So okay, I just got married and am on birth control. The Patch to be specific. I know for a fact that I did not gain weight because of it because I was on it for two or three months before my wedding and maintained my wedding weight. Well since my wedding I gained 8 friggin pounds (which is a big deal when you're barely over five feet tall) and have been trying like crazy to drop them. After 3 weeks of butt busting I had lost a grand total of 2 pounds, and now of course it's my time of the month and I am not going to weigh unless my life depends upon it because I get horribly bloated and yada yada yada, retaining water, etc. ANYWAY, I have never in my life had as much trouble losing a few pounds (keeping it off, yes...losing no)...has anyone else had the experience that birth control inhibits weight loss even if it doesn't cause weight gain?



Whisky

Oh Whisky... what a drag. I don't know about the birth control. But I think it's a fact that getting married causes immediate weight gain.
Make sure you're not doing the stupid thing that I did... "I'm a feminist, damn it, and I get to eat JUST AS MUCH as my husband does!" duh. He's 6 inches taller than me...

Hi Whisky!

I think birth control may not help weight loss. Mine caused weight gain. But then again so did the large amounts of food I ate....

Whisky,

I don't think you gain weight with the pill but I have heard that you can with the patch and the implants. A friend of mine's sister gained 30lbs in one year after getting the implants - not sure how that worked but that is what she told me

You should talk to your doctor about it to get some professional advice.

Well the weight gain came primarily from two things: 1) on our honeymoon we ATE AND ATE out nearly every day and 2) during the week we moved and my kitchen was disassembled we ate fast food like Taco Bell and Wendy's, etc. And being that I am genetically disposed to gaining weight to begin with...GRRR. I've always heard with ALL forms of birth control that you can gain weight (a fact absolutely NO male doctor will collaborate...the nurses and female gynos will admit it), however, it varies with the type of birth control. A coworker of mine said that her daughter took the shot and gained 40 pounds! I think I'll hold off judgment for another week or two to see where I am when I debloat (why can't men have something like this to deal with?). Then I might consider switching forms of birth contorl. I chose the patch because I'm one of those people that has trouble remembering to take her vitamins in the morning, so it's easier to remember to take something once a week! This is too important to forget! Anyway, shall ask my doc about it.

If I remember correctly, there was a very recent study done on birth control pills which showed there was no more chance of gaining weight on the pill than off the pill. I personally started the pill in February at pretty much the same time I started watching my weight, and I've lost about 25 pounds.

When I first went to the doctor for my weight, he saw that I was on Depro-Provera and said, "Well, we can fix this weight problem by taking you off this!" My response was, "Yeah, and then we'll be dealing with the weight gain from being pregnant!"

Honestly, if you didn't have weight gain before and now you're experiencing it, I'm not going to blame the patch. Sounds like you got a good handle of why there was a gain, and losing weight always is harder.

I totally agree with Mauv. I'm the type of person that matches my Cute Boyfriend forkful for forkful. He's not any taller but he's a man and that means more muscle and better metabolism. Sigh!

Well talked to the nurse and she said that the patch isn't supposed to cause or inhibit weight gain. In fact the only one I've heard of legitimately causing REAL weight gain is the shot. I think oftentimes it isn't so much the birth control itself that causes the weight gain. I think it causes us to crave certain foods which just go straight to our thighs and hips (cough, chocolate, cough carbs). Just my two cents.

But the good news is that I don't have to switch to a form I have to remember more than once a week! Yee ha! Less likely to get pregnant then.

I guess the next step will be waiting for the next month to pass (my husband is starting a new job next week and we'll finally be both employed) and seeing if our budget allows for a gym membership. I KNOW I'll lose weight if I go to the gym. I work out a lot harder there and I really ENJOY going to the gym. I was a total gym rat in college. So pray for patience for me! It's not a virtue of mine!

Whisky