In the past nine months I’ve put on a few kilos. In the past nine months I also got my period back, after six years of nada. The cause of this not-great condition is my autoimmune disease (Hashimotos). What got me back on track? Changing my diet, backing off on exercise and… consciously putting on weight. Kate Callaghan (who’s sharing today’s post) and I met shortly before this when she was working with me as a much-loved member of the I Quit Sugar Team. We discussed this idea – putting on weight to get our menstrual cycles back. And doing so by eating more carbs than what we’d normally choose to. (Previously, she’s shared the changes she made to reverse her infertility and coming to terms with putting on weight.)
Anyway, I’ll be discussing this a bit more here and over at I Quit Sugar in the next little while. But for now, I’ve asked Kate, a dietician, personal trainer and lifestyle coach, to explain how the eating more carbs thing played out. The below is taken from her new ebook, Healing Hypothalamic Amenorrhea, which you can buy here. Got questions for either of us? Post below and we’ll endeavour to answer. Over to you Kate…
When it comes to hormonal health, most people will tell you that proteins and fats are essential as they are the building blocks of hormones. They’re right – these ARE essential, but when your period goes missing in action, you might need to look at upping your carb intake too. Here’s why:
1. To calm your adrenal glands.
Your body is pretty smart when it comes to maintaining homeostasis (science speak for “balance”). If your blood sugar levels rise, your body releases insulin to push that sugar into your cells where it can either be used for energy or stored. If your blood sugar levels drop (for example – between meals, or from inadequate carbohydrate intake), your body will either pull glucose from storage in the liver and muscles (glycogenolysis) or