I took the pill for two years. I gained about 15 pounds and couldn't get it off, even though I doubled my exercise and closely restricted my diet. (I can't imagine what would have happened if I'd not changed my diet or exercise!) Most of the weight gain was in my abs and butt where I'd never had a problem before. It made me very moody too. Worst of all was getting these fierce hunger pangs within half an hour of eating. Like Little Girl, my energy level was really low too, but that was probably because I was hardly eating.
When I got off the pill, the first 10 pounds came off quickly and easily. The last five were really stubborn. All the mood problems and hunger pangs magically went away. I was even taking one of those low dose pills (tried several varieties). I think I would have gained less weight eating 2 dozen donuts a day! I use an IUD now and am very pleased with it. With the IUD, the cramps and bleeding were pretty bad at first, but now not bad at all.