Embrace The Cycle
What others are reading:
This one’s for all the women 
The more in tune with my body I get, the more I realize how much my womanly cycle influences how I feel. Over time I’ve come to realize a few key patterns to my cycle that have allowed me to understand why my body acts the way it does each month.
Throughout my weight loss I noticed this pattern: I’d go two weeks steadily losing little bits of weight here and there – a tenth or two-tenths of a pound loss on the scale. And then weight loss would stall for a week – sometimes I’d even “gain.” And then at the end of my cycle (although technically I think menstruation is the beginning!?) I would drop 2 pounds almost overnight. My weight loss was a stair step of water weight balance and rather than a gradual decline throughout the month. I learned not to get discouraged those stalled weeks and knew the weight would come off soon. Had I not observed this trend, I might have spent that week wondering what I’d done wrong.
I’ve observed that the same water balance cycle applies to how my body feels on the outside too. I generally have 2 weeks of the month where I feel firm all over. During those two weeks I have energy and feel on top of the world. My appetite dips, and I surprise myself when I don’t think about food or don’t need an afternoon snack.
The other two weeks of the month leave me feeling a bit “fluffy.” My appetite is increased and I’m ravenous everyday between 4 and 5PM. This all seems to reach a peak and then trails off and the cycle starts over again.
It’s a bummer that half of my adult life will be spent in this fluffy stage, but now that I’ve realized the pattern, I don’t give myself a hard time if my pants are a little tight or I need more to eat. It’s my body that’s causing the changes, not any lack of willpower or success on my brain’s part, so I don’t have to be concerned.
I’ve also noticed in these second two weeks I get used to eating bigger bowls of oatmeal or a larger afternoon snack. So when my appetite dips, I serve myself portions that are just as big because I am used to it. And I probably take in more calories than I need based on hunger. Just as the Squiggly Line Approach applies to our lives, it applies to our hunger cycles as well. I need to learn to eat by my appetite that day, not by the portions my body might have requested the week before.
In my clinical nutrition course last year we talked about this appetite spike that often accompanies PMS symptoms. The literature we reviewed showed that the appetite increase is caused by an actual spike in metabolism. So don’t be afraid to eat a little more when your stomach is grumbling for it – your body is requesting more caloric assistance to keep up with its metabolism. Just be sure to choose nutrient-dense foods to supply those extra calories – the spike isn’t big enough to require a gallon of ice cream
I’m curious to know if you guys have noticed any cycle patterns of your own and how you deal with them?
I get cycle-related migraines so I avoid that time of the month altogether with a special birth control pill. So it’s not as much a food pattern as it is a pain pattern, but when I do know it’s around that time, I avoid migraine triggering foods like sharp cheeses and alcohol.
I used to have 2 weeks where I felt horribly bloated and then 2 weeks where I felt great. Recently, since I started running 25+ miles per week, it’s gotten down to only one miserable week. Not sure if there’s a correlation, but I’ve heard exercise can help with PMS symptoms!
I notice a huge increase in my appetite the week before my period. I went off the pill about 9 months ago, so I know that I will be stuck with these weeks of insatiable hunger for at least another 20 years! I try to stick to healthy, real foods when I get hungry, but your article will help me keep some perspective. Thanks!
yes, yes yes!!!
Thanks Kath, you read my mind. I know exactly when my body will be more hungry during the month…almost to a TEE. It is crazy how cyclic our bodies really are- and once I figured this out I found it quite fascinating actually! About 9 days a month, I feel hungry ALL. Day. long. Without fail. It also feels like nothing I eat will satisfy my hunger or make it go away too.
When I was in school we learned that we actually need 300 more calories a day during the end of the cycle. Sometimes it feels like a lot more! haha
Yes! I have totally noticed a two-week swing. I have a week of insatiable hunger, during which I’m “fluffy,” and the subsequent week I’m not as hungry but I still have that extra water/bloat whatever. I used to think “oh, half the month my body looks like how i want it to” but then i realized how ridiculous that is and that i just need to honor where my body is every day of the month. why doesn’t this issue get more press??
Awesome article Kath! I have basically noticed exactly what you described. There are weeks when I feel super strong, firm, and am not even that hungry, and then weeks when just the opposite happens. Good to know it’s not just me!
My cycle is very similiar! And during periods of weight loss I’ve experienced almost the same “stall”, although mine is usually somewhere between a week and a week and a 1/2. Thanks so much for this article! It completely confirms what I’ve thought all along. Funny that it took an article to “confirm” it for me, rather than listening to my own body.
Hmm! This is so interesting…I’m def going to have to pay attention…I wonder if the same works if you take the pill instead of letting nature regulate your cycle!
Megan, when I was on the pill I actually felt hungry and “puffy” all month, and the feeling never went away until I went off of it. I dropped 5-10 lbs of mostly water weight pretty much overnight when I stopped taking the pill.
Perfectly written and applies to me completely!! Great article!
The Monday before my period I’m always starrrvvvviiinnggg!!!
I’ve found the same thing to be true. Two weeks of each month I am firm and fit-feeling. Then the other two weeks I’m a little “softer,” hungrier, and crave caffeine like nobody’s business. I weigh myself every few weeks at the gym and remind myself during a soft week to take the number with a grain of salt because once the firm weeks hit, I’ll naturally lose that extra fluff.
I agree that it’s important to feed yourself according to how hungry you are that day versus using a pre-determined measurement that works for you during the hungrier weeks.
I have this same issue with losing weight. I notice especially that the week before I am super duper hungry- both physically and for cravings. I can stay away from the sweets the rest of the month except that week. I have learned to live with it though.
Funny you use the word “fluffy”… that’s the word PB and I use all the time
Funny that you wrote about this today Kath. I’ve had quite a journey with my hormones, since I stopped taking birth control pills in 2005. Only recently have I began to “realign” with hormonal health. This whole process has really allowed me to learn how to listen to my body.
I actually asked a friend to guest blog this week about her experience with fitness, and how she too found this “happy place” of what it feels like to trust your body and what it is telling you. We all have this sort of guidance, I think that over time a lot of us lose that connection in favor of searching for wisdom outside of ourselves, rather than within… or just plain ignoring it in favor of all the stuff we are doing in our often busy lives.
Yay for you for finding your inner voice once again!
PS A REALLY great book re: this topic is Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom.
Sheila
I notice a BIG change in my energy level during the first two weeks of my cycle. The first two weeks, I feel great – higher energy, less hungry. The second two weeks I’m tired, crave sweets and salt like nobody’s businesses and can barely drag myself to the gym.
Glad I’m not alone in this one!
I also have a weird weight loss pattern. I notice one big loss at one poit in the month but my weight stalls almost the entire rest of the month.
I am on the EXACT same roller coaster!!! I use to think that I should only be ‘more hungry’ for a week- not two! I always thought that 2nd week of increased hunger was something in my head- not ‘real’ hunger! So thanks for this post- its good to hear that other women are on a 2/2 week cycle too! Of course, this cycle also seems to apply to my ‘mood’ as well!!!
OMG. I am so glad you wrote about this. I have become very in tune with my body and I know exactly when I’m going to be hungrier. For me, it happens when I’m ovulating and the couple of days before I am about to menstrate. So for me, I notice a difference every other week. Ovulating week – altered state….then good…then menstrating week…then good…then all over again.
Also my mood is definitely altered. For 2 weeks there, I’m on top of the world, I can conquer anything! Then the other weeks, I’m having a hard time just coping. CRAZY!
[...] way but since the topic is periods, I doubt the dudes are interested. Did any of you read the Breathe Article by Kath discussing the topic of embracing the cycle? For a short article it was pretty interesting and [...]
If you have a baby your hormones will change. So don’t think you are “stuck” with this particular set of patterns. Kids, they change your life, baby!
Kath, what a great piece! I’m saving this (for myself, to send to friends, etc.). Thanks for writing it!
Thank you so much for this insightful article. I feel a bit more sane now. Ironic, I was recently explaining to my gent. friend how I have always and now on the pill been keeping up with my weird days. It seems as you said, 2 weeks and then down to 9 days left of my 21 day pack I feel physically like I put on 5 lb all over. My energy level is down and my moods are just so weird. Thank you for all the replies from the readers. I think I am a tough young lady and stay really active so it is so nice to know that we share this commonly.
FYI….One more thing for you ladies, I am a huge herbal tea drinker and I recently started drinking Herbal Traditional’s PMS tea. It GREATLY improves the 10 days prior to menstrual cycle physical side effects. I have become a huge fan.
This is fascinating stuff, thanks Kath! Do you (or any commenters) know how this changes when you’re using hormonal birth control? I have an implant, so I don’t have periods per se – but I do have occasional breakthrough bleeding, and I’m sure this corresponds with periods of stalled weightloss.
Soup -
I’m really not sure the effects of an implant, but I do think that artificially raising one hormone affects the others.