One for the ladies on the app or anyone of knowledge.
Clairecottam30
Posts: 19 Member
I've been dieting since last month, im on about 1200 calories a day, sometimes i go over as we all do and. so far I've lost about 9lb. My question is regarding menstruation. I've had 3 periods in 6 weeks now and it's never come this regular. Does a diet effect your monthly cycle. Has anyone else experienced this.
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Replies
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It can. Usually, it goes the other way though, I think. Women can lose their periods when they undereat.3
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It can, although if I had 3 periods in 6 weeks I'd probably going to my doctor about it because that would be totally abnormal for me. How old are you? Is it possibly perimenopause?3
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Clairecottam30 wrote: »I've been dieting since last month, im on about 1200 calories a day, sometimes i go over as we all do and. so far I've lost about 9lb. My question is regarding menstruation. I've had 3 periods in 6 weeks now and it's never come this regular. Does a diet effect your monthly cycle. Has anyone else experienced this.
Unless you have a ton of weight to lose, 9 lbs in a month is an awful fast rate.
Unless you’re very short, 1200 is not enough nutrition, either.
I’m guessing you’re burning the candle at both ends (since I’ve been there done that- like many ladies here.) cutting food and increasing exercise.
I lost 10 a month when I started, but I was 100 overweight, and could “afford” it without harming my body. I also never ate less than 1470/day, and upped that within a couple of months and then again a couple months after that, and yet again, a couple months after that. I still lost weight at 2100+ per day (highly active)- at 56 when all the cards were supposed to be stacked against me.
Stressing your body with that rapid a weight loss can play havoc with your period, cause hair loss (and malnourishment loss takes forevvvvver to grow back), cause fatigue and rapid mood swings, as well as muscle loss- your heart being the most important muscle in your body. You don’t want to risk damaging your heart.
Where did you get the 1200 calorie goal? How tall are you? Age? How active?
If your period is off enough that you’ve noticed it to this extreme, you need some medical advice, and hopefully, some time with a dietician.
I’m not trying to throw down on you. We’ve all done crazy *kitten* in the first throes of losing weight, but do it right. I have learned, through stupidity, trial and error, to respect and listen to the one body I’ve been gifted with. No, I’m not in the “My Body is a Temple” crowd, but your’s is talking to you. Listen up!!!6 -
springlering62 wrote: »Clairecottam30 wrote: »I've been dieting since last month, im on about 1200 calories a day, sometimes i go over as we all do and. so far I've lost about 9lb. My question is regarding menstruation. I've had 3 periods in 6 weeks now and it's never come this regular. Does a diet effect your monthly cycle. Has anyone else experienced this.
Unless you have a ton of weight to lose, 9 lbs in a month is an awful fast rate.
Unless you’re very short, 1200 is not enough nutrition, either.
I’m guessing you’re burning the candle at both ends (since I’ve been there done that- like many ladies here.) cutting food and increasing exercise.
I lost 10 a month when I started, but I was 100 overweight, and could “afford” it without harming my body. I also never ate less than 1470/day, and upped that within a couple of months and then again a couple months after that, and yet again, a couple months after that. I still lost weight at 2100+ per day (highly active)- at 56 when all the cards were supposed to be stacked against me.
Stressing your body with that rapid a weight loss can play havoc with your period, cause hair loss (and malnourishment loss takes forevvvvver to grow back), cause fatigue and rapid mood swings, as well as muscle loss- your heart being the most important muscle in your body. You don’t want to risk damaging your heart.
Where did you get the 1200 calorie goal? How tall are you? Age? How active?
If your period is off enough that you’ve noticed it to this extreme, you need some medical advice, and hopefully, some time with a dietician.
I’m not trying to throw down on you. We’ve all done crazy *kitten* in the first throes of losing weight, but do it right. I have learned, through stupidity, trial and error, to respect and listen to the one body I’ve been gifted with. No, I’m not in the “My Body is a Temple” crowd, but your’s is talking to you. Listen up!!!
Thanks for replying.
I'm 39, 5ft 5 and active at work (lifting and Steps...I work on a grocery department) When not at work I dont do any exercise tbh. My 1200 was actually given to me through this app, I put my details in and my target and it gave me the 1200pd goal which I've been sticking too.
My periods have been offish for a while, a week early or a week late etc but not to the point where I've had anything like I have the past month and half. I was just curious because I was speaking to some women at work who said the diet might be a factor too. I've got an appointment with my doctor.4 -
no1racefan2 wrote: »It can, although if I had 3 periods in 6 weeks I'd probably going to my doctor about it because that would be totally abnormal for me. How old are you? Is it possibly perimenopause?
Hi, I'm 39, yes I have got an appointment, i rang them yesterday as my first thought was actually "is it pre-menopausal" but after speaking to some colleagues they said the diet could be a factor too.2 -
Clairecottam30 wrote: »springlering62 wrote: »Clairecottam30 wrote: »I've been dieting since last month, im on about 1200 calories a day, sometimes i go over as we all do and. so far I've lost about 9lb. My question is regarding menstruation. I've had 3 periods in 6 weeks now and it's never come this regular. Does a diet effect your monthly cycle. Has anyone else experienced this.
Unless you have a ton of weight to lose, 9 lbs in a month is an awful fast rate.
Unless you’re very short, 1200 is not enough nutrition, either.
I’m guessing you’re burning the candle at both ends (since I’ve been there done that- like many ladies here.) cutting food and increasing exercise.
I lost 10 a month when I started, but I was 100 overweight, and could “afford” it without harming my body. I also never ate less than 1470/day, and upped that within a couple of months and then again a couple months after that, and yet again, a couple months after that. I still lost weight at 2100+ per day (highly active)- at 56 when all the cards were supposed to be stacked against me.
Stressing your body with that rapid a weight loss can play havoc with your period, cause hair loss (and malnourishment loss takes forevvvvver to grow back), cause fatigue and rapid mood swings, as well as muscle loss- your heart being the most important muscle in your body. You don’t want to risk damaging your heart.
Where did you get the 1200 calorie goal? How tall are you? Age? How active?
If your period is off enough that you’ve noticed it to this extreme, you need some medical advice, and hopefully, some time with a dietician.
I’m not trying to throw down on you. We’ve all done crazy *kitten* in the first throes of losing weight, but do it right. I have learned, through stupidity, trial and error, to respect and listen to the one body I’ve been gifted with. No, I’m not in the “My Body is a Temple” crowd, but your’s is talking to you. Listen up!!!
Thanks for replying.
I'm 39, 5ft 5 and active at work (lifting and Steps...I work on a grocery department) When not at work I dont do any exercise tbh. My 1200 was actually given to me through this app, I put my details in and my target and it gave me the 1200pd goal which I've been sticking too.
My periods have been offish for a while, a week early or a week late etc but not to the point where I've had anything like I have the past month and half. I was just curious because I was speaking to some women at work who said the diet might be a factor too. I've got an appointment with my doctor.
The calories are based on your stats and your weightloss goal. Basically you chose it. MFP will never give you less than 1200 calories, and hence if you want too much too fast you're given 1200. Chose a slower weightloss goal and you'll get a more realistic calorie amount5 -
Yup. What @yirara said.
Oh my goodness, I’d be gnawing my hand off at 1200 doing a lot of moving. Props to you for sticking it out, but make it easier on yourself before you crack.
Even if you slow it down, you’ll still lose, time will pass, and you’ll have such an improved statistical chance of keeping it off.
And props to the ladies at work, too, for picking up on it. They sound like a caring group. When I was working and trying to lose, mine didn’t give advice. They brought donuts and chocolates. They were more invested in keeping me at their status quo and I was happy to, um, bite into it. All I had to do was say,”I’m going to lose some weight” and treats would magically show up.
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As some context for what others are saying - that you may be trying to lose too fast (with which I agree):
I'm your height, 5'5". You don't say how much you weigh. I weighed 134 pounds this morning. I'm nearly twice your age (68).
Standard formulas estimate that I'd burn around 1200 calories daily just by being alive, even flat on my back in bed in a coma.
You're younger. We'd expect you to burn more just being alive than I would. I kind of hope you're heavier than I am now, because losing 9 pounds in a month IMO isn't a way to keep reasonable odds of good health unless well over 200 pounds. If you are heavier, you'd burn more just being alive than I would for that reason, too.
On top of that, you have an active job. If you were my size/your age, we'd expect you to burn 800-1000 calories daily that way in addition to the ones just to keep you alive. If you're heavier than me, it'd likely be more than 800-1000.
There isn't a hard and fast rule that no one should ever eat less than their "just staying alive" calories (basal metabolic rate, BMR). But it raises health risks, and tends to be unsustainable.
Potentially hormonal weirdness could be one of the health issues, but there are others: Muscle loss, hair thinning, gallbladder issues, and more. Are bad things guaranteed to happen? No. But risk goes up.
I strongly suspect you told MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. I hope you told it your activity level was at least "active".
"1200 was given to you through this app" because you told the app you wanted to lose weight fast, we're all guessing. That doesn't necessarily make it the best possible idea. MFP will not give you less than 1200 as a goal. Beyond that (seen as a minimum for just-adequate nutrition/energy), MFP does nothing to protect us from ourselves.
I accidentally lost weight too fast when I first joined MFP, not quite 2 pounds a week. (It happened because MFP underestimated my calorie needs by a lot, which is rare, but possible.) I felt great, energetic, not hungry . . . until I hit a wall, very suddenly. I got weak and fatigued. It took multiple weeks to recover. No one needs that.
We're not trying to gang up on you. We're concerned. We want to help you get all the way to goal weight, arrive there in thriving good health, then be able to stay there long term. That's the golden prize. Aiming for slower loss can sometimes get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than a theoretically fast rate that causes deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or giving up altogether (and maybe regain if that happens).
Maybe try to think of me as your concerned old internet auntie, who wants you to succeed . . . because that's absolutely where I'm coming from. The results are worth the patient effort.
Best wishes!4 -
Also note that 1200 - or any MFP given amount- is the net amount.
You are meant to eat back exercise calories on top of the net amount.3 -
As some context for what others are saying - that you may be trying to lose too fast (with which I agree):
I'm your height, 5'5". You don't say how much you weigh. I weighed 134 pounds this morning. I'm nearly twice your age (68).
Standard formulas estimate that I'd burn around 1200 calories daily just by being alive, even flat on my back in bed in a coma.
You're younger. We'd expect you to burn more just being alive than I would. I kind of hope you're heavier than I am now, because losing 9 pounds in a month IMO isn't a way to keep reasonable odds of good health unless well over 200 pounds. If you are heavier, you'd burn more just being alive than I would for that reason, too.
On top of that, you have an active job. If you were my size/your age, we'd expect you to burn 800-1000 calories daily that way in addition to the ones just to keep you alive. If you're heavier than me, it'd likely be more than 800-1000.
There isn't a hard and fast rule that no one should ever eat less than their "just staying alive" calories (basal metabolic rate, BMR). But it raises health risks, and tends to be unsustainable.
Potentially hormonal weirdness could be one of the health issues, but there are others: Muscle loss, hair thinning, gallbladder issues, and more. Are bad things guaranteed to happen? No. But risk goes up.
I strongly suspect you told MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. I hope you told it your activity level was at least "active".
"1200 was given to you through this app" because you told the app you wanted to lose weight fast, we're all guessing. That doesn't necessarily make it the best possible idea. MFP will not give you less than 1200 as a goal. Beyond that (seen as a minimum for just-adequate nutrition/energy), MFP does nothing to protect us from ourselves.
I accidentally lost weight too fast when I first joined MFP, not quite 2 pounds a week. (It happened because MFP underestimated my calorie needs by a lot, which is rare, but possible.) I felt great, energetic, not hungry . . . until I hit a wall, very suddenly. I got weak and fatigued. It took multiple weeks to recover. No one needs that.
We're not trying to gang up on you. We're concerned. We want to help you get all the way to goal weight, arrive there in thriving good health, then be able to stay there long term. That's the golden prize. Aiming for slower loss can sometimes get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than a theoretically fast rate that causes deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or giving up altogether (and maybe regain if that happens).
Maybe try to think of me as your concerned old internet auntie, who wants you to succeed . . . because that's absolutely where I'm coming from. The results are worth the patient effort.
Best wishes!
Thanks so much for ur advice. I'm currently sat at about 10.7ish. I did put moderately active when I signed up and I do eat bk my calories I burn. Not all of them. So someone my age and weight etc.. what would be a realistic goal calorie wise to loose it slower and keep it off0 -
I've changed my settings to loose 1lb a week instead of 1.5 and my calorie intake has gone up by 450, from 1200 to 1650. Is that a better thing?6
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Much! Ann always has such great advice and explains things so well!1
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Clairecottam30 wrote: »I've changed my settings to loose 1lb a week instead of 1.5 and my calorie intake has gone up by 450, from 1200 to 1650. Is that a better thing?
Yay, you! Take that first 9 pounds as an unintentional win, slow it down and enjoy the extra calories, and learn those habits to KEEP it off.
PS: do expect the weight to fluctuate with the calorie increase. It’s just a temporary flutter and then you should see more loss.
Slower is so much more sustainable, and the calendar pages flip faster than we can keep up with.
I’m fixing to celebrate five (six? Hafta verify! ) years here. It has FLOWN by.3 -
Clairecottam30 wrote: »As some context for what others are saying - that you may be trying to lose too fast (with which I agree):
I'm your height, 5'5". You don't say how much you weigh. I weighed 134 pounds this morning. I'm nearly twice your age (68).
Standard formulas estimate that I'd burn around 1200 calories daily just by being alive, even flat on my back in bed in a coma.
You're younger. We'd expect you to burn more just being alive than I would. I kind of hope you're heavier than I am now, because losing 9 pounds in a month IMO isn't a way to keep reasonable odds of good health unless well over 200 pounds. If you are heavier, you'd burn more just being alive than I would for that reason, too.
On top of that, you have an active job. If you were my size/your age, we'd expect you to burn 800-1000 calories daily that way in addition to the ones just to keep you alive. If you're heavier than me, it'd likely be more than 800-1000.
There isn't a hard and fast rule that no one should ever eat less than their "just staying alive" calories (basal metabolic rate, BMR). But it raises health risks, and tends to be unsustainable.
Potentially hormonal weirdness could be one of the health issues, but there are others: Muscle loss, hair thinning, gallbladder issues, and more. Are bad things guaranteed to happen? No. But risk goes up.
I strongly suspect you told MFP you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. I hope you told it your activity level was at least "active".
"1200 was given to you through this app" because you told the app you wanted to lose weight fast, we're all guessing. That doesn't necessarily make it the best possible idea. MFP will not give you less than 1200 as a goal. Beyond that (seen as a minimum for just-adequate nutrition/energy), MFP does nothing to protect us from ourselves.
I accidentally lost weight too fast when I first joined MFP, not quite 2 pounds a week. (It happened because MFP underestimated my calorie needs by a lot, which is rare, but possible.) I felt great, energetic, not hungry . . . until I hit a wall, very suddenly. I got weak and fatigued. It took multiple weeks to recover. No one needs that.
We're not trying to gang up on you. We're concerned. We want to help you get all the way to goal weight, arrive there in thriving good health, then be able to stay there long term. That's the golden prize. Aiming for slower loss can sometimes get a person to goal weight in less calendar time than a theoretically fast rate that causes deprivation-triggered over-eating, breaks in the action, or giving up altogether (and maybe regain if that happens).
Maybe try to think of me as your concerned old internet auntie, who wants you to succeed . . . because that's absolutely where I'm coming from. The results are worth the patient effort.
Best wishes!
Thanks so much for ur advice. I'm currently sat at about 10.7ish. I did put moderately active when I signed up and I do eat bk my calories I burn. Not all of them. So someone my age and weight etc.. what would be a realistic goal calorie wise to loose it slower and keep it off
Follow what MFP recommends, sticking pretty close, for a 4-6 weeks (including the activity calories, especially if they're from a synced fitness tracker - but for sure eat a standard percentage of them during this time period). That's enough data to estimate a reasonable average loss rate based on your own experience data, which will be the best estimate. If you have menstrual cycles, go long enough to be comparing body weight at the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles.
Then, subtract ending weight from starting weight, divide by the number of weeks. That's your average weekly loss rate in real life. If your experienced loss rate differs from your starting loss per week goal, adjust your calorie goal based on experience. Use the rule of thumb that 500 calories per day is about a pound a week (plus arithmetic for partial pounds). That should work fine.
Calculators (like the one built into MFP) or fitness trackers are the best, most scientific starting guess - assuming we set all the values accurately. However, those are just statistical estimates, basically the average for similar people. We're individuals so can differ from average. Most of us are close, but a rare few can be quite far off.
So we follow that starting estimate long enough to get solid personal data, and then use the personal data to personalize our calorie goal. I hope that makes sense!Clairecottam30 wrote: »I've changed my settings to loose 1lb a week instead of 1.5 and my calorie intake has gone up by 450, from 1200 to 1650. Is that a better thing?
It's a lower health risk, and probably easier to stick with long enough to reach goal weight. That seems better to me!
Best wishes for success - let us know how it's going if you feel up to it, eh?3 -
Ooops, duplicate post!0
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