Ugh....and when I (at age 27 at the time) went to my doctor and complained of being overly fatigued all the time, feeling like I was mentally/emotionally carrying around a 100 lbs weight on my back every day, having absolutely NO libido...... etc he said "well your pill shouldn't cause that". I took matters into my own hands and stopped taking it in March of 2010 and wouldn't ya know.....all that stuff went away. Like I told k8mt in response to her original post, I was AMAZED at how much better I felt after only a couple weeks off of hormonal BC. And obviously she has had the same experience.I have been on BC pills for26years straight with no breaks. My DR. says I'm tired becasue I'm depressed.
The B vitamins are excellent for stress relief and energy. I use the sublingual (liquid under the tongue...for faster absorption) B complex every morning. There's a little line on the dropper that shows you how much to use. I highly recommend giving that a try.
Since I've gone off the pill and have focused on healthy eating and feeling good, here is what I take daily (minus my allergy meds):
Vitamin D
Turmeric
Spirulina
Adrenal Success
Noni (only during the winter months when there are lots of viruses going around)
Magnesium, Zinc and Calcium supplement
Biotin
Ester C
B Complex under the tongue
"Be what you're looking for."
"The next time you're thinking of kicking someone when they're down, offer them your hand and help them back up instead."
Replace the Frappuchino with a a cup of green tea. Sweeten it with honey.I drink Frappuchino and ice tea to try to get some energy but I know thats adding a lot of calories to my diet.
If you're drinking sweet tea (black tea sweetened with sugar), compromise and when you're making a jug of tea, do half black half green and then use something like honey, or stevia to sweeten it.
Green tea still has caffeine in it, but it is also great for your metabolism.
"Be what you're looking for."
"The next time you're thinking of kicking someone when they're down, offer them your hand and help them back up instead."
I take the 1000 mcg Timed Release B12 .. just one a day and i seriously get a boost from it!! it would be interesting to see how your body reacts with out the BC! Do you feel depressed? Do they have you on medications for it? I hate that.. just cause you're tired doesn't mean you are necessarily depressed.. my mom was way over diagnosed for depression after she and my dad split and it was ridiculous! i didn't even recognize her! She needed sunshine and comfort not a pill..I have been on BC pills for26years straight with no breaks. My DR. says I'm tired becasue I'm depressed. I wonder what would happen to my body if quit the pill? I would also love to lose some weight. How much of a dosage of vitamin B12 do you take a day? I drink Frappuchino and ice tea to try to get some energy but I know thats adding a lot of calories to my diet.
I used to drink fraps and all that all the time and i just stopped. I mean if i have a coffee from some place i get the "skinny" version its usually with skim or soy milk and tastes just the same. I also drink chai tea like its going out of style now! i don't really like the taste of green tea so i stick with the chai!
I would try to get on different bc or get off it all together and see how that feels.. it's really bizarre what a change it's made for me!
I had another break through this week too
Aahhh just wait till you see results.. that's all i gotta say. What an amazing feeling and confidence boost!!!
Beautiful Disaster, your supplement protocol is AWESOME! Bravo!
Bravo, UrbanMadonna. There is such a complex interaction of hormones in the body that is directly related to the foods we eat and the nutrients we consume. This is a new, fascinating field of study! Leptin was only discovered in the 1990s, and it turns out that leptin is incredibly important in appetite regulation. Our fat cells aren't just lumps of chunk, they're a complex system. When we feed & water properly, we keep that system running at its maximum potential!Originally Posted by UrbanMadonna
I just want to throw my 2 cents in - like everyone said, intensity of exercise is huge. JJ Virgin is a really cool trainer/nutritionist with an extensive scientific background and she's passionate about "Bursting" - you can google her for more. As far as diet goes, so much will change with regard to your hormonal balance and your ability to lose fat when you get your diet straight. If you're not having success after a few months, it's worth looking at other ideas. I am passionate about a very basic approach - whole foods. Lean sources of protein, grass-fed if possible (Eat Wild is an amazing source of locally-raised, pastured foods), tons of veggies - greens, sweet potato, squash; fruits in moderation (sugar, especially fructose, ain't so great!) and healthy fats from avocado, olive oil, and pastured ghee (I get mine from Pure Indian Foods.) Fat is NOT the enemy - it's all about using the appropriate type of fat from the right sources. Vegetable oils can contain trans-fats and anything with soybean or corn oil should be avoided, as well as fat from feedlot or grain-fed animal products. Coconut oil is an incredibly healthy fat (google it) and delicious. I work as the nutrition advisor for a Crossfit gym, and frequently when people have performance issues or trouble losing body fat, they actually solve that problem by INCREASING their fat intake.
Last edited by WildChild; 12-06-2010 at 12:35 PM. Reason: removed link
Liz
I'm new here and stumbled across this thread...I love the support that people are giving, and as a woman who has been on BC in my mid 20s and most recently experimented with progesterone cream to regulate my cycles I wanted to throw my experience and 2 cents in if that's OK.
- BC pills - no noticeable difference in weight gain when I was younger. I think I actually lost weight over 6 years on it, but that's because I changed my diet around. I think, however, it depends on the type of pill. I went off BC because I wanted to get pregnant and never went back on it because I was married at the time. Now that I'm single again, I too have no time for a relationship nor would i get back on it knowing what I know now about synthetic hormone supplementation.
- progesterone cream - now THIS stuff made me ravenous and made me gain at least 5lbs in the 2 months I was on it. i tried it because my periods were coming every 21 days and i thought well since it's natural progesterone it must be OK. well, it just made me wacky. i've heard that people on the mirena IUD, which releases progesterone, experience the same thing, and i know there are BC pills that are only progesterone-based. I quit this stuff and feel normal again and am seeing an osteopathic doctor who is helping me regulate my cycles with other supplementation.
- diet and exercise - ok here's where I'm going to try not to go off, because i'm really pissed that shows like "biggest loser" have got it into so many people's heads that they need to kill themselves with exercise in order to lose weight. so many people are exercising TOO MUCH and not getting enough nutrition, even if they think they're "eating healthy," so their body holds on to the fat because it thinks you are starving it. it sounds counterintuitive, but that's why weight loss is such a struggle.
to the original poster, being over 300+ doesn't mean you can't get down to 150 in a healthy way without pills or other weird stuff. but it does mean you're not going to do it by exercising your brains out, and just taking a quick look at your diet I can see that you are lacking in vitamins and nutrients, even though you "eat healthy." it's not only about calories, protein, carbs and fat, it's about what's IN those calories and HOW you eat them throughout the day. i don't mean to make you feel bad, i just don't want you to beat yourself up for losing weight at a slow rate even though you think you're doing the right thing.
Full disclosure: I am a health coach who has helped a lot of people lose weight quickly and safely. I get really upset when women beat themselves up because they think they're doing everything right, and I just want to help them learn how to really eat for weight loss. i was hesitant to post here because I didn't want people to think I was spamming, but I feel i have to speak up and let women know that it's not their fault! If you want to learn more you can contact me directly.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks