Girls Only~ Do you believe hormones contributed to your weight gain?
 

I noticed the answers from a lot of women in the "Why are you Fat?" thread mention puberty, the pill and other hormone related issues contributed to weight gain. I have believed this for years and read some articles about estrogen dominance and weight gain be related. However, trying to get your doctor to believe you and treat you is another issue. I suggested to my OBGYN that I felt like my hormone levels were out of wack, that I had done some research and could he test them to see. His barely paid attention to my question/concern and said that they don't have tests just for hormone levels. I think he felt like I was looking for an excuse for being overweight, something that would take the responsibility out of my hands. I was disappointed because I thought he was more open minded as he writes for the www.webmd.com site, where I did some of my research.

So the question is, do any of you ladies believe that part of your weight loss challenge or initial weight gain is due to hormone levels?

Well I'm not sure. I do know I have some serious carb cravings around My TOM. I still have them on this WOL, i just try to a) ignore them or b) feed them with healthy treats instead. I do know when I first started the bill back in '97, I gained at least 15 pounds within the first 2 months. All in my breast, hips and butt.

Women have special weight issues and Drs should learn to address the physical and emotional side of it.

I don't think just puberty would have caused my weight gain. If I had been eating normally at the time instead of microwave dinners every night while my mom was sleeping off her depression, I probably would have been OK.
OTOH, my chemical imbalance certainly made things much worse. I posted that after I got on anti-depressants, I gained 75 pounds in less than a year. My out look improved vastly when I corrected my brain chemical levels, but the eating just worsened. I am convinced that since the emotional levels, sleep levels, and appetite areas are all affected by SSRIs any change in one is going to lead to a change in the others for me whether for good or bad

Hi. I'm Ken's Girl and, although I've been lurking, I've never posted before.

I know that hormones are a large contributor to the reason I gained weight. I'd never worn a size larger than an 8 before my hysterectomy 7 years ago. I gained approximately 50 lbs. within the first 6 months of HRT. I spoke to my doctor about it and he just blew it off stating that women of my age tend to put weight on more easily. I was only 35 years old at the time and still quite active.

For me, the HRT I was put on was not the right med and it led to a lot of mood swings and depression, which led to overeating.

About 3 years ago, after 4 years of med changes, I finally found the right med for me and was well on track to lose the weight when I quit smoking. But that's another story.....

well, even tho my excuse is pregnancy, i would have to say no- sure the hormones gave me some crazy cravings, but i didnt have to give into em.

but on the other hand, my dr says now that im on birth control, it will hinder my weight loss...

so who knows

Some hormonal problems can go hand in hand with Insulin Resistance, so that could be a major contributor.

Right.

I began to gain weight before puberty... I was about 8. I didn't notice any noticable weight gain with ABC but I could not lose the weight when I was taking them.

I always thought I had a hard time losing weight on BC, but it turns out I've been doing just fine.

Because of my endometriosis, I pretty much have to be on birth control all the time... and usually I'll take it for three or four months straight without having a period, because my periods are so painful and traumatic.

I did a search on puberty and Insulin Resistance, and found a few interesting things, mostly that most teens seem to go through a phase of IR during puberty (having to do with Insulin's link to growth hormones), which healthy teens "grow out of".



Something to think about, in any case.

I definitely think so! I had a hysterectomy in 1991 and was immediately put on hormones. I was already chubby at that point (about 30 lbs overweight), so I didn't notice much of a gain at that time. But over the next few years, along with some MAJOR stress in my life (my dh's illness and death included in that time frame), I put on about 15 more pounds. Then after I remarried in '97 my doctor took me off the hormone pellets and put me on oral tablets. I have ballooned up 50 pounds since then. Granted, I wasn't eating like I should have, but I still blame a great deal of it on that. Along with the fact HRT causes acne!! arrrggghhh I'm like a fat 12 year old now! :D

I believe my PCOS and hormonal issues are a result of being heavy, but I don't believe they were the cause of it. Of course I was on BC pills from 18 until 28 so my hormones were always pretty regulated....hhmmmm, hard to tell, although I think my issues were more emotional.

I NEVER HAD A WEIGHT PROBLEM UNTIL I TOOK BIRTH CONTROL PILLS WHEN I WAS 23 - TO REGULATE MY CYCLE. :rolleyes:

I have PCOS so I am going to say that I think my hormones were a factor in my obesity.

Do I think it was caused by estrogen dominance? No.

Do I think it was caused by hyperinsulinemia? Yes. Do I think hyperinsulinemia & excess poundage contributed to my sex hormone imbalances like PCOS? Yes.

Keep in mind that fat is metabolically active, so when you talk about hormone problems causing weight gain you also have to consider that weight causes hormone problems. It is a viscious cycle. The fatter we are the worse our hormones are the fatter we get, and repeat...

We all have to figure out what the ultimate catalyst for our weight problems are, because once identified only then can you begin to address all the secondary factors.

Did you emotionally eat first, which then lead to insulin/hormone problems/insulin resistence, which then led to weight? If you only ever identify the hormone problems, but neglect to see that eating emotionally caused the former, it is unlikely you will be successful maintaining/losing. Even if you do lose you'll always be falling off the wagon due to emotional binges.

For me, I believe the primary catalyst for my weight problem was insulin resistence. Insulin resistence made me fat which then caused a whole boat load of secondary factors (such as being rejected & lonely & using food emotionally, and the IRS/fatness exacerabating hormonal problems). However, once I identified the main cause of weight gain I was able to really deal with the secondary problems.

I think my weight also has to do with insulin problems. (I am an emotional eater, but I think there are other issues.) I'm still trying to figure out how insulin and hormones and PCOS link together...need to go do proper research! I'm going to a specialist for PCOS this week because I have almost all the symptoms. I'm pretty curious about the relation of hormones and/or insulin to obesity. It seems doctors are still just finding out about this relationship themselves...I've been to several different gynos over the past few years, and none of them took my PCOS questions seriously. So I have myself a new doctor! :agree: It's amazing to me that you can be almost 26, and have to basically diagnose yourself and find the appropriate doctor.

The pill definitely played a HUGE roll in my gain. I gained 80 lbs in a year and a half while I was on it. I exercised. I ate healthy foods. I still gained. I went off the pill...and within 4-6 months, things began to stabilize--while all else remained the same.

The additional 60 I packed on, I take full responsibility for. I was already huge, was depressed, etc. Ben & Jerry's and Papa John's became my best friend. I'd eat until I was nauseous and continued eating anyway. I just wanted the world to go away.