Cycle sync

Hi Janelle, I wonder if eating up to maintenance calories on those weeks might help? So you are able to eat a bit more during this time.

Different feelings with hormone cycling is normal. For someone who really struggles with that, I think the advice to eat more - up to maintenance calories - during the cravings is good advice. Some of those calories can be spent on bread and chocolate, if you can eat those within reason.

BTW, I hope you're not putting bread and chocolate totally off limits during any part of your weight loss routine, if those are things you could eat in moderation successfully. I fell like that's a common pitfall in weight loss plans. IMO, the big goal is to learn/practice new routine habits we can stick with forever to stay at a healthy weight once we get there. Giving up bread and chocolate forever isn't in the realm of possibility for me, but eating them moderately is.

I'm a little more on the fence about how to handle lack of energy for exercise, since for some women exercise is energizing and/or relieves some of the symptoms. Maybe that takes some personal experimenting?

I would say that exercise doesn't necessarily need to be the usual routine, if that feels truly punitive. Something less intense or stressful might be OK, maybe?

I admit I'm in menopause now, so I'm no longer in your situation, but I was there for decades. I do exercise that I usually love, don't struggle to do, but there are phases where I'm less enthusiastic (Winter, when I can't do the most fun things, mostly.) One thing that helps me is treating exercise as a thing I just do, fun or not, rather than a decision to make each time. It's like washing the dishes or laundry: Not entertaining, just has to be done. If it's Monday, I'm on the stationary bike - not a decision on Monday.

If there's any way you can get more or better sleep during those difficult phases, there's a chance that might help. Both cravings and reduced energy are more likely when under-rested. The needs for that rest can also increase during parts of the cycle, so that might be an experiment to try. Sub-ideal nutrition can also be a factor, so tune-ups there might help, too, if applicable.

It may take some experimenting. Experiments don't always succeed, and that's OK. I think that if you learn from what doesn't work, but keep working at it, you can find a solution(s) that helps you.

I do agree with Sollyn's point that marketers/influencers will be super-pushy about selling you a solution . . . but that their solutions are usually BS.

Best wishes!