Birth Control Pills and Low Carb

collrob2101 · 07-01-2004, 09:47 AM

Anyone having trouble with weight gain on BC pills while low carbing?

Dreams · 07-01-2004, 11:00 AM

My doctor told me specifically that the only reason bc pills say " may cause weight gain" is because there is something in the pill that increases your appetite, but that is it. There's no ingredient that will make you put on weight regardless of your efforts - so don't worry about that. Some people do gain weight from it and it's only because they eat alot more since they can't fight the appetite increase. I'm on the pill and have lost 32lbs since May. I just eat the foods I'm allowed until I'm satisfied and never gorge myself, but being in ketosis suppresses my appetite ALOT - so the pill is having no effect on me. So, don't be too concerned with the bc pill weight gain, you can control it. Good Luck.

microbiology1 · 07-01-2004, 12:02 PM

Estrogen is a steroid. It prevents burning fat. If you increase your level of estrogen you decrease your level of fat burning, which can lead to an increase in weight. Yes, it can also increase appetite which certainly doesn't help weight loss.

From the atkins site:
Will the Atkins Nutritional Approach interfere with the efficacy of birth control pills or will the pills hinder success on Atkins?

There has been no research to evaluate the effect of any weight-loss program on the efficacy of oral contraceptives. However, because birth control pills contain estrogen, they may impact your ability to lose weight on Atkins. Estrogen causes more fat to be stored in your tissues rather than being burned as energy. This increases insulin resistance, making weight loss more difficult. Estrogen also lowers thyroid function, which is necessary to keep your metabolism at an appropriate active level. If you have no choice but to take birth control pills, be prepared for the fact that your carbohydrate threshold my be lower than it would be otherwise, requiring you to be extra vigilant about your carb intake.

http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-394348.html

From Web MD (I couldn't get the link to work)
Weight Gain

One of the more commonly lamented side effects of oral contraceptives is weight gain. That's because the estrogen in birth control pills can sometimes lead to a 5-10-pound retention of body fluids, probably due to changes in a woman's metabolism. In addition, the estrogen may also increase a woman's appetite.

According to the late Dr. Arnold Kresch, to avoid weight gain when taking OCs, most women need birth control pills containing progestin low in androgenic potency because androgens build tissue that can lead to increase in weight. So some women may have improved results with weight gain issues if they substitute ethinyl estradiol (which is in most oral contraceptives) for mestranol (found in Ortho-Novum 1/50 and Norinyl 1+50).

On the other hand, if a woman has side effects such as headaches or malaise, Kresch would have said her pill may have too little estrogen. This is more likely to be true if headaches typically occur just before or just as menstruation begins.

ebonyeyz28 · 07-01-2004, 12:13 PM

Sure, it COULD happen. But I've been on the pill for many years and haven't stopped taking them since being on this wol. And, if I do say so myself, I've had pretty good success.

Shelby

Mimi13 · 07-01-2004, 12:19 PM

Hey..........if you need them, take them. You won't gain as much weight as you would if you were pregnant!

careb · 07-01-2004, 01:45 PM

Great Information microbiology!!!!

Im on birth control and have not seen any ill side effects of weight loss nor inches. And I would have to agree with Mimi13.

Godiva · 07-01-2004, 01:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ebonyeyz28
Sure, it COULD happen. But I've been on the pill for many years and haven't stopped taking them since being on this wol. And, if I do say so myself, I've had pretty good success.

Shelby

You sure have!

I've been taking pills for years, too, and it didn't cause me to gain weight. It didn't make it hard to lose weight, either, if that's what you're also asking.

microbiology1 · 07-01-2004, 01:52 PM

I personally have not noticed any problems losing but I am on a none estrogen based pill(yasmin). I have always considered it worth the benefits to be on the pill, but for slow losers it may be something to consider.

ahunter03 · 07-01-2004, 01:55 PM

micro is right - that's for sure.

did you just recently begin taking the pill or were you on it before you started this WOL? I've been on the pill for years (10) and it has never had an effect on my weight - I take ortho-cyclen. I did take the shot one time and gained nearly 50 lbs on it. (145-190) 25 lbs were gained in the first 3 weeks after the shot.

So...are you asking b/c you are thinking about taking the pill or b/c you've been on it and are stuck?

I'm doing an experiment on Taurine (see the challenge board) b/c I myself have high bp due to water retention. I have posted several bits of Taurine info in that thread if you're curious. I have lost 2 lbs in 4 days since I've added the Taurine into my diet. Estradiol (synthetic estrogen in BC pills) has been shown to reduce a woman's taurine levels - thus possible BP increase and insulin resistance.

collrob2101 · 07-01-2004, 02:45 PM

I have been on it for years. Just switched to new brand called Ovcon.

07-01-2004, 09:47 AM	#1
collrob2101 Big Yapper!!!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 7,883 Gallery: collrob2101 Stats: 142/136.5/125 Height 5'5 small frame WOE: back to low carb Start Date: 06/2/2007	Birth Control Pills and Low Carb Anyone having trouble with weight gain on BC pills while low carbing?

07-01-2004, 11:00 AM	#2
Dreams Way too much time on my hands! Join Date: May 2004 Location: Philly Posts: 22,344 Gallery: Dreams Stats: Shrinking WOE: I'll let ya know when I figure it out	My doctor told me specifically that the only reason bc pills say " may cause weight gain" is because there is something in the pill that increases your appetite, but that is it. There's no ingredient that will make you put on weight regardless of your efforts - so don't worry about that. Some people do gain weight from it and it's only because they eat alot more since they can't fight the appetite increase. I'm on the pill and have lost 32lbs since May. I just eat the foods I'm allowed until I'm satisfied and never gorge myself, but being in ketosis suppresses my appetite ALOT - so the pill is having no effect on me. So, don't be too concerned with the bc pill weight gain, you can control it. Good Luck. __________________ Proud PG Aunt to little big butt!!!

07-01-2004, 12:02 PM	#3
microbiology1 MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 1,599 Gallery: microbiology1 Start Date: 4/26/04	Estrogen is a steroid. It prevents burning fat. If you increase your level of estrogen you decrease your level of fat burning, which can lead to an increase in weight. Yes, it can also increase appetite which certainly doesn't help weight loss. From the atkins site: Will the Atkins Nutritional Approach interfere with the efficacy of birth control pills or will the pills hinder success on Atkins? There has been no research to evaluate the effect of any weight-loss program on the efficacy of oral contraceptives. However, because birth control pills contain estrogen, they may impact your ability to lose weight on Atkins. Estrogen causes more fat to be stored in your tissues rather than being burned as energy. This increases insulin resistance, making weight loss more difficult. Estrogen also lowers thyroid function, which is necessary to keep your metabolism at an appropriate active level. If you have no choice but to take birth control pills, be prepared for the fact that your carbohydrate threshold my be lower than it would be otherwise, requiring you to be extra vigilant about your carb intake. http://atkins.com/Archive/2001/12/21-394348.html From Web MD (I couldn't get the link to work) Weight Gain One of the more commonly lamented side effects of oral contraceptives is weight gain. That's because the estrogen in birth control pills can sometimes lead to a 5-10-pound retention of body fluids, probably due to changes in a woman's metabolism. In addition, the estrogen may also increase a woman's appetite. According to the late Dr. Arnold Kresch, to avoid weight gain when taking OCs, most women need birth control pills containing progestin low in androgenic potency because androgens build tissue that can lead to increase in weight. So some women may have improved results with weight gain issues if they substitute ethinyl estradiol (which is in most oral contraceptives) for mestranol (found in Ortho-Novum 1/50 and Norinyl 1+50). On the other hand, if a woman has side effects such as headaches or malaise, Kresch would have said her pill may have too little estrogen. This is more likely to be true if headaches typically occur just before or just as menstruation begins. __________________ Wedding on 10/17/08!

07-01-2004, 01:55 PM	#9
ahunter03 Senior LCF Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 876 Gallery: ahunter03 Stats: 151/151/130 WOE: Semi-Veg LC Start Date: 1/12/04...4/1/06	micro is right - that's for sure. did you just recently begin taking the pill or were you on it before you started this WOL? I've been on the pill for years (10) and it has never had an effect on my weight - I take ortho-cyclen. I did take the shot one time and gained nearly 50 lbs on it. (145-190) 25 lbs were gained in the first 3 weeks after the shot. So...are you asking b/c you are thinking about taking the pill or b/c you've been on it and are stuck? I'm doing an experiment on Taurine (see the challenge board) b/c I myself have high bp due to water retention. I have posted several bits of Taurine info in that thread if you're curious. I have lost 2 lbs in 4 days since I've added the Taurine into my diet. Estradiol (synthetic estrogen in BC pills) has been shown to reduce a woman's taurine levels - thus possible BP increase and insulin resistance. __________________ 1/12/04 -162 1/18-155 1/25-154 2/1-153 2/08-151 2/15-150 2/22-150 2/29 - 150 3/7-149 3/14-148 3/19-146 3/28-145 4/4-146 4/11-146 4/18-145 4/25-143 5/2-142 5/9-140.5 5/16-139 5/23-138 5/30-138 6/6-138 6/11-138 6/20-138 6/27-140 Began Taurine 7/4-137 7/11-137 7/18-137 7/25-135 8/1-134 8/15-135 9/1-127 10/14/05-140 4/1/06-151

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07-01-2004, 12:13 PM	#4
ebonyeyz28 Very Gabby LCF Member!!! Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Inland Empire, CA Posts: 4,953 Gallery: ebonyeyz28 Stats: Then: 274.5, size 28 Now:172.5, Size 10/12! WOE: Atkins Maintenance Start Date: December 27, 2002	Sure, it COULD happen. But I've been on the pill for many years and haven't stopped taking them since being on this wol. And, if I do say so myself, I've had pretty good success. Shelby

07-01-2004, 12:19 PM	#5
Mimi13 MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: May 2003 Location: An island in Florida Posts: 1,363 Gallery: Mimi13 Stats: 180/165/135 WOE: Atkins. Start Date: 11/24/06	Hey..........if you need them, take them. You won't gain as much weight as you would if you were pregnant!

07-01-2004, 01:45 PM	#6
careb Very Gabby LCF Member!!! Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Houston Texas Posts: 2,871 Gallery: careb	Great Information microbiology!!!! Im on birth control and have not seen any ill side effects of weight loss nor inches. And I would have to agree with Mimi13.

07-01-2004, 01:52 PM	#8
microbiology1 MAJOR LCF POSTER! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Boston Posts: 1,599 Gallery: microbiology1 Start Date: 4/26/04	I personally have not noticed any problems losing but I am on a none estrogen based pill(yasmin). I have always considered it worth the benefits to be on the pill, but for slow losers it may be something to consider.

07-01-2004, 02:45 PM	#10
collrob2101 Big Yapper!!!! Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Somewhere over the rainbow Posts: 7,883 Gallery: collrob2101 Stats: 142/136.5/125 Height 5'5 small frame WOE: back to low carb Start Date: 06/2/2007	I have been on it for years. Just switched to new brand called Ovcon.