Lost weight, also my period, gained back weight, still no period

molnardrea

Hello everyone!

I need serious help. I started my healthy nutrition and calorie restriction back in December. Since then I lost 5 kgs (11 pounds) of weight, went from 61 kg (134 pounds) to 56-57 kgs (125-6 pounds). I am 164 cm tall (5 ft 4 inches) I felt okay, only had 200-300 kcal deficits per day, hit my macros, even fats and despite all these I haven't had a period since Christmas. I started my fat loss (cause it wasn't about body weight, but composition and shedding fat off of my muscles, which I have, cause I am a horse rider, I run, do sprints, cycle 20+ km a week and do bodyweight excersises) at Dec 12th, had a suprisingly light period on the 24th.

In March I upped my calories to maintenance, and I had light spotting on the 25th, but it can't be considered a real period.

Since then I ate waaaay over my alloted calories, gained back 2-3 kgs (5-6 pounds) I guess mostly water, but still no period.

Now my concern is: Will I always stay skinny fat? Is it impossible for me to my excess body fat without losing my period? What can I do to continue shedding fat and staying healthy, being a woman?

At my lowest weight I looked like this, still had boy fat on my back, lower belly, thighs, hips. What do you think?

TashNgema

Well something similar has also happened to me but its koz I had totally stopped eating and was starving myself I lost my hair my period and well a lot of weight it tool awhile for my period to be back to normal again .. But it eventually happened ..I think it is possible to lose weight but maybe u should seek medical help .koz if u were eating as u say u were it shouldn't have come to u losing ur period ur body size is great by the way u don't need to lose weight but if u still have abut of fat around ur body as u say wright train and ul so much more smoking hot then in already are

malibu927

See a doctor about your period, look into a progressive lifting program (SL5x5 or NROLFW) and eat at maintenance.

molnardrea

Thanks for both. I really ate a bunch of food, especially vegetables, lean meat, fruits, complex carbs, healthy fats, had vitamin supplements to support the dietary change.

I was thinking about starting to lift as you malibu927 say, but I really don't have the money and the time along with horse riding (costs soo much) and having my last year at high school, studying to get into uni.

Sued0nim

Could you be pregnant? See the doctor about your periods

As for your weight...start a heavy lifting programme and keep dropping body fat slowly and you will get the body you want

molnardrea

Oh , forgot to mention that I also used fitbit, so I could track my calorie needs very accurately.

molnardrea

No, haven't had a boyfriend in my life. No pregnancy for sure

I hope that at the new town where I got to study in september, I can start lifting. I wish I could start today. But parents won't pay for it, I'm sure at the moment...

bendyourkneekatie

As others said, see a doctor about the periods. Correlation does it mean causation (ie just because two things happen at the same time doesn't necessarily mean one caused the other), it could be an entirely different issue causing you to miss your periods.

molnardrea

My mum is a nurse, works at a hospital and I've been openly reporting everything about my body to her. She told me if I don't get my period until the end of this month (when I eat a lot more than I need and things that my body craved) then she will take me to the doctor.

WaterBunnie

Female hormone production is affected by the amount of fat in your body, which is why we typically have a higher percentage of fat than men. It could take a while for your hormones to level themselves out.

molnardrea

You might be right WaterBunnie. At my first two period misses I thought so, but I read a lot about the female athlete triad and after three missed periods things might get serious... So I started to worry and also give up on my wanted athletic physique.

shadowfax_c11

It might not be related to your weight loss at all. I had a similar problem when I was a teenager and after quite a bit of testing it was found that I had a hormone imbalance. In my case not enough progesterone. Talk to your Dr about it.

molnardrea

shadowfax, it might be the case, because I got my first period very late, when I was almost 15 years old. Now I'm 19. And even after getting it it was quite irregular, normally it would take me 35-40 days to get it.

Thanks everyone, I think it really is time to go see the doc.

molnardrea

Bumping it up. I've been at a gyno, told me I'm ovulating, my ovaries are fine, but something is wrong with my hormone levels. She gave me progesterone pills to get my period (she said it was due, that my body is ready) to help me start to menstruate. She told me to do blood tests only AFTER I got my period with the help of this pill... Now I've almost taken all of them in (10 days), but no period.

I've read on fertilethoughts.com that women went through a lot of medications, hormone injections and it didn't work. What worked for them was gaining 10+ lbs and stopping ABSOLUTELY ALL excersise. I don't want to do that, why would I need to gain all back what I've lost and be a couch potato?? (

agal129

Any more updates on this topic?

whmscll

molnardrea wrote: »

Thanks for both. I really ate a bunch of food, especially vegetables, lean meat, fruits, complex carbs, healthy fats, had vitamin supplements to support the dietary change.

I was thinking about starting to lift as you malibu927 say, but I really don't have the money and the time along with horse riding (costs soo much) and having my last year at high school, studying to get into uni.

Besides weight loss, lifting is the only thing that will help you decrease body fat.

kshama2001

agal129 wrote: »

Any more updates on this topic?

You can write to the OP and ask her to come update the thread.

molnardrea

Hey everyone! I'm happy too see you're all interested! SO:

I gained all of the weight I lost back, while I also joined the gym. I've been lifting for two months now, eating at maintenance, developed some lean mass. When I wrote those lines above I was 125-126 pounds. Now I'm back at 134, but look my best. My arms and shoulders got wider, making my waist look smaller. So I'm just as heavy as my starting weight, but the composition is different.

I also went through all of my exams and finished school, so stress was taken out of my life. I think that was the last ingredient for me getting my period back. The last two months I had two 4-5 day long periods, like before, but with less pain, so I'm REALLY happy now about it.

Right now I started a 200 kcal deficit per day cut, keep on horse riding, cycling and lifting, then will see how my bodyfat responds to that

Any questions from you? I'm more than happy to answer.

kshama2001

Yay! Thanks for the update

molnardrea

kshama2001 wrote: »

Yay! Thanks for the update

Thanks for caring!

WaterBunnie

Great news

MeiannaLee

This is like the story of my life xD
I didnt have a period for three months lol

cocnuts

Hi!

Good that you sound so happy and healthy!

I'm myself in a similar situation as you, have lost my period for like 8 months (in that time I've had it twice midway through), so now I've had my blood tested and will have my results on next week. I believe in my case it's a matter of stress, because I have only been controlling my food for the last 3 months, in the previous ones I was in fact getting fatter.

molnardrea

cocnuts wrote: »

Hi!

Good that you sound so happy and healthy!

I'm myself in a similar situation as you, have lost my period for like 8 months (in that time I've had it twice midway through), so now I've had my blood tested and will have my results on next week. I believe in my case it's a matter of stress, because I have only been controlling my food for the last 3 months, in the previous ones I was in fact getting fatter.

It should be the stress factor with you too. I went to the doc, but they wanted me to take expensive hormones which would mess with other things in my body. I certainly didn't want that and decided to "heal myself". I gave myself some time, ate a lot, took off 3-4 weeks from excersise except horse riding.