Advice needed - Expected and Unexpected effects of large weight loss

MadameBovary

Hi everyone,

I'm a 43 y/o woman and have lost over 17 stone so far, going from 30st 3.5lbs to 12st 13lbs using a combination of Slimming World and calorie counting since April 2016. I am aiming for about 11 1/2 stone but may change that to 12 stone as I am 5ft 9in tall and obviously have a lot of loose skin that I would estimate weighs 1-2 stones.

Loose skin is one of the things I wanted to ask about. Does anyone know if surgery to remove excess skin is available on the NHS in the UK. I am based in Liverpool if that helps as googling suggests that it can be postcode dependent. I will go and see my GP when I get nearer to target but thought I would ask here too.

Also (this maybe a question more for females but responses from anyone appreciated) but has anyone had their periods stop following a large amount of weight loss? I am aware that hormone levels are affected by weight loss and gain but I have always been on a regular 28/29 day cycle and then 3 months ago they stopped suddenly. Given my age I am well aware this could be the start of menopause but as I am a couple of years earlier than is considered normal for menopause I thought I would ask. Bizarrely I have also developed a crop of acne spots on the side of my neck in the last 3 months when I have always been relatively spot free (feel like I have developed the neck of a teenager, all I need now is a love bite and the look will be complete haha ) The reason I am wondering if it could be diet related rather than menopause is that when I was 20 I went on a very low calorie diet for 9 months and both the periods stopping and the neck spots happened in the last 2 months of that diet. However this time I am not on a VLCD and at nearly 13 stone am clearly still overweight so wouldn't have thought I should be affected. Although in the previous diet I did make it as low as 10 1/2 stone that was still in the healthy weight range so was surprised my periods stopped back then. Anyway I seem to have got to the rambling stage so if anyone has any experience of this and has any advice it would be much appreciated.

Bye for now,

Ellie

Old_Cat_Lady

It might not be menopause. Google extreme weight loss and period.
extreme weight loss may also be unintentionally impacting their menstrual cycles. Women without much fat on their bodies may have fewer periods or go longer without ovulating. Starvation, as well as extreme exercise and stress, can trigger an effect that suppresses the hypothalamus. their bodies simply stop making estrogen. Additionally, the lack of fat doesn't allow cells to convert cholesterol into extra estrogen.
Tell your doctor what is going on. Also mention any supplements you may be taking. Ex: Biotin can cause skin to break out.

cheryldumais

Hi Ellie, I'm not in the UK I'm in Canada but congrats on the amazing weight loss!!! Good job. Clearly you have been working hard over the last year or more. I wonder tho if maybe you are on a very low number of calories? You didn't say what you were taking in. When I was on very low calories I lost hair. Could this be causing the rash? This time around I have stayed around 1200 so no problems but I would definately check with your doctor to ensure there is nothing else going on. I'm past menopause so can't comment on losing your period. As for the loose skin I have the same problem. I've lost over 100 pounds (86 on MFP) and our medical insurance in Canada won't cover skin surgery. I've decided to do it anyway. I worked hard to get here and am going to finish the job. I know this wasn't much help but just wanted to say way to go! You are amazing and good luck on the rest of your journey.

MadameBovary

Thanks for the response. As I said I am aware there is a link between weight loss and hormone changes as have already googled it but as you pointed out most of the research suggests it is more likely to be in cases where there has been starvation or where there is very little body fat and at nearly 13st I wouldn't have thought I would fall into that category. I also eat between 1300- 1400 calories a day which at my current weight and activity level should be fine? But yes I will speak to a Doctor about it, I just wondered if anyone had experienced anything similar.

jemhh

Low energy availability, which is your calorie intake less your exercise calorie expenditure, can cause you to lose your period. There's some research indicating that when your EA goes below 20-30 calories per kg of lean mass, this can happen. The fact that this has only happened in the past couple of months is interesting since you have had a huge deficit in order to lose the weight. I would definitely see a doctor for a checkup. It could be nothing but it's worth a look.

FWIW, when I lost my period I had to eat at maintenance for a sustained period of time before it went back to normal (or as normal as mine ever gets.)