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Old 09-11-2013, 10:16 PM   #1  
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Default spotting...a good sign

So I posted this morning that I was up 2lbs despite being completely faithful. anyways today is day 8 and by Monday I lost 5 and then gained today. Later today I started spotting and i have heard that can mean fat being released. Anybody heard of that? Tom is not due until end if month. Maybe I will see a loss in the next few day? Your thoughts? Any similar experiences.
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Old 09-11-2013, 10:42 PM   #2  
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I have heard that spotting can be associated with fat loss as excess hormones can be stored in fat and, as it is burned, they are released into the blood stream. I spotted quite a bit for my 1st few weeks, and have spotted intermittently throughout the last few months.

PS: Don't weigh yourself everyday.
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Old 09-11-2013, 10:50 PM   #3  
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Never heard of this happening but really good to know and to educate others; thanks for bringing it up. Sounds like it can be associated to rapid fat loss but again, I'm no doctor. It will be interesting to read what others have to report. In the meantime, keep plugging along and you'll be fine!
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Old 09-11-2013, 10:52 PM   #4  
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I am just so afraid that the scale is going discontinue to go up despite being faithful like it did today. Really nervous....
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Old 09-11-2013, 10:53 PM   #5  
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To continue lol spellchecker
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Old 09-11-2013, 11:15 PM   #6  
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I've been having spotting and all sorts of irregularities in my cycle, including longer and more frequent periods. I never made the connection (it's never happened before in 27 years of post-puberty dieting - not even on more rapid weight loss).

Perhaps my perimenopausal body is more sensitive.

The bad news is that the extra periods are wreaking havoc on my hunger and compliance. Period hunger is always very difficult to control, and I think I would literally be willing to be locked up (or have all the food locked up ) for the duration.

Unfortunately, when I suggest it, hubby thinks I'm joking (ok, mostly I am, but seriously I would consider it, if I could convince hubby to help and there were a safe way to do it).
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Old 09-12-2013, 04:18 AM   #7  
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@eandc2006 thank you for the post - I'm getting ready to start IP and am garnering lots of information about the diet. I'm actually interested in learning more about menstrual cycles and IP. Since there is rapid weight loss on IP, I would assume that cycles are somewhat irregular (??)

Random question, but I wonder if the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives is altered somewhat on IP. DH and I are not ready for a surprise baby at this point

Anyway I'm glad you gave this heads up so that I can have some idea of what is going if I have spotting/break-thru bleeding.
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Old 09-12-2013, 04:51 AM   #8  
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Originally Posted by Redonkulous View Post
I wonder if the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives is altered somewhat on IP. DH and I are not ready for a surprise baby at this point
Yes! Your coach (any good coach) should warn you about this at your initial consultation
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Old 09-12-2013, 08:37 AM   #9  
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Glad that this was brought up. I noticed that, since starting IP again, I spot for a few days before TOM actually shows up. I normally get really bad cramps on my first day as well, and they don't go away until I take Advil, but last month the cramps came and I posted on here asking if Advil was ok, and by the time I got a reply 20 minutes later, the cramps were gone on their own.
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Old 09-12-2013, 09:48 AM   #10  
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About 2 years ago, I began Atkins and had great success and was really on a roll and then spotting started. It scared me, so I got in touch with my OBGYN. I asked him flat out if a low-carb diet could somehow be causing it, because of the timing and the fact that I had never had spotting before. He practically laughed out loud. I have since learned that low-carb diets and weight loss can indeed cause this. I am so tired of being dismissed and even laughed at by doctors. He put me through so many tests and procedures. It really makes me angry.

That said, I have spotting quite a bit, more so on this diet. I had hoped that my periods and spotting would eventually taper off as I lost weight as I know estrogen is stored in fat cells (as told to me by my OBGYN, no less -- eventually, he blamed my spotting on the fact that I was "so overweight." :-( I cried for days over this, feeling so ashamed.) and, therefore, I would think the less body fat, the less stored estrogen, the lighter periods. My periods are a bit lighter these days, but the spotting is not. I also have fibroids which cause their own kind of bleeding, too. (Boy, sounds like I'm a mess!) That's what I can report from here.
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Old 09-12-2013, 11:01 AM   #11  
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About 2 years ago, I began Atkins and had great success and was really on a roll and then spotting started. It scared me, so I got in touch with my OBGYN. I asked him flat out if a low-carb diet could somehow be causing it, because of the timing and the fact that I had never had spotting before. He practically laughed out loud. I have since learned that low-carb diets and weight loss can indeed cause this. I am so tired of being dismissed and even laughed at by doctors. He put me through so many tests and procedures. It really makes me angry.

That said, I have spotting quite a bit, more so on this diet. I had hoped that my periods and spotting would eventually taper off as I lost weight as I know estrogen is stored in fat cells (as told to me by my OBGYN, no less -- eventually, he blamed my spotting on the fact that I was "so overweight." :-( I cried for days over this, feeling so ashamed.) and, therefore, I would think the less body fat, the less stored estrogen, the lighter periods. My periods are a bit lighter these days, but the spotting is not. I also have fibroids which cause their own kind of bleeding, too. (Boy, sounds like I'm a mess!) That's what I can report from here.
Medical doctors learn (and know) lots of good stuff but nutrition isn't their forte. It is barely covered in their curriculum.

It makes me crazy when they act like experts in the field b/c they are NOT! I've found the best docs for understanding nutritional interactions are either NDs (Natruopathic Physicians) or MDs who practice Functional Medicine. They have done post-graduate work in more natural-healing focus.

I'm so sorry your doc treated you like that. Wouldn't it be great if we all could admit our areas of expertise and weakness? I find many MDs arrogant when it comes to referring outside the field.
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Old 09-12-2013, 11:33 AM   #12  
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My current doctor is the first doctor I've ever had that recommended I try low-carb, but warned me not to go too low. When I asked him what was too low, he said, "I have no idea."

For an MD, particularly of his age (he will probably be retiring soon), he's remarkable in this regard. I dread having to find a new doctor when he retires. There is one functional medicine clinic in town, but I don't know about NDs.
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Old 09-12-2013, 01:26 PM   #13  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eandc2006 View Post
So I posted this morning that I was up 2lbs despite being completely faithful. anyways today is day 8 and by Monday I lost 5 and then gained today. Later today I started spotting and i have heard that can mean fat being released. Anybody heard of that? Tom is not due until end if month. Maybe I will see a loss in the next few day? Your thoughts? Any similar experiences.
Actually glad to see this post. I also was wondering about the spotting issue. Thanks for all the response given. This makes more sense now.
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Old 09-12-2013, 01:41 PM   #14  
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The spotting is probably due to several factors. When you go low carb, you will change how your body produces hormones. Sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone) are regulated in response to insulin and leptin signals. When you force your body into ketosis, those signals are altered. That balance needs to be reinstated and that can take a while. Also, in addition to insulin and leptin, very low carb affects your thyroid hormones, which act together with insulin and leptin. Some people do either not rebalance their thyroid hormones after the first "shock" or they become hypo after long-term low carbing. This can affect estrogen/progesterone balance and lead to spotting or extended periods.

There is also the contribution of fat cells. Fat cells can actually secrete hormones (I think leptin, also others) on their own and they store one form of estrogen. When you lose weight rapidly, estrogen can be released and the production of other hormones can also be altered with fat loss. Again, most of those effects should show up in the beginning. If TOM becomes irrational after several months of IP, I would look into a complete thyroid panel (freeT3, freeT4, if possible reverse T3 and antibodies).

There is a nutrition course on Coursera at college level and free. I looked into it at the beginning. The course director is not a fan of low carb, but there is some good information on there. Nutrition is a bit treated like a religion. The little doctors know about it is old knowledge and if new information comes up that contradicts that gospel, it is generally ignored or disbelieved as long as possible.
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Old 09-12-2013, 01:52 PM   #15  
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*extended periods* - Well this explains a lot. I am going through this right now for the first time - I had read about it here - but for some reason I was assuming that it would happen "down the road".
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