Okay, so my scale has not moved for the past 3 weeks. I actually have gained a pound which is really frustrating because I have been tracking points to a tee. The only thing I can think of is I did just switch BC pills about a month ago. I switched from Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo to the regular dose of Ortho Tri Cyclen. I'm wondering if this switch could possibly have my body retaining water? Anyone else ever experience something similar?
I switched from Tricyclen Lo to regular Tricyclen and didn't experience this myself but I wouldn't be surprised if it did throw your body off a little bit. I can't imagine it would last for a month though. Maybe your body is just getting used to the amount of calories/points and needs to be switched up a bit? Are you eating your 35 weekly points or any of your activity points? I know 'plateau' is an awful word to hear but maybe your body just needs to be shocked into letting go of weight again? If you've just started a new exercise routine your body could be retaining some water to nurse your muscles or you could be building muscle (I'm sure you know this already!). I'm certainly no doctor but I didn't find any real changes when I switched from Lo to regular Tricyclen. Everyone's different though. Good luck!!
Last edited by freedomreins; 08-21-2009 at 04:02 PM.
I too was on the same Birth controls and they switched me. I was on Lo and actually lost 40 pounds from it. But when they switched me to regular i couldnt stay on it because it was making cramping worse and my mood swings. They put me on YAZ, which by the way DONT take, Read the side affects online! I have gain all 40 pounds back PLUS more!!!!! I have completely gone off birth control but i cannot lose my weight I just keep gaining!
maybe you should talk to your doctor about trying a different brand of birth controll? I was on something...I can't remember the name of it but it started with an "L"....maybe levora or something....anyways, they switched me to that nuvaring and I LOVE it. It's great not having to take a pill everyday...and it hasn't affected my weight at all. =D
I'm not sure if that had anything to do with it. But I went on the pill, my GYN told me that the pill has a tendency of making you hungrier so she told me that when the hunger hit, to stick to the foods on my plan. I'm not sure if that helps. It's always tough on the body when you start playing with hormones. If I were you, I would give it up this pack is over and go see your doctor.
Sadly pill stuff is totally hit or miss. EVERYONE reacts differently to different hormones. Some people LOVE nuva ring. It makes me nearly suicidal (not to mention killing my sex drive). Ortho seems to work for a lot of people but the pill that makes person a lose weight, can make person b gain. It's all very confusing.
I've been on the pill since I was 14 (terrible anemia) and I've switched brands three times. I've never gained weight because of the pill, but I did change a little of my eating habits when I started taking it. Since the first brand made me want to ralph all the time, I would drink a lot more Sprite and eat more soda crackers. Not exactly the best choices for weight loss. The next one made me have worse cramps even when I didn't have my period so the only thing that made me feel better was food. I am currently on ortho tri cyclen and I have been for over a year and I haven't gained weight, nor have I had to eat specific things to avoid the side effects. I think something you should consider talking to your doctor about is your thyroid. You never know. It seems like that happens to be the problem for a lot of women. Good luck!
I used to use Nuva Ring - had sort of the the same experience as a previous poster in that it made me depressed and I completely lost my sex drive (frustrating for a newlywed!) I loved Nuva Ring other than that (it was so easy, didn't have to remember to take something every day, but not worth it after about 3 years of side effects).
Switched to Yaz - and got extremely moody. While on Yaz I started working out daily (as in a 1 hour class every day, then walking/running for 45 minutes after that) and was eating the recommended calories, cut out sugar, etc...did not lose a single pound or a single inch after an entire month of doing that.
DH and I decided it was not worth all of the side effects, so I have now been pill free after 4 years and I love it. I don't know if it's an option for you, but there are other methods of contraception that don't involve chemicals in your blood. Since I've been off the pill I can tell that I've already slimmed down just a tad (although I don't have a scale here yet) by eating correctly and doing a bit of exercise.
I havn't been on the pill since I was 20. The one birth control my doctor said DO NOT GET is the shot.Saying it causes way to many side effects, like extreme weight gain. I ened up getting a hormone free IUD. I love it. I don't have to worry about birth control at all for a total of five years! just putting it out there.
I've been taking Yaz for 2 years. The first year my weight stayed the same (I wasn't dieting or exercising much), 1st half of 2nd I gained (from not exercising and eating milkshakes and too many carbs), 2nd half of 2nd I've lost about 40 lbs. So it had no effect on my weight.
I would say though that Yaz is only good for people who have PMDD - for everyone else, it seems to have the opposite outcome. Kind of like the meds they give hyperactive kids!
Good luck - I hope things start moving for you soon
I gained about 10 lbs on Ortho Tri Cyclen without ever changing my diet or my exercise routine. This was about 10 years ago, though, so I don't know if there's been any changes to it since then. Also, I've since become allergic to all BCPs, so it's also possible that was an allergic reaction and I never realized it.
Yasmin and Yaz both contain an anti-androgen called spironolactone, which prevents water weight gain. (Yaz is the low-estrogen version of Yasmin.) My sister, who doesn't have PMDD, takes Yasmin and loves it. I took Yasmin for a month -- before my allergy appeared -- and I really liked it.
With BCPs, you really have to keep taking different ones until you find the one for you.
It might be the BC, but it also might just be your body adjusting to the weight loss. I had a monthish long plateau around 20 lbs lost. I thought I'd never get past it. Then one morning the scale went WHOOSH!
Keep doing what you're doing. Weight loss can start to slow as you leave the 200s. These things happen.
Birth control hindering weight loss?
