Cyclogest weight gain

[JLB2]

Hi all i am in the middle of having a complete break down and am hoping there is some help on here.

Had 2 FET last year - 1 ending in miscarriage and the other failed. I was put on cyclogest for both and over the two i gained a stone which pushed my bmi just over 30. My diet is healthy and I am quite ridget at sticking to it. But still gained the weight which my clinic said maybe a side effect of the cyclogest.

We are having IVF through NHS so BMI needs to be less than 30. Just before my last transfer the clinic knew my weight was over but as it was due to cyclogest they were happy to go ahead.

I have follow up appointment end of Feb and know they will want my BMI down.

I joined the gym in January and go every day - cardio, weights, 1 hour swim and a class every day. I have hugely cut my diet - no carbs, no sweet things, no rubbish, no processed foods. In 4 weeks i have lost only 3lb - which may seem great but it is completely disheartening - i lost 0 this week. The weight just seems to be stuck on and i just dont know what to do.

I spoke to a nurse at the clinic to see of she had any advice and all she said was that it is just a side effect that some women suffer from more than others - very helpful.

I am trying so hard but it doesnt seem to be working at all and is really making me worried. I am so scared that i cant get it off and we wont be able to go ahead with our next cycle.

Has anyone else had the same problem? Any advice please?

[LCharlton]

Hi JLB2 - I really feel for you! I'm hesitant to even mention this because it was really bad for my health, but when I was in a similar situation I went on a very low calorie diet - using Exante and Lighterlife products from Superdrug, 600-800 calories per day. It did work, but I don't recommend it and wouldn't have done it if I hadn't been about to turn 40 and be too old for the NHS criteria. Obviously all the weight later went straight back on because it's not a long-term solution. If you have time to wait and lose the weight healthily, obviously that's much better for your fertility, even if you have to delay your cycle. If that had been an option for me, that's what I would have done.

It's so frustrating because the NHS criteria are purely about what you weigh, not how healthy you are - which is counter-productive in my opinion.

[LCharlton]

Also - it sounds like you're doing way too much exercise! Remember muscle weighs more than fat, and sadly your aim here is not to be healthy, it's to hit the stupid weight limit. You'd do better eating 1200 calories and going for a half-hour run three or four times a week.

So sorry that you, and any of us, are in this ridiculous position.

[Keepingfaith85]

I'm editing a talk by a surgeon about hormones and weight gain right now so I will let you know what the recommendations are later this afternoon 😊

[JLB2 in reply to Keepingfaith85]

Thank you that would be much appreciated

[Keepingfaith85 in reply to JLB2]

Hi, so I made some notes for you (apologies if this is stuff you already know/are doing)....

Balanced diet

- reduce calories

- avoid processed foods

- cut out sugar, sweeteners and fizzy drinks

- increase healthy fats (low fat substitutes can actually cause insulin to spike)

- cut back on carbs

- reduce snacking

- increase prebiotics and probiotics

Time-restricted eating

- Each day spend 16hr fasting and eat within an 8hr window.

- There's also the 5:2 diet (should be lots of info online for this)

- Again eat a balanced diet with healthy fats, as fad diets only work in the short-term. The body takes in less calories but uses less with fad diets that's why they make you feel so ill.

Get Quality Sleep

- sleep is really important for weight loss

- stop caffeine after lunchtime

- no screens after 8pm

- have a regular bedtime

- aim for 8hrs sleep a night

Exercise

- exercising to a high degree increases the stress hormone cortisone so can do actually more harm than good

- try to use exercise to reduce stress and improve sleep

- getting out in the fresh air helps circadian rhythm and sleep

- weighing yourself regularly can be stressful so instead aim to drop dress sizes

Hopefully some of this is useful for you 😊

[Ranchu90]

Oh dear give the extra weight to me as I don’t know how to gain more weight 😭. I wish cyclogest did the same to me.

I can lose easily weight by gaining is a nightmare! I perfectly understand your frustrations! Being skinny is also not good 😒🙄

[Leesara]

Oh dear I can totally relate. The meds did same to me. Just be kind to yourself and you can only do your best xx

[Florencenightingale]

It sounds like you doing too much exercise. My sister was exercising too much a few years back and wasnt losing weight, couldnt sleep etc, got her bloods done and they found she had a thyroid problem, which was made worse by the exercise.

It likely isnt that with you, but its always worth getting checked out by the GP.xx