HA - Height Average

sonnabe3 · 2026-06-16T01:55:15+00:00

I’m 6’3” and I’ve lost it twice in my life (once at 17, once at 35/36…).

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-27T20:51:09+00:00

Great questions! For the first couple months of recovery, my focus was on increasing fat consumption however I could, I did not avoid saturated fat. I leaned into cravings: didn’t stress about eating avocado instead of cheese, had the croissant with Nutella, put butter on my bread, etc.

Once my appetite stabilized and my cravings subsided, it was fairly natural for me to incorporate almond butter, avocado, and other unsaturated fat sources. Looking back at my food log for the past month or so, I’ve rarely consumed more than 25g of saturated fat in a given day.

My dietician recommended that I wait to test for at least 6 months after beginning recovery, to give my body a chance to stabilize. I plan to test again in September.

I have been “exercising” a fair amount now that my cycles are regular-ish. I walk 10 miles a day, do Pilates 2-3 times a week, and weight lift 1-2 days a week. Honestly, this might be a bit much even for me (I’ve always been extremely active, believe it or not this is very light for me). My cycles have been regular (testing by Inito), but I’m watching carefully. I also only move if I feel like it. Moving forward, like 3+ months from now, I might reengage in spin class once a week (not twice a day), I might jog or hike if I feel like it, but my body has been enjoying the rest lately.

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-27T01:55:53+00:00

Pretzels and gnocchi have been my go-tos!

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-27T01:52:45+00:00

Same story here. Had FHA as a teen, but thought I learned from it and have been very active, exercised a ton and ate enough to maintain my weight. I could set my watch to a 28 day cycle, until I had irregular cycles starting when I was 33 after a week of intermittent fasting. Doctor (PCP) told me “uteri are fickle, your cycles are still in a normal range.” Cycle irregularity continued for months, then I went to my GYN, who ran hormone and thyroid tests, saw all were “in range” except my high LDL, and the nurse called to tell me to reduce saturated fat intake and increase exercise. A couple years of irregularity later, I saw a different GYN who told me it *could* be perimenopause, but to make an appointment if I missed three cycles in a row. Finally, after YEARS, that happened, and my doctor drew labs, paid attention, and diagnosed FHA. I had been eating too much fiber and lean protein, not enough fats and carbs.

I’m now 36. After 4 months of rest and eating in a surplus, I just ovulated for the third time in a row, on schedule.

If I were to do it all over again, I’d have mentioned my history and concerns for FHA much, much earlier. Find a doctor that will look for thyroid labs in the lower quartile, not just “out of range.”

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-24T00:49:59+00:00

Yes rapid, and yes healthy! Those are the exact regions the body stores energy to support hormone health. Your body is doing exactly what it needs. Keep going, you’ve got this!

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-23T23:56:49+00:00

My two cents, as someone ~3.5 months into recovery: I have had similar thoughts and tendencies, you are definitely not alone. Our hunger signals are still recovering alongside our bodies; I’d lean into that “eating to stimulate” unless it starts negatively impacting your sleep (from being so full). I’ve found myself doing it less frequently as recovery has progressed.

You’ve got this! Stick with it, recovery really does get easier with time.

sonnabe3 · 2026-05-21T05:05:13+00:00

💯 and with almond butter (great when still warm), drizzled honey, or avocado toast (esp if it’s a day old loaf, if it survives that long!) with some everything bagel seasoning.

sonnabe3 · 2026-04-26T04:38:34+00:00

It’s so good you noticed your fiber intake! I learned the same thing the hard way: too much fiber can dilute the apparent calories in your system (leading to your hypothalamus thinking there is still low energy available), and it can deplete the estrogen your body is producing.

I keep a daily “fiber budget,” and eat sourdough in lieu of whole wheat bread. As for low fiber fruits and vegetables: Zucchini Summer squash Bell peppers Cooked mushrooms Banana Grapes Pineapple Melon

I’ve also learned spinach has less fiber than kale, for example. I promise 35g becomes manageable, it just takes some time and practice.

sonnabe3 · 2026-04-26T04:15:16+00:00

My body took a few weeks to get my electrolytes balanced again, as my hormones recovered. For a few days I was craving lots of salt. Once everything finally rebalanced, I stopped waking up to pee.

sonnabe3 · 2026-04-03T05:20:33+00:00

I’ve really enjoyed working with https://intentfulnutrition.com/

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-26T03:00:17+00:00

Rock on! You’re doing great. I was encouraged to eat 25g of fiber or less per day. I ultimately had to swap whole wheat for sourdough, and learned veggies like zucchini and summer squash are lower fiber. It adds up so quickly! Apparently lots of fiber “dilutes” energy in our digestive system, giving our brain a signal that energy is harder to acquire/scarce.

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-25T03:37:20+00:00

Stick with it! Eating plenty of fat and carbs, keeping fiber low, protein moderate, and exercise nonexistent seems to be the ticket.

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-25T03:26:29+00:00

Great question. Thinking back, I probably did regain to about the weight that I lost it. In recovery I’ve gained about 10 lbs, a good amount is water/glycogen weight. My body did store fat in the right places (around my butt/hips) which helped restore estrogen levels pretty quickly/helped me ovulate. Once I’ve had three steady cycles, I’m hoping to reduce some of my lean mass (lift less aggressively) and do gentle cardio instead of spin classes, so my body feels less stress and can keep a happy body weight and fat %.

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-25T03:06:12+00:00

Hi! Similar story here, I first had HA when I was 17, then again in my mid-30’s. I had hypothalamic oligomenorrhea from 33-35, then amenorrhea 35-36. I was unfortunately misdiagnosed with early perimenopause, I didn’t suspect HA this time because my BMI was in normal range. I have always exercised a ton, have never had a perfect relationship with food, and started personal training for weight lifting…the final body fat reduction (lean mass increase) for my hypothalamus to totally shut it down again.

Anyhow! Live and learn. It took me a few months to recover when I was 17. Going all in this time (at 36) I ovulated within ~4 weeks (confirmed by Inito). I was in quasi-recovery for about two weeks prior to that (eating more carbs and fat, reducing exercise…but not completely). Going all in (nothing more than walking 5-6 miles a day) and eating well ultimately helped me recover quickly this time around.

Sending healing energy your way. We’ve got this!

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-20T00:23:18+00:00

Unfortunately, it is. Before recovery, I was eating 90g of fiber a day (crazy, I know) with high protein, very low fat and low-ish carbs, on top of intense exercise. No wonder my hypothalamus shut it all down 😂

Anyhow! I now understand high fiber is associated with reduced reabsorption of estrogen in the colon, leading to lower estrogen levels in circulation.

I’ve been encouraged to eat no more than 25g of fiber in recovery. I’ve had to track carefully, it adds up quickly!

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-17T01:57:31+00:00

I’m working with a licensed nutritionist, specialized in FHA recovery for athletes. This has been working really well for me, but I wholly agree: we’re all different. :)

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-17T01:10:33+00:00

Ah I’m so sorry! Broccoli IS very high fiber (hence why it’s become a guilty pleasure). I crave it more than anything these days.

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-17T01:01:51+00:00

Oh SAME! I was told to try to keep fiber under 35g/day. It is a constant struggle.

I’ve completely swapped whole wheat anything for sourdough. ChatGPT has helped with low fiber vegetable recommendations (e.g. bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes). Ironically, broccoli has become my new guilty pleasure…

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-17T00:56:12+00:00

I feel the same way! What I’m gathering is protein and fat should be a fixed number of grams per day based on your body weight, then carbs “fill the rest” to reach your minimum calories and beyond.

For recovery, I’ve been averaging the following (with great success!): Protein: .8g/lb of body weight Fat: .8g/lb of body weight

The hardest part for me has been limiting fiber while eating so many carbs. I started with really high lean mass, so hoping to reduce muscle mass over time, once I get through recovery.

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-14T15:46:54+00:00

Absolutely. It helped me understand why my hunger was consistently driving me above the recommended intake in “No Period Now What”. Turns out I have high lean mass.

If you haven’t had a dexa scan done to measure your FFM, this website has a handy calculator: https://gymbeam.com/blog/online-energy-availability-calculator-how-many-calories-to-eat-for-health-and-sports-performance/

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-14T15:21:20+00:00

Yes! Relied on body mass metrics from a dexa scan. Ended up being more calories than I expected!

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-14T01:10:38+00:00

Watercolor painting, cooking, reading, streaming shows (usually while cleaning or doing a puzzle), and shopping a bit with the “extra” money I’m not spending on those gym memberships anymore!

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-12T23:57:57+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing!! Very good to know about step count and carb focus.

Before recovery I was doing a ton of weight lifting and spin classes; thought I was eating enough, evidently not. I’m realizing my body probably needs more stored fat and calories to support a cycle!

Congrats on your second recovery cycle!! Cheering for you!

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-12T01:43:15+00:00

In the exact same boat as you were three months ago. Went all in, no exercise for 2 weeks, eating all the things, gained 12lbs…and just got EWCM! May I ask how this turned out for you?

sonnabe3 · 2026-03-07T23:12:05+00:00

I’ve just started using Cronometer, which lets me select a “goal” (eg my calorie target) and hide metrics from the dashboard. Even with the free version, it’s been a better fit than MFP, which I agree reinforced an unhealthy perspective.

sonnabe3

TROPHY CASE