Increasing calories, cutting down cardio, letting a coach guide me

[barlean]

I F(22) been on my fitness journey for a while, always lifting weights, always doing cardio, always under eating. I have some hormonal issues now because of the way that I’ve been eating so i decided to hire a coach and a nutritionist bedsides from my doctor that is helping me w the hormonal problem. I am scared because my coach completely eliminated my cardio, put me on a program that has two days of rest while working with my nutritionist which upped my calories from 1,500 to 2070 I’m 5’2 and weight 108-110lbs I am so happy about it but also scared. I’m fully committing to getting my period back and building some serious muscle while decreasing my fat but in my brain it doesn’t make sense how I’ll be able to do that with those calories, those rest days and no cardio although I’m committing because I was burning 2,200 cal while eating 1,500 and I think because of my hormonal issues I was getting puffy and retaining excess body fat. Any encouraging words for this new chapter of my life, I know I’m gonna do everything I’m told cause I want to be healthy and I want to commit to something new and not try to control and change everything but it’s scary.

 

[dawn16]

@barlean Take it from somebody that does little to no cardio, I built the most muscle when not doing cardio and focusing on lifting moderate to heavy weight. Contrary to belief I also lost fat doing this approach as well. You got this

 

[intermediary]

@barlean I’m 49 and spent the last 16 mos rebalancing my hormones. I’ve worked with a holistic nutritionist, hormone doctor and fitness coach to tackle the problem. I traded Orangetheory HIIT for just lower impact exercise like walking, Pilates and weight lifting. You’ll be happy to know that I’ve lost more body fat and inches than I did taxing my body with HIIT. So I wouldn’t stress about not doing cardio. In fact, it takes time to reprogram your brain to realize that it doesn’t have to be “no pain no gain”.

The only caveat I’ll share is that I don’t do these all at once. We layered it. I first changed my diet to help with hormone balance and I did zero tracking. I lost weight, but I also eliminated sugar, alcohol and all the foods that were irritating my gut. Once my bloodwork got where it needed to be; I shifted to my cut where I’m tracking now and eating in a deficit. I’m not suggesting that your team is wrong for the calorie req they’re giving you, just make sure that you’re in open dialogue with them so you understand each other’s objectives. Sometimes you have to let your body heal before it’s ready to shed. So you may need to eat for awhile at their recommendation but then shift after a few weeks of data.

Wishing you much success on this journey. The body is a delicate puzzle but you’re going to feel so much better!!!

 

[cookie3482]

@intermediary If you don’t mind me asking, what bloodwork markers were you working on initially for tracking hormone balance (or maybe inflammation)?

 

[intermediary]

@cookie3482 Sure, I did what they call a Full Monty panel which you can look up and see all that they test. I also did a Female Hormone panel #2 that also tests progesterone, estradiol, and testosterone. These are both more extensive than what I’m outlining but if you go to LabCorp’s website, you can see the detailed definitions. Essentially; it’s a comprehensive metabolic panel, all your blood markers and blood recycling, nutrients and minerals and hormones. The hormone test must be done on days 19, 20, 21 of your cycle. If a doctor tells you they can’t test hormones effectively…RUN. It’s bullshit. I ended up paying out of pocket and worked with a holistic doctor because perimenopause has been hell and American doctors tell you to suck it up.

 

[cookie3482]

@intermediary Thanks so much for the detailed response!
I too have been frustrated with the advice to suck it up from Drs, and have also been told that testing hormones would be useless without me coming off birth control.

 

[intermediary]

@cookie3482 Well they are correct about that. Birth control is controlling your hormones so it’s worthless to test it. I was on BC for 25 yrs - before the knew the damage it does to our endocrine system. But I got on to manage my painful periods when in fact it just masks the problems. As soon as I got off BC, the problems I had at 15 came back at 39. I was tired of pumping my body with chemicals so I’ve had to resort to finding natural ways to undo all the harm BC caused. Not to scare you…LOL.

 

[cookie3482]

@intermediary Ah, yes I worded that poorly. I was trying to get a read on androgen and adrenal hormones, which should not be affected by my form of birth control.
Sounds like you had a difficult but rewarding path figuring things out!

 

[barlean]

@intermediary I know, no worries, everyone is different so the way your team worked w you was catered to you, I’m happy I got help and even with one day of eating more, ONE DAY, I started to feel better, I even got more steps in without even noticing and normally at work I’m always sitting on the chair, yesterday I was walking and moving more, I’m excited to see what happens next

 

[sirleibl1]

@intermediary I love every bit of this. I second the request to ask what blood markers your dr monitored? Congratulations too on getting balanced. That alone is so much!

 

[naate]

@barlean I lost my period (and got it back) and have read a lot about it. To gain your period back you will most likely need to gain weight (probably mostly fat), stop exercising, and remove as much stress as possible. Most sources recommend at least 2500 calories per day. Running/cardio also seems to be uniquely bad for period recovery - so absolutely don't do that. If you really want you can walk, but do it because you enjoy it not with the intent to burn calories. You may still recover while doing strength training - some people say doing LIGHT strength training helped because it was relaxing for them. But if ANY form of exercise is stressful for you, AVOID it if you are serious about getting your period back.

I will also say that this is something that not a lot of doctors take seriously. Many doctors will just write a prescription for the pill, which will usually induce a period while you take the pill, but when you stop your period may or may not actually come back. You are not an unhealthy weight, so you could try the pill or other hormones if your doctor wants to go that route.

Check out r/Amenorrhearecovery

And here is a link to a book about amenorrhea that I learnt a lot from: https://www.amazon.com/Period-Now-What-Regaining-Improving/dp/099723668X

 

[midushi]

@naate agreed, I was having hormonal problems and refused to acknowledge it was probable due to my very low body fat percentage. After insistence from my husband to stop counting calories and actively try to gain 5-10 pounds, I pulled the trigger because I was so tired of feeling terrible. I've gained 4lbs so far and boy it makes such a big difference. My body dysmorphia keeps telling me I look chunky but I'm just trying to drown that voice out because I feel so much healthier and energized, brain fog is mostly gone and even anxiety is down.

 

[naate]

@midushi Absolutely. I'm so glad you're recovering and that its helping you feel better.

 

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[dawn16]

@barlean It makes sense that you can burn 2000 calories a day if you’re working out 5x a week. The extra calories will go to muscle development

 

[barlean]

@dawn16 I’m really working towards that goal

 

[kelly4653]

@barlean I weighed less than you and had to get up over 2000 calories in order to even SLOWLY gain weight. I started at 1400, so I get where you’re coming from. There was zero cardio being done at that time too.

 

[down325442]

@barlean I am in the same boat as you. I'm 5'0, in the 80s for weight, do strength training, and walk a lot. No period for a year now. Did your specialists give you any other advice? I'd love to know. I don't live in an area w any HA specialists (the last dr I went to just wanted to put me on birth control and told me to cut carbs LMAO).

 

[barlean]

@down325442 I would recommend getting blood work so you know what’s going on, it’s definitely not normal and everyone’s process is different so I wouldn’t like to comment on that

 

[baptistbiblebeliever]

@down325442 You probably have to gain weight. And get supplements if you have any deficiencies.

Eat a balanced diet with also lots of healthy fats. Healthy fats are especially important for balancing hormones.
Don’t cut carbs but eat carbs like sweet potatoes, oatmeal, carby fruits & vegetables and other whole grains.