I've been working really hard to get into good shape. I go to the gym, i go running in the mornings (and im totally not a runner), i do push ups, crunches, booty workouts, i don't eat perfect but i pass up ice cream and eat fruits and veggies instead. ive learned to eat til im full, not til the food is gone. i could go on forever because i feel like ive worked so hard to get to where i am, and im proud of that! I'm 38 days and only 2 pounds away from my officially November 8th goal. Im only 7 pounds away from my ultimate goal of being under 130 and i'm only 10 pounds away from weighing the least i've ever weighed since middle school. These are the things that i focus on and think about and they motivate me to keep going. I haven't seen my husband in a month and wont get to see him until the 8th and i want to look smoking hott when i finally see him again!
But. Over summer i went into the hospital with a ruptured ovarian cyst that bled way more than normal. I went to my PCP and told her about the cyst (and how the surgeon said there are more cysts on my ovaries) and i told her how i've never ever in the past ten years had a regular cycle and she said that she was concerned about the functioning of my ovaries. I was refered to the gyno and went there and after telling her all this, she wants to put me back on birth control.
Ive been on birth control twice before and both times i gained weight like crazy. I was irritable, had terrible mood swings, and gained a bunch of weight. She thinks that birth control (specifically nuvaring) will help me a lot because she thinks it will regulate my cycle (even though both times i was on BC before my cycle stopped completely. literally) and she says that BC helps reduce cysts and since that is a big health concern for me right now she wants me to do it.
BUT WHAT IF I GO ON BIRTH CONTROL AND GAIN WEIGHT AND DONT LOOK ANY DIFFERENT WHEN I SEE MY HUSBAND?!?!?!?!
Im really going back and forth with it because i really dont want to go on birth control. the thought of gaining back all the weight that ive worked so hard to lose scares the **** out of me! im working hard not only to be a healthy weight, but to be hott and i dont want to give that up for some stupid birth control.
But im concerned that if i dont do the BC ill keep having problems with cysts.
Should i give up my vanity for the sake of my ovaries?
Or should i trust what i know about my body and what i know about my body is that birth control makes me miserable and being tired and moody and overweight is not a healthy solution to whatever is wrong with my ovaries.
my current plan is to tell my gyno that im not going to start until after i see my husband, but i dont know if im saying that because ill actually do it, or if im just putting if off so that i can make that decision at a later date.
i just need some thoughts and advice. I feel like if i tell anyone else that im terrified of gaining weight it will just sound conceited and vain. but ive worked so hard to get fit and healthy and i dont want to throw it away on something that has always made me feel crappy in the past anyway.
thoughts?
I avoided bc for years because of the possible weight gain. When I had to go on bc because of terrible PMDD and heavy, painful periods I found that bc actually helped me lose weight. I've found that not all bc works as well for this (I had to change bc and it doesn't control period hunger as well as my old bc, but my insurance doesn't cover my old bc).
That may not seem to help you, because the bc you were on (was it the same bc both times), caused weight gain - but it doesn't mean ALL bc will cause you weight gain.
I've also had to be on medications that makes weight loss more difficult. I have autoimmune disease that affects my lungs. Periodically I have to be on courses of prednisone and other steroids. On prednisone, I feel starved even when my stomach is full to bursting. I feel compelled to eat, and keep eating.
And yet, the prednisone despite it's terrible side-effects is literally life-saving.
When I'm on prednisone, low-carb is the only way to control the hunger and the weight gain.
I've met women who said that eating low-carb also helped eliminate the mood swings and weight gain from their bc. I can't guarantee that would work for you, but it's possible.
When I went on bc for the first time, I told my doctor I was concerned about weight gain, and he told me that the weight gain from bc wasn't from the bc itself, it was from the extra hunger that the bc could trigger. He told me I had control over whether I gained weight or not.
I've had doctors tell me the same about prednisone.
It's not quite that simple, and yet there's a core of truth there. If you're controlling your calories, you will be able to lose weight on bc. It's going to be a little more difficult, but you'll only gain weight on bc if you aren't controlling your diet.
For me, that control is much easier on low-carb. While bc has helped me with hunger, the prednisone and other steroids cause crazy hunger. I used to gain weight on prednisone, because I gave in to that hunger. On high-carb, ignoring the hunger was virtually impossible, but on low-carb I'm even able to lose weight on prednisone (which I see as a miracle).
I don't think you need to be so defeatist re: bcp and weight gain. Not all pills are created equal. I would say follow your physician's advice and go back on a bcp or nuvaring (not one you've been on before) and document how you feel. Then re-evaluate if you're having mood swings or hunger or whatever. (But like kaplods said, just because you're hungrier doesn't necessarily mean you have to gain weight.) Meanwhile, research alternate treatments for your condition - this will either give you confidence that your physician made the right recommendation or show you some viable alternatives that you can discuss with him/her (or make you want to give up on the medical profession entirely!).
If this helps, Birth Control was the best decision I ever made. I was SO scared I would just gain weight and then be miserable. It's done the opposite. I've lost weight (part of that was the diet change at around the same time). My acne is clearing up more than it did when I started adding more vitamin E, I feel better, and my period issues are leaving me far behind. (I use to get them rarely and when I did it was painful with too much bloat-age).
I know Birth Control isn't the same for everyone. What works for some may not work for others. I think choosing health first is the option though. I didn't want to go on it, but I realized without going on it, I could be causing more damage in the end. That seemed far more risky than not taking it. (Apparently if the uterine wall gets think enough it can be cancerous? Or something to that affect. My gyno told me something to do with a cancer if the wall get too thick from not having regular periods). Granted Sists are different than what I was having issues with.
Your husband loves you, very much. I'm also reminded of a quote: "Whenever you're standing naked in a room with a man, has he ever asked you to leave? No, because he's standing in a room with a naked, girl and is the happiest he'll ever be, he just won the lottery" (or something to that effect) from Eat Pray Love Trust me, you're husband is going to be SO happy to see you, it won't matter if you lose 5 lbs or put on 5 lbs. He's going to be seeing YOU!
I know you've had bad experience. But have you tried the ring? It might be different than the pills in the effects it gives you. I know I want to be hot as well and not just healthy (but healthy has become more of a goal the more I learn about nutrition and exercise).
Do it for your husband. He'll want to see you, healthy lovely you. He might not be so thrilled if you gave up a major health concern just to make yourself look hot for him. Flattered, but not to thrilled. I know I would be actually pissed off if anyone I loved put their vanity in front of their health just to please me visually.
Last edited by kurisitaru; 10-01-2011 at 06:28 PM.
I don't know if I can add a different perspective for this, but I have to agree on the birth control. I totally understand wanting to look great for your husband when he gets back from basic (my husband is military as well!) but you really need to focus on your health.
My husband told me that really, the only time military guys talk about their wives' weight is when they get home from a deployment and their wife has gained 50+ pounds (he told me a story about a guy whose wife literally gained over 75 pounds while he was deployed for 8 months...). Other than that, they're just happy to see you. If you weigh the same, or a couple of pounds more or less, believe me, it won't be any big deal because reuniting with your spouse is the most important part, not looks. I didn't gain or lose anything while my husband was at basic and he was just thrilled to see me and told me I was beautiful and a sight for sore eyes. I would say just focus on yourself and your good habits and see how it goes.
HOWEVER, it seems to me that you have a bad reaction with birth control. Every person is different, and the only suggestion I can make is to discuss it with your doctor. Tell them that you always gets moody and gain weight when you're on it, and explain that you want to be able to try a variety of medications until you find what works best for you. DEFINITELY speak up and don't suffer! I was on regular pills and they make me a little cranky, but then I switched to tri-cyclin low and they worked great, no crankiness or weight gain or anything. Shop around a bit and find what works best for you. I think you'll be able to find something.
Hi! I know I'm a couple days late to the thread but this caught my attention. I actually just had to get back on BC too because I have endometriosis. I don't need BC because my husband has a vasectomy, but I do need it to treat my condition. I found out I had endometriosis back in January, and because of vanity in worrying about weight gain and cost, I didn't get it until this last weekend.
I will say that I have used 2 types of oral BC, and I have used nuvaring. Nuvaring for me had absolutely the least side effects, and my skin stayed really clear. I literally just got back on it yesterday and I'm hoping that since I didn't gain weight on it the first time I won't this time. Anyway I just want to say, I love nuvaring!
It's already been said but I'll add to it- not all BC is created equal. The low dose pills have less side effects...in fact, the only side effects I notice from mine is that my skin looks better and my periods are lighter. I don't gain weight and I don't have mood swings. I also have LESS PMS and no cramps when I'm on the pill. To me it's 100% positive. I'm currently off of it but that has to do with me dragging my feet on getting my annual exam (I hate it) but I'm going to get around to doing it soon.
I did not gain any weight when I went on the pill- my boobs grew a cup size, but didn't gain any weight (YAY birth control LOL)
But I also want to point out to you, that although you have been working hard to lose weight, it is FAR more important to be healthy and avoid having another ruptured cyst. I think that is far more important to worry about than the possibility of putting on a few pounds.
I've had almost identical issues to yours but mine eventually led to those cysts turning into a tumor, which meant I needed to have one entire ovary removed. You can just imagine how devastating that was because it was before we even had our first kid.
Get on BC. Talk to your doctor about it, though, because like everyone else said all BC is NOT created equally. I've tried a lot of different types of BC and BCP work by far the best for me. however, keep trying different things until you find something that does work for you.
I'm not sure if you and your DH want kids are not but if you do, you'll be happy that you got on the BC now. Trust me.
Also, BCP don't cause weight gain for me (other forms of BC do) and I've actually lost weight while on BCPs.
ETA: Knowing how horribly freaked out my DH was when I had to have surgery I can guarantee you, your DH is going to be MUCH happier that you're healthier vs skinny (although I don't think starting BC means you have to gain weight as long as you stick to your diet like glue).
Last edited by runningfromfat; 10-03-2011 at 10:46 PM.
am i being too vain? (need advice, kind of long)
