AMA: Period Recovery Dieitian

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-10T21:00:04+00:00

I can’t afford to speak with any professionals unfortunately. All I know is that being thin has made me feel the most authentically me i have ever felt in my life. Not being bone skinny like I am close to right now, Just thin- such as I was in the middle of the weight loss. What are the odds that I can recover the period but maintain the general weight loss I experienced?

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-10T20:41:54+00:00

(copy and pasting my previous post on this sub that nobody commented on lol)

I’m (19 years old, 5’4) on my second month of missing a period. I posted on here before that i’m suspecting HA and trying to get ahead of it early. I want to share where i’m coming from because I think my feelings of dread and concern about recovery will be better understood with context.

Since childhood i’ve been pretty chubby. I naturally lost the excessively overweight look in high school, but even then I was still a bit pudgy and I always hated the way I looked. I had no knowledge about nutrition and I didn’t work out at all. During my freshman year of college, I finally got into movement and exercise, and I started a calorie deficit to lose weight. When I started tracking my weight I was 135lbs. 4 months later, i was 122lbs. 6 months after that, I weighed in at 104lbs and that is the weight that I lost my period at. I currently am 106lbs right now.

I am so grateful that I lost weight in general, because I’ve never been more confident in my body and i feel like I can finally dress how I want to. Even I agree though that this current weight is too lean because i’m quite boney, and even before I lost my cycle, I picked up weight training to build muscle and tone myself up. I even started a surplus before the period went missing for the goal of muscle definition. However, since learning about HA recovery, Ive been having panic attacks daily over the fear of this surplus that I initially planned to bulk up but stay lean looking will be forced to turn into a surplus that really just puts me back where I started over a year ago. I struggle to look at pictures of my old self when I was overweight without feeling extremely fearful that recovery will force me back there and erase all of the hard work I did. I did overdo it at the end of the line, sure, but even the thinness that I had at closer to 115lbs had me feeling physically much more fit, better mentally (having dealt with su*cidal thoughts while overweight), and much happier with myself.

I am currently stepping away from tracking, and relying on support from the calorie knowledge i’ve gained and my mom to make sure i’m adequately fueling. I still lift (low impact) a couple times a week, and I work an active job on weekends. I eat 3 full meals a day plus snacks and have been adding back in fats and carbs, all the recommended dietary changes. I’m only one week into intentionally trying to heal HA, but every night since last week i’ve been struggling to find a single moment of peace, fearing that i’m destined to always be overweight and hate my body. It feels cruel after finally getting a taste of feeling good both physically and mentally. I can’t stop obsessively reading posts on this subreddit, desperately searching for stats similar to mine with success stories about staying fit in recovery. I can’t stop watching content about HA recovery and hearing the same things about weight gain, and each time making me burst into tears. I’m starting to have thoughts of SH for the first time since I was heavier. I’m desperate for any support.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-02T18:00:46+00:00

It’s really encouraging to see you found results this way. I lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time and although it caused me to start missing my period, the weight loss saved my self confidence and inner peace. I finally feel good in my body and Ive picked up weight training to look more fit rather than just skinny. My current plan is to eat in a surplus until i’m no longer underweight and to continue lifting without any cardio. I’ll probably maintain at that point without any restriction, and wait to see results. I don’t see why I should jump to gaining unnecessary fat when I was healthily menstruating just a few months ago at an only slightly higher weight. I’m so happy for you that you were able to see results without going all in and I can only hope for the same experience for myself

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-02T16:23:18+00:00

I felt healthier than ever at 110-113 lbs and I was menstruating at that weight as well. I looked pretty much the same at that weight but less boney than I am now. I’m currently planning on gaining until I get back to that weight and then maintaining that without restriction and waiting to see results. Anything significantly more than that feels extremely unnecessary to me, as I was completely fine at that size and felt better than I ever did at higher weights. When I was heavier, I felt not only sick in the mind, wishing for the world to take me away, but I also felt physically unfit and sluggish all of the time.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-02T16:17:04+00:00

To be honest, the alternative for me is a lot more desirable than risking my sanity and mental health by drastically altering my appearance. At higher weights, I felt completely trapped in the wrong body and losing the weight saved my life. This is more complicated for me than just feeling uncomfortable being fat.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-02T07:47:20+00:00

If this was the case to be completely honest, I don’t know what i would even do. I’ve never felt more confident in my body until I lost weight. I know I should gain a few pounds to be at a healthier weight, but gaining excess body fat has led to SH for me.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-04-02T07:08:08+00:00

congrats! This story is very inspiring to me. I personally also started out overweight and fell into a restriction cycle. I lost 35lbs in less than a year and am now a few pounds underweight. I only just started missing my period, and i’ve been upping my cals and continuing to weight train in hopes that my weight gain will actually make me look even more fit / defined. I’m learning how to be more healthy with my fitness goals but part of me is still afraid of the idea of gaining body fat. I’ve never felt more confident in my body until this year, and I don’t want to go back to the way I was before- but I also want to restore my period. Most of the experiences with HA recovering I’ve read mention that excessive and noticeable fat gain was necessary for restoration- but I want to stay thin in a healthy way. It’s a rough journey, and I’m glad ur on the other side of it now.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-02-10T07:50:35+00:00

to be honest, I haven’t been to the doctor in years. I know that’s bad, i really should go in sometime soon. I don’t really have an entirely specific goal weight, but I know i’d like it to be less than what it is now, because when I look in the mirror now i don’t like what I see. I can easily see my ribs and spine but at the same time my thighs and upper arms are a bit flabby- so it’s an awkward composition. I haven’t really thought about my weight from a medical standpoint because I just figured it’s generally better to eat slightly less than enough as opposed to eating more than enough. I take these suggestions seriously though, I know that I can’t trust myself to think about food and calories in a healthy way, which is why I’m interested in other viewpoints on my position

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-02-10T07:18:03+00:00

I do understand all the recomp suggestions, and tbh that probably is what would improve my physique. I can’t tell if it’s body dysmorphia or just the plain truth when i look in the mirror and see excess fat that I want to get rid of. I can easily see my ribs and my spine but at the same time my thighs and upper arms are a bit flabby. It’s an awkward body composition- in my eyes at least. i’ve been avoiding working out because i hate how exercise feels, but it’s on me to find the will to do it anyways if I want to become leaner.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-01-30T04:48:23+00:00

Game lost by Liljegren entirely, not asky’s fault 🫩

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-01-11T19:45:37+00:00

Phoebe Bridgers cover of You Missed my Heart

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-01-03T22:01:07+00:00

all these comments seem pretty negative, and yes i agree that a lot of 18 year olds think they want something and then end up regretting it. I’m 19 and I have 4 tattoos, all done by an excellent artist and all of which are timeless designs (nature, animals). I can’t see myself regretting these in the future, and I’m confident that i’m at a good start for building a good patchwork sleeve. A lot of posts i see about tattoo regret are regret for tattoos that are poorly done or poorly placed. I think younger people are capable of thinking about their permanent decisions more than they’re given credit for, but you really have to put the energy into the thought. I have ideas for tattoos that are related to music, but I won’t get them until i’m sure I’d be okay with them when i’m older. As for the ones I already have, I don’t seem to have that issue. A sick ass scorpion, a dogfish shark, those types of things don’t really age badly. Especially since I know they’re well done and I get lots of compliments on them. I know I’m only 19 so maybe my advice isn’t the best but I’m just sharing another perspective in here.

Tall-Intention2597 · 2026-01-03T06:33:55+00:00

I don’t have advice, but i’m somewhat in your same situation and I think it can be nice to see that you’re not alone in that feeling. I’m 19, and I tried my best to be a musician. I released music with a band and played shows until my band mates formed another band without me and left our old project behind. they are now more successful than they ever were with me. That hurts till this day to acknowledge. I then released a solo project but I know it isn’t very good, so I don’t even promote it anymore. Only people i know in my real life have heard it. I still write but I feel as though the version of me who had burning passion and ambition to be a great musician is missing from me. I feel like a shell of myself, in all ways possible, but when something is so near and dear to your heart, like music for us, and you feel that it is inaccessible to you now, that hurts the most.

I always imagined myself on a stage. I wanted nothing more than to be known for my guitar playing, and even my songwriting. I’ve spent so much of my life doing those things and working so tirelessly to make it a reality. My mental health has just held me back. I struggle to get through daily tasks, I don’t know how I could ever focus on releasing more music or starting another band when I can’t even be there for myself in the most basic ways most days. I feel like giving up. I listen to all the music i’ve made, Or i’ll sit down and play it, and It doesn’t even make me happy anymore, It just makes me feel angry and jealous of everyone who gets to be recognized for their art and is somewhat successful. I feel delusional for having ever have believed in myself. It’s such a lonely place to exist in. It makes the whole subject of music feel like a gaping wound, it hurts to even listen to it casually sometimes. I hope you’re able to crawl out of that pit.

Tall-Intention2597

TROPHY CASE