How the cycle affects our weight

That the female cycle influences our weight is a truism that I guarantee no one needs to tell us. It's a fact. But only very few women really know exactly what causes our weight to ride a roller coaster during the 28-day cycle. Reason enough, therefore, for us to take a closer look behind the scenes of our hormonal balance to find out how it influences our weight.

Phase 1: Day 1 - 6

The cycle starts with menstruation. Due to the comparatively sharp drop in estrogen levels, the body excretes a lot of water that was stored in the days before. In addition, the metabolism works particularly hard. As a result, weight falls as if by itself during this phase. A typical feature is the increased urge to urinate.

Phase 2: Day 7 - 11

Right in the second week of the cycle, the metabolism turbo ramps up and lets us women become really active, because at the end of menstruation, our body has more energy available again for other things. No wonder that muscle building and fat burning function optimally during this time. But that's not all, because our body weight also hardly changes thanks to this metabolic activity, despite sweet snacks, junk food and all-nighters. At the same time, the readiness to flirt increases due to the ovulation that will soon begin.

Phase 3: Day 12 - 14:

This is followed immediately in phase 3 by ovulation, which is accompanied by a veritable hormonal explosion. Our body produces mainly progesterone here, which helps the fertilized egg to implant in the uterus. Already at this time, there may be slight water retention and thus an increase in weight. By drinking a lot of fluids, however, you can ensure that your body stores a little less fluid.

Phase 4: Day 15 - 17

In phase 4, the body sets all the switches for pregnancy and pumps a lot of estrogen through the system. As a result of these preparations for the "emergency", our body's energy requirements increase, leading us to many a ravenous appetite attack. The main problem is that the organism now wants to store every calorie it can get. So snacking is particularly "dangerous" now.

Phase 5: Day 18 - 21

As soon as the body realizes that pregnancy does not occur at all, it adjusts its metabolism again and switches from "storage mode" back to "combustion mode". At the same time, cravings also disappear. This makes now the ideal time to start a diet and intensify the sports program.

Phase 6: Day 22 - 28

Finally, in the last phase comes the fat end, which we would all rather avoid. Including pimples, mood swings, water retention, a slowed metabolism and weight gain of 2 to 4 kilograms. Responsible for this is the dramatic drop in estrogen levels and the skyrocketing of progesterone levels. In order not to despair just now, only one thing helps: do not stand on the scales. After all, the weight problem will resolve itself in a week or so and the cycle will start all over again.