Stopping birth control and weight gain.

I too have the same issue!  I was on birth control for 13 years and stopped taking it July 2011.  It has been over a year and my body has yet to regulate itself.  I gained 25 lbs in 6 months after I quit taking it.  I have done everything to try to lose this weight!  Exercising 5 days a week, counting calories, upping my protein intake, went to the dr to get my thyroid checked.  My Doctor looked at me like I had 5 heads when I told him I think its from stopping BC.  I have no answers and it seems like people think I am using this as an excuse for being fat! I even had my brother (who knows a lot about nutrition and fitness)  look over my diet and he can't figure out why I am not losing either!! I know that it takes time for your body to regulate but it has been a whole year and my periods are back to normal again so I'm hoping that my body isn't adjusting anymore. 

The good news is....I haven't gained any new weight.  I put a stop to it by changing my diet and exercising.  However, I am stuck and I'm not able to lose anything else.  I will check in with you guys and let you know if I find anything that helps.  I started taking B complex (supposed to help with metabolism) and some natural herbs that are supposed to regulate my hormones and menstrual cycle.  I will let you know if this helps.  Hopefully we can find a solution and fight this horrible side effects of BC. 

I am having the exact same problem!!! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills or something. I have been 5'7", 127 pounds for the last 12 years, since I was 16. Then I went on birth control for 7 months and gained 10 pounds in the first 2-3 months. It kind of tapered off, with extreme effort on my part. Toward the end of my 7 months on it, I think I finally lost a couple pounds. Then as soon as I went off it (3 months ago), I started gaining again, and I'm still gaining weight every day! I exercise like crazy! I am a triathlete, and I exercise 6 days a week. Sometimes 2x a day. I have tracked my calories every day for weeks, and I am averaging a net of 1200 (factoring in exercise). Nothing makes sense. I don't care what anyone says, birth control made me gain weight, and going off it has seemed to have the same exact effect as going on it.

Do you have any updates? I am 3 months of the pill an ready to go back on tonight! Unless someone can share a success of having finally lost the weight while stayin off the pill? I am very discouraged right now :(

I had my thyroid tested a couple week ago and my levels are normal. That was super discouraging. And my doctor still thinks I'm dumb for attributing my weight gain to BC. I have been off the pill 3 months and 2 weeks now. I'm not positive, but I think my hormones may be starting to normalize. I am not waking up as bloated every day. I've lost 2 pounds in the last week. I have about 10 pounds to go, but I am feeling encouraged.

I have only been off the pill for 3 months and have gained 8 lbs I am a Turbo kick instructor and eat great! I have maintained the same weight for 5 years and I can't handle this I am getting back on Sunday even though I think I am less "crazy" off the pill!

I have lost 20 lbs through using caloriecount and exercise. Good luck to all

This sounds just like me! I was on the pill for nearly 13 years. By recommendation from my naturopath, I went off the pill and have gained about 10lbs. I went from 127 to 137-138 in less than six months. I workout 5 times a week....hot yoga, biking, jogging, walking, hiking....I thought it was muscle at first and it is but also more bulk!! I burn a lot of calories and should be trimming down, not bulking up. I will be discussing this with my ND and can hopefully get back down

I stopped Alesse 3 to 4 weeks ago after 6 years on it and over that period of time i have gained around 6 pounds.  My diet has not changed, actually due to decrease in my appetite i have been eating less. I do artistic inline skating and speed inline skating doing 10 miles every day minimum 5 times per week. I have recently added extra abs workout to my routine and going to implement 2 mile run every morning. I eat very healthy. When i had to shed off 30 pounds that i have gained from bad eating habits in my rebillious i-eat-and-do-what-i-want days, i have trained myself to eat proper. I have always had crappy metabolism and have to watch everything i eat. I have been 125 pounds with 5.5 height for 2 years now.

I have aways been proud of my body and now i cant even look at myself in the mirror. I feel bloated as well. I feel like most weight went to my butt and my stomach pretty much consuming my waistline that i was so proud of and worked so hard on.

My action plan as of now is: add an extra workout before work every morning, after work, eat foods that boost up my metabolism. Also there are herbal supplements that mimic hormones but again, its pills that i dont want to be taking, what is the guarantee i wont gain the weight again when i stop the supplement. I am going to completely redo my diet and see if that helps. Because its freaking embarassing trying to do professional sports with a layer of fat on your stomach and love handles!

 

 

I am so glad I found this site! I was on the pill for from 18-35. I am 47, and have all but been a dumpling since going off the pill. I have lost weight once but not all of it and after a year it came back on.

What made me start searching for this connection is I have recently been looking into using progesterone for my weight gain and heavy periods. its supposed to help us lose weight because so many of us are lacking in progesterone. So I started looking back, and I didnt have a weight issue until I went off the pill. When I say issue, I mean if I gained weight before I could pretty much lose it at will. Not now, and I work out 5 times a week, I eat well ect ect.

Anyway, the conclusion I have come to is it makes sense if we stop the birth control that we screw up our progesterone levels and our estorgen levels sky rocket....and the weight piles on.

I am currently trying this stuff, it has great reviews, there are other variations of this that have more reviews: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QG5MH8/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 They suggest having our hormone levels checked out. But I have not done that, yet.

Anyway, I will report back in a few months. Thank you all for sharing your stories.

I feel like everyone on here just confirmed that I'm not crazy, thank God! I was on BC for 7 years and went off in May. I haven't had a period since and I have gained almost 30 lbs even though I am meticulous with my diet and I have stepped up my exercise. I started going to a metabolic specialist about a month ago who has me on several vitamins and a strict paleo diet. But even so I have gained. I have had success with weight loss in the past when I was 20 (I'm now 25) and I was on BC at the time. My doctor doesn't want me back on it because he doesn't think that the hormones are conducive for weight loss or muscle building. I am so frustrated and shed lots of tears. Has anyone gone back on BC and then lost? I am so afraid of going back on and having my body freak out even more!

After a long time not replying to this thread,I thought it was about time! I've since had a baby. Very interestingly it took me 9 months to conceive my periods were months apart. It turned out that I had under active thyroid. I started medication when I was pregnant and am now down to below my pre pregnancy weight. I'm exercising and eating sensibly too. I guess this won't be the problem for everyone, but worth getting checked if things don't settle. It's interesting that so many are having weight issues. If I go back on the pill I'll see what happens if I stop it again

I had my hormone levels and my thyroid checked.  Everything appears to be relatively normal.  My testosterone is a little high, but my doctor is optimistic that that's a good thing for losing fat.

 

I am the same as everyone on this blog. I am soo thankful that i found this! I went off BC after 12 years and gained 7 pounds in 2 weeks. I am only 5'3 and was 114 lbs so 7lbs in 2 weeks was a ton. I was working out 6 days a week at the time and couldn't lose one lb! I got pregnant and hoped that after my son was born my body would regulate itself. That was NOT the case. I still have 17 lbs and have not lost one lb since leaving the hospital ( i only gained 30) My husband is a ER doctor and though that in time i would get back to normal. NOW he even sees im not crazy. I only eat 950 calories and work out 5 days a week. The math does  not add up, i should be losing 2 lbs a week. My regular doctor and OB said it would just take time. Well my son is 6 months and i still have every lb. I went BACK on BC to see if it would help and it didn't change a thing! I am now seeing an endocronologist who is checking my thyroid and wants me to go down to 800 calories which seem crazy low to me. I promise i will write if i find a solution!

Hello ladies!  Just to give an update I have lost a total of 6 pounds.  Its not all that great, but it does give hope to the fact that your body will begin to regulate itself.  I have been taking super B complex to help give me energy and help my metabolism.  I have also been counting calories.  It has been a little over a year and my periods are back to my normal cycle.  It would be great to lose a whole bunch of weight, but to be honest I am overjoyed that I stopped gaining at least!  Don't give up!  If you do give up then you may keep gaining.   Lets keep supporting one another on here.  Its great to know we are not alone in this fight!

 

I was womdering if u continued to loose weight after going back on the pill?