{"id":3391,"date":"2017-07-04T02:25:29","date_gmt":"2017-07-04T02:25:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/?p=3391"},"modified":"2017-07-04T02:25:29","modified_gmt":"2017-07-04T02:25:29","slug":"simple-facts-how-the-menstrual-cycle-affects-your-eating-habits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/simple-facts-how-the-menstrual-cycle-affects-your-eating-habits\/","title":{"rendered":"Simple facts: How the menstrual cycle affects your eating habits"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most of us know – thanks to our lessons at school – that the menstrual cycle is just that, a cycle. However, how many of us really pay attention to it as a complete cycle, something that is happening throughout the month?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE SOURCE: Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n

Very few of us – and it\u2019s hard to blame us! Our periods tend to be the headline grabber, what with the cramps, the tiredness, and the general sense of irritability that descends upon us when it\u2019s <\/span>that time of the month<\/span><\/a>. However, the cycle is indeed ongoing throughout the month – and it might be making a bigger impact on you than you might expect. <\/span><\/p>\n

While a lot of things change during the menstrual cycle, the aspect we\u2019re going to focus on is the way it changes the way we consume food. If you struggle with your weight, then understanding the way that your appetite may fluctuate through the month is crucial to taking control of your figure – so without further ado, let\u2019s crack on. <\/span><\/p>\n

Week One: The Period <\/b><\/p>\n

Technically, your period is the start of a new monthly cycle, even though it feels like the end of the world at the time.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a clich\u00e9 that suggests that women want nothing but chocolate during their periods. That\u2019s just that, a clich\u00e9; there\u2019s no clinical evidence to back up this thought. If you want to eat chocolate as a way of cheering yourself up through the discomfort, then more power to you, but it\u2019s not something your body is telling you to do. <\/span><\/p>\n

Your period is one of the most benign times in the month, hormonally. If you suffer from a heavy flow, however, it can be beneficial to eat <\/span>foods that are rich in iron<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Week Two: The Good Week<\/b><\/p>\n

With the cramps behind you, you\u2019re in the best phase of the month when it comes to controlling your appetite. Your hormones are level and you\u2019re feeling good, so weight loss can become a focus. This is the time of the month when programs such as <\/span>Hcgdiet.com<\/span><\/a> tend to begin, making the most of the hormonal changes and general stability you\u2019ll experience during this time. You\u2019re more clear-headed, cravings are low, and you probably have more energy than at any other time in the month – so it\u2019s perfect for exercise and new weight control habits to be established.<\/span><\/p>\n

Week Three: Ovulation <\/b><\/p>\n

By the third week, ovulation is kicking in and you\u2019re probably not feeling your best. It\u2019s harder to control cravings at this point. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re trying something new with regards to weight loss, you want it to be well-established by this point in your cycle – this definitely isn\u2019t the time to try a new fad! Instead, focus on continuing the good habits established in the second week. If you do give in to a craving, that\u2019s okay – hopefully you will have the initial improvements made in week two to fall back on.<\/span><\/p>\n

Week Four: PMS <\/b><\/p>\n

In the lead up to your period, your body is readying itself for the blood loss to come – so you\u2019re actually burning up to 300 calories more than usual, according to <\/span>Livestrong.com<\/span><\/a>. That\u2019s not an excuse to go all out and wreck your eating plan entirely, but it does give you a little more slack when it comes to the occasional treat.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most of us know – thanks to our lessons at school – that the menstrual cycle is just that, a cycle. However, how many of us really pay attention to it as a complete cycle, something that is happening throughout the month?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,36,15,35],"tags":[1764,1033,1763],"class_list":["post-3391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fitness","category-health-wellness-2","category-opinions","category-wellness-2","tag-menstrual-cycle","tag-menstruation","tag-pms"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3391"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3393,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3391\/revisions\/3393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/zestmag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}