Happy Tuesday, Babe!!
I'm coming to you today with a different type of SLM email because I just have some incredible info I need to spill!
If you've been keeping up with me at all on IG recently, then you may have heard me talk about some metabolic and hormonal issues that have come up for me the last few months and some things I'm learning that are literally BLOWING MY MIND for how the body should be running vs what many may think is "normal".
I'm wondering if you've ever dealt with the following (even though you eat pretty "healthy" or may be at a healthy weight):
-Sporadic Energy
-Brain Fog
-More focus without food vs with food
-Always cold
-Always thirsty &/or needing to pee more than 5 times per day
-Trouble sleeping
-Bloated after meals
-Energy Crashes in the afternoon
-Constipation
-Painful Periods
-No Periods or infertility
If you've struggled with any or all of these, you're not alone💖
And while some of these symptoms are often common...they're NOT normal in how our bodies should be functioning!
How do I know this? I feel like I need to give the background for anyone interested in how my mind has totally shifted on some major things for women's bodies to thrive (which starts with losing my period from extreme dieting) BUT if you're not interested in the background and just want the 5 Food Revelations I've had to boost metabolism and regulate period hormones, then just vote for the poll at the bottom⤵️ of this email to let me know and I'll be sending those out later this week!
Ok, so the back story (part of it you've likely heard), 6 years ago, I lost weight with extreme calorie restriction and overexercising and I lost my period in the process. I read online that this was normal since the body will shut down certain functions if it doesn't feel safe.
I was undernourished (which is not the type of body that could carry a baby) so my body shut off my cycle since that's what's needed to get pregnant.
I read that eating more, gaining some weight, and getting back to a more comfortable place with balanced food and exercise, would allow my body to bring my period back. I had realized my extreme dieting was NOT healthy, and I went on to get educated through the National Academy of Sports Medicine to learn what actual healthy living was (aka not starving or doing 10 spin classes per week, ugh) and shifting my nutrition to being Macro Balanced with a focus on strength training vs high intensity cardio.
I gained about 10 lbs (which I needed because my weight was too low), got my calories up to 1900, and switched my training to purely strength vs cardio focused. I felt SOOO much better with this and I was so excited to learn that weight loss could happen with a "All Foods Fit" mentality that's not extreme! I got my nutrition and training certifications and have been working with women on balanced weight loss for 5 years! It has been amazing and there have been SO many incredible SLM success stories🔥🙌
But there have also been really challenging journeys, in which I would have a client who couldn't seem to lose weight because of a slow metabolism. To my knowledge, the best way to increase metabolism was to increase calories and strength training to help build muscle. More muscle equals a faster metabolism so that weight loss can happen.
And this totally worked for some, but I still have had women who really struggled to lose weight even though their calories and activity level "should" have had them in a calorie deficit after doing a reverse diet. Their metabolisms weren't bouncing back, and I often felt like it had to do with stress which was suppressing their metabolisms, but I wasn't aware of any practical advice I could give to help women manage stress besides suggesting for them to try to focus on better sleep, stress relieving practices like bath, prayer, journaling, or massage, or to try to keep themselves out of stressful situations. And while I think these can all be helpful, they're easier said than done at times.
"Wait, does this have to do with you missing your period?" You may be thinking LOL Well I give this back story of women who I've known to struggle with fat loss because it leads into my own recent struggles.
So back to me 5 years ago learning about Macros, eating more, and exercising less. I was feeling REALLY good! I was maintaining a healthy body and I felt stronger, but I still had no period. But I was 27 at the time and I wasn't trying to get pregnant, so I kind of just left it alone. My friends said I was "lucky" to not have to deal with it.
But then I read that women body's without a period will start to decrease bone density, and that SCARED ME! I think I was 28 by then and the thought of my bones starting to whither and what that could lead for me in the future was terrifying enough for me to book an appointment ASAP with my OBGYN.
Part of the reason I didn't want to meet with a doctor though, was because I was 99% sure they were just going to put me on Birth Control, and I was wary of other potential side effects of synthetic hormones. And that's what happened, I'll never forget her telling me "You've tried this on your own, you need to let medicine help now". And so I did.
I took this "10 day starter" pack which was supposed to "kickstart" my period and then I was meant to go on daily BC pills to help keep it regulated. I did the 10 day pack, and nothing.
It took 6 months for it to finally come and it was BAD. Extreme fatigue, bloating, soreness. But it was "back". I went on to take the BC pills and I had a monthly cycle so I thought it was good.
My doctor told me to stay on them until I either wanted to get pregnant or for 1-2 years before seeing if my body would have it on it's own. I was on the BC for ~18 months until my prescription ran out but this was also during the beginning of COVID in April 2020, so I wasn't going to see the doctor and I thought maybe I should just stop and see what happens.
Months go by and I have no period. It was 2020, my fiancé and I bought our first house and there was so much going on with that and the world that I, again, just let it go that I wasn't having a period.
18 months after getting off the pill (and not having a period with the BC) I get a natural period. I was excited because I finally had a natural period for the first time in 5 years! I thought that my body must be healed from the extreme dieting! I did it!
My period came back naturally in August 2021, and as we went into the last half of the year, I realized that I was starting to gain weight. I wasn't tracking Macros religiously because I was just in a maintenance phase. But after tracking and coaching Macros for 5 years, I had been through multiple phases of not tracking and I had maintained my weight fine. I didn't feel like I was eating that much different so I didn't know why I was gaining weight. I decided to kind of lean into it by trying to just up the volume of my workouts to help with building muscle, but I didn't even feel like my muscle or strength was increasing much.
In January 2022, I did a minicut (which is a 6-8 week deficit phase to help show more muscle definition) I've done 1-2 of these each year for the past 5 years as a way to body recomp. But the one I did this year, did not work. I was eating 1400 calories (which is pretty low for someone with my muscle and activity, and what I had used before when I wanted to trim up), but the scale didn't budge and I barely looked or felt leaner even after pushing for 10 weeks.
I felt SO confused! Why was this not working now? It made me scared that others would notice that I gained weight and think I was slacking. And please know that I know that I still look healthy and I'm not trying to have a pity party for unexpectedly gaining a few lbs or want to say that a certain body type or weight is "good" or "bad".
I'm just wanting to give this perspective to note why I dove into the following that I'm going to share and how if you've ever felt confused about may unexpected weight gain, inflammation, or digestion issues; know that you're not alone and making some nutrition adjustments could be a game changer for you like it's been for me just the past 4 weeks!
And with so many things that pop up on IG and online, I can't remember where I first heard the name Dr. Ray Peat and Pro-Metabolic Eating but once I started diving in on this research...EVERYTHING CLICKED.
Ray Peat is a doctor and advocate for women who have struggled with slow metabolisms and has been doing research since the 80's for how to eat in a "Pro-Metabolic/Metabolic Healing" way. His research involves looking at the direct science of how we breakdown or absorb certain foods, and how that can directly affect our metabolisms, gut, and stress levels.
While, of course, there's research and promotion for focusing on eating "healthy" to live a healthy life and weight, this direct concept to focus on specific types of foods to actually improve metabolism is NOT main stream or popularly talked about. Even in majority of my nutrition course and classes I've taken. Where I've learned the foundations of vitamins, minerals, macros, etc., and that eating balanced and less processed promotes being healthy. This type of specific Pro-Metabolic Eating involving pairing foods for easier fuel and function hasn't been a focus.
And I am just wanting to be totally honest with you about all of this because I don't think a majority of the fitness industry is leaning into this really key insight... that I think will be what can be the game changer for women to overcome weight loss struggles due to slow metabolism from weight cycling, yo-yo dieting, age, stress, etc. As well as help women have less painful periods, better digestion, and better energy.
Why this isn't being talked about more could sound like a conspiracy theory about companies not wanting to give up certain cheap ingredients(more on this later this week) that help drive up profits, but the research for Pro-Metabolic eating working well is out there. And one book I finished recently that I felt really explains these concepts and the research REALLY well is Kate Deering's "How to Heal Your Metabolism".
So with allllll this said (and if you're still reading, WOW ILYSM!) But reflecting on all of this plus my own journey with my period health, I believe that my metabolism has slowed down the past 6 months after getting my period back as a way for my body to be able to better keep it. It adapted to sustain my period on lower calories, which then lead to weight gain (even though I hadn't changed my eating) and which also lead to me not being able to lose weight when I tried to do a cut a few months ago.
But after researching and learning more about Pro-Metabolic eating and also some pro-menstrual health eating, I started implementing certain strategies for 4 weeks and I not only feel better, but I've actually lost 2 lbs on the scale while eating 2000 calories each day. Now, my focus with this isn't to lose weight/fat right now, but it's to help rebuild my metabolism so that I'm not gaining weight on lower calories and to be able to body recomp better in the future. But I feel like the 2 lbs I've lost is inflammation and toxins by eating the right balance of Macros AND Mineral foods which are also foods that are easy to digest for my body to better utilize.
It's almost like I'm on a "eating detox" LOL Which actually makes sense! Our livers are our bodies detox machine, and I'm eating to support my liver to detox inflammation vs doing terrible detox "cleanses" to flush out water and nutrients.
I need to go through this process to help set my body up for a strong metabolism and hormones that help me thrive and (God willing) live a long healthy life. And maybe you're interested in going through this process too! Which is why I'm being open and honest about it AS I'm in it, because I want you to know that someone who maybe looks healthy, can be struggling too.
Which brings me back to the top of this email with the "common" symptoms that I was told were "normal" by my doctor because I was lean. I was told that always being cold, thirsty, low blood pressure, low pulse, low temp; was all fine since my labs didn't show anything "wrong" with me.
But Pro-Metabolic and healthy hormone eating research has showed me that while these are common, they're not normal and we can be living in a more optimal way with warm lean bodies that don't have sporadic energy, constant bloating, poor sleep, or painful periods. SERIOUSLY! I just had my period after implementing these strategies for 3 weeks and I'm SHOCKED at how pain free it was!
I had thought I was eating "healthy" because most the foods I was eating were whole foods that were low calorie (chicken, egg whites, greens, low carb wraps, NF dairy) and I then I was balancing them with more fun foods to eat at what I thought my body's maintenance was at 1750 kcal. But I've realized there have been vital minerals from certain food combinations that I've been missing that can help optimize the body to thrive on higher calories!
I know it sounds kind of crazy, I thought it was too! I thought as long as someone is in a calorie deficit, eating enough protein, and eating a 80/20 split of mostly nutrient dense foods; then weight loss will happen. Or if they're eating at calorie maintenance, eating enough protein, and keeping 80/20; then they should be thriving in their bodies. And those who have metabolisms that aren't super suppressed I think CAN do this, but those who feel stuck with a slow metabolism, poor period health, or gut/digestion issues; likely need to be aiding their bodies in more specific ways.
And I am SO excited to tell you more that I've learned and have been implementing (click below to let me know if you are too!) And I'm even MORE excited to tell you that I am going to be getting more education with all of this to become a Integrative Health Practitioner so that I can help you and other women THRIVE with fast metabolisms for easier fat loss and maintaining!
Later this week I'll be sending out the 5 Food Revelations I've had that I think can help you get started with a Pro-Metabolic Eating mindset that can help with healthy periods too! I was going to add it to this email...but then I started typing and I feel like I just spilled out my heart to you so I need a break before writing that😆😘
But I really am so so excited to tell you more! I feel like I've been keeping a "secret" from you because I wanted to test things out on myself and learn more before explaining what I first thought was "woo woo" but really all just makes sense!
Be on the look out for the next email and be sure to let me know what you think of everything I just shared by hitting reply! Have a great Tuesday,Lovely !
XO,
Coach Ashley
