For the female members...

Margie · 14-Jul-04, 07:55 AM

Has anyone lost their period due to a lot of exercises and a low fat diet and stress? I haven't had mine for 3 months now. Any recommendations as to what to do?

Thanks,

Margie

Andrea · 14-Jul-04, 08:02 AM

I had the same problem before. I went to the doctor about it and she said it was normal. I didn't have mine for 4 months and then it came back. How long have you been exercising? Are you just starting out?

Margie · 14-Jul-04, 07:23 PM

Hello,

Thank you for replying.

I've only been exercising for 3 or 4 months, mainly calanetics and aerobics. I have reduced the exercises to light morning stretching now. It's very likely that my period stopped due to the very low and restricted diet plan I've been following (basically just fruits, veggies and honey).

How did you manage to stabilize your period frequency and how long did it take? I don't really want to take any hormones, as this would very probably lead to weight gaining..

Margie

Andrea · 14-Jul-04, 08:05 PM

There was a lot going on in my life when I didn't have a period for 4 months. There were 2 deaths in my family within 6 months so that's mainly why. After I snapped out of my depressed mood, my period went back to normal after about 2 weeks. It's been normal and back on track ever since. I went from eating 800 calories a day to 1200 calories a day as well. If you don't mind me asking, what's your age and weight? Are you a vegetarian and how many calories are you eating a day? It sounds like your not eating enough.

fawn · 15-Jul-04, 12:53 AM

i experienced the same thing. I stopped menstruating and my theory is that i eat so little amount of protein. Mainly carbs, fiber (from oatmeal, fruits, veggies and breads) I went to an ob-gyne and found out i have numerous cysts in both my ovaries. I took medications to have my period(i still didn't eat right while taking them). Right now, i'm trying to eat right, but its hard not wanting to gain fat yet i have to gain weight. Coz this is what my dr told me, to gain more fat.

I'm 5'2 weighing 47 kg. I don't know my BF% is, though i can see my obliques after i woke up in the morning. And still slightly visible throughout the day ( coz my stomach usually feel bloated within the day)

Margie · 15-Jul-04, 05:31 AM

Andrea, you probably lost your period due to stress rather than eating and exercising. I'm 21, 170cm and I weight about 55-56kg. I'm not vegetarian, but I had this crazy idea to go on raw food for 4 months when I only consumed about 500-800kcal per day. And it worked fine for me coz I lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, I'm having troubles now trying to go back to a normal eating plan, as I keep overeating and then starving. I'm aiming for a balanced diet with 1000-1200kcal with which to maintain my current weight. Hopefully I'll manage to adopt one soon.

I'm not sure how serious the lack of my period is, but I'd really like it to stabilize naturally. Did they make you take any hormones in your case?

Margie

**Lady C** · 15-Jul-04, 09:02 AM

Margie
From my calculations you are approx 125 lbs @5'-7", this would take about 1400 kcal just to SUPPORT this body without activity. Eating less than this is not recommended, in fact, you should probably increase your mass to 63kg (140lbs) by adding lean muscle. You can only do this by adding resistance training and eating MORE to support that activity. I suspect that if you would get your eating habits and activity level more inline that things would return as normal.

Andrea · 15-Jul-04, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margie

Andrea, you probably lost your period due to stress rather than eating and exercising. I'm 21, 170cm and I weight about 55-56kg. I'm not vegetarian, but I had this crazy idea to go on raw food for 4 months when I only consumed about 500-800kcal per day. And it worked fine for me coz I lost a lot of weight. Unfortunately, I'm having troubles now trying to go back to a normal eating plan, as I keep overeating and then starving. I'm aiming for a balanced diet with 1000-1200kcal with which to maintain my current weight. Hopefully I'll manage to adopt one soon.

I'm not sure how serious the lack of my period is, but I'd really like it to stabilize naturally. Did they make you take any hormones in your case?

Margie

They didn't make me take any hormones. I don't think they would recommend that for not having a period but I'm not sure. I know it's hard to get back to eating right and healthy but you need to soon. We are all here for you when you need advice. Feel free to ask anyone of us.

: Hang in there and don't give up!!

Margie · 15-Jul-04, 12:54 PM

Many thanks for your support!

Lady_C, my metabolism has slowed down and I don't know if my body could cope with 1400cal. I suppose I'll change the calories on a daily basis to see how my body responds.

Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes.

Regards,

Margie

Andrea · 15-Jul-04, 01:11 PM

Keep us updated for sure!!

**Lady C** · 15-Jul-04, 03:42 PM

It needs to be a gradual increase and the quality of the food you are consuming is EXTREMELY important. Mostly veggies and some lean proteins and you will be just fine