I think that I've stopped losing weight for good, or atleast that's what it feels like. This whole year I have been losing at a steady pace and now all of a sudden it's stopped. Could it be my hormones? I received the Deop shot in the beginning of May and stayed at 225 from April til the beginning of July. I then dropped down to 215. For almost 2 months now my weight has been jumping from 215 to 219. I didn't go back for my second Depo shot in July because of all the bad side effects. Could my hormones be so messed up that it is effecting my weight loss? I have also had TOM for 4 months straight and the doctors have me on aspirin to try and stop that. I eat about 1500 calories a day and walk 4 miles every evening then do Taebo for 45 mins. How can I not be losing when I am doing all of this?! Do you think it is something that will start back when my body is straightened out or will I be 215 forever???????????

Hmm, maybe there is a hormonal component in it, but perhaps also it could simply be a plateau? It seems to me that given the total weight you've lost, it wouldn't be impossible at all (I know some people here have experienced a plateau even earlier than that in their weight loss).

Especially since you mention TOM for 4 months straight, I'm going to take a wild guess: could it be that your body is tired--because of the loss of blood and all that? And that dieting on top of it is tiring it even more, so it has stopped the weight loss temporarily to retain some energy? Maybe 1500 cals is a little too low an amount right now, or maybe another kind of exercise (to give your body a change) would be more appropriate for the moment?

Now I'm not a specialist, of course, and have never had to deal with that, so I hope I'm not spouting silly stuff and being completely off the mark...

It certainly could be 4 months of TOM and the factors that are leading you to have 4 months straight of TOM that is stalling your weight.

Or is could be your body is too efficient with what you have been doing and it's time to shake things up a bit.

Perhaps switching up your exercise routine, adding in some strength training. Maybe change the TYPES of foods you are eating. Of course I'm not sure at all what you are eating. But maybe it's not enough protein and fiber. Maybe too many carbs. Drink plenty of water. And another thing, just how are you tracking your calories? Are you sure, you certainly may be, that you are truly eating only 1500 calories? If so, maybe it's time to change that up a bit as well. Maybe lower it to 1400 for 2 weeks and see what happens.

So much of this is trial and error - and patience. I'd try some new things and see what happens. HAng in there. With a little experimentation, you'll get that scale moving downward again. And of course - congratulations on all the weight you have lost so far. That is awesome!

Hey butterfly28! Don't despair! Let's see if folks can make suggestions.

You say you eat about 1500 cals. Tell us more about your plan. We can't really tell if you need to eat more or less until we know how you're tracking what you eat. Do you use a journal? A program like Fitday? A rough estimate?

BTW, I find it odd that you would be taking aspirin if by "TOM for 4 months" you mean you've been bleeding for 4 months. Aspirin makes bleeding worse.

Jay

stop with the depo before you end up like i did. now im not blaming the shot on me being obese at one point but in the bottom of my heart i know that it definetly had something to do with it. i stopped it and started losing tons of weight doing the exact same things i did while on the depo.. go on the pill.. the pills they have now dont make you gain weight.. at least not the one im on (zovia) it was given to me when i was in the 300's because the lady said that was a good one for my "size" and now that im smaller it still works wonders with no gain weight. good luck.

One of Depo Provera's side effects is weight gain. (Luckily, I never experienced that when I was on it!) It certainly could be that, along with your 4 months of TOM, that have made you stay at the same weight if you are still eating and exercising the same. I'd talk to your doctor about it. Depo Provera does take some time to exit your system after your last shot. Some people don't get a normal cycle back for up to a year.

I wondered about the aspirin, too.I would ask the doctor to explain that. I have been on birth control pills to regulate periods. Just some ideas to think about.

I wondered about that too. I once had a period last 6 weeks, and it ended up turning out that I had fibroids. It stopped on its own, but my OB/GYN monitors the fibroids now.

I went to the doc this week. She said that it was definately the Depo making me bleed. Since I didn't go back and get my second shot, she said that my hormones didn't know what to do now. As for the aspirin, she said that it releases a chemical that stops irregular menstrual bleeding but you can only take it for a week. I've researched it online and read the same thing. I thought she was crazy when she told me that. It's been 3 days and no letting up though! As far as my eating is concerned, I don't eat very healthy. I've still lost weight in the past but maybe it's time to buckle down. I have changed my routine up some. I've tried joggin instead of walking here lately and I just started the Taebo tapes last month and I alternate between 4 different tapes.

Hey again,

I think you ought to get the bleeding resolved as your first priority. I'm concerned that by exercising vigorously, you may be making things worse.

Also, you can eat more healthy or less healthy, but the important thing is to know what you're eating and how many calories or points, or whatever system you follow, the food contains. It sounds like you've let that part go... and exercise alone won't lead to weight loss, in my experience.

Hang in there, and check back with your doctor. Tell your doc about your exercise--unless you tell them, they don't know, and they may not think to ask.

Jay

i gained 110 lbs during and after depo. now granted, it wasnt ALL depo, but a lot of it was.

good luck!

I'm very skeptical about Depo being the cause of any weight gain. I do know that hormones effect people differently...but I was on Depo for a year and a half and managed to lose 32 pounds--and when I was actually eating right and exercising, I had no trouble getting the weight off. Stalls, re-gains...all the roller coaster things that happened along the way were not the fault of my Depo--but they were rather the result of emotional eating habits and laziness.

I will say that I feel the Depo made me more emotional from time to time than I typically am (though I am an emotion person to begin with) and I experienced acne. I've recently gotten off the Depo shot and switched to the Mirena IUD (5 years of protection).

I didn't experience the prolonged bleeding with Depo, but I know some people do. I hope it gets sorted out for you soon

Azure - Some people react differently to Depo than others. Like I said, I never had any of the side effects, and lost 80 pounds while on Depo. After being on it for 5 years, I switched to the patch and gained 30 pounds in 3 months. Turns out that estrogen causes problems for me - weight gain, nausea, swollen and painful breasts, and dizziness. The majority of women actually have this reaction to progesterone (which is all that is in Depo) and so many women actually have that experience on the shot. I, unlike most others, had that problem on the patch and normal "pills". I'm now on a progesterone only pill, but the problem is that it isn't as effective.

Butterfly I would get the bleeding to stop first. And you might wanna get a second opinion on how to get it to stop and why it started. I went through this for all of July and part of August with the bleeding. One doctor told me it was probably fibroids (felt swelling above the cervix) and gave me provera to stop the bleeding. Provera didn't work and gave me real bad mood swings within 1-2 days plus pain. Went to another doctor but by that point the bleeding stopped. And there was no swelling. So they are monitoring me. Plus they gave me Loestrin 24 to regulate my hormones for the next 3 months. Please get the bleeding under control first.

I have noticed myself having issues with weight gain just in the past few weeks and I'm on depo. I got my shot in June and right when I got my last shot, it's been horrible. Seriously eating sessions and just me being out of control. I caught it though and am trying to watch it as I know this will pass, my weight loss clinic knows about it too, but I feel powerless over this. I want it over!

Today was a new day, really watching it and trying even harder to pay attention. Other than weight gain, I have no bad side effects from depo.

And in 2004, I was on the depo and had the same issues actually, couldn't lose weight until my depo set up back lifted..took about 4 mos, so I am at month 4, let's hope it ends and I can get back on the weight loss horse!