Day 7- Dairy isn't meant for humans, Amenorrhea
My day...
-8:15am: Spark
-10:15am: Baked apple, sauteed banana, cinnamon :):)
-12:15pm: Apple, banana, jerky
-2:15pm: Apple, banana, jerky
-4pm: Probiotics
-5:30pm: Green and red peppers, tomatoes
-7:30pm: eggs over easy with Sriracha, blueberries
-10:30pm: Omega-3s, Salad- romaine, spinach, Italian dressing, avocado, sun flower seeds
-Herbal Cleanse before bed
-12pm-4:30pm: Drove from Milwaukee to Marquette.
My thoughts...
Last night, I was curious as to why dairy food was so bad for your body, so I did a little research and came across this article written by Dr. Mark Hyman.
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| Dr. Mark Hyman |
Even though the dairy aspect of yogurt makes it "bad," I started eating yogurt as a teenager because of the bacterial benefits (I know that sounds weird). Here's my explanation:
When I was in high school, I took medication for acne. The medication's job was to remove the bacteria from my body that causes acne. It worked REALLY well! However, a woman's body needs this said bacteria in order to prevent the growth of yeast in their, dare I say, "hoo-ha." My dermatologist strongly advised me to eat yogurt everyday in order to prevent yeast infections. It defintely worked, because I got two yeast infections almost back-to-back at first, but then they subsided. This strategy is also true for women taking any kind of anti-biotic. Therefore, I'm tempted to keep eating Greek yogurt for that reason ONLY.
I also wanted to address Amenorrhea.
[Amenorrhea is the absense of a menstrual period in a woman of a reproductive age. Its caused by hormonal disturbances due to weight loss via dieting or significant amounts of exercise. It can also be caused by bone loss due to old age or lack of nutrients. Treatments include oestrogen therapy and/or decreasing exercise and increasing caloric intake].
Long story short: Please, make sure you're eating enough if you're exercising and dieting!
Short story long: When I was eight years old, I started running cross country in the Fall and track and field in the Spring. Since that age, I remained highly active in all sorts of sports year round. By the time I turned 17, I never had a period and was advised by my doctor to start taking birth control in order to menstruate. Within three months, my bodyweight went from 125lbs to 140lbs and I finally got my period. Throughout college, I experimented with going off the pill to see if I could menstruate on my own. The result was natural weightloss and my periods disappearing. Since my weightloss during The Challenge, I haven't experienced Amenorrhea... yet? My period has come a week early though. I'm hoping its just "a thing" and not a problem. Does any other girl have a situation similar to this? Have you received treatment or fixed it?
posted by Frankie @ 5:45 AM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
I had this awesome novel written about my experience with Amenorrhea, but I managed to eff it up and delete it. GAH! Anyways, here's the slimmed-down version:
At thirteen, I weighed 177lbs and was easily considered overweight. I got sick of it, so I began exercising like a maniac (school sports and mild lifting) and severely restricted my diet (looking back, far too much). I got down to 123lbs by freshman year, and my period stopped entirely. Not surprising, as 123lbs for a 5'7" gal with a rather large frame, is just too small. But, at the time, I was highly impressionable and just glad to be thin. Gotta love high school!
I went to the doc, who advised me to gain some weight. Easier said than done for someone who's is effectively addicted to working out and whose diet is unrealistically restricted, but I did it anyway. I put on ten pounds in about three months, and badabing-badaboom, back came the period. And much to my freaking surprise because that shit never happens at a convenient time. So basically, like yours, my cycle seems to be highly dependent upon my weight, and I've found that 133 is about the magic number for me at this point. However, to this day whenever I bump up the intensity of my workouts, my period is ALWAYS affected, and may even skip a cycle now and then. I've since learned a great deal about proper nutrition and am currently attempting to convert to a damn-near-vegan diet, so I'll let you know how/if this affects anything. Keep the updates coming girl!
Bobbie Jo,
I totally got e-mailed that "novel" you mentioned! So, no effort was lost! Also, you should definitely blog about your experiences; they seem pretty intense (and helpful)! Anywho, thank you so much for sharing your experience with Amenorrhea with me!
QUESTION: When the doctor advised you to gain some weight, how did you accomplish it? Was the weight gain muscle mass as a result of more weight lifting, or fat as a result of more eating?
I'm still a little frustrated because I'm only 5'3" and currently weigh 131lbs... So, for my height I'm not underweight at all. I know my body fat percentage has always been lower (usually around 14%), but in my eyes, I still weigh "enough" and I'm even pushing it to weight "too much" for my height. According to weight watchers, if I'm "average," my ideal weight is 115, if I'm an athlete, my ideal weight is 126.5lbs. I talked to my doctor and we're going to be conducting a blood test and make sure my hormonal levels are normal. I have a feeling my amenorrhea is a cause of a hormonal imbalance... we'll see!
Until then, let me know if you start a blog and I'll subscribe to you! WE SHALL BE BLOG-BUDDIES, or, dare I say, PEN-PALS.
Thanks again, Bobbie Jo!
Jessie
Hey Jess!
Apologies for the lag on my reply. Shit got cray. Anyways, in response to your question, my weight gain was a result of both added muscle mass from lifting and increased body fat. I wouldn't say I increased the amount I worked out really at all. In allowing myself to take in more calories (at this time, I was drinking multiple whey protein shakes per day, eating a lot of protein bars, etc.), my fat percentage went up, but my muscle mass also increased because I gave my body more fuel to work with.
Prior to my weight gain, I hardly took in any "fat" whatsoever. I didn't understand the difference between unhealthy and healthy fats, and just assumed they were all out to get me. After seeing my physician, I let some fat back into my diet and just started eating more in general. I still wouldn't touch junk food, but I did up my intake of red meats and oils.
In the months following this dietary change, I reached my peak bench press in high school: 135lbs! Which, for all those keeping score at home, was two pounds more than my body weight :) byah!
So anyways, additional caloric intake is how I put on a few pounds, and in doing so, I became much stronger. Side-note, I see you're working on cutting out dairy, and I've been doing the same as much as possible for the past month+.
Greek yogurt and cottage cheese are the only dairy left in my diet, simply because they're high in protein. I only buy plain, nonfat Greek yogurt, and I'm not terribly fond of the taste. However, a little trick I picked up is to actually flavor it with Miio water flavorings. They. Work. GREAT! Just in case you were looking for a little something extra to add to your list of acceptable snacks :) Also, I've switched to almond and soy milk and love them both like whoa. They are excellent for everything smoothie, which I am also a huge fan of.
Lookin' good girl; keep it up!
Bobs
Bobbie Jo,
Thank you for letting me in on your strategies. I am a huge fan of fats, especially avocado, natural peanut butter and fish. That MIO thing with yogurt is friggin' BRILLIANT!! However, I'm going to keep I out at least until the end of The Challenge.
I've decided to stop birth control and set an appointment to test my hormone levels. I'm hoping that from these changes I made in my diet, I'll become healthy naturally, but we'll see what doc has to say next month!
Jessie
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