For the women & menstruating people...

Track your cycle.

Trust me.

Without tracking, I wouldn't know that my weight can fluctuate by 4-6 lbs the week before I'm on. Seeing my weight go up by 6lbs would shatter me and send me into a spiral of guilt, but now I know that's its temporary, and by day 2 of my cycle, I'll be back to normal.

Without tracking, I also wouldn't know that I experience little to no cravings during my follicular phase (pre-ovulation), whereas it's an uphill battle in my luteal phase (post-ovulation). For two weeks, a calorie deficit feels almost easy, then the next I am hungry, tired and craving sweet things.

I did some googling and found out that, for some people, BMR/RMR can increase by 200-300 calories during the luteal phase. For those maintaining/not counting calories, you don't notice - it's an extra snack. But if you are already in a 500 cal deficit, this make it a 700-800 cal deficit - a lot harder to maintain.

So I did an experiment where instead of having a constant 1500 cal goal, I upped my target to 1800 in the luteal phase, and it feels so much better. I don't binge or feel like I'm depriving myself, and I've continued to lose fat. When it comes time to change back to 1500, I am motivated instead of burnt out from dealing with being a woman. I've done this the last three months, and I could continue until...whenever!

I'm gaining muscle at the same time as losing fat, so it's hard to judge if doing this has slowed down my fat loss significantly, or if my metabolism really goes up in the luteal phase, but I've decided it doesn't matter. This method is more sustainable for me, better for my mental health, has reduced cravings and binging and made weight loss easier (it's still hard, but you know). I'd rather keep to this, and take an extra 2 or 3 months to reach my goal, than go back to what I was doing before.

That's just my experience, but everyone's cycle is different. You might be the same as me, or you might find actually your cycle has very little impact, but it so much better to know about your body and what to expect than feel like a slave to your hormones.

Ty for reading and I hope that this helps somebody out there!

submitted by /u/suze23
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