Help!!!

sam0626

Hi,

I hope someone can help me!!!

I went on the Depovera injection about 3 months ago and since then I have piled on nearly 2 stone....

I used to eat a varied diet but am a bit of a picky eater so never had a lot of fruit and veg in my diet..

Anyways...ever since i've been on this injection all i've craved is fatty carb filled foods and to be completely honest I have listened to these craving each time...hence the reason i've piled on the weight!!!

I'm 5ft 8 and just under 12 stone and want to be back to my normal weight of 10 stone and I have tried my hardest to eat healthy and exercise but i've been weak and have given in everytime!!

What I want to know is has anyone else piled on weight after starting this contraceptive and if so how did u lose it?

Also anyone who can just offer advice to someone who is already a fussy eater on how to lose weight as at this stage i'm desperate!!!

Thanks!!!

g'em

This probably won't be what you want to hear but...

Stop being a 'picky eater'. If you're old enough to take responsibility for birth control, have the same responsibility to be nice to your body. Give it fresh fruit and veg. Give it lean meats and fish. Give it lots and lots of water. Give it wholegrains like brown bread and porridge, and good fats like avocados and nut oils. Give it small portions of food 5 or six times a day.

Give it a reason not to have cravings for crappy foods by giving it some tlc. Yes, our hormones can cause us to crave chocolate and high-fat processed foods, but that's all it is - a craving. We ultimately decide if we give in to that craving.

I'm not being facetious when I say this, but unless you have some type of allergy towards fresh produce, there's really no reason in the world not to eat it. Being 'fussy' just doesn't cut it.

sam0626

Thanks G'em...your dead right!!

I am a very fussy eater but suppose would eat nuts and veg if I got up off my lazy ass and bought them!!

g'em

there's looooads of tasty ways to get veg into your diet - a favourite of mine is mange tout, sweetcorn, baby peas and some broccoli with chicken and althered in pesto sauce. OR chop up veg and put them in tomato sauces for on pasta? Even tomatoes and mushrooms and peas in omelettes is a start!

sam0626

See I dont like pasta at all....it might sound weird but I just hate the feel of it in my mouth!!!

I do have to get more openminded when it comes to what I eat...I do like the sound of your mangetout receipe..think i'll have to try that out!

Thanks for the advice!x

eth0_

I would say get off the depo. People I know who have put on weight after taking it haven't been able to lose it until they got it out of their bodies.

g'em - I think you're being quite patronising to the OP telling her to control her cravings. She didn't have these cravings and a weight problem before she took the depo, clearly the drug is the root problem.

sam0626

Thanks Eth...

Yeah i've been looking up the depro there and it does seem to cause a lot of weight gain...

Now i'm not trying to pin the blame on the injection but from what i've read it tricks your body into believing its pregnant hence the cravings...

My problem is that when I get these cravings i'm listening to them so i've piled on the pounds as a result!!

Think its time to go back one the trusty patch!

g'em

eth0_ wrote: »

I would say get off the depo. People I know who have put on weight after taking it haven't been able to lose it until they got it out of their bodies.

This isn't a medical forum and we can't advise the OP whether or not she should come of BC, only a doctor can do that. Certainly something like Depo needs to be given major consideration seeings how it's one of the more intrusive forms of hormonal BC.

eth0_ wrote: »

g'em - I think you're being quite patronising to the OP telling her to control her cravings. She didn't have these cravings and a weight problem before she took the depo, clearly the drug is the root problem.

There's nothing 'clear' about it at all. And it's hardly patronizing telling someone they decide whether they give in to cravings or not. Cravings can be bloody hard to work your way through, believe me I know. It doesn't make you weak willed to give in to them, but if you're organised and aware of them, and you structure the rest of your eating habits well you're less likely to get them and even less likely to give in to them.

Sam there's a couple of other girls on the board that I know have had awful trouble with weight gain and the injection - but the injection directly causing weight gain and it causing weight gain through an increase in cravings is two different things. Personally I've been on and off the pill for years and never had any hassles, except for the last time I went on it and ballooned up like a michelin man (lady!??!) within days. There's no rhyme or reason with these things sometimes and you have to experience them to find out how they suit.

It may well be that a change for the better in your diet would solve a lot fo the problems, but as I said talk it over with your doctor before you make any big decisions?

Odysseus

eth0_ wrote: »

I would say get off the depo. People I know who have put on weight after taking it haven't been able to lose it until they got it out of their bodies.

g'em - I think you're being quite patronising to the OP telling her to control her cravings. She didn't have these cravings and a weight problem before she took the depo, clearly the drug is the root problem.

You making a diagnosis here. Additionally its not a psychological one, a medic needs to make that call, and certainly not on the net. g'em is within her remit here.

ptashka

Interesting. I am on Depo as well, and the only drawback I can think of is a lowered sex drive. Didn't put on any weight. My fitness regime hasn't changed, so I guess it affects everybody in a different way?

Sam0626, do you exercise?

eth0_

I'm not making any diagnosis - depo is just a contraceptive, not a treatment for an illness!
It's a depot injection that you can have every three months if you CHOOSE to get another injection it's up to you - there's absolutely no danger to you if you don't want to get another injection after this time.

Here is an example: I was on dianette for a few months, but I felt constantly hungry on it. I stopped taking it and within 2-3 weeks my appetite was back to normal. I take Yasmin now and I don't have any problems at all.

I do agree the OP should speak to her doctor but it is likely he/she will recommend she change to a different form of contraception. You shouldn't have to increase your exercise regime or change your diet because you've started taking the pill or depo.

t-ha

Organisation is a good alternative to will-power. Don't keep snacky foods in your house - only healthy stuff. Prepare your meals in advance and stick to them. Eat plenty of veg, not just for the minerals and so on, but the fact that they fill you up without many calories. If you don't control the amount of snacks in your house then spend as much time as possible out of it.

eth0_

t-ha that is good advice if you disregard that it is the depo that is causing her cravings. Personally i'd find it easier to change to a different drug.