OU MOST LIKELY NEED TO EAT MORE IN YOUR LUTEAL PHASE
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Yup, so don’t come at me with “if it fits your macros” shit because your metabolism LITERALLY changes as your cycle does.
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During the ovulation phase our body naturally releases progesterone to prepare itself for pregnancy waiting for an egg to be fertilized. One of the many symptoms of progesterone being elevated is hunger and an association for cravings, hence why when we enter our luteal phase, where progesterone is slowly dipping down, but higher than in our follicular and menstrual phase, we tend to get the munchies.
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Keep in mind, after ovulation, our estrogen dips pretty dramatically, and this in turn can also influence our serotonin levels.
I made a post about this a while back, but to back track, serotonin and estrogen influence each other, where if one goes up, the other increases, and this can be said also for the decreasing of the two. A dip in serotonin has been associated with the craving of carbohydrates because it can elevate mood.
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Conversely, we tend to slowly feel a bit run down as we enter our menstrual phase, which is understandable because we’re about to bleed non stop for 3-5 days.
Ever heard of the joke “Don’t trust anything that bleeds for a week straight and stays alive”? We’re flippin’ amazing.
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Another reason your hunger increases is because we become more insulin sensitive, meaning we’ll be taking blood sugar into our cells less efficiently and yet we need more energy ironically, so adding in extra food is very much needed.
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So the next time you feel like you’re “eating too much” look at where you are in your cycle and honor what your body deserves!