Am I Not Eating Enough?

Question
Hi, I'm a 15 year old girl who is almost 16. Over the past six months or seven months I've been trying to loose weight and have lost 50+ lbs and I'm not sure in the beginning I went about it in the right way. Now I'm trying to eat healthy and get my protien and everything. My parents are worried that I have become obsessed with calorie counting and exercise. I usually excercise everyday (mostly running and/or swimming) and try to keep my calories below 1500. I feel so guilty if I don't exercise but am trying to slow down on it because I've lost my period. I have had a cycle since late February/ early March and I am getting scared. I went to the doctor and had test run to check my hormone balances an everything came back normal. I was just wondering if you could ease my mind and tell me how many calories I should be eating to get back to normal? I'm 5"10 and 137lbs at the moment by the way.

Answer
Hello Sofia,

First off, I'm impressed that you're interested in health and not just weight loss. Athletic girls can often lose their period and I think that we can get things back in balance for you.

Now that you've lost 50+ pounds, let's shift from long cardio sessions to shorter bouts of resistance training (i.e. weight training) to begin the process of toning your muscles. Muscle is critical for maintaining a healthy metabolism and it's not uncommon to lose muscle while you're losing fat due to the calorie deficit.

As you shift from long cardio sessions to weight training, you will burn fewer calories during the workouts, but your metabolism will be much healthier and thus burn more calories throughout the day. Keep in mind that you may see the scale begin to level out as you build muscle, don't let this discourage you because the extra muscle will make you appear leaner and "tighter"despite losing less "weight" on the scale.

It would be a good idea to keep measurements and pay attention to how you look in the mirror and how you feel energetically. You will likely be pleased by the changes in the mirror and the energy levels. Don't worry, you won't bulk up (i.e. look like a man) because you don't have enough testosterone to trigger excess muscle. Women who work out with weights look strong and lean without appearing bulky.

The 1500 calories may be a bit low because you're exercising so much. If you enjoy the exercise, then you can continue to exercise and be as active as you have been, just make sure that you get an extra 200-300 calories from protein sources.

I have found that taking fish oil capsules can help with the loss of the period that you are experiencing. Visit the local health food store and pick up a fish oil that contains 300 mg EPA and 200 mg DHA per capsule and take 2 capsules twice daily. Also, try not to allow your fat intake to drop below 20% of your daily calories as this can cause problems with hormones as well.

If you get a chance, listen to an interview that I did with Jonathan Bailor, author of the book The Smarter Science of Slim, in fact, you may want to listen to our free podcast to shift your thinking a bit about how to build a healthy weight loss program and get a bit of inspiration along the way. Here's the link to the interview...<a
href="http://cutthefatpodcast.com/1641/fat-loss-podcasts/episode-56-exterminating-the->Episode
56: Exterminating the Calorie Myth ?An Interview with Jonathan
Bailor of The Smarter Science of Slim</a>

I hope this helps to give you some direction. In a nutshell, your calorie intake is likely a bit too low for your level of activity and you're also probably a bit deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. Cut back on some of the cardio, add some weight lifting to tone up the muscles, take 4 capsules of fish oil, and start eating lots and lots of non-starchy vegetables (as many as you want and can eat in a day) and a few fruits (2-3 servings per day). Finally, don't let your fat intake drop to below 20% of your daily calories, you can usually prevent this from happening by adding olive oil to salads and having a handful of nuts.

Let me know if you have other questions!
Committed to your success,
Ray Hinish
http://Cutthefatpodcast.com

1. Prev:bladder supra pubic catheter and nutrition
2. Next:Loosing Weight