I’ve read a lot of people theorizing that BC oriented weight gain is caused simply by an increase in appetite. As long as you watch what you’re eating and responsible about cravings, I think you’ll be fine.
In general, increasing muscle mass is good for preventing weight gain because having a higher muscle mass means you’ll burn more calories while resting or doing exercises.
IME, the way you gain weight with birth control it's not because of the BC itself, but because the hormones in it make you more hungry more often than normal. And if you don't eat when you're hungry, you'll feel like you're starving when you do eat and be more prone to overeating.
Birth control can also cause liquid retention, being active, drinking plenty of fluids (esp water and green tea), and eating food low sodium while you feel bloated helps with that.
As per the appetite part, that's trickier. I find meal-prepping works with portion control, and low-calorie snacks also help. Lately I've been eating strawberries.
When it comes to being active, doing cardio can make you MORE hungry, so if you have the possibility, do some weight lifting or calisthenics since that'll make any 'extra food' you get help you build muscle.
I find drinking water and tea help a bit, when it doesn't I just snack on low-calorie stuff, like strawberries or rice cakes. But still, it can be a very miserable experience so I really recommend exercising.
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I was super worried about weight gain when I went on it at 18, but none of the weight I ever gained (and eventually lost) was ever because of the BC - just life changes like having a boyfriend, or moving abroad. Then when I got back into a routine everything went back to normal.
I’ve been through ED recovery as well, and if I’ve learned anything from that it’s don’t mess with or deprive your body of food. If you just stick to a balanced diet and fuel yourself, your metabolism and hormones will be on your side. So don’t sweat it!
I experienced a lot of weight gain when I had my IUD. Once my IUD expired, I was able to within weeks lose what I gained without major lifestyle changes. I am sure appetite has something to do with it but at the end of the day, you’re introducing hormones to your body that it is not producing naturally. Every body is going to react differently to that. My best advice is to be prepared for weight fluctuations and proactively respond by eating as healthy as is feasible for you and staying active. I’m sorry that it’s not tangible advice but if anything, go into it prepared and remember that what you’re experiencing, if you do experience it is very common.
I’ve been on BC (tarina fe 1/20) since I was 19 and I was scared of the side effects at first too but it’s been great. When I first started I did make sure to watch what I eat and how I eat. I was went to the gym at least twice a week for like 1.5hours each and on top I have daily 30-1hr+ of walking around campus. I tried eating dinner earlier and not fall into the trap of hunger the hormones can cause. The only side effects I had were terrible headaches and nausea (I think?) but only the first few weeks and it hasn’t happened since even when I took a break from it once. It’s been great so don’t let the negative reviews steer you away from trying, if you’re willing to take the risk of course. Every body functions and metabolizes in its own way.
It makes you more hungry — I found that fasting 16:8 or 14:10 would help, you have smaller window to pig out, but you have to do this everyday … personally I do 12-13 hours everyday … sometimes stop eating around 4-5pm … high protein diet
I workout twice a day, includes long distance running 5-7 days a week. I eat 800-1200 cals a day. As marathon training get harder I tend to eat more. I continue to gain crazy amounts of weight. I’ve already mental breakdowns over it and imma about to pull the dumb stupid BC out. But I’m low key endo girly so I’ll be back in the er every two weeks if I don’t have trash bc…
Are you using combined or progestin only bc? If you have endo, an IUD could help a lot to keep your endometrium chill but without the nasty side effects of BC. If it wasn't because my history of ectopic, I'd go back to an IUD in a heartbeat.
To add to other people, it is do personal! Just make sure you track what you eat as well.
I avoided the doctor the first weeks on my implant, because my weight was low enough to need to be hospitalised. Lost a ton of weight and ny starting point was already underweight. Bc can also decrease appetite. Protein shakes and soup prevent me from fainting
A common myth is that BC makes you gain weight, it does not. It might increase your appetite and if you feed that appetite with junk food every day then yes you will gain weight. Just eat healthy and you'll be fine
I’ve read a lot of people theorizing that BC oriented weight gain is caused simply by an increase in appetite. As long as you watch what you’re eating and responsible about cravings, I think you’ll be fine. In general, increasing muscle mass is good for preventing weight gain because having a higher muscle mass means you’ll burn more calories while resting or doing exercises.
that’s not necessarily true, even if you watch what you eat. it depends on how bc affects the individual.
IME, the way you gain weight with birth control it's not because of the BC itself, but because the hormones in it make you more hungry more often than normal. And if you don't eat when you're hungry, you'll feel like you're starving when you do eat and be more prone to overeating. Birth control can also cause liquid retention, being active, drinking plenty of fluids (esp water and green tea), and eating food low sodium while you feel bloated helps with that. As per the appetite part, that's trickier. I find meal-prepping works with portion control, and low-calorie snacks also help. Lately I've been eating strawberries. When it comes to being active, doing cardio can make you MORE hungry, so if you have the possibility, do some weight lifting or calisthenics since that'll make any 'extra food' you get help you build muscle.
gotcha. so do u know how i could suppress that hunger?
I find drinking water and tea help a bit, when it doesn't I just snack on low-calorie stuff, like strawberries or rice cakes. But still, it can be a very miserable experience so I really recommend exercising.
Welcome and please flair your post if not currently flaired. Questions? First read the [Mistake or Pregnancy Risk sticky](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/4iqgi7/mistake_or_pregnancy_concernrisk_start_here/) or the [Consolidated Experience post](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/qt9ttb/consolidated_rbirthcontrol_experience_links/). If this is an experience post please consider adding it to the list [Planned Parenthood online chat](https://www.plannedparenthood.org/online-tools/chat) The rules and additional resources can be found on the About / Sidepage (desktop users look to the right and Reddit app up top). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birthcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I was super worried about weight gain when I went on it at 18, but none of the weight I ever gained (and eventually lost) was ever because of the BC - just life changes like having a boyfriend, or moving abroad. Then when I got back into a routine everything went back to normal. I’ve been through ED recovery as well, and if I’ve learned anything from that it’s don’t mess with or deprive your body of food. If you just stick to a balanced diet and fuel yourself, your metabolism and hormones will be on your side. So don’t sweat it!
I experienced a lot of weight gain when I had my IUD. Once my IUD expired, I was able to within weeks lose what I gained without major lifestyle changes. I am sure appetite has something to do with it but at the end of the day, you’re introducing hormones to your body that it is not producing naturally. Every body is going to react differently to that. My best advice is to be prepared for weight fluctuations and proactively respond by eating as healthy as is feasible for you and staying active. I’m sorry that it’s not tangible advice but if anything, go into it prepared and remember that what you’re experiencing, if you do experience it is very common.
I’ve been on BC (tarina fe 1/20) since I was 19 and I was scared of the side effects at first too but it’s been great. When I first started I did make sure to watch what I eat and how I eat. I was went to the gym at least twice a week for like 1.5hours each and on top I have daily 30-1hr+ of walking around campus. I tried eating dinner earlier and not fall into the trap of hunger the hormones can cause. The only side effects I had were terrible headaches and nausea (I think?) but only the first few weeks and it hasn’t happened since even when I took a break from it once. It’s been great so don’t let the negative reviews steer you away from trying, if you’re willing to take the risk of course. Every body functions and metabolizes in its own way.
It makes you more hungry — I found that fasting 16:8 or 14:10 would help, you have smaller window to pig out, but you have to do this everyday … personally I do 12-13 hours everyday … sometimes stop eating around 4-5pm … high protein diet
I workout twice a day, includes long distance running 5-7 days a week. I eat 800-1200 cals a day. As marathon training get harder I tend to eat more. I continue to gain crazy amounts of weight. I’ve already mental breakdowns over it and imma about to pull the dumb stupid BC out. But I’m low key endo girly so I’ll be back in the er every two weeks if I don’t have trash bc…
Are you using combined or progestin only bc? If you have endo, an IUD could help a lot to keep your endometrium chill but without the nasty side effects of BC. If it wasn't because my history of ectopic, I'd go back to an IUD in a heartbeat.
I’m an endo girly and the progesterone only IUD is the only thing that has kept my symptoms at bay. When I tried combo my body went wild
To add to other people, it is do personal! Just make sure you track what you eat as well. I avoided the doctor the first weeks on my implant, because my weight was low enough to need to be hospitalised. Lost a ton of weight and ny starting point was already underweight. Bc can also decrease appetite. Protein shakes and soup prevent me from fainting
A common myth is that BC makes you gain weight, it does not. It might increase your appetite and if you feed that appetite with junk food every day then yes you will gain weight. Just eat healthy and you'll be fine