Hi, I'm new to the forum and would like to throw a question to someone who has a medical background or someone who is going through what I'm experiencing.
This year I switched from Levlite to OrthoTricyclen Lite because the former made me break out. The new one helps my skin to a certain extent but I'm usually bloated and it's just harder to melt the flab around my middle.
I have been an avid exerciser for the past 10 years -- aerobics, strength training, stretching (for my osteoarthritis and scoliosis), that whole gamut. I'm also particular about what I eat -- lean chicken and fish with lots of veggies. I even limit my intake of rice and whole wheat bread and substitute those with fruit. I drink lots of soy milk and water. I follow a tweaked version of the Zone diet -- a bit more complex carbs for energy. I do indulge in junk food but in limited portions. I'm 5'1", 105 lbs and a size 4. Sometimes I can fit into a size 2 or 0. I don't do starvation diets and I spend my days running after a 3-year-old.
When I was on Levlite my waistline and belly were pretty trim. Not too shabby, considering that I'm in my 30's and have been through one childbirth. Now, even with more intense routines via my Cathe DVD's (I used to do Gin Miller's or K. Smith's), it seems I have more fat around my middle. Am I just getting old? My arms and most of my legs are trim. There's fat in my butt, my hips and in my inner thighs that never melts away despite the workouts, but my body's been this way for as long as I can remember. My waistline, however, has always been smooth and taut, so you can understand why I'm very self-conscious about my pride and joy.
My ob-gyn purposely gave me a prescription for OrthoTricyclen LITE and not its original formula because she said these pills have a lot of estrogen, more than my body has been used to, and she wanted to keep the amount of estrogen low, which is why she gave me Levlite in the first place. I was on Levlite for 2 years before I asked to make a switch. I know estrogen gives women's bodies the softness and femininity that men's bodies don't have. I'm all for that, but please, not in the wrong places!
So is this switch in birth control pills keeping me from burning the bulges in the wrong places, or is this just part of aging? I also hear that stress activates the hormone cortisol, which deposits fats around your middle. And my life can be quite a circus sometimes...
I'd be interested to listen to your comments. Thank you.
This year I switched from Levlite to OrthoTricyclen Lite because the former made me break out. The new one helps my skin to a certain extent but I'm usually bloated and it's just harder to melt the flab around my middle.
I have been an avid exerciser for the past 10 years -- aerobics, strength training, stretching (for my osteoarthritis and scoliosis), that whole gamut. I'm also particular about what I eat -- lean chicken and fish with lots of veggies. I even limit my intake of rice and whole wheat bread and substitute those with fruit. I drink lots of soy milk and water. I follow a tweaked version of the Zone diet -- a bit more complex carbs for energy. I do indulge in junk food but in limited portions. I'm 5'1", 105 lbs and a size 4. Sometimes I can fit into a size 2 or 0. I don't do starvation diets and I spend my days running after a 3-year-old.
When I was on Levlite my waistline and belly were pretty trim. Not too shabby, considering that I'm in my 30's and have been through one childbirth. Now, even with more intense routines via my Cathe DVD's (I used to do Gin Miller's or K. Smith's), it seems I have more fat around my middle. Am I just getting old? My arms and most of my legs are trim. There's fat in my butt, my hips and in my inner thighs that never melts away despite the workouts, but my body's been this way for as long as I can remember. My waistline, however, has always been smooth and taut, so you can understand why I'm very self-conscious about my pride and joy.
My ob-gyn purposely gave me a prescription for OrthoTricyclen LITE and not its original formula because she said these pills have a lot of estrogen, more than my body has been used to, and she wanted to keep the amount of estrogen low, which is why she gave me Levlite in the first place. I was on Levlite for 2 years before I asked to make a switch. I know estrogen gives women's bodies the softness and femininity that men's bodies don't have. I'm all for that, but please, not in the wrong places!
So is this switch in birth control pills keeping me from burning the bulges in the wrong places, or is this just part of aging? I also hear that stress activates the hormone cortisol, which deposits fats around your middle. And my life can be quite a circus sometimes...
I'd be interested to listen to your comments. Thank you.