No period=Ashamed of Weight Loss. What to do.....

marthamayhemmfp

Recently, I've been feeling down about my weight loss. I'm currently 5'1, 25 years old, 106lbs.
All I wanted, when I started this journey, was to be strong and healthy, instead of overweight and tired. I wanted to take care of myself.
Indeed, I do think I am stronger; I am more positive, I'm meeting my personal fitness goals, I love exercise, and I eat everything in moderation. Lab work and all other measures put me in a healthy category. HOWEVER, I cannot look at myself and honestly conclude that I am healthy while Aunt Flo has not paid a visit for some time.
It's been eight months now since I got my period, which disappeared when I was 140lbs.
I know what happened. I got too excited and impatient. Those months ago, I was doing a combination of high intensity cardio, eating 1000-1200 calories a day, taking in low fat (as little as 10g some days), and sleeping 5-6hrs due to my busy schedule. After missing my period for four months, I got really worried and finally started eating close to maintenance, and then a month later, ate at maintenance AND made sure to eat 50g+ of fat a day. A month ago, I even cut my cardio down to only light-moderate intensity, strength training, and HIIT for no longer than 10 minutes, and only 1-3 times a week. No progress thus far

I feel great overall, and with the help of my tracker and scale, I know I am eating properly to support my body. Still, that no-period shadow is bugging me. I don't care for children, BUT I care for my bone health. I take bone health supplements/vitamins everyday, and any injury I've had has healed no slower than usual, but I am worried.

Losing my boobs and butt never bothered me, but having no period makes me feel so much less like a woman. It's the one thing women have that men don't have and can't get. It bothers me.

I don't have a personal doctor, and I don't have insurance, and I'm not wealthy.

Would anyone please share tips and words of advice?

rankinsect

Even if you don't have insurance, chances are there's at least one free women's clinic in your area.

hollyrayburn

I'd seek help from a physician regarding your loss of menses. I'm not wealthy either, but surely there is a free clinic, or a health department you can visit, or something.

We can't give you advice on how to make your period come back, I'm sorry

2011rocket3touring

I'm sorry it this is something a healthcare professional should chime in on.
Do you not qualify for some type of health insurance?
Any women's clinic in your area?

rankinsect

Also, depending on your state (since I assume you're in the US if you have to worry about insurance), check in on whether your state expanded Medicaid with the Affordable Care Act, or if you qualify for federal subsidies to buy insurance. If you're very low income, those subsidies can be extremely generous, often paying the full cost of at least one of the insurance plans on the market. You won't be able to enroll until November for a plan starting in January, though, but it may be a great idea to do so such that next time you have an issue, you can get it taken care of.

dmiivanov

I'm probably least qualified to answer that, but yesterday I was wondering about the healthy body fat percentage and I saw a government made chart on that. I remember for men it's like 8 % minimum, but for women it's much larger, and it says there that women will very likely have this problem if you're body fat is too low . So look it up, measure your body fat percentage

marthamayhemmfp

Thanks so much for the replies. I'll definitely check to see if there are free health clinics nearby. It didn't even occur for me to check.
Yep. I am American.
Oh my. I'm not sure what my body fat percentage is. I'll see what I can do to measure it.

middlehaitch

At your age, height and weight you ahould be eating a minimum of 1200 cals a day PLUS calories burnt through exercise.

Put your stats into MFP with your goal as maintenance and eat all those calories.
Plus enter all your exercise and eat back 50-75% of those calories too. MFP tends to overestimate so keep an eye on the scale for 6 weeks to make sure you are maintaining and adjust the exercise calories accordingly.

You could also use an off site TDEE calculator which will give you the calories you need to eat including your exercise.
Again monitor for 6-8 weeks before adjusting your calories as you will gain a few pounds of water weight as you up your calories.

Focus on protein, then fat, (it is good for you, it helps with brain function, hormone balance, and nutrient absorption), use carbs to fill the rest of your calories.

There is nothing wrong with your weight, just the extreme calorie restriction, it may take a few months to over a year for your body to start recovering.

As soon as you can afford it go and see a doctor. This is not something to be taken lightly.

Cheers, h.

marthamayhemmfp

middlehaitch wrote: »

At your age, height and weight you ahould be eating a minimum of 1200 cals a day PLUS calories burnt through exercise.

Put your stats into MFP with your goal as maintenance and eat all those calories.
Plus enter all your exercise and eat back 50-75% of those calories too. MFP tends to overestimate so keep an eye on the scale for 6 weeks to make sure you are maintaining and adjust the exercise calories accordingly.

You could also use an off site TDEE calculator which will give you the calories you need to eat including your exercise.
Again monitor for 6-8 weeks before adjusting your calories as you will gain a few pounds of water weight as you up your calories.

Focus on protein, then fat, (it is good for you, it helps with brain function, hormone balance, and nutrient absorption), use carbs to fill the rest of your calories.

There is nothing wrong with your weight, just the extreme calorie restriction, it may take a few months to over a year for your body to start recovering.

As soon as you can afford it go and see a doctor. This is not something to be taken lightly.

Cheers, h.

Yep! I've eating well over 1200 calories and all of my exercise calories and hitting protein and fat goals since late January this year, but for TDEE, I've been using a tracker to calculate that, and it seems about right.
It'll take that long??? *sigh* Well, it's still a relief to read that I can indeed recover.
I'm looking into clinics nearby now! ^^

Wicked_Seraph

marthamayhemmfp wrote: »

Thanks so much for the replies. I'll definitely check to see if there are free health clinics nearby. It didn't even occur for me to check.
Yep. I am American.
Oh my. I'm not sure what my body fat percentage is. I'll see what I can do to measure it.

Yes, definitely see a doctor.

For what it's worth, I've been irregular since menarche, which was 15 years ago for me. At one point, I didn't menstruate for SIX YEARS despite my gyno checking hormone levels and claiming that apparently the only thing "wrong" with me was my weight. Switched doctors, got on a different pill... and yay, period! But with that came dangerously high blood pressure. Switched back to old doctor, different pill... and now I have healthy blood pressure but no more periods. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

At this point I don't know if I'm not menstruating because of my weight, or simply because my body can't be arsed to provide a uterine lining without being held at gunpoint. My sister was obese and irregular, lost a shitload of weight, and her cycles regulated. If you're at a healthy weight and still not menstruating, it's definitely high time to see a doctor.

What state do you live in? I'm sure they have a local health department that can help you.

middlehaitch

Great to hear you are looking for a clinic.

Best of luck, h.

CooCooPuff

I did something very similar to you with too few calories and lost my cycle for a year. Unfortunately, even after eating at maintenance for a while, the only thing that brought my cycle back was the birth control prescribed by my gyno.

I've actually been more active than before thanks. I just make sure to eat what I need. I've been eating between 1,800-2,000 calories a day to lose at a steady rate.

arditarose

I will lose my period on 1200 calories and low fat as well. It doesn't make me feel like less of a woman, BUT-I also lose my libido. And that makes me feel bad.

When I increase to maintenance and keep my fats at least 50g I'm okay. I'm surprised yours hasn't come back. Are you in maintenance now? How many calories are you taking in? Did you increase sleep? How much cardio?

koreangurl

See a doctor! They will give you the help you need

kristieshannon

Go to your local Planned Parenthood. Despite what the fear mongers say, they provide a whole array of health services, on a sliding scale or even for free if you're very low income.

nebaru

You are right about the combination of HIT and restrictive diet being the most likely reason for the abrupt halt to your periods. Also, you are very right to be concerned about the long term consequences to your health by not having a period. Much like you had to struggle to become healthy before when trying to loose weight, you now have to do what's necessary to get it back. There is nothing to be ashamed, our bodies are complex machines and you did not know all the drastic changes was going to shock your hormonal system. Fortunately, these changes are completely reversible but you may have to struggle a bit. I would lay off all forms of high intensity exercise and significantly increase macros (at least 200g carbs, 50g of fat and 100 g of protein for you). Don't worry about gaining weight because 1) getting your period back is more important 2) our bodies tend to like stability and our metabolism increases/decreases to compensate for changes in caloric intake. So instead of gaining weight, your metabolism is going to increase to burn off the extra calories. This is what makes ovulation happen again. Once you get it back you can think about slowly adjusting your macros or change your exercise routine.

Mummyjellytummy

Hi, Im just thinking, I began my menopause at your age, have you considered this might be the cause. It would explain the mood situations etc. I do hope you feel a lot better soon

RodaRose

kristieshannon wrote: »

Go to your local Planned Parenthood. Despite what the fear mongers say, they provide a whole array of health services, on a sliding scale or even for free if you're very low income.

I second this ^

vczK2t

IMHO, and I only know this because my sister told me. When you weigh too little for your body to function properly, your period is the first thing to stop functioning properly. So, and I am NOT a doctor, but you need to gain weight. Especially since you said your period stopped when you weighed 140. You are down 32 lbs now. Go back to weighing like 145 and I bet your period will return.
But again, I am not a doctor. I'm telling you based on what my sister told me. She became anorexic and that's what happened to her.

frankiesgirlie

Mummyjellytummy wrote: »

Hi, Im just thinking, I began my menopause at your age, have you considered this might be the cause. It would explain the mood situations etc. I do hope you feel a lot better soon

Menopause at 25?? What?

nebaru

Your weight is normal btw and 140 lbs would be overweight for your height. Thus, you lost your period not because of a low weight but because of the increased stress to your body. HIT can do it. Restricting a certain macro can do it. Other possibilities are premature ovarian failure or medication side effect but these are much less likely give you have a reason to loose your period, aka your behavioral changes.

macgurlnet

vczK2t wrote: »

IMHO, and I only know this because my sister told me. When you weigh too little for your body to function properly, your period is the first thing to stop functioning properly. So, and I am NOT a doctor, but you need to gain weight. Especially since you said your period stopped when you weighed 140. You are down 32 lbs now. Go back to weighing like 145 and I bet your period will return.
But again, I am not a doctor. I'm telling you based on what my sister told me. She became anorexic and that's what happened to her.

145 is overweight for someone who is 5'1".

While I do agree something is amiss here and gaining some weight could be the answer, I think the best thing for OP to do is see a professional and continue eating at maintenance. It's possible her body will sort itself out on its own, but seeing a doctor (through a free clinic or facility like Planned Parenthood) is the way to go.

I'm 5' tall, 111 pounds and my period shows up every month just like it's supposed to. Weight alone is not the answer.

~Lyssa

Sabine_Stroehm

Most states have a health insurance exchange now. Find a way to sign up. Otherwise go to a free clinic, or planned parent hood. You NEED to know that this not something serious.

jgnatca

Huh. I hated my monthly visitor. Reliable like clockwork. It could have left a decade ago and I would have been so happy. But I get you; you are young yet and you'd like all your parts working the way they are supposed to.

Now that you are eating the way you should, I agree with others it's time to get checked out. It could be that a round (like a year) on birth control pills might help you get sorted out.

I wish you the best. You are taking care of yourself now and that counts for a lot.

Machka9

Just a question here ... are you sure you're not pregnant?

RodaRose

How much fat and oil are you eating now?

http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/recommended-daily-fat-intakes-females-6305.html

The Institute of Medicine encourages women to consume 20 to 35 percent of their daily calories from fat. Since fat provides 9 calories per gram, women following a 1,600-calorie diet need 36 to 62 grams of fat, women eating 2,000 calories need 44 to 78 grams and women consuming 2,400-calorie diets need about 53 to 93 grams of fat each day.

Hearts_2015

frankiesgirlie wrote: »

Mummyjellytummy wrote: »

Hi, Im just thinking, I began my menopause at your age, have you considered this might be the cause. It would explain the mood situations etc. I do hope you feel a lot better soon

Menopause at 25?? What?

Calm down, when I glanced too quickly I read 51 as well... reading more slowly (I'm falling asleep and should be in bed) I see that's her height not her age.

Oh and BTW...some women do go into menopause at 25 if they have health issues, have a hysterectomy or various other reasons.

Are you calmer now? lol

foiensoi

It took many posts but yes someone else is wondering - are you sure you're not pregnant?

Secondly, I have PCOS and went a few years of just having 1 or 2 periods each year. My endocrinologist very sternly told me you need 6-8 a year as the build up in the lining of your womb can lead to Endometriosis, so you need to be very careful.

Cheap trick: make sure you're getting enough iron. Mine comes and goes and if it's late and I take iron it brings it on! I have a multivitamin+iron pill, just a few dollars. Try it for a few days.

And please see a doctor!

marthamayhemmfp

Thank you all so much for the responses you all. It really brought my spirits up, and I'm feeling more hopeful.

@arditarose
Yeah. I'm bewildered/surprised myself. I've been in maintenance since this January, and I started paying attention to my fat, eating 50g+ of fat, since March. On a bad day, I might've eaten like 40g, but those days were/are few. From January to April I averaged 12k-20k steps a day, with some weekends where I took 20-30k steps. I did no running. Just walking. I ate around 1800-2700 calories to maintain my weight.
Since May, I only take 12k steps or less a day, with 30 minute strength sessions three times a week and some tai chi and or qigong on rest days. I now take in 1400-1800 calories to maintain.
I'm getting 6 hours of sleep on average and am lucky to get in 7 some days.

@vczK2t
What @nevaru and @macgurlnet said

@machka9 and @foiensoi
Haha. I am 100% sure I'm not pregnant. The closest I've been to men all my life has gone no further than a hug.

laurelh8

kristieshannon wrote: »

Go to your local Planned Parenthood. Despite what the fear mongers say, they provide a whole array of health services, on a sliding scale or even for free if you're very low income.

I totally agree with this. Planned Parenthood has programs that give free reproductive health care to lower income women.

Pawsforme

Well . . I'm not going to tell you your weight or your calorie intake are fine. i don't know and I don't think anyone else can know. I will tell you that the same thing happened to me years ago. My periods stopped even though my weight was barely into the normal BMI range. My doctor (and infertility specialist) told me to forget about healthy weight ranges and listen to my body--that it knew more about what was healthy for it than any formula did. I gained a few pounds and everything started working right again. Was it the weight itself? Did the extra few pounds make a difference? Or was it the stress I was putting on myself to maintain that weight? I don't know for sure. All I know was that at that time in my life my body seemed to be healthier very slightly into the overweight range than in the normal range. And my doctor agreed.

Remember that you are unique. It doesn't matter if someone else your same height weighs the same (or less) than you and doesn't have any issues. That means absolutely nothing because your body may be completely different.

Do try to get in to see someone as soon as you can. My experience was almost 25 years ago, but the thinking at that time was that you should have a period at least every three months in order to stay healthy and preserve bone. At the time my doc had me on premarin and Provera to induce a period. I have no idea if the thinking is still the same, or if those drugs are what's used now Good luck!