Can you lose weight on birth control?
Lucky men, this topic does not apply to them. Unless… the fact that they’re using up condoms left and right means they’re getting inspired to lose weight to keep the booty coming? Maybe it’s lack of (need for) birth control for men that causes weight gain? That’s a stretch… sorry. I was trying to make this article appealing for everyone (hopefully not insulting).
Anyway…
Weight gain when women start taking birth control pills is a very real possibility – but not inevitable! Newer birth control pills have lower doses of the hormones that may have been responsible for the weight loss. Some people even lose weight on the pill.
Click here for an easy way to maintain weight, on birth control or not…
Much of the weight gained on birth control pills is easily reversible when you’ve stopped taking the pill – good news! But not so helpful when you want to be on the pill. Water weight/retaining is a good amount of the ‘typical’ weight gain – once your body stops grabbing onto that water, it flushes right out. The other ways birth control pills affect your weight are a little more standard – your appetite might increase, and your body might be putting away more of your food as fat. Not as hopeful as thinking of it as water weight, but you should still be able to lose that easily after stopping this type of birth control.
Something to note on the birth-control side of things – accepting that weight gain is ‘normal’ on the pill and allowing it to happen… can make the pill less effective. Double blah – you’ve gained weight you don’t want, and that made the pill that caused the weight gain ineffective. Please don’t do this to yourself! Low-hormone pills seem to be most at risk for that – look into it online if you’re concerned. Even ’skinny’ women with high body fat have reason for concern – hormones are fat-soluable, and if you provide a place for them to burrow instead of circulating in your bloodstream, they may not be doing what you want.
If you’ve been gaining weight on your current BC regimen, you might also ask your doctor to switch types of pills – there are any number of pills, some newer, some tried-and-true – how your body reacts with any given pill is not going to be predictable. Newer, low-hormone pills seem to be better at preventing weight gain, but who knows what will work for you.
Although being on the pill can be a factor in gaining weight you do not want, being vigilant about your diet and exercise plans should still be effective ways to maintain the weight you want. Working against the hormonal changes is possible – you do it every monthly cycle anyway. Don’t use the pill as an excuse to lose your diet regimen – if you have to, sign up for something more structured as a way to keep the weight off proactively. All those hotties (or your very special particular hottie) you could be doing now without the risk of pregnancy should have you jumping for joy! And jumping (and joy) can burn calories.
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