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Topics discussed:
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- (00:00) - Welcome
- (02:58) - Hunger vs Cravings Explained
- (04:30) - Follicular Phase Appetite Boost
- (08:47) - Ovulation and Hormone Shift
- (12:20) - Luteal Phase Snack Attacks
- (15:08) - Why PMS Feels So Hard
- (19:17) - Coaching Strategies and Refeeds
- (21:57) - Texture Hacks for Satisfaction
- (26:40) - Cycle Weight Fluctuations
- (29:37) - Final Takeaways and Goodbye
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Creators and Guests
What is LiftingLindsay's More Than Fitness?
Dive into the joy of fitness with Lindsay and other guests exploring how it goes well and beyond the gym floor, the number on the scale, the size of your waist or the calories you're counting.
Lindsay: Welcome, welcome to
the Lifting Lindsay podcast.
Today it's just little old me.
It's just Lindsay today, no Alex, uh,
because we are talking about menstrual
cycles, and for some reason he just didn't
feel really excited about this subject.
I don't know why.
So I, um, I've actually been
excited to do this episode.
I've been thinking about it a lot
because, um, l- well, last week I was
just about to start my period, and I
noticed these certain patterns, and
we're gonna, we're actually gonna
review, um, why appetite seems to change
throughout a woman's menstrual cycle.
And w- as we have this conversation
though, I, I do want to make sure
that this is very, very clear that
we are speaking in generalities and
not everybody is going to feel this.
And also, uh, how much they feel
it can greatly differ per person.
I have also personally noticed as I've
been, uh, entering into perimenopause,
I feel like I'm just kind of getting
my, my toes a little wet in it, that
I have noticed this shift even more.
But over the years, it's been really
fascinating coaching literally
hundreds of women, uh, uh, women in
their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and up, and
how different they all are really.
and how, you know, some women in their
20s and 30s are really experiencing,
appetite changes with the hormonal shifts
that happen during menstrual cycle.
And then some women in, in their 40s
and 50s who are in perimenopause or
approaching, you know, menopause, they
may not even notice these changes.
So it's always really important
to understand that everybody is an
individual and y- their experiences
are very individual, right?
So this may resonate with you.
You may find it interesting just to
be enlightened on, uh, maybe, maybe it
doesn't resonate with you, but it will
be interesting to understand other women
and why they may be feeling something.
and I'm going to talk about approaches
that I have actually taken as a coach
to help my clients, especially during
fat loss phases, where they're really
trying to manage appetite, and they have
these hormones that are kind of working
against them during this period, and
things that we ha- that I've done with my
clients to help them with diet fatigue,
uh, help them not feel so restricted.
So let's first really kind of dive into,
like, why do some people, why do some
women feel, this wave, these changes,
and what are these changes in appetite?
So, and I'll just kind of speak, um,
a lot from my own experience, and
I'll pull from some clients as well.
So there are actual physiological
shifts happening, I mean, we know
this, throughout the menstrual cycle.
these shifts influence hunger, cravings.
Hunger and cravings are different.
Did you know that?
They're different.
Hunger is actually the, the body
responding saying, "I, I would like
more food." Cravings are very specific.
They tend to be more emotional.
That's what I, I like to, I like
to kind I don't know, uh, put those
in different categories, right?
Hunger is the body saying either they,
uh, it, it wants or needs more food.
Cravings isn't just kind… It, it
is more of this, um, it's precise.
Y- y- you want the cake, right?
You don't just want energy, you want cake.
These tend to be very emotional.
So we have, uh, influencing
hunger, cravings, satiety,
um, energy expenditure even.
And so that, uh, these, this is really
important to understand all of this and,
as a woman, how our body is working.
So let's start out by talking about the
follicular phase, and I always remember
that the follicular phase is the first
part of the f- the, the menstrual cycle.
F, follicular, first
F. Do you, do you see?
Do you follow?
I know.
I'm, I'm n- not very smart, I guess,
and I just need, I need these, like,
different ways of remembering things.
So the menstrual cycle starts obviously
with menstruation and moves into
what is called the follicular phase.
So during this phase, estrogen gradually
begins to rise over this, right?
As, as it's preparing, uh, for
the release of, uh, the egg.
So during this phase, we are gonna
see estrogen beginning to rise.
Now, estrogen is interesting
because it actually appears to
have an appetite-suppressing
effect in, in many women.
So, and by the way, when I talk about
estrogen and progesterone, I think we need
to be cautious in saying estrogen causes
hunger, prode- progesterone, uh, s- uh…
Or excuse me, opposite.
Estrogen suppresses hunger.
Progesterone, um, you know, increase… We
need to be careful because it's actually
can be the balance of the two that
create a certain hormonal environment.
I think that that's probably
the best way to present that.
But it does appear that estrogen, as it
begins to rise, has this more of this
appetite-suppressing effect in this
hormonal environment that's being created.
So, this is one reason why many
women will naturally notice and
start to voice to me as their coach,
like they don't feel as hungry.
They feel like they actually have better
appetite control and better satiety.
So satiety is kind of how
satisfied you are in between
meals, so they have better satiety.
And they may notice they have more stable
energy, fewer cravings, and remember,
cravings is more of that emotional.
So d- during, during the first half
of this cycle, oftentimes women will
be like, "Wow, dieting seems easier
this week." or some of them find, like
kind of assume like, "Oh, I'm just,
it's clicked, I'm now disciplined.
Before I wasn't," kind of thing.
No, your, your hormones simply shifted.
So estrogen really appears to
influence also dopamine and serotonin
pathways, which may help explain
why mood, motivation, and even
feelings around food can feel more
stable during this phase, right?
Remember how I kept saying cravings
has to, is, is more emotional.
So now, higher, as estrogen rises,
we're feeling, uh, possibly feeling
more dopamine effects and serotonin
pathways are, are being connected.
This is really good.
Uh, mood seems to be better.
We're motivated.
We're gonna conquer the world.
This is probably the worst time and
yet the best time for me to write down
all of my goals for the year, because
all of the sudden I feel like I can
conquer them all.
So it's probably my worst time,
and yet it's always when I wanna
write down my goals, right?
And then a few weeks later, I'm in the
luteal phase and I'm like, "Who was
that Lindsay? Why did she think that
she could do so much in one day?" Right?
So maybe lesson learned.
Do not, in the follicular
phase, write goals.
Write them when I'm in the pit
of despair in the luteal phase.
No, but it is really interesting, right?
It's really interesting to see how e-
how estrogen can impact us throughout
this, this period, this, how the
rise and fall of these hormones,
uh, creates this environment.
So energy often feels a lot
better for women during this time.
Recovery, uh, may improve.
Um, and yeah, your appetite
just kind of feels calmer.
now ovulation is the, the
mid-cycle shift, right?
So around ovulation, estrogen
reaches its highest point.
And many women will still
feel relatively good here.
Um, but this is kind of the beginning
of the transition hormonally, right?
After ovulation, progesterone
now begins rising.
And this is where many women begin
noticing kind of a shift, uh, in hunger.
So this was actually… Can I
just tell you guys, this was
really fun to explain to Alex.
So, um, last week, right before my
period started, man, I get munchy.
And I, I probably already said
this, I can't remember, but, I
will-- I've noticed as, you know,
I've moved into perimenopause
that, that, that the munching,
the cravings have increased a lot.
So before, I noticed that I
would have these, these cycles of
feeling hungry or not as hungry.
N- now everything just kind of
feels heightened in perimenopause.
I think it's a good way to put it.
So, um I feel w- like munchy,
snacky, like… And I will even
pause and, and ask myself, "Are you
truly hungry or is this a craving?"
And a lot of times it's a craving.
Like, uh, I can feel like I'm not
hungry, I'm just craving something.
And for me, it's that crunch.
I just need to snack.
And honestly, um, the rice cakes
for me, just caramel rice cakes, not
the dry plain with a little bit of
salt rice cakes that people use as a
horrible substitute for a sandwich.
I watch people do that.
They'll make a sandwich and then they're
like, "Rice cakes are the best substitute.
You don't have to eat bread.
Bread's bad.
Use your
rice cake." And I always laugh when
I watch them then bite into that
sandwich because I'm like, I feel
like that is just a crunchy mess.
I feel like they bite into it and the
whole sandwich just kind of breaks
apart, and they are trying to like keep
it together for the Instagram reel,
and I'm just like, "No, you, you have
not con-" I love my caramel rice cakes.
You have not convinced me to
let go of my bread though,
to substitute it for a rice… I'm sorry,
I'm just not, I'm just not gonna do it.
I'm just not gonna.
So anyways, back to what I was saying.
I just love the crunch though.
I love it.
So I was talking to Alex about
this 'cause he's like, "Man,
you're really snacky lately."
Probably because I, in one sitting, went
through an entire bag of rice cakes and
okay, that's a little over exaggerated,
but I went through like eight of 'em.
And he, he's like, "Wow,"
like really enjoying those.
And I said, "Oh, it's right…
Honestly, this is what happens
right before my period.
My,
um… I start getting a lot snackier."
And he sat down, he's like, "Talk
to me about this." Because he has
a client right now who notices a
huge shift and increase in appetite
right before her period, um, and then
even moving into the first few days.
And, uh, he's like, "This is really
interesting." So I was explaining to him,
"Yeah, this is, this is what happens."
So, um, as we move into the luteal
phase, um It, it's this one is
kind of leading into menstruation,
and that's when progesterone rises
significantly over this time.
And progesterone tends to have
the opposite effect of estrogen
when it comes to appetite.
So as progesterone rises and begins to
peak, many women are gonna notice, okay,
increase in hunger, now more cravings,
more emotional eating tendencies,
lower satiety, you know, between meals.
So more of a desire even of highly
palatable foods, more snackiness.
It's just… So this tends to be
around the time when, when some
women are just feel like they
completely lose control around food.
And, and it can be disheartening
because then they just feel
like, "Oh, everybody just has the
willpower, and I don't have it."
And but there's this huge… Remember
how we talked about the, this
hormonal environment that's going on
and how much it impacts the brain?
And, and so it's harder during this
time to maybe feel your best or tell
yourself the best stories about yourself.
You know what I'm saying, when all of a
sudden just things start seeming sadder.
You know?
It's harder to, to tell yourself
stories that are going to truly, um,
be positive and uplifting and put
you on the path to better yourself.
'Cause sometimes during this phase,
I e- especially I've noticed this,
once again, get exasperated during,
uh, perimenopause, is this is the
phase where I am just kind of sad,
and I tell myself some sad stories.
And, um, it's very interesting,
but then I get mad when Alex
notices that it's during this time.
'Cause I'm like, "No, you can't notice
that. You just need to be sad with me,"
'cause the feelings are so real, right?
And so just telling me, "Well,
it's in your head," it very
well could be in my head.
It is in my head because
hormones, yeah, they impact that.
They impact what's in my head.
But it still doesn't, it, the
feelings are still very real, right?
But knowing that these patterns
happen, knowing around this time we
can feel these increases in hunger,
more cravings, and, and we can allow
ourselves some grace during this time.
So it was really cool kind of explaining
to Alex, um, what's happening.
Now, there's are, there are some
other things too that happen.
This, this hormonal environment
that's kind of created by the
shifts in progesterone, estrogen,
the same time will impact sleep.
So some, some women will
notice that sleep goes down.
Um, water retention increases,
which can make us feel bloated
and kind of have, you know…
Uh, and we're already telling ourselves
these sad stories, these negative
stories, and now all of a sudden
water retention increases, so we're
not fitting in stuff like we used to.
And so now all of a
sudden it's like, "See?
We-- There's the validation.
I, I am gaining weight," or, "I am
fatter." Whatever negative, horrible
stories you may tell yourselves.
So we-- It's this, it's this horrible
colliding of what's happening in
the brain, the, the negativity, the
lower energy levels, the fatigue can
in- uh, increase during this time.
Sleep can kind of go down.
Mood changes, cravings intensify.
It is this like, "Ugh, really?"
Like, what was God thinking when
he's like, "And I will make women,
and then they will experience this."
It's like I'm like, "Really? Really?
Come on." So anyways, but now you
combine all of that with a woman
who's trying to lose body fat.
That can be hard, right?
Suddenly, all of the sudden, a diet
can feel dramatically more difficult.
They're fighting a little bit of,
you know, worse sleep, a little bit
more fatigue, cravings intensify.
They're just kind of like, "Ugh," right?
And s- and some women will experience it
for two weeks, some women will experience
it for one week, one day, whatever.
It's all different, but
this can be a hard time.
There's so-- There's these simple
little changes that are happening, and
they're very real I, I keep bringing
this up, but I do think it's important
to really point out that this part is
really important because cravings are
not always just about wanting junk food.
Hormonal shifts really influence
neurotransmitters like serotonin
and dopamine, and this can change
the food reward, the sens- uh,
satisfaction, mood, emotional
regulation, and desire for comfort food.
So that's usually why women are
specifically craving salty foods, crunchy
foods, chocolate, carbohydrate-rich
foods during this late luteal phase.
And then they feel guilty because
these are typically the same foods
that people are saying, "Oh, that's
bad. That's so bad for you," right?
So if we're honest about biology
and what's going on, it-- I believe
it can remove so much of the shame.
So understanding your physiology really
can help remove all of that moral judgment
around hunger and food choices, and just
kind of understanding what's going on
at this period of So then it is kind of
interesting because period will s- will
start, and some women still experience a
few days of this residual effect, right?
Um, they still kind of feel like hormones
are-- they, they wanna hunker down.
They just don't feel as good.
They just kind of want things that
are gonna make them feel good, and
that can, uh, revolve around food.
And I've already talked about
how perimenopause makes this
far less predictable, right?
Because now it's not just,
um, certain amount of times…
Well, I mean, it can be.
You can start noticing
these patterns build.
But then all of the sudden, the
patterns aren't recognizable anymore.
They weren't as stable as before.
And now all of a sudden sleep begins
to possibly worsen, and hot flashes
appear, and night waking increases.
So it just kind of brings about
a lot of hormonal fluctuations.
but I do wanna talk about how I
typically address these fluctuations
with clients, because it was such a great
conversation to have with Alex too, as
I kind of walked him through what was
going on with a w- woman's hormones.
So, 'cause I didn't want him as a
coach to be like, "Well, just buckle
down, you know, grit your teeth." And,
uh, not that he's that kind of coach.
He's very, very much about, um, the
psychology of food and how we think
about it and finding grace with yourself.
But it was so cool kind of watching
his eyes open up as I'm explaining what
hormones and what the, these different
hormones do during these different phases.
And then we started talking about
what I like to do for women to help
during this, because some women
experience this far more than others.
So usually what I like to do is
I, I do something that allows
for a bit more flexibility during
these higher hunger phases.
Now, what this, what this can
do is we typically will increase
calories even just by like 100, 125.
And what that does-- Or, and 150.
I've done it 200.
I've even done like a few days of, of
just being like, "This is a great time
for a re-feed. You have been going
hardcore." Now, I'm not saying do
re-feeds, you know, every other week.
But depending on the client, I will
do, you know, raise calories by 100
or, uh, you know, 100 to 200, right?
Just giving them some grace and leeway
to eat a little bit more Because what
this does is it, it improves adherence.
Being adherent in a calorie
deficit is the number one driver
to hit your fat loss goals.
That's it.
So if we can reduce, uh, diet fatigue
during a time where physically and
mentally you're just craving a little
bit more, if we can reduce that, um,
improve adherence, um, by increasing
calories a little bit, oftentimes it
will reduce binge restrict cycles.
Um, it will reduce the feelings
of feeling like a failure.
Um, and then it really, like I
said, improves that long-term
consistency, which is so, so, so
crucial, so, so, so important.
Then during phases where appetite seems
to naturally drop, that's when we can then
move in, so, uh, uh, to lower calories.
So I'll move their calories up for a
few days whilst they're going through
these cravings and everything, and then
we talk about, okay, what foods can both
be nourishing and help you with more
of those cravings that you're feeling.
We talk about pausing and asking,
"Am I hungry or is this a craving?"
And if it is a craving, and if it
fits in, what can we make fit in?
And for me, for example, uh, the,
you know, like I said, the caramel
rice cakes, that, that little bit of
sweetness with that crunch is huge.
Another client of mine, we started
doing pickles because it was the salty
and the crunch that was huge for her.
So just choosing foods like that, that,
um, are, are going to satisfy the texture.
People don't realize how important
texture is and variation of texture
is when it comes to food choices.
Have you ever eaten a meal and it was
maybe you were even in maintenance, but
after the meal was over, you know you
got enough protein, you know you got
enough fiber, you know you got enough
calories, and it's like, "Hmm," you look
around and you're like, "I know I'm not
hungry," but that, it didn't hit the spot.
You know what that is.
You know what I'm talking about.
So usually what that is, is it has to
do with the variety of the textures, the
crunches, the flavors, even including
maybe something like a little sweet
something at the end just to kind
of, you know, tie it all together.
It's like the, the little bow
on the, the present, right?
So when it comes to looking at a meal and
creating a meal for maintenance or for fat
loss, keep that in mind that the texture,
the, the, the variation of textures and
flavors and adding in a little something
so that we can make sure that yes, we
get nutrient-dense foods, we get what
we need, but also just kind of, that we
enjoyed and we're satisfied with the meal.
When you get that satisfaction, it helps
satiety and it helps you feel like, "I'm
done." It reduces, um, the, the bites,
the licks, the tastes, all of those later.
So that's really important.
Look at your foods.
Make sure that you are getting that
variety, getting that satisfaction.
It's really, really important.
So like I said, I love
adjusting plans for clients.
And like I said, we will, we'll do this,
this, this cut, um, and then, you know,
as their hunger begins to rise, maybe
the week before, we'll take a few days.
Maybe for them it's the right when their,
their, uh, menstruation starts, then
we increase calories for three to four
days and we focus a lot on recovery.
That's how we frame it, feeding our
body, recovering during this time
where you personally feel like,
"I just wanna hunker down," right?
Um, and so let's, let's
lean into that energy.
Let's be okay leaning into that
energy because it's all within
this well-structured plan.
It's not this, "Well, you just couldn't
hack it, so just crawl into bed and watch
Netflix and stuff your face," and then you
have this horrible downward spiral, right?
No.
What if we put it as part of the
plan, taking care of your body, your
heart, your soul, your mind, just
that, just taking care of all parts
of you and hunkering down for a few
days and getting a little bit more.
And then as the appetite comes
down, then I move things back
down into the calorie deficit and
they feel, they feel ready, right?
We talked about how that follicular
phase, a lot of times as the estrogen
rises, we're in this hormonal state of,
"I wanna do. This is, you know, this
is when I'm gonna conquer the world."
Okay, then let's lower calories down.
Maybe they were… Maybe you raised them
200, now I'm gonna drop 'em 250, right?
So that it all balances out over the
course of the entire, the entire month.
So that is just something that
is so important to understand it.
And one other thing before I finish
that I would like to add, it was
really interesting looking over the
past month of, my weigh-ins Because
I would watch, I watch the same exact
patterns happen from month to month.
the beginning of the follicular phase,
I actually, I start seeing like, I
see a lower weight, and then as I
move towards, ovulation, my weight
actually peaks for the month, goes
up, and then it kind of slowly starts
to go down, sees a tiny little peak
again right before menstruation,
and then it's like a few days after
it drops and it's at its lowest.
And so I just want to remind you all,
because right now I'm, I'm reverse
dieting or post-diet recovery, whatever
you wanna call it, I'm moving back
in… I've been eating in maintenance.
And when we are finding our maintenance
and trying to figure out, have I found it?
Am I staying relatively around,
you know, the same weight?
Am I maintaining this, this fat
loss, this body composition?
We don't necessarily want to compare
this week to last week, especially
where we tend to see weight peak at
different points of our menstrual cycle.
So for me, comparing this week
to ovulation week would be silly.
I would look like I went into a fat
loss phase, that I lost two pounds,
because that's how much it moved.
It moved up, uh, it was at two and
a half pounds during ovulation,
and then it's come back down.
So, uh, those of you who are coaches
too, when you're looking at your
clients and progress and trying to
measure that accurately, actually
one of the most accurate ways would
be for you to be measuring week one
of the follicular phase menstruation
versus last month's week one, right?
Because like I said, there's this,
this ebb and flow of, there's this
rise and fall of how our weight,
uh, is influenced by menstruation.
So just kind of keep that in mind too.
Knowing that, once again, can just
help put us in a healthier mindset
when we are trying to see progress.
Uh, also when I was in the fat
loss phase and, and I was in
ovul- w- around ovulation, uh,
it would always look like…
I, I was being 100% of the plan, but
it would always look like I had put
on four pounds, uh, during my fat loss
phase, I remember that, during ovulation.
Because once again, water retention.
Um, as estrogen peaks, we can also see
just a lot of bloating and changes.
So keep that in mind.
I really love and
appreciate each one of you.
I hope that this has been an
educational, uh, episode for you guys.
Have… You guys are awesome.
Have a wonderful week.