How to Stop Weight Gain from Birth Control Pills

One unpleasant side effect of birth control pills is weight gain. While there are many great benefits to taking birth control pills, a lot of women avoid them because they fear they will make them fat. But there is no reason to fear, you can stop weight gain from birth control pills and keep your figure while preventing pregnancy and improving your menstrual cycles. Follow these steps to keep birth control related weight gain in check!

Instructions

• 1

  Stay hydrated. Most weight gain from birth control pills is caused by water retention. Water weight gain can be avoided by drinking plenty of fluids and keeping hydrated. Increase your daily water intake and avoid salty foods. Doing so will get rid of bloating and keep your weight stable. If water weight is still an issue after increasing fluids and decreasing sodium, consider using an OTC diuretic. Diuretics help the body flush out excess water and reduce the bloating associated with birth control pills.

• 2

  Suppress your appetite with fiber. Sometimes women complain of an increase appetite while on birth control pills. This is often caused by the hormonal changes your body experiences when you take your birth control. If excess hunger is causing you to gain weight, reduce your appetite with fiber. Add whole grain, fiber rich foods to your diet to keep you full. You can also add fiber supplements to help ward off the hunger and cravings caused by birth control.

• 3

  Speed up your metabolism. While on birth control pills, your metabolism might slow a bit. If this happens, you may experience fatigue and increased body weight. An easy way to combat a slow metabolism is to incorporate 20 minutes of exercise 3 times per week. Exercise will burn calories, boost your metabolism and help to stop the weight gain caused by birth control pills. Doing even a small amount of simple exercise can really help you to look and feel better. Besides promoting weight loss, exercise increases the production of "feel good chemicals" in the brain like dopamine and can dramatically improve your mood!