing that helped me lose 22 lbs last winter, and I am 44 and have some stubborn fat was drinking a lot of green tea, it helps big time with belly fat and energy levels. I didn't care for tea but brewed up green tea and made it ice tea with lemon and it was good! Now on a cold evening I will have some as it warms me up if drank warm. I drink probably three cups a day and I noticed when I was walking it melted off, not major dieting or anything.
I walked as I hate gyms and started walking a lot more, I didn't snack on anything past 7pm and ate a BIG breakfast every morning. Those things along with just the green tea and I lost 22lbs! I am off the pill too and I think that helped. Your OBGYN will be able to get you something that will help you a lot more and around your needs with your cysts. Good luck, keep the faith and don't give up.

first, remember.. muscle weighs more than fat.. so if you are working out that much, you are building lots of beautiful, lean muscle mass... so while over-all this is a great thing, you may not see big changes on the scale right away. If you belong to a gym, or even at home, i suggest you get your body measurements done. they go all over your body, arms, bust, waist, hips, thighs... you have probably already lost "inches" instead of pounds. for me this helps keep me motivated, even when the scale is not moving. I will bet that in another month your clothes will start fitting looser too... always a good thing!

and yes, the pill can affect your weight... talk to your ob about a different kind.

and lastly... i am a big fan of weight watchers, mostly because I eat healthy food, I just eat too darn much of it.. Portion control has always been my downfall. anyway, I'm not trying to imply that you are still eating too much, but am suggesting you give w.w. a try, it really helps me shine a big spotlight on my calorie intake and weed out those things that I need to cut back on or eliminate.

good luck! I'll be in the same boat after I am done having my baby and nursing.. I needed to lose about 25 pounds before I got pregnant, so I feel your pain.
:)

One thing to remember....Muscle is more dense than fat, so if you're building muscle, you're going to weigh more. Also, you NEED to build muscle before you really start to lose weight. The body needs a certain amount of muscle before the muscles can start burning the fat.
Don't believe anything about the BMI.....It's baloney. It doesn't take into consideration a person who is 5'6 with a large frame, or a person who is 6' with a petite frame. if both of those people weigh 160 one is going to be overweight, and one wil be underweight based on a BMI...however, because of the taller person being petite (scrawny) they will be an ideal weight. same as the shorter person, being built with broad shoulder and thick wrists, will be ideal.
Look at the bony parts of your body, your wrists, shoulders, hips, and ankles. How do they compare to your friends and family? Are they thicker (more bone?) or thinner? What is the height & build of the people you are comparing. Basically, look at how you are built. If you are shorter than, say, 5'7 with a large frame, up to 160 may be a good weight. Go by how you feel about yourself. Remember, you are comparing frames, NOT weight. and throw the BMI out the window.
Good Luck

To answer your question, yes. The pill can be hindering your weight loss. If it is, then you can talk to your doctor about an alternative pill that doesn't have that effect, but does help with the cysts. It may not be the issue, but it is possible that it is. So talk with your doctor about an alternative and see if it works. Good luck.

K. H,
The doctors state that the birth control do not cause weight gain however, I disagree, everybody is different, my daughter and I both gained weight on these pills, and yes I have met some that have not. I would love to talk to you about a 90 day challenge, called www.vitalityforlife.com Also, Remember if you are working out that much you are probably turning fat into muscle and muscle weighs more than fat, so concentrate on either loosing weight or toning, not both at the same time. You can reach me at gotgreennow.fourpointwellness.com

I understand what you're going through. About 10 years ago I was on bc pills and gained about 70 lbs. while on them. I won't blame my weight gain on them, but when I started working hard to lose the weight,it seemed like nothing was happening. After a few months of that I decided to go off the pill. I lost 20 pounds in 3 months doing exactly the same thing I was doing while on the pill. I also understand the need for the pill to help with cysts. Just a few months ago I was diagnosed with PCOS. The bc pill they prescribed was FemCon. I didn't have a lot of the side effects that I did with other bc pills. I am trying to get pregnant now, so I'm off the bc and now I take Glucophage (Metformin) to help with the cysts.
These are just some other ideas to talk to your dr. about. Being healthy is the most important thing and it sounds like you're trying to get there. There is always more than 1 option. Good Luck!

HI K.
OH I feel your pain! Everytime I tried birth control I gained about 20 pounds a week and now I'm trying to work that off. Talk to your Dr and see if they have a better option for you. I know you need the pill for your cysts. I did try Yasmin for a time and I actually didn't seem to gain weight with that one, but I didn't lose any either. so you might consider that one. You might also talk to your Dr about water retention, birth control pills can do that to you and maybe your Dr can give you something to counteract that.

I am currently trying to lose 80 pounds and I have to take a pill everyday because I retain water like a sponge. But I started on new years day, Jan. 1st and I dieted and worked out regularly and it wasn't until last Sunday that I finally saw some results. The first 5-10 pounds are the hardest just keep going and you will see the results you want it just takes time for the first ones to show up ya know.

I don't know how careful you are being about counting calories and such but really look at EVERYTHING you eat, from the main course to the sides to the dressing you put on it to the oil you cook it in, all that adds up quick! Then add a drink and BOOM, you've not dieted at all. So take that into consideration this next week and like I said just keep at it. Keep going, you'll hit a breaking point and then the weight will melt off. You can do it! If you want to read what I've done and about my diet and workout routines I keep a blog on my myspace page. email me from here and let me know if you want the link to it and I'll give it to you. Good luck and hang in there!

C. C.