Female Fat Loss and the Menstrual Cycle

The menstrual cycle is the time from one period to the next. The length of a women’s cycle can vary but for the purpose of this post we’re going to base it on the typical 28 day cycle. We break this into Follicular and Luteal phases, our first and second half of the cycle.

The Follicular Phase:

• Day 1 (first day of bleeding) to Day 14 (ovulation)

• Dominant hormone: Estrogen:

  • Estrogen Functions to do the following as it relates to fat loss

    • Decreases Appetite

    • Improves insulin sensitivity

    • Protects against muscle soreness

The Luteal Phase: As the body transitions to the luteal phase women will feel this on varying levels. For some, this is the phase of the cycle that due to physiological changes a women will feel weaker (wont be able to lift as much), are more prone to injury, the hand-eye coordination is negatively impacted, and those dealing with hormonal imbalance will be more likely to be experiencing their PMS symptoms.

• Day 15 to Day 28

• Dominant Hormone: Progesterone

  • Progesterone functions to do the following as it relates to fat loss

    • Increases metabolic rate —> increases appetite

    • Makes us more insulin resistant (meaning our body reacts more to sugar and carbs and increases craving for these foods)

Based on the facts above we can use this to our advantage. Taking our physiology into consideration we can now break down the type of exercise and dietary modifications that would be best for each phase.

Follicular Phase:

• Complex carbs and more intense resistance training: this is the time our body is responding well to carbs and feeling stronger. More likely to be able to hit PR for weights.

• Also a better time to dial in our your diet: If looking to implement dietary changes your body physiologically will make it easier to comply during this time.

Luteal Phase

• Try to focus your diet more on proteins and fats while being mindful that our body (though craving) will respond less ideally to consumption of sugar and carbs.

• Exercise during this time should be primarily endurance and metabolic work. This will help our body deal with the metabolic changes that are happening physiology and we wont get frustrated with not being able to lift our max and avoid lifting which might lead to more injuries during this time.

Other things to keep in mind:

• Hormonal Birth Control: These synthetic hormones can have different effects on water retention, inflammation and metabolic rate. Some even will diminish our Androgens which can be a less favorable state when trying to build muscle

• PCOS and other hormonal conditions: If you have a hormonal condition there will be more extensive treatments than what was covered above.

• Location of Fat on the body: This can provide so much insight to which hormones your body may be having difficulty with and insight into this can help guide your journey to optimized wellness

• Tracking: be mindful when tracking Personal Records and Weight. Instead of comparing day to day, track week to week that align with your cycle. For example : week 1 to week 1.