Ladies! (Can't find powder room forum) Question on cycle

[Heather I 500]

Hello!

So am almost 6 months out, -60 lbs, and my weight loss has totally stalled the past two months, which coincides with my starting up at the gym spinning 3-5x a week and doing weights 1-2x a week (Pump class,) plus walking about 2 miles a day maybe 2x a week (weather permitting.)

In two months I have lost 3% body fat, and I'm physically smaller/more toned at this weight/size than I was before I gained all my weight, so I do feel the exercise is toning me up well.

I'm losing a LOT of hair, but what I'm really concerned about is I'm on day 34 with no period!

I'm 44 years old, husband had a vasectomy years ago, and I am not pregnant (bought a test, just to be sure.) I'm like clockwork every 25-26 days, and after childbirth both times immediately resumed a regular cycle, as well as after gastric sleeve surgery -- never missed a beat.

Has anyone had a cycle disruption after being super regular their whole life? Kind of freaked out over here. I am seeing my PCP today and will ask him, but he doesn't have bariatric/gyno specialization, obviously, so not sure how much he can help me.

Also, do you think this may explain the stalled weight loss? I usually retain a good 3-5 lbs beforehand and lose 5-6 after my period, and even buckling down at the gym and food more so than before, the pounds aren't budging. I'm not going under 1000 calories or over 1400, hitting my Protein and Water targets daily.

Ideas?

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

I never had a time that I didn't have a period. I was losing rapidly and I was having 2 periods a month for about 9 months. I always had regular periods until VSG, then I started having one every 2 weeks.

Have you had any recent blood work?

Do you think you have started menopause early?

Are you sure you are eating enough calories to support your work outs?

When I saw my gyno about it, she said there was nothing she could give me, my body had to work it out, and giving me something could make it worse not better.

Have your blood tested, and go from there.

[Airstream88 361]

I thought I was close to menopause prior to surgery then had the period from h*ll for 6 weeks this past January/February (3 months after RNY surgery). I went to my OB/GYN and she said my estrogen/progesterone levels were unbalanced due to losing the weight so fast. She put me on progesterone for 10 days right then which stopped my period after a week, and then I take it the first 10 days of each month. I'm really not sure what's going to happen this month. It did not effect my weight loss.

Exercise is only 20% of the weight loss puzzle. Have you increased your Protein intake since you started working out much? I make sure to get 90g on workout days and 1200 calories. Are you eating enough? According to recent studies, the body will not let you exercise yourself to death.

[Heather I 500]

@OutsideMatchInside, I did have my blood work done in anticipation of the PCP appointment, and I'm no longer pre diabetic (yay!) and at 5.5% A1C, off BP meds, and my cholesterol is always very healthy and low.

I am getting 90-100 Protein a day and hitting Water targets every day, and taking multivitamin/calcium/etc. as directed by bariatric team, and all my levels are good.

I never am below 1000 calories, sometimes going up to 1500 on a bad day (eek!) and would say I'm averaging about 1200. You think that's too much?

I did talk to my aunt who is closer to my age (10 years older,) and she said her periods started getting wonky/late at exactly this time and I fit the family profile (who knew?) so I guess that's it? Just kind of a reality check I'm getting older. Menopause? Really? Yikes!

@Airstream88, I haven't increased my protein, but I'm always sure to hit 90-100 grams per my nutritionist. I'm seeing muscle tone in my arms, back, and chest, and significant toning of the loose flab in the thigh area, plus more toned cellulite appearance. I am happy with the exercise results and feeling more coordinated at the gym/able to keep up and push myself now that I have gone consistently and am -60 lbs, but I'm for sure frustrated at the stalled weight loss.

IDK.

I'm a menopausal woman I guess? My PCP said give it 2 more weeks with no period, then call my Gyno to be checked out.

[OutsideMatchInside 10,166]

@Heather I

WLS knocks some people out of menopause and others into it.

[Airstream88 361]

On 3/18/2017 at 7:30 AM, Heather I said:

I haven't increased my Protein, but I'm always sure to hit 90-100 grams per my nutritionist. I'm seeing muscle tone in my arms, back, and chest, and significant toning of the loose flab in the thigh area, plus more toned cellulite appearance. I am happy with the exercise results and feeling more coordinated at the gym/able to keep up and push myself now that I have gone consistently and am -60 lbs, but I'm for sure frustrated at the stalled weight loss.

IDK.

I'm a menopausal woman I guess? My PCP said give it 2 more weeks with no period, then call my Gyno to be checked out.

You may just be exercising too much! Your body may be in survival mode. I've found that the days I work out the scale doesn't move the next day. But I only work out for 90 minutes 2x a week with a trainer and then 20 minutes on my recumbent bike 2 -3 mornings Fri-Sun. I don't exercise on the days after my workouts with the trainer. I haven't stalled at all in the 5 months since surgery. If you are feeling great and can see the difference then don't pay attention to the number on the scale.

[JKC2016 82]

Do you have a scale that measures body fat? Sounds like you are losing fat and gaining lean, which is absolutely fantastic. I love my Aria scale and Fitbit. Plenty of days when my weight doesn't drop my body fat does.

[Heather I 500]

So, I'm on day 56 no period. Still working out 3-5x a week, walking 10,000 steps more often now that weather is improving, pushing harder at spin and lifting more weight at Pump class. I looked back, and my weight really has been bouncing around the same 3 lbs since I joined the gym in January, and my last period was in early February.

After two months of working out, I finally feel like I can keep up and push myself in classes. Before it felt more like surviving the classes, now I'm enjoying pushing myself.

I started at 52% body fat day of surgery, am at 42% body fat now after losing 55-60 lbs. Physically, I'm smaller at this size/weight than I was originally putting on the weight, and my saddlebags are going, cellulite going away, some muscle tone in arms and back, tummy toning. All good stuff, frustrated at the lack of lbs lost, but am meeting with NUT and bariatric surgeon for 6-month follow-up this Friday. I'll ask them what they think.

I guess this is menopause for me! Still losing a lot of hair, despite all labs coming back good. Off BP meds, A1C perfect. Funny aside, got mammogram done and tech doing it said she can tell I'm working out, my pec muscle is larger on the mammogram! Showed me the pic, LOL.

Boobs may be deflated and smaller, but the pecs underneath are gaining!

[Heather I 500]

Update:

So I went 59 days of no period, then got a normal one, and am now on what I'm guessing is my second skipped period, at day 33 with no cycle.

I dropped 5+ lbs after my last period, so I definitely am still retaining Water and following my cycle of bloated/leaner before and after. I asked the NUT and she said if I skip more than two periods in a six-month cycle, call my Gyno and let them know. She didn't know if it was weight loss or coincidental age bringing on the perimenopausal stuff, but just giving an update.

I guess I'm in it now! Plucking the chin goat hairs in earnest now. . . .

[hermione53 157]

My cycles have been all over the place since surgery 5 months ago. They'd gone wonky over the last two years so I knew I was in perimenopause, but they seem to be even wonkier. At one point I spotted for two weeks. I also seem to get very short and light periods every three weeks rather than four. Then suddenly I once had a brief burst of heavy flow. I figure that this is perimenopause mixed with post-surgical/ weight loss hormone fluctuations. I haven't done a good job of tracking correlations of stalls and cycles, though. I hope you get yours and drop some weight soon. It sounds like you're doing great!!!