Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Question for the women still in the child bearing years. Have any of you had any issues with low body fat on vegan diet causing you to lose your period. Been a vegan for close to 2 years. Always had a regular period. Lost a ton of weight from vegan diet. periods stopped and estrogen levels became really low due to losing body fat.

Workouts are mostly 5 or 6 days weight training for about an hr with maybe one or two days HIIT cardio training.

Diet is strictly vegan. grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and veggies

I have issues with my estrogen level being low at certain points of the month and adding a bit of soy in everyday has helped give me the boost I need without the pill or any other medicine

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I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Lost 20 lbs for competition got a barely detectable period this month. Score.

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Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
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I thought soy was bad for thyroid. I been eating lots of fats to get estrogen up to regain period -- no luck.

Jungle -- How do you get your body fat up to get period back after competing

soy in small quantities isn't bad for you. I get the organic non gmo soy

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I do because I can. I can because I want to. I want to because you said I couldn't.

I don't make excuses... I make results

If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you

Well this is my first time but I assume I'll just eat more and less cardio

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

For anybody that recovered from low estrogen by regaining body fat, can you provide a sample vegan diet. Also when the scale started to go up fast, did you start to freak out. I like the muscle tone look and I'm worried that eating a cal surplus with min cardio will make me look soft. No wonder why people develop eating disorders.

What is your body fat at now? Mine isn't even that low so it's kind of weird that it stopped. Def not preggers tho

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

according to those bf scales it is around 14-15. I'm sure it could be lower if measured with calipers

I'd say I'm at 12.. What does ur obgyn say?

_________________
Darth Vader from Sandlot once said, "Heroes get remembered, but legends never die." Then he later died.
https://www.facebook.com/BigMeeeeech

I was told to cut back on exercise to see if period returns. Low estrogen can eventually break down the bones. It just stinks that limited exercise and more eating will probably ruin all the hard work to get that muscle def. Soon no more muscle def but a period. Maybe health and exercise needs to be redefine for women.

Eat the same, just change HIIT for LIT. Cut back on the intensity, not on exercise.

Hi Gaia,

Have you ever experience having no period from low body fat due to eating clean and exercise. Does a lot of vegan females that strength train experience this. Females should at least have 20% body fat to menstruate. My guess is most vegan females into fitness and diet have less than 20% since most of the diet are grains, fruits, seeds, beans, veggies, and nuts.

Hi

The one month of comp, I usually do not have a period. But by then, I was so physically and mentally drained of everything and I was pushing myself way beyond my limits. There was no way this female body could make a baby at that time, so it gave up. But as you ease up, the body decides that it is OK to make a baby and the period begins again right afterward you ease up. Intensity always pushing forward will make your body decide not to produce the hormones as it is not a good time to procreate. As soon as you ease up a little, you give the body the idea that you will continue to ease up and it makes the hormones needed.

I think if you just ease up alittle on your training, say do a low intensity cardio instead of high intensity all the time, and maybe gain only 1% bodyfat back, you will get your period. If not, then I would be concerned that it could be alot of other things that could go wrong that I would personally get it checked out (endometriosis runs in my family, so I have to be on guard for that). Just having a vegan diet is not a good excuse for not getting a period. All women athletes who push themselves pass the safety zone, can lose their period. But like all good athletes, it is just for the one time event - then they ease up and go back to the safety zone for health reasons as you stated to having your period (circulating hormones in the blood stream do more than just begin the menstrual cycle).

Your guess would be wrong on the vegan female athletes being less than 20% bodyfat due to their diet. My body type is a mesomorph, with an incline towards endomorph without exercising - so I am pretty big - even on the raw vegan diet! My metabolism is very efficiently at getting every calories out of my food. LOL!