Eat More Carbs | A Period Recovery Podcast

158. Top 3 Mistakes Athletes Make in Period Recovery (And How to Fix Them)

Eat More Carbs | A Period Recovery Podcast

Show Notes

In this episode of Eat More Carbs, Jenna, Lilly, and Reilly get real about the most common mistakes they see female athletes make while trying to recover their periods. When you are navigating hypothalamic amenorrhea and low energy availability, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking you are doing enough when your body still feels under fueled. We break down the psychological and physical hurdles that often stall progress. Each of us shares a specific, recurring pitfall we see in our practice that keeps athletes stuck in the recovery plateau. We discuss why partial recovery often leads to burnout and why half measures in fueling usually result in a cycle that remains missing. By identifying these common errors, we hope to give you the clarity needed to adjust your approach and finally see the hormonal shifts you have been working toward. If you have been making changes but still haven't seen your period return, this episode will help you identify what might be holding you back. Our goal is to move you past the trial and error phase and toward a sustainable, fully fueled life where your athletic performance and hormonal health can finally coexist. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @reilly.beatty.nutrition @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

More from Eat More Carbs | A Period Recovery Podcast

Oct 22, 2026

Transitioning between drastically different sports, like moving from powerlifting to high volume endurance training, presents unique challenges for your energy demands, mindset, and hormonal health. But how do you navigate that major shift while actively working to recover a missing period? In this episode, Reilly and Jenna sit down with one of Reilly’s long time clients, Katie. A former collegiate softball player turned competitive powerlifter, Katie shares her personal journey of stepping away from the powerlifting world, stepping into endurance sports, and fully restoring her menstrual cycle, all without stepping away from training. Katie opens up about the biggest obstacles she faced during her period recovery process, the mental hurdles of shifting her athletic identity, and the creative strategies she used alongside Reilly to keep moving forward. She reflects on how committing to sports nutrition transformed not just her athletic potential, but her overall health and daily life in ways she didn't expect. Listen in to hear Katie’s inspiring story, discover what it really takes to balance high volume endurance goals with hormonal recovery, and learn how taking control of your fueling can completely reshape your relationship with movement. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @rei.beatty @period.recovery.for.athletes @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition You can follow Katie @KTcompetes Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

Oct 15, 2026

Online advice often says that if you want to recover from Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA), you have to completely stop high volume endurance training. But is it actually possible to restore reproductive function while preparing for 26.2 miles? In this episode, Reilly and Lilly dive deep into the world of endurance sports and period recovery, sharing real world insights from working with high volume athletes. Reilly breaks down an inspiring, real life case study of one of her distance running clients who successfully got her period back right in the middle of training for the Chicago Marathon. They unpack the strategic mindset shifts, energy availability adjustments, and practical fueling tweaks required to signal safety to the body, even under the physical stress of heavy marathon mileage. They explore why so many female runners end up with suppressed hormones during race builds, what it takes to continue with high training volume, and how to fuel for performance without sacrificing long term endocrine health. Tune in to hear how this marathoner achieved full period recovery on her race path and what it really takes to protect your cycle while chasing big athletic goals. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @rei.beatty @period.recovery.for.athletes @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

Oct 8, 2026

If you split your week between logging miles on the pavement and lifting heavy in the gym, you have probably wondered: should your plate actually look different on a run day versus a strength day? In this episode, Reilly and Jenna clear up the constant confusion around matching your nutrition to specific types of training. If you've ever second guessed how many carbs to eat on a weight based training day, or wondered if your fueling strategy needs a complete overhaul when you have a long run, you’re not alone. In this highly requested episode, Reilly and Jenna are sharing how to match your fueling to your training. They address where athletes frequently trip up when attempting to scale their nutrition to their training, often accidentally driving themselves into a hidden deficit right when their bodies need support the most. Tune in to find out how to strategically fuel for both cardio and strength without second guessing your plate or driving yourself into a deficit. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @rei.beatty @period.recovery.for.athletes @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

Oct 1, 2026

Social media wellness trends have taken a sharp turn back toward 90s thin culture, and the team is not holding back. In this edition of what drives us bananas, Reilly, Jenna, and Lilly unpack the latest online fixations that are quietly pushing athletes straight into disordered territory. The dietitians dive headfirst into the rise of ‘SkinnyTok’ and why modern thin culture has simply rebranded old school restriction under the guise of high protein fitness goals. What is the real danger behind the viral obsession with ‘protein maxing,’ and where is the line between supporting muscle mass and hiding an unhealthy fixation on a single macronutrient? The trio then takes on the intense pressure to drastically alter your appearance for major life milestones, specifically calling out the toxic "shredding for the wedding" narrative facing upcoming 2026 and 2027 brides. Why do we treat once in a lifetime celebrations as an excuse to crash diet, and what does this extreme aesthetic pressure do to your hormonal health and relationship with food long after the event is over? Tune in for a hilarious, cathartic, and reality checking conversation on how to spot these sneaky culture traps. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @rei.beatty @period.recovery.for.athletes @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

Sep 24, 2026

If your healthcare provider checked your weight, told you your BMI is completely normal, but your period is still nowhere to be found, you are not alone. In this episode, Jenna and Reilly take on one of the most frustrating, misunderstood traps in Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA) recovery: the obsession with Body Mass Index. Why do so many athletes have HA despite falling neatly within a clinically "healthy" weight range? What is your body actually sensing that a standardized medical chart completely misses? The dietitians unpack the hidden flaws of relying on BMI to measure reproductive health, exploring the disconnect between clinical metrics and your body’s true energy requirements. They dive into why aiming for a chart number might actually be delaying your cycle, what it really takes to make your body safe again, and how to navigate the mental hurdle of gaining weight past what you were told was "normal." Tune in to find out why your BMI might be lying to you and what you should be tracking instead. The Eat More Carbs Podcast is the go-to podcast for the GIRLIES who want to fuel their body properly with easy, fun, and simple nutrition! Hosted by Reilly Beatty and Jenna Fisher, two registered dietitians who bring you weekly episodes to help you meet your goals while breaking free of diet culture. You can follow Reilly, Jenna and Lilly on Instagram @rei.beatty @jenna.fisher.nutrition @lillyreimer.nutrition Struggle with figuring out what advice you should be following to achieve your goal of period recovery? Visit teamsteadystate.com or click here for more information about the Period Recovery Program

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