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Eating Disorders, Overtraining and Hypothalamic Amenorrhea in Bodybuilding with Deanna Harder

November 21, 2018 by Kersten Kimura Leave a Comment

Deanna Harder is a personal trainer and a former bodybuilder who battled with eating disorders and overexercising for over 20 years. 

Today, Deanna shares her experience as a former bodybuilder who has now found much healthier relationship with food, has stopped overexercising, but is, however, struggling with health issues caused by strict workout regimen and diet in the past.

We talk about the types of people who get into bodybuilding, the dark sides of this sport, its affects on our health — physical, mental and social, and a better approach to training and eating that gets you great results in a much healthier way.

Deanna still has hypothalamic amenorrhea. She has taken steps toward recovery, but she is still healing. If you're in the same boat with her, this interview is going to be interesting for you.

Note: I don't agree a 100% with the way Deanna has chosen to deal with her hypothalamic amenorrhea, as she is still exercising several times a week. We talk about it in the interview as well, and respect each other's opinions.

Watch the interview here:

Here are the timestamps for this video:

1:57 Deanna introduces herself

3:15 How Deanna's eating disorder started

3:50 The pressure to look “fit” as a group fitness trainer

04:25 How and why Deanna got into bodybuilding

06:05 Personality types that are perfect for bodybuilding

06:30 From eating 500 calories a day to bulimia and purging

08:00 Hiding eating disorders from the family

9:20 Getting help for her eating disorder, but starting “exercise bulimia”

10:15 How over exercising and under eating affected Deanna's physical, mental and social health

12:15 Positive compliments as the reason to keep working hard and dieting down

13:30 Working out even in extreme conditions

15:15 How Deanna was able to compete in bodybuilding for 10 years

17:50 Deanna's body finally stopped responding to dieting and exercising and she couldn't see any results anymore

19:20 Why Deanna switched from bodybuilding to getting strong

20:15 Results of starting powerlifting, adding more food, cutting workouts to 4x/ week

22:20 How Deanna eats and trains now

26:25 Why getting the period back is important even if you don't want kids

28:50 Deanna's tips on how to handle weight gain

31:15 Why we should not compare ourself to the previous versions of ourselves or to

other people

32:20 Why you may have to gain more weight than you thought, to get your period

34:35 An exciting project Deanna is working on right now

37:35 A diet/fitness myth Deanna wish died for good

38:50 Deanna's perfect day

39:40 Something that Deanna is really into right now

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Thank you Deanna for your time and sharing your story with us!

 

Did you lose your period?

This step-by-step guide with daily check lists and action steps has helped so many women to restore their periods! By following the program, you will be one of them.

Are you recovered from hypothalamic amenorrhea and want to start working out again? 

My 16-week program Simple Strength for Women helps you to get back to working out gently and gradually, without overdoing it. You get stronger, while keeping your hormones in check. 

 

Category iconBody Image,  Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Tag icondisordered eating,  hypothalamic amenorrhea

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I am not a licensed medical doctor. All views expressed on this website are based on my own personal research and experiences. Please consult your doctor with any medical issues before beginning a training program.

 
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