How a Big Change in Your Weight May Affect Your Period

Both weight gain and weight loss can cause you to skip your period and can help regulate your period. Your menstrual cycle is a result of a complex interaction between your ovaries and your brain.

The coordinated changes in your hormone levels cause ovulation, and if you don’t become pregnant in the days around your ovulation, more hormonal changes result in your period. Anything that interferes with this interaction can stop your body from ovulating. If you miss ovulation you will skip your normal period. 

What happens to your period when you have a significant fluctuation in your weight depends on what weight you are starting from. For example, if you are starting at a normal weight, gaining or losing weight may cause you to skip your period.

While, if you are underweight or very overweight and not menstruating, gaining weight or losing weight will likely restart your regular period. 

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Gaining Weight From a Normal Weight

If you have a normal body mass index (BMI) and you gain weight it is possible that you may skip your period. Increasing your body’s fat stores (also known as adipose tissue) leads to a hormonal imbalance that can stop your ovulation.

There is no defined amount of weight gain that results in a missed period, but the more significant the gain and the shorter the time in which it happens, the more likely your period will be affected.

The greater your BMI (typically in the obesity range over 35), the more likely you are to miss your period. It is even possible to stop bleeding altogether, a condition known as secondary amenorrhea.

It is also possible that you may have irregular noncyclic bleeding or abnormal uterine bleeding. Usually, when you are very overweight this irregular bleeding can be very heavy.

Gaining Weight When Underweight

If you are underweight it is likely that you may not be getting your period. Typically calorie restriction, excessive exercise, or illness are behind your low BMI. These are stressors on your body that cause hormonal changes that interfere with ovulation. This also causes a very low estrogen level, which is especially bad for your bone health.

When you gain weight from a low BMI, you are reducing the stress on your body. This allows your body to ovulate again, and as a result, menstruate. It also restores your body’s estrogen production and protects your bones.​​

Losing Weight From a Normal Weight

Just like weight gain, there is no defined amount of weight loss that results in missed periods when starting from a normal weight. The more weight you lose and the faster you lose it, the more likely your period will be affected.

Sudden and significant calorie restriction paired with strenuous exercise may cause a stress response that alters your hormone levels, interrupts ovulation, and causes you to miss your period. This results in a lower estrogen level in your body, which is especially harmful to your bone health.

Losing Weight When Overweight

If you are significantly overweight, especially if your BMI is over 35, it is likely that you are not getting your periods regularly. Your increased fat mass or adipose tissue produces extra estrogen that is partly responsible for problems with your ovulation and missed periods.

The excess estrogen associated with obesity can increase your risk of breast and uterine cancer. Losing weight will restore your regular periods and correct your estrogen excess.

Having regular periods is a good indicator of relative hormonal balance in your body. Both the extremes of being very underweight or very overweight result in hormonal imbalances that stop your periods and over time can lead to serious health issues.

You can correct the hormonal imbalances by either gaining or by losing weight to achieve a healthy BMI. This should restart your ovulation and your periods.

A Word From Verywell

If you are starting on a plan to gain or lose weight it is a good idea to meet with your healthcare provider, a nutritionist, and maybe a personal trainer. Your goal should be to lose fat not lean body mass if you are overweight and to gain lean body mass, not just fat if you are underweight.

Make lifestyle changes that will last the rest of your life, and set goals that realistic and achievable. Maintaining your body weight within the normal BMI range (18.5 to 24.9) is one of the most important steps in achieving good overall health.

5 Reasons You Gain Weight During Your Period And What To Do

Even if you don’t use an app or calendar to track when your next period’s due, it’s pretty hard to not know, thanks to your period’s BFF, PMS. About a week before your period, it’s typical to start experiencing all the signs: tender breasts, changes in mood, and to top it all off, period weight gain.

Yep, feeling a little heavier or more bloated is totally normal. But most of that period weight gain is actually water weight, meaning it’s only temporary, says Lauren Streicher, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the medical director of the Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause at Northwestern Medicine. “You retain a lot of fluid when your period comes, and then the weight goes away afterward.”

How much weight is considered normal to gain during your period?

It’s not uncommon for the scale to swing, regardless of having a period or not, explains Charis Chambers, MD, a gynecologist in Houston. “An average adult has weight fluctuations of up to five pounds in a single day, so it is safe to say that weight changes within that range are normal,” Dr. Chambers says—on your period or not.

But PMS can make it more likely that you will experience these weight fluctuations, says Dr. Chambers, who adds that bloating and weight gain are some of the physical symptoms associated with PMS.

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So how much weight gain is normal? Many women typically see around two to six pounds of weight gain around their period, but every body is different. Though if you’re experiencing rapid or persistent weight gain, it’s best to speak with a doctor who can determine if there are other issues at play besides your period. Dr. Chambers also recommends seeking medical advice if you feel like your PMS symptoms are beginning to interfere with your life.

If you want to know learn more about period weight gain, here are five reasons why those numbers on the scale seem to inch up during your period. Plus, doctors explain how to combat that weight gain and bloating to make your time of the month a little less uncomfy.

1. Your hormones are probably to blame.

The female sex hormone estrogen peaks during the latter part of your menstrual cycle, right before your period, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the Yale School of Medicine. And high levels of it can indirectly lead your body to retain fluid, making you feel bloated and potentially causing you to gain a few pounds of water weight.

The good news: Estrogen levels drop as you start your period, so you’ll feel some relief just in time for the cramps to kick in.

The other hormone at play here is progesterone, says Natasha Johnson, MD, a gynecologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Progesterone levels spike in the second half of your cycle, leading to water retention, breast tenderness, and sometimes water weight, she says.

Some women notice their breasts increase by a full size on their periods—again, thanks to progesterone which causes your body to pull fluid from the blood vessels to the tissues, making them appear fuller, perhaps to get ready for a potential pregnancy, she says. But again, this is only temporary, so if you don’t get pregnant, your body will go back to normal.

2. You’re having a ton of cravings, therefore eating differently.

Wild guess: Your period probably doesn’t leave you craving broccoli. It’s the salty and sweet stuff that’s on your mind.

Those foods contribute to period weight gain, says Lisa Dabney, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive science at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Why? Munching on salty chips and simple carbs, like candy or donuts, leads to fluid retention, she explains, resulting in a little extra water weight.

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If you’re soothing yourself with Dominos and ice cream (seriously, you do you) it’s possible that an extra pound may stick around after your period peaces out. (Though, it would take a lot of pizza and ice cream to actually make you gain a pound of fat in a week).

If you’re trying to lose weight or control bloating, make sure you’re hydrated, seek out lean protein like Greek yogurt to keep you full, and eat mindfully. But again, you don’t need to worry about long-term weight gain solely due to body changes that happen temporarily on your period.

3. You don’t really feel like going to the gym, tbh.

You feel irritable and tired—I get it. But even though hitting the gym may be the last thing on your mind, working up a sweat might help keep your body feeling normal, says Dabney.

That’s because sweating helps you shed extra water weight. Plus, that endorphin boost can squash cramps, she notes. Then again, if you’re not feeling a sweat session, there’s nothing wrong with taking a day off.

4. You’re all kinds of backed up.

Your cravings might have you noshing more, but that’s not the only reason you could end up with bloating. According to M. Kathleen Borchardt, MD, an ob-gyn at Houston Methodist, levels of the hormone progesterone rise in your body before your cycle starts, and it acts as a smooth muscle relaxant, slowing down spasms in your gastrointestinal tract. As a result? You might notice your digestive tract gets a bit jammed.

“The progesterone can slow down your normal gut motility and result in constipation,” Dr. Borchardt explains, adding that you can take a probiotic if you’re constantly battling the GI bulge during your period. (Taking OTC diuretics, like Midol, isn’t the best idea, but your ob-gyn might be able to prescribe a diuretic if period-induced bloating is really a major issue for you.)

As an added bonus, if you suffer from the opposite problem (you know, diarrhea) during your period, the probiotic may help with that, too.

5. You’re overloading on caffeine.

It’s really tempting to load up on caffeinated beverages during your period because you feel so damn tired. But suddenly introducing more coffee into your diet can also introduce some, uh, gastrointestinal issues too—namely bloating and discomfort.

But coffee’s not the only culprit. Anything with caffeine contributes to this—and that goes double for carbonated drinks.

“Some women are also often mistaken in thinking carbonated beverages are hydrating,” says Sara Twogood, MD, an assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. But that’s not the case, especially since soft drinks usually also come with a ton of added sugar or artificial sweeteners, which are even worse for bloating.

Is there anything you can do to fight back against period bloating?

Remember: With period weight gain, you’re not gaining actual fat. It’s mostly just water weight thanks to your hormones (and the GI irregularity…and less-than-ideal eating and exercise habits). Still, you might not feel like waiting around five to seven days for your period to end before your body feels normal.

So, you can try these fairly quick fixes to at least minimize the period puffiness.

• Get more h3O. Drink tons of water, says Dr. Borchardt—at least eight glasses per day (roughly two liters) to flush your system. Staying hydrated actually helps combat fluid retention, even if that might seem counterintuitive.
• Get moving. If you can, stick to your exercise routine in spite of your cramps and fatigue. “At least 30 minutes of exercise daily leading up to and during your cycle, with a good mix between weights and cardio, can help release endorphins and combat the hormonal effects [of your period],” Dr. Borchardt says.
• Consider taking supplements. Dr. Borchardt says you can combat your hormones—and their side effects on your mood, hydration, and skin—with some supplements to reduce your PMS woes. She recommends a supplement like vitamin B, which can reduce bloating and other PMS symptoms.
• Get more magnesium in your diet. “Magnesium decreases bloating by contributing to the production of normal stomach acid. When stomach acid is low, there is increased bloating and gas,” says Dr. Chambers. To up your magnesium, you can take it as a supplement or add more magnesium-rich foods to your diet, like spinach.
• Avoid eating too much salt. “Salt contributes to fluid retention, because it attracts water,” Dr. Chambers says, so salt could be another culprit contributing to your bloating. Monitoring you salt intake could help alleviate some of your period stomach issues.

Other than that, consider that time of the month the perfect excuse to wear your fave flowy dresses or comfy activewear—and just save the high-waisted jeans for next week.

Is there anything I can do to avoid period weight gain altogether?

Tbh, no not really, but you can minimize it. “The period weight gain caused by hormonal fluctuations is not entirely avoidable, but can be improved,” says Dr. Chambers.

One way to improve your period weight gain is monitoring what you eat while you’re on and off your period. “There’s a saying that you crave what you eat. Eating healthier in between menstrual cycles is just as, if not more, important than just what you eat while on your period,” explains Dr. Chambers. “Eating healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats can help minimize calories and prevent excessive intake.”

She also recommends eating more frequent smaller meals, instead of infrequent larger dishes, which can turn down your cravings for that greasy slice of pizza.

Hormonal birth control can also help you mitigate period weight gain, says Dr. Chambers. “Hormonal medications like certain types of birth control that prevent ovulation, will lessen hormonal fluctuations and thus lessen this type of weight gain/water retention. ” If getting on or switching your birth control method is something you’re interested in, consult your doctor.

But if all else fails, just wait it out. Weight fluctuation during your period is totally normal. But if you’re really worried about it, check in with your doctor.

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The Link Between Weight and Your Menstrual Cycle – PMS Center

You probably worry about your weight for two reasons: your appearance and your health. Besides affecting your self-esteem, being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other health conditions. At the other extreme, being underweight may cause low blood pressure, heart palpitations, osteoporosis, kidney stones, and other issues.

It may surprise you to learn that body weight can impact reproductive health as well. In addition to conception and pregnancy problems, weight loss and weight gain can both significantly affect your menstrual cycle.

The Effects of Estrogen

A woman’s ovaries produce the female sex hormones progesterone and estrogen, after getting certain cues from the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. Estrogen helps build the cushiony uterine lining, known as the endometrium, that will nourish a fertilized egg. If fertilization doesn’t take place, a woman’s body naturally sheds that lining through the process commonly called having a period, or menstruation. Every woman’s menstrual cycle is slightly different, but over time, most women’s cycles follow fall somewhere between 21 and 35 days.

The Weighty Side of the Menstrual Cycle

The biology is simple: Basic cholesterol compounds in fat cells can get changed into a type of weak estrogen called estrone. Overweight or obese women carrying extra fat cells have “little estrone-making factories, which have an estrogenic effect on glands,” explains Maria Arias, MD, a gynecologist at Atlanta Women’s Specialists in Georgia.

This added estrogen can cause bleeding or menstrual disorders. A woman may go months without ovulating, for example, but the uterine lining is still accumulating — to the point that it becomes unstable. Eventually, says Dr. Arias, a woman can have a period that “lets loose like a flood gate,” with prolonged or very heavy bleeding.

Overweight women aren’t the only ones who may have problems with their periods. Underweight women and women with eating disorders, like anorexia nervosa, that result in extreme weight loss may also be unintentionally impacting their menstrual cycles. Women without much fat on their bodies may have fewer periods or go longer without ovulating. Starvation, as well as extreme exercise and stress, can trigger an effect that suppresses the hypothalamus. These women may be so underweight that their bodies simply stop making estrogen. Additionally, the lack of fat doesn’t allow cells to convert cholesterol into extra estrogen.

Can Your Period Cause Weight Gain?

Weight loss or gain can trigger changes in a woman’s menstrual cycle, but can it ever go the other way? It often seems like that time of the month moves the needle on your scale a few notches in the direction of weight gain.

“The menstrual cycle isn’t the cause of weight changes, it’s just a bystander,” explains Arias. The menstrual cycle does not directly impact weight loss or gain, but there may be some secondary connections.

On the list of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms are changes in appetite and food cravings, and that can affect weight. Studies show that women tend to crave foods high in fat and carbohydrates during specific phases of the menstrual cycle; women also tend to take in more calories during these phases.

Bloating, another uncomfortable yet temporary PMS symptom, leaves some women feeling heavy. Because salty foods can cause the body to retain water, which will show up on the scale as a temporary weight gain, it’s best to watch your salt intake and focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet, full of fruits and vegetables, before, during, and after menstruation. Drinking lots of water may help reduce that bloated feeling as well.

Your menstrual cycle maintains a delicate balance, so it’s good to be aware that gaining a large amount of weight or exercising excessively and losing a significant number of pounds, can impact your production of hormones, specifically estrogen, and hypothalamic functioning, potentially changing the regularity and length of your menstrual periods.

Tips for Weight Loss During and Around Your Period

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If you do eat excess food before or on your period, this will not just be water retention and that kind of weight will be more permanent and you will need to work that off.

A tip I have to help with your bottomless stomach is to have some veggies on hand for when you get really hungry and absolutely have to eat something. They will help keep you full and hold you over until your next snack or meal.

Try baking your veggies in the oven for 10-15 minutes with a little avocado oil or coconut oil, and whatever spices you have on hand. They taste SO good that way.

You can also sign up for a free fitness/nutrition plan which can help you to jumpstart your weight loss and promote a lean and strong bod. Sign up for my free challenge here.

3. Staying on Plan

A cool thing about the week before your period, is that you’re burning about 10% more calories a day. Meaning, if you stay on top of your plan, you can see a little added weight loss! This isn’t a huge amount, so don’t start eating more than what your plan calls for because you’re burning more calories. Still stick to your plan!

4. Listening to Your body

During your period, pain and energy levels are fluctuating. Listen to your body! If you feel like your energy levels are low, try yoga, take a walk, or do just a light workout session. If you feel like you need an extra rest day, take one. On the other hand, if you have a random burst of energy, go get your workout done while your energy levels are up! I also recommend taking Pre-Workout for additional motivation and energy to get you into the gym.

You are also more likely to get hurt during this time. This study shows how during the menstrual cycle women are at a higher risk of injury, as estrogen levels skyrocket.

It is key during this time to have your nutrition and exercise techniques on point to help prevent any injuries from happening! For nutrition, if you’re not on a specific plan, I suggest getting at least 1g of protein per pound of body weight each day so your body can heal and repair itself properly. As for exercising techniques, really pay attention to how your body is moving, specifically your joints. And practice good form. Grab a respected gym partner and have them double-check your technique as you go!

You Got This

Periods can sometimes get the best of us, but you can stay on track with your goals during this time of the month. Practice healthy habits and remember consistency and balance in all things. You need an occasional treat meal? That’s fine! Take one. Fit it into your week, and don’t feel guilty about it. Enjoy it, then get back on track after.

I also take supplements to make sure that my body gets the vitamins and minerals that it needs to function properly. IdealLean Calcium, Magnesium + Zink, and Vitamin D promotes healthy bones, immune support, energy, and more. Plus with our Beauty and Antioxidant Blends you can look and feel your best from the inside out.

Does “That Time of The Month” Really Affect Weight Loss?

Not surprisingly, the weight-loss journey is different for everyone, but did you know that your gender can drive these differences? Women experience monthly fluctuations in hormones that  affect them physically and emotionally. If you’re a woman trying to lose weight, “that time of the month” is another layer to deal with in order to succeed.

What Is PMS, and does it really exist?

“PMS,” or premenstrual syndrome, is a unicorn phenomena used by women who need an excuse to be Cruella de Vil, right? Wrong! PMS is a diagnosable cluster of symptoms of physiological and psychological changes that, according to Drs. Steven Pray, PhD, DPh and Joshua J. Pray, PharmD, a whopping 40% of women experience!

News flash: Monthly hormonal changes and PMS are a real deal. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V (DSM V), also known as the psychologist’s bible, defines PMS as having five plus signs or symptoms for two consecutive menstrual cycles. Here’s a chart of some those signs and symptoms. As you can see, bloating and swelling are key contributors to what women will experience as “weight gain.”

Physical Signs	Psychological Symptoms
-Fatigue -Abdomina bloating -Swollen hands and feet -Tenderness -Nausea	-Cravings for sweet and salty foods -Depression -Irritability -Mood swings -Anxiety -Social withdrawal -Sleep disturbances

Table Adapted from: Brown, Judith E. (2011). Nutrition Through the Lifecycle, Fourth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

How PMS Affects Weight, Woes and Cravings

A woman’s menstrual cycles are driven by fluctuating hormones, not all of which are implicated in PMS. At the start of your cycle, the pituitary gland releases hormones (luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones) to help you ovulate. During this period, an ovum (aka egg) matures and is released from your ovaries, leaving behind a group of cells known as the “corpus luteum.” The corpus luteum’s job is to produce estrogen and progesterone, which builds up a nutrient-rich blood lining to help the ovum thrive. This lining is (you guessed it!) your monthly visitor.

So, how may this cycle cause PMS?

1. Progesterone surges. The spike in progesterone right before your period is a possible reason bloating, tenderness and swelling occurs. Progesterone encourages the body to release more aldosterone, a hormone that tells your kidneys to retain water and sodium, which can partly explain your puffier appearance during that time of month. It’s normal for women to gain a few pounds of water weight. Progesterone’s role is to prepare the body for pregnancy, which generally means helping you gain weight in the form of water or otherwise.

2. Estrogen dips. Your estrogen level peaks right before ovulation, but then drastically drops and plateaus, despite the corpus luteum helping with its production. In the week before your period, the estrogen dip is a potential explanation for PMS symptoms like cravings for sweet and salty foods, irritability, depression, anxiety, nausea, etc. How? An estrogen drop-off lowers the activity of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects your mood and appetite. Lower serotonin activity can lead to negative emotions, which can drive us to look for reprieve in sweet and salty junk foods.

Natural changes in progesterone and estrogen work hand-in-hand to ready our bodies for childbearing; PMS is an unwanted side effect. Why women experience symptoms of PMS, and to what degree, aren’t completely understood, but hormones certainly have a hand in it. Remember that the signs and symptoms of PMS can have non-hormonal root causes. Therefore, it’s best to talk to your doctor or health provider for advice that’s tailored to your individual case.

5 Tips to Deal with Period Weight Gain

Have you ever been on a weight-loss streak only to step on the scale and discover you’ve gained five pounds? We feel your pain. There aren’t that many tried-and-true techniques to deal with PMS, but here are a few that can help:

1. Keep calm, and exercise on.

It’s tempting to halt your exercise routine during that time of month, especially if your PMS involves cramps. However, if you are able to engage in mild, regular exercise, it can help improve your mood and energy level. Too pained to move? Try a seated meditation, focused on relaxing the muscles and regular breathing, for 15–20 minutes twice per day over the course of months. Research has shown that this can lead to a 58% improvement in PMS symptoms.

2. Experiment with changing your caffeine intake.

Try taking your caffeine intake (think: coffee and energy drinks) down a notch. Rossignol et al. found in a survey of 841 women that PMS symptoms were worse when the participants reported drinking more caffeine-containing beverages daily. Keep in mind that this is one study. Some of us actually use caffeine-containing drinks to combat PMS symptoms like fatigue and feeling bloated because caffeine is a mild diuretic (it makes you pee). There’s no solid answer here; it’s best to figure out which strategy is better for your body.

DID YOU KNOW? Midol, an over-the-counter medication for PMS, contains 60 milligrams of caffeine per dose. This is about the amount in 1 cup of coffee.

3. Reach for nutrient-rich foods if you snack.

When it comes to PMS cravings, eat outside the chocolate box. Chocolate is the go-to PMS panacea for many women, likely because its sweetness is comforting. After all, eating chocolate and treats cause the brain to release feel-good dopamine and serotonin. Instead of just reaching for chocolate, go for nutrient-rich snacks that provide calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B6 and magnesium. Some ideas include yogurt, granola, unsalted nuts, cheese and crackers, and smoked salmon on half of a bagel.

4. Ignore the haters.

A study comparing 28 women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD,a severe form of PMS) to women without PMDD found that those with PMDD were more likely to have a negative bias when processing non-verbal affective information (think: facial expressions). Translation? If you’re self-conscious about your weight, PMSing can negatively color your perception. You may interpret that others are making negative judgments about you. Ignore that inner voice, and don’t be so harsh on yourself.

5. Log your weight on a weekly basis. Even if you don’t experience extreme PMS, your weight may fluctuate as a result of monthly hormonal changes. If you easily gain 5–10 pounds of period weight every month, regularly tracking weight makes it easier for you to see progress. No matter what the scale says, don’t let it deflate your motivation!

Weight Loss and Your Menstrual Cycle

This one is for the ladies. It’s a pretty predictable pattern; you’re doing great with weight loss and then all of a sudden, you’ve got a bad weigh-in Monday and can’t figure out what you did wrong. You might be surprised to learn that weight loss and your menstrual cycle are interconnected. It can be a little discouraging to see that you’ve lost very little, or maybe even gained a pound or two from the last week. Don’t panic. Poor weight loss and your menstrual cycle are related, typically affected most around your fourth week.

Week One (period week) –

At some point during week one of your cycle (starting the first day of your period), estrogen begins to build, which usually results in more energy and a boost in your mood. The build in estrogen is a great time to increase the weights you’re using during your workout at Fit for Life, because you’ll build muscle much easier. For diet, your cravings will begin to disappear, and it would be a great week for you to try to decrease your carbohydrate intake, especially after lunchtime.

Week Two –

This is the week your estrogen peaks, giving you the most energy you’ll have during your cycle. This is a great week to consider doubling your workouts if you have time. You will also want to focus extra on stress management because the higher estrogen may also make your stress response more sensitive, which can build up cortisol or contribute to chronic stress, neither of which are good for weight loss.

Week Three –

During this week, progesterone increases with a fat blasting boost, up to 30% more fat burned capabilities during aerobic exercises. Decreasing your weight and increasing reps will be helpful this week for more fat burning. You’ll also want to be diligent to keep up with your hydration, and add in some extra fiber by way of more veggies to minimize the impending water retention and bloat that’s coming with the increased progesterone.

Week Four (PMS) –

As more progesterone builds, you’ll notice an increase in cravings for unhealthy foods. You’ll need to find FTDI treats to avoid those powerful cravings as much as possible. Berries, tea sweetened with a stevia/erythritol, or half a Quest bar are a few ideas to help you get through this week.  Continue to focus on hydration and extra fiber to avoid water retention and bloat (up to 5 lbs!). You may also find that increasing your healthy fat intake and decreasing carbs, especially after lunchtime, can help with cravings.

What About Menopause?

Menopause can be a difficult time for weight loss because of all the shifting hormones, but the good news is, that strength training – especially the HIIT style used at Fit for Life, is one of the most effective styles of working out you can participate in during menopause. It burns fat faster, especially the stubborn visceral fat that gathers around the belly. Avoiding processed foods is also key to weight loss or maintenance during this time, along with sleep, stress management and self care.

How Can Your Weight Affect Your Menstrual Cycle?

When your period doesn’t come “regularly” — every 21 to 35 days — it may become a personal annoyance, but it’s also an indication that your body is stressed. You may have noticed that life events that cause chronic stress — such as a death in the family, major career changes, or a big move — can alter your cycle, but did you know that fluctuations in body weight can, too?

Can weight loss affect your period?

I don’t own a scale anymore, but in college I weighed myself daily. As a freshman, I was in the thick of my experience with orthorexia — an eating disorder in which “healthy” eating behaviors become obsessive/compulsive — and lost weight quickly. Before I even finished my first semester, I lost my period, too. My period’s absence lasted for years. When I filled out health history forms at annual doctor appointments, I would have to note that my last period was months, if not more than one year, ago. But merely clarifying that pregnancy was not a plausible cause for this was enough to satisfy the physicians and nurse practitioners. I was put on hormonal birth control pills. Voila, problem solved!

In my post-college years, I gradually gained enough weight to be within the “normal” BMI range for my height. I even put on a few extra pounds, hopeful that would help my reproductive system regulate. It didn’t. Instead, for six years, my weight fluctuated while my period remained absent, unless I was taking birth control pills. As one nurse practitioner put it to me, “Pills won’t fix the problem, but at least you have your period!”

At the age of 24, I found a happy medium. I was at a healthy weight for my body, let go of compulsive eating behaviors, had lower stress levels, and, finally, a regular period. At last, I had learned to listen to my body and what it needed. If I had realized earlier that those fluctuations in my weight were one major sign of physical (and sometimes emotional) stress, I may have saved myself years of a missing period.

Your weight is an indication of overall health.

There are a plethora of biometric health markers, like triglycerides or HDL cholesterol levels, but body weight is one we can regularly self-monitor. Scales are one form of objective weight measurement, but not the only option. Now, I am only weighed once per year (at my annual physical), and I don’t encourage clients to weigh in daily, either. That daily habit can, itself, be a source of mental stress. But I do recommend taking time to notice how your clothes are fitting, whether or not your body feels different to you, whether or not you feel lethargic, heavier or lighter — these are also indications of weight changes, and are worth paying some attention to. If you notice changes in your cycle, assess whether you’ve also noticed changes in weight. The two could be related.

If your weight changes, it may affect your menstrual cycle.

Both weight loss and weight gain have been shown to influence menstrual cycle regularity. This is because changes in weight may lead to changes in hormone levels, including estrogen and testosterone, according to dietitian and fertility research expert Cynthia Clark. Research suggests that a gain or loss of about 20% of body weight could cause alterations in hormone levels that lead to amenorrhea (the absence of menstruation for one or more cycles). In either case, the weight change and resulting hormonal changes are read by the body as a stress signal telling your body it is not an ideal time for pregnancy, so ovulation ceases.

Correcting this may be possible through a weight loss or gain, respectively. For example, in the case of being overweight or obese, losing 5% of body weight can improve fertility hormone levels and outcome (i.e. cycle regularity), says Clark. If this doesn’t correct the issue, the next step would be to consult a fertility expert, such as an OBGYN to discuss other possibilities.

Being overweight or obese is also a risk factor for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

In addition, one of the characteristics of PCOS is a change in insulin production, putting women at risk for weight gain. So, weight gain is both a symptom and a risk factor for this condition that may result in menstrual cycle irregularity, or in extreme cases, even infertility. The connection between being overweight and risk of having PCOS isn’t clear yet, though. A range of symptoms are associated with PCOS, weight gain and irregular periods — or secondary amenorrhea — being two of the most common.

Not every woman who is overweight or obese has PCOS. Weight gain is related to increased inflammation — often caused by expanding fat cells and chronic hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) related to overeating — which may also signal stress to the body.

Conversely, losing weight may put stress on the body, giving it a signal to stop your cycle.

In our modern world, stress is far more common and chronic as a result of both external (work, family, traffic, true crime series, etc.) and internal (emotions such as fear or anxiety) triggers. The body doesn’t like being stressed, so it works to reduce the stressors it can control and preserve energy for processes and systems necessary for life. Losing too much body weight — perhaps as a result of disordered eating, over-exercising, or even chronic stress — is a form of physiological stress, and is one cause of primary amenorrhea.

Maintaining your healthy weight is key to a regular menstrual cycle.

To find your healthy weight, start to log your period and weight monthly. If you do experience a change in your menstrual cycle, you can easily backtrack and review this information. Note that your healthy weight may not be a “normal” weight for your height, as defined by BMI. In my nutrition practice, I’ve worked with clients whose weight was outside of the normal BMI weight range yet they still maintained good health and regular periods.

If you’ve recently experienced a change in your menstrual cycle, take a step back and see if weight change may be a factor.

90,000 What happens to the body while losing weight

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Weight loss should never be quick. A healthy and lasting result can be obtained only when fat tissue is lost, but muscle tissue is retained. Therefore, weight loss should be gradual, extended over months and years. “Safe speed is 3-4 kg per month. If weight loss occurs faster, there is a significant risk of muscle loss. And along with this, there are other risks associated with the loss of protein by the body.The smooth muscles of the vessels and internal organs may suffer. There is a danger of prolapse of the kidneys, pelvic organs, varicose veins, deterioration of the skin condition up to sagging in problem areas and hair loss, ”says Maria Ibragimova, nutritionist, therapist and fitness testing specialist of the federal chain of fitness clubs X-Fit.

In order for excess fat to disappear, it is necessary to create a calorie deficit. That is, make sure that the body spends more energy than it receives.“Based on physiology, an adequate amount of weight loss per week would be 0.5-1% of your current weight. For example, if you weigh 70 kg, then this norm will be from 350 to 700 g per week. Therefore, at a reasonable pace in a month, you will lose 1.5 to 3 kg. If we are talking about the loss of excess weight in a person whose condition can be characterized as obesity, then this figure will be more significant, – explains Anastasia Chigarinova, nutritionist and crossfit trainer at MSK CrossFit & Fight Club. – If we are talking about a change in body composition (a decrease in the percentage of fat or an increase in pure muscle mass), then the indicators on the scales will not always reflect real changes in the body and we resort to other methods of assessment.That is, the weight may remain the same, but the percentage of fat will decrease, the desired relief will appear, and the volume will decrease. ”

Sudden weight loss leads to flabbiness of the skin and a slowdown in metabolism, and may also indicate that the diet is not chosen correctly. It is important to get a balanced set of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.

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Muscles are often lost with the loss of fat and water. When losing weight, you must adhere to a balanced diet with an emphasis on protein and adhere to a diet – this will allow you to leave fat, and not muscle mass.“During fasting, strict diets and nutrition once a day, even with proteins alone, the body simply begins to store in the form of fat and expend muscle mass,” warns Olga Tiryukova, an international coach at ZARYAD.studio.

Muscle is a calorie-burning furnace, so the more muscle mass, the higher the metabolic rate. Nutrition should be such that 1.6 g of protein per 1 kg of weight. “For example, with a weight of 70 kg, you need about 110 g of protein per day, this is 30–35 g of protein in each meal plus a protein snack.On training days, you can and should eat more (especially protein), and on rest days – less. You should also include strength exercises, ”recommends Anna Bykova, nutritionist at the Sektsia fitness studio.

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With a balanced diet, the hormonal background of the body is leveled. If the nutrition program is selected correctly by a trainer or nutritionist, then no imbalance will happen. “Disorders often affect how insulin works. An unbalanced diet often leads to metabolic disorders associated with this hormone.The most common is insulin resistance, a condition in which cells do not respond to a hormonal signal from the body. That is, the pancreas ceases to cope, and the concentration of glucose in the blood rises – this can lead to diabetes mellitus, ”explains Anastasia Chigarinova.

Without a balanced amount of carbohydrates in a woman’s diet, the work of female hormones (estrogen and progesterone) can be disrupted until menstruation stops. “Fat cells release additional estrogen in both men and women.In excess, estrogens decrease testosterone and libido, induce muscle loss and increase fatigue. With a decrease in body fat and a decrease in the number of fat cells, many of these symptoms disappear, as hormones gradually return to normal, adds Anna Bykova. – And the level of cortisol can rise, since losing weight is stress for the body. Therefore, it is important to apply stress-reducing practices (Pilates, yoga, walks), drink soothing teas, pamper yourself and get enough sleep. “

If you follow a very strict diet, you may have problems with hormones such as leptin, ghrelin, YY peptide, which regulate the feelings of appetite, hunger and satiety.

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Exercise and a balanced diet affect the metabolism, which allows you to start effective metabolic processes in the body. “Our cells require or may require energy from fats. Under the influence of hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, fat cells give up their resource in the form of free fatty acids, or proteins and glycerin, which, in turn, enter the general bloodstream.Cells that need energy consume it from the blood and release water, carbon dioxide and acid in response, ”explains the international class trainer ZARYAD.studio.

“The total amount of fat in the human body is on average 15–20% of the body weight, and in the case of morbid obesity it can even reach 50%. Fats have many functions in the body, but one of their main functions is to ‘store energy’ ’. Accordingly, in order to burn fat, we need to create a calorie deficit. The process of formation, deposition and mobilization of fat from the depot is regulated by the nervous and endocrine systems, as well as tissue mechanisms and is closely related to carbohydrate metabolism.- explains Oksana Lishchenko, nutritionist World Class Romanov. – So, an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood activates the synthesis of fats, and a decrease, on the contrary, enhances their breakdown. With an excess of carbohydrates and the absence of fats in food, the synthesis of fat in the body can occur from carbohydrates, and in the complete absence of carbohydrates, they will be formed in the body from the breakdown products of fats and proteins

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Lethargy and irritability are abnormal during weight loss. This means that the diet is not compiled correctly.“Breakdowns and nervousness are possible due to a lack of carbohydrates. It is their people who often cut back during weight loss. The stores of glycogen (stored glucose in the liver and muscles) are consumed in a few days, and our brain begins to openly “ starve ” without its favorite food – glucose. You can only raise your glucose level with carbohydrates, ”says nutritionist and crossfit trainer at MSK CrossFit & Fight Club.

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The most important thing in losing weight is to drink enough water, observe the measure and balance of the diet, monitor the level of iron for energy, get enough Omega-3 to improve mood and strengthen immunity.“It is important to follow the rules of a balanced diet for fat burning: a small calorie deficit in the diet (about 20-30%), the optimal amount of protein, a sufficient content of vegetables and fruits in the diet (at least 500 g per day to get fiber), adherence to the diet (food intake at least 4 times a day). As for the drinking regimen: try to follow the general recommendations – at least 1.5-2 liters of liquid during the day, this amount is higher on the day of training. The standard calculation is 30-40 ml of liquid per 1 kg of ideal body weight, ”explains Oksana Lishchenko.

90,000 8 stages of weight loss, what you need to know to lose weight for sure | Health and Beauty Secrets

When I start a weight loss diet, I know there will be a predictable course. Predictable, but with a degree of uncertainty, because each person responds differently to dietary changes. The challenge for the dietitian is to respond to weight loss difficulties on an ongoing basis. However, weight loss has certain stages that are repeated in almost 90% of people. It is worth knowing what they mean and what will happen.

How does the diet work?

There is no universal weight loss diet. Not everyone needs 5 meals, you can eat 4, you can and 3. Not everyone will find a high supply of protein, and not everyone responds well to carbohydrates at every meal. After several years, I know that everyone needs, first and foremost, a real weight loss plan.

How you lose weight affects your lifestyle, genetic conditions, habits or health problems. Everyone loses weight in a different way, which does not mean that they cannot catch some of the common elements.

I want to show you these common elements. Weight loss stages that are almost always repeated during a weight loss diet. Take a look to check where you are now!

Stages of Weight Loss


Stage 1: Weight Loss Plan

Work with your dietitian to set a weight loss goal and the time at which you will reach it. Plan your menus and regular workouts based on your lifestyle. Remember that the assumptions you make in the beginning are not final and will change with the duration of the cut diet.Human is not a calculator, you cannot predict with 100% certainty how the body will react to changing eating habits.

Stage 2: Initial phase (about 4 weeks)

Your body weight is dropping rapidly. The tip of the scale shows up to 1-2 kg less per week. This is the most common scenario when starting a diet cut. It happens that the first 2 weeks do not shed a drop of adipose tissue. Then, with a moderately low energy diet, body composition changes begin. Losing weight is not only a decrease in body weight, but above all, a decrease in fat mass.

Stage 3: Pre-plateau phase (about 8 weeks)

The rate of weight loss slows down. You are losing 0.5-1 kg per week in adipose tissue. The duration of this stage is conditional. The more obesity you have in the beginning, the longer this stage lasts.

Stage 4: Plateau phase (up to 4 weeks)

Weight loss stops. This is a normal stage that goes away spontaneously.It is important that your dietitian advises you about this. The plateau lasts a maximum of 4 weeks. If after this time body weight does not begin to decline again, additional measures (such as increasing physical activity) should be considered. The worst thing you can do is reduce calories immediately at the beginning of the plateau and add very intense physical activity. You won’t pull it for long, and the effect will be worse than waiting, because the basal metabolic rate will decrease.

Stage 5: Slow phase of descent (to target)

Body weight is reduced by about 0.5 kg per week.Constantly, straight to the goal …

Step 6: Stabilize body weight (minimum 4 weeks)

Body weight remains stable with small variations (+/- 1 kg). Remember, body weight is never a point. It’s not that the dream of 57 kg holds, even if I don’t know what! Body weight changes during the day (even by 1-1.5 kg) due to fluctuations in the water content in the body. Body weight also responds to the phase of the monthly cycle. For this reason, do not panic when the weight points to a kilogram more.Observe if the weight gain is maintained or if there is no trace the next day. If it lasts longer than 2 weeks, do a body composition analysis and check for fat.

Step 7: Exit the diet (4-8 weeks)

Gradually increase the number of calories (+ 100-200 kcal / week) to a high-calorie normal caloric diet. This is a rather difficult stage that requires close cooperation with a nutritionist. Exit from the diet is associated with urgent monitoring of oneself and the reaction of the body. At this stage, you are usually very knowledgeable about the functioning of the body, so it is not as difficult as it might seem. The most important thing is not to miss the exit from the diet and return to the normal calorie diet!

Stage 8: Maintaining a reduced body weight

As long as possible :). Remember that the state of being on a diet for weight loss differs only from the state of being absent while reducing only by the amount of food. The frequency of your meals does not change, you do not stop caring about your high nutritional value, do not give up.For this reason, it is very important to make real decisions in the long run from the start.

I hope my advice on proper weight loss will help you. Many do not know about this and make many mistakes. You can share this article so that Everyone can correctly lose weight. See you))))))))))

What is the normal rate of weight loss?

How quickly can you lose weight and how much? What is the normal rate of weight loss? What to expect from your diet? These questions are of interest to those who are losing weight in the first place.But people’s perceptions of the rate at which fat burns are not entirely realistic – especially against the backdrop of “-10 per week” diets. We are promised that this is real, if you suffer a little and starve. And we no longer agree to anything below this figure.

This article is for those who are frustrated by losing “just” 500 grams a week; for those who believe that he is doing something wrong, and his metabolism is too low to lose weight quickly.

Fat loss and weight loss

Before talking about the rate of weight loss, it is important to learn to distinguish between weight loss and fat loss.

Body weight is not only fat, even in the fattest person with clinical obesity. These are organs, bones, muscles, water, glycogen and even intestinal contents. Losing weight doesn’t specify exactly what is going away.

Maybe muscles. There may be glycogen and water that it retains. Maybe swelling. Anyone who has met with food poisoning knows how to quickly lose weight by 3-5 kg. But the weight returns as soon as the person returns to normal life. Thus, all of the above falls under “weight loss.”But when people think about losing weight, they want to get rid of fat.

When it comes to your figure, the main goal is to lose as much fat as possible and retain as much muscle as possible. All the rest of the ballast – water, glycogen and food inside the digestive tract – things come and go.

So, by the end of the cycle, a woman suffers from edema, adding up to 3 kilograms. The amount of carbohydrates in food depends on the amount of glycogen and the water retained by it.

Weight changes are especially noticeable when a person switches from carbohydrate-free to a regular diet.Or vice versa – removes carbohydrates and the first week is happy with a big “plummet”.

How do you know if muscle or fat is going away?

Weighing is only one way to control weight loss, and it does not show the whole picture. The ratio of fat to muscle in the body is called body composition. This is what determines how we look.

A lot of fat and little muscle – this is an ordinary fat person. Low fat and low muscle is a skinny fat figure. Lots of fat and lots of muscle – a massive chunky figure.Low fat and a lot of muscle is what everyone dreams of, a beautiful athletic body. Therefore, it is important to monitor not only the arrow on the scales, but also the ratio of fat and muscle. This will make it clear what you are missing.

You can find out the body composition in different ways – paid and free, accurate and approximate. Among them is bioimpedansometry, measurement of skin folds with a caliper.

The best way to maintain muscle while losing weight is to eat enough protein, do strength training, and maintain (or even increase) your working weights.If the working weights are gradually decreasing, this may be a signal that the muscles are getting smaller. This is why it is important to keep a workout diary – it allows you to see your progress, weight gain or weight loss from week to week.

What is the normal rate of fat loss?

Normal is the loss of 0.5-1.0% of body weight per week. This is a good metric to ensure that the fat is actually going away (1). If your weight is 70 kg, then you should expect to lose 350-700 grams per week.Slimmer people lose less – at the bottom and even less. People with great overweight, obesity lose more – up to 2 kg. It looks just pathetic compared to the “-10 per week” diet, but it is reality.

Even if we go on a starvation carbohydrate-free diet – cucumber, kefir, celery – about the same amount of fat will still go away. All other “plumb lines” – water, glycogen, edema and intestinal contents. Once the body gets rid of the “non-fat” ballast, weight loss slows down to the same 0.5-1 kg per week.

There are also more accurate figures for a healthy loss of fat per month (not weight from muscle and water):

• Obese people (30-35% body fat): 4-6% of body weight or 3.6-9 kg
• Typical weight (23-27% body fat): 2-3% of body weight or 2-2.8 kg.
• Slender people (17-22% fat): 1-2% of body weight or 0.8-2 kg.
• Dry (12-16% fat): 0.5-1% of body weight or 0.4-0.8 kg.

Or fat loss per week:

• Obesity: 0.9-1.4 kg
• Average weight: 0.5-0.7 kg
• Slender people: 0.2-0.5 kg
• Dry people: 0.1-0.2 kg

You also need to remember that fat loss is not a linear process. Sometimes the weight is worth it, sometimes it can go up, and sometimes it goes down steeply. Look at the general trend. Do not expect fat to melt before your eyes, like wax. It takes time. The more excess weight you have, the faster it goes away. The slimmer a person becomes, the slower he loses weight.

90,000 Stages of weight loss or why it didn’t work out again

So much has already been said about losing weight, a huge number of techniques, diets, projects have been created, but, despite this, every year people
overweight is more and more and the problem in many countries is taking on a national scale.So what’s the deal? Are people really so
are weak, that they cannot deny themselves fat and sugar, or are they so stupid that they do not understand the principles of proper weight loss?

The practice of communicating with patients of the world’s leading nutritionists shows that people, as a rule, have enough willpower and knowledge to lose weight
right and for a long time. Failure is often rooted in psychological traps that are rarely spoken of. If you read this article and
learn the most important psychological moments of losing weight, then you can easily avoid dangerous moments.

Stages of weight loss

The whole process of losing weight with a low-calorie diet can be roughly broken down into 3 stages:

1. Rapid loss
   During this period, there is a very rapid decrease in body weight due to
   • glycogen catabolism (expenditure),
   • protein catabolism (own muscles),
   • excretion (excretion from the body) of fluid.

2. Slow loss
   During this period, there is an extremely slow burning of fat reserves with a possible increase in total body weight due to recovery
   normal content in the body of water and glycogen.
3. Clamping step
   The transition from a stressful situation of consumption of stocks and savings to a normal metabolism.

At each of the 3 stages in the body, the most complex changes in metabolism and the work of the main systems take place.

The gross and most basic mistake of those who want to lose weight is a linear, equal attitude to all days in the process of losing weight and
expectation of a uniform decrease in body weight.

The result of this erroneous perception is psychological reactions that cause a person to turn off the right path, not
waiting for quite a bit of the desired result.

As a rule, those who want to lose weight enthusiastically and easily endure the first 7-10 days on a reduced calorie diet. At this stage
each weighing gives joy and hope that in a very short time you will find the desired shape.

That is why most diets are famous for their short performance and 90,061 are actually the main reason for further excess
fat and aggravating the situation.

Eating a low-calorie diet once is not a big deal.Unfortunately, the majority strives
find nonexistent easy ways and falls into the psychological trap of “effectiveness” of the first stage of weight loss.

Virtually untouched for
the first 7-10 days of the diet, the fat layer receives a strong impulse to increase and with each attempt to “sit on a diet” the person receives
all new pounds of fat. This circle can only be broken by understanding and accepting the real facts about human physiology. Be patient and give up looking for wonderful techniques.

Once again, we emphasize that after the first period of a fairly rapid loss of body weight, a transition to the second stage will follow. This period only
real fat burning will begin .

In fact, you will see a slight return in total body weight or a stop in decline. Rejoice! Now your body has started burning fat!
Don’t change anything in your diet. Wait. Don’t panic, don’t fall into a psychological trap.

After the second period, it is even more difficult – the burning of fat will also stop.The body gets used to new things. Give it time, now is the hardest part and
for you (how hard it is to give up temptations without seeing the result!) and for your body (restructuring of key metabolic processes has begun).

Below is a body weight graph showing physiologically correct weight loss from adipose tissue.

An example of body weight change in a girl

Patient:
girl, 26 years old, height 165 cm.

Reason for contacting a dietitian:
dissatisfaction with excess fat in the waist area.

Initial data:
waist circumference 62.5 cm – 71.5 cm – 78.5 cm (with the abdomen maximally drawn in – in the normal position – with the maximally relaxed abdomen),
morning body weight 56.9 kg,
evening body weight 57.7 kg.

Start date of observations of food, weight and calorie expenditure:
January 11, 2012

End date of observation of food, weight and calorie expenditure:
April 25, 2012

Result:
waist size 50.5 cm – 55.5 cm – 61 cm (with the abdomen maximally drawn in – in the normal position – with the maximally relaxed abdomen),
morning body weight 53.25 kg,
evening body weight 54 kg.

The patient’s body weight charts are shown below

Remember, once you went on a diet and reduced your usual calorie intake, you began to play with fire. Be careful not to get caught in
traps of the first reactions.If you once decided to become healthy and slim, then do not expect a miracle, but tune in to long and serious work.

Let’s emphasize, having reduced the usual caloric content of the diet, you began to play with fire. Up to this point, you could afford to eat enough
a lot without much consequence. But after the first stage of losing weight (up to 7-10 days on a low-calorie diet), you started a number of processes. Now
Your body is waiting for the right moment to store fat hard. Before the diet, there was no storage, there was a problem of surpluses that could
not completely deposited in fat, or not deposited at all, but spent on additional
heat production or excreted in the urine.North
on a strict diet, you drove yourself
to a dead end. Now there is no problem of utilizing excess, now the body will do everything to stock up as much as possible
more in no time. By dieting from time to time, you are playing with fire and actually increasing your fat stores!

If you are ready to accept the facts of human physiology, if you are ready to survive stops in body weight loss, if you are ready for a long and difficult
work on yourself, then success is guaranteed!

90,000 When to eat to lose weight

• Linda Geddes
• BBC Future

April 14, 2019

Photo by Unspalsh

Nutrition, metabolism and biorhythms are interconnected – therefore, it is not only what you eat that matters but also when.

It is known that first year students tend to gain weight. In the United States, this phenomenon was even given a name – “first year student”, because for a year of independent life, young people gain an average of 7 kilograms. This is partly due to the substitution of convenience foods and junk food for homemade food, and the decrease in physical activity.

However, scientists are increasingly pointing to another possible cause: a violation of circadian rhythms. After all, students tend to eat and drink late at night and sleep when they have to.

We are used to hearing that obesity and related diseases – type 2 diabetes, heart disease – are a direct consequence of the quantity and quality of food we eat, in balance with the calories spent on physical activity. But it turns out that it is important not only what to eat, but also when.

The idea that food is digested differently at different times of the day is not new at all. In ancient China, doctors believed that energy flowed through the body in accordance with the movement of the sun, and this should be taken into account when planning meals.

7-9 am – stomach time when you should eat more, 9-11 hours – pancreas and spleen time, 11-13 hours – heart time and so on.

Dinner, in their opinion, should be light and take place between 17 and 19 hours, when kidney function prevails.

Modern scholars largely agree with this ancient wisdom, although they give a different explanation.

Author of the photo, Getty Images

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When we get up early on weekdays and lie in bed for a long time on weekends, our internal clock gets lost

Take, for example, diet.Most weight loss diets encourage you to consume fewer calories – but meal timing is just as important.

Scientists from Israel conducted a study in which overweight or obese women ate the same diet for three months, but half of them consumed more calories for breakfast and half for dinner. The first group lost 2.5 times more weight.

Indeed, many people get fat if they overeat in the evenings. But most of us understand the reason for this in a rather simplified way: supposedly we have less time left for vigorous actions that burn the accumulated calories.But this is far from an exhaustive explanation.

First, as some studies show, the body itself spends more energy to digest food in the morning than in the evening; therefore, eaten early is “burned” better.

However, it is not known how strongly this affects the total weight.

In addition, when we eat late in the evening, we thereby increase the total time window during which food is consumed. Accordingly, our digestive system has less time to rest and recover, and the whole body has less time to burn fat; after all, fat begins to burn only when the body realizes that it will not be given any more food.

Author of the photo, Getty Images

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Weight is influenced not only by the number of calories consumed, but also by the time you eat

Before the invention of electricity, people woke up about the same time when it was dawn, and went to bed a couple of hours after sunset. Food was almost always consumed before dark.

“When it is completely dark around, few people want to walk late or eat too much,” says Satchin Panda, a researcher of circadian rhythms at the Salk Institute (St.La Jolla, California).

He found that most Americans eat 15 hours or more each day, with a third of their daily calories after 6 pm.

“It is rare for a student to go to bed before midnight, and most are accustomed to eating at night,” says the researcher. However, many of them have to be at lectures early in the morning, which means – provided that they eat breakfast – their night “fast” becomes even shorter.

Not having enough sleep, the person makes worse decisions and controls himself less; but his appetite increases, because the level of “hunger hormones” leptin and ghrelin increases.That is, lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain.

And recent studies are even more interesting and explain, in particular, how the crossing of time zones and shift work affects us. It turns out that our circadian rhythms are linked to digestion and metabolism through the body’s signaling systems.

Every cell in your body has a molecular “clock” that regulates the temporal aspect of almost all physiological processes, from the release of hormones and neurotransmitters to blood pressure, immune cell activity, feelings of sleepiness, alertness or depression.

Author of the photo, Getty Images

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Long-distance flights knock our internal biorhythms, and if this happens often, it will negatively affect health

These “clocks” are synchronized with each other and with the time of day through signals, coming from the suprachiasmatic nucleus – a tiny area of ​​the brain. And its window to the outside world is the so-called “photosensitive retinal ganglion cells” located in the depths of the human eye.

When we get to a different time zone, our time in the light changes, and our internal clocks gradually adapt to changes – in different ways in different organs and tissues of the body.

As a result, we suffer from desynchronosis: we get off the sleep schedule, often have digestive problems and generally feel bad.

Our internal clocks, however, are not only set to light. Eating also moves the hands of such clocks in the liver and digestive organs, but does not affect the clock in the brain cells.

So, when we cross time zones or simply disrupt our eating, sleeping and exercise regimes, the different clocks in our body are out of sync. It is unlikely that serious problems will arise if you eat one meal late at night or sleep before noon; but if you do it regularly, you can harm your health and increase your risk of various diseases.

In a recent study, researchers compared the physical effects of two sleep patterns. In the first group, people slept for 5 hours eight consecutive nights, and in the second – exactly the same amount, but at different times of the day.

Photo author, Getty Images

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High-calorie foods are best consumed in the morning, when the body’s metabolism is most active

As a result, all participants decreased insulin sensitivity and increased systemic inflammation – which increases the risk of diabetes 2 type and heart disease. But in the second group, these consequences were much more pronounced, in particular among men – almost twice.

This is especially true for students who sleep for a long time from time to time, travelers and those who work in shifts.However, we are all shift workers, says Panda. About 87% of people sleep differently on weekends than on weekdays and eat breakfast later. This leads to the so-called “metabolic desynchronosis”.

Gerda Pot, Nutritionist and Research Fellow at King’s College London, examines how uneven calorie intake throughout the day affects health in the long term.

She was inspired by the example of her grandmother Gemma Timmerman, who scrupulously observed her diet.She always had breakfast at 7 am, lunch at 12:30 and dinner at 6 pm. Even “snacks” were on schedule: coffee at 11:30, tea at 15:00.

While visiting my grandmother, Pot herself quickly lost the desire to sleep for a long time.

“If I woke up at ten, my grandmother insisted that I have breakfast immediately, because in an hour I had to drink coffee and cookies,” she recalls. Now she is convinced that it was precisely such a tough regime that helped her grandmother to live to 95 years in good health.

Author of the photo, Getty Images

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Irregular food intake can cause diseases such as diabetes

It is quite possible.After examining data from a nationwide health survey collected from more than 5,000 respondents for more than 70 years, Pot made an interesting observation: despite the fact that they consumed fewer calories overall, people without a consistent diet had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome.

The latter is composed of a number of factors – high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess fat in the waist, excess fat and blood cholesterol, etc.- which collectively increase the likelihood of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

So what should we do? For starters, strive for more consistency in our sleeping and eating so that all of our internal clocks are in the same time zone. The main of these clocks – in the brain – begins a new countdown along with the rays of morning light; if we have breakfast in the near future, then we convey the same information to the liver and the digestive system: a new day has come, to work!

Normalization of the mode should not occur due to sleep.It is unlikely that it will be much harm to occasionally soak in bed for a few extra hours, but in general it is worth going to bed so that you have enough sleep every night (for most adults, this is 7-8 hours).

It is important to keep an eye on the light: for example, the dim light in the evening and the access of the morning sun to the bedroom helps the “owls” get a little closer to the “larks”.

Author of the photo, Unsplash

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For those who are on a diet, a later feast is harmful

Some scientists advocate a more harsh approach: abstain from food for at least 12, and maximum 14-16 hours daily.In his 2012 experiment, Panda compared two groups of mice: one ate fatty and sugary foods when it pleased, and the other only during 8-12 hours of “daytime.”

The mice from the second group were completely immune to diseases that soon began to affect the mice from the first group: obesity, diabetes, heart and liver diseases. When the patients were transferred to a time-limited diet, they quickly recovered.

“Nearly all living things, including us, live in a powerful 24-hour rhythm of light and darkness – and the associated rhythm of food intake,” explains the researcher.- In our opinion, the main function of these rhythms is to ensure the renewal of the body during the night. You can’t repair the track while cars are driving. ”

The concept of a limited“ power window ”has little human testing yet, but early results are promising, at least for certain populations.

For example, when eight prediabetic patients agreed to admit food only in the period from 8 to 15 hours, their insulin sensitivity increased, and their blood pressure decreased by an average of 10-11 marks compared to when they ate all the same dishes, but for 12 hours a day.

What this means for you and me is not yet very clear. But the well-known proverb, of course, is confirmed: eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with friends, and give dinner to enemies. Lock the fridge with a key at night.

Linda G eddes is a journalist who covers science, and the author of the book “The Pursuit of the Sun : New scientific data on solar ohm light e and its effects and on the body and mind “(Chasing The Sun: The new science of sunlight and how it shapes our bodies and minds, published by Wellcome Collection).

To read the original of this article in English you can visit the website BBC Future .

How to lose 10 kg per month: correct and effective weight loss at home

Slimming, Fitness, Nutrition


Feb 24, 2020

When the body weight exceeds the medical norm by more than 10 kg, the problem goes beyond the situation “slightly overweight (a) over the holidays.”Depending on the height and features of the addition, an additional ten kilograms adds 2-3 sizes of clothes. It is impossible not to notice such changes. Not only because the weight gain affects the joints and heart, but also because the usual belt of trousers painfully cuts into the stomach.

To figure out how to lose 10 kg, first you need to find out the reasons for weight gain. The figure often changes under the influence of a sedentary lifestyle, stress, unbalanced diet and bad habits.However, the causes of changes can also be diseases of the endocrine system, tumors, chronic diseases of internal organs. Therefore, it will never be superfluous to consult a doctor, to exclude medical reasons for gaining body weight. You should be especially careful in such cases:

• You gained 10 kg in a short period of 1-2 months.
• Weight gain is accompanied by increased fatigue, irritability, nervousness.
• In addition to being overweight, there are complaints of unusual skin rashes or dryness, the appearance of hair where there was none before, in women – menstrual irregularities.
• Being overweight immediately after severe illness, infection, or prescription drug therapy.

Why do we advise you to rule out medical causes of weight gain? Because weight gain by a dozen kilograms is associated with medication or illness, none of the weight loss methods will be effective. First you need to eliminate the cause of the problem, and only then – the consequences. Fortunately or unfortunately, most often the reason for the appearance of excess pounds is a lifestyle and an unhealthy diet.

How to calculate your weight norm

First, let’s find out if you really need to lose weight. The fashion for thinness has led to the fact that sometimes even people who have no more than two overweight kilograms, or even more than one, dream of losing 10 kg, it just seems that their figure is not ideal. While body weight below the medical standard creates no less risks than being overweight. In order not to harm yourself in the pursuit of beauty, calculate your body mass index before losing weight.There is a simple formula for this:

BMI = body weight in kilograms ÷ (height in meters squared)

For example, a girl is 168 cm tall and weighs 75 kg. To calculate the body mass index, you need to divide 75 kg by the root of 1.68 m.We get about 26.6 kg / m2. It turns out that BMI is 26.6. The medical norm for BMI is between 18.5 and 24.99. That is, there really are overweight pounds. But does this mean that the girl is obese? Not at all: obesity is diagnosed when the BMI exceeds 30 kg / m2.

Let’s imagine that a girl wants to lose 10 kg. Desired weight – 65 kg. If she reaches the goal, her BMI will change: 65 ÷ (1.68 × 1.68) = 23. That is, the body mass index will remain within the normal range, will not cross the line beyond which slenderness turns into a weight deficit. But another situation is also possible: the girl weighs 55 kg with a height of 1.68 m. Her BMI is 19.5, but under the influence of fashion she wants to lose another 10 kg. With a mass of 45 kg, her BMI will be 15.9, which is much lower than normal. Values ​​less than 16 reflect severe underweight, which poses many serious health risks, one of which is kidney prolapse.Therefore, in this case, even if the figure seems far from ideal, it is better to improve it by other methods or lose no more than 2-3 kg.

Of course, body mass index is not a completely accurate criterion, since it does not take into account the characteristics of complexion. For example, some people have heavier bones, others lighter. Accordingly, with the same height and BMI values, one person will look fragile, the other – plump. Care should be taken to apply this medical criterion to professional athletes with developed muscles, since their weight gain occurs not due to adipose tissue, but due to muscle tissue.However, do not strive to achieve a weight below the medical standard, as this can be even more dangerous to your health than obesity.

Safe rate of weight loss

People tend to strive for quick results, so men and women often want to lose 10 kg per month. This is possible, but with caveats. The fact is that it is harmful for our body to quickly gain and lose weight, so the rapid loss of body weight is fraught with risks.It takes time for the body to get used to the changes. Do not underestimate the problems associated with losing weight too quickly: coping with the consequences can be very, very difficult.

Doctors insist that a safe rate of weight loss is 0.5-2 kg per week. Don’t try to lose weight faster! The least difficulty that can arise as a result of a race for minus ten kg per month is stretched skin: only a plastic surgeon can tighten it. It will be much more difficult to cure the metabolism disturbed due to such weight loss.

Accordingly, the minimum time for losing weight by 10 kg is 5 weeks. It can be slower, but faster is extremely undesirable, and if there is such a need, it is necessary to reduce body weight under the supervision of an endocrinologist. If you are overweight, it is never superfluous to consult an endocrinologist, because an above-normal BMI can be both a cause and a consequence of health problems. For example, weight gain creates a risk of insulin resistance, and insulin resistance leads to weight gain.Yes, it’s a vicious circle.

Insulin resistance is a condition when tissues do not accept insulin, and with normal levels of insulin and blood sugar, the body does not receive glucose. This causes a strong, overwhelming feeling of hunger, an increase in sugar levels and, in the long term, can cause diabetes. It is impossible to diagnose this condition without laboratory tests, and after all, with proper therapy, it is quickly corrected. And it may turn out that after going to the doctor you will not have to decide how to lose 10 kg, because the weight will go away without diets.

What to do before losing weight by 10 kg

• Calculate the actual and optimal body mass index and make sure that you really need to lose 10 kg.
• Consult a good therapist and endocrinologist to ensure weight gain is not associated with health problems.
• Keep a diary of sleep, nutrition, bad habits and physical activity.

You have to adjust your own lifestyle, and first you need to find out the actual state of affairs.Often people think that they eat a little, move enough, and lack of sleep is an exception to the rule. Do not rely on sensations and impressions, note the number of hours of sleep, meal and menu times, the frequency of physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption. So after a month, you get a clear picture of how to balance your diet and improve your lifestyle in order to lose weight easily and effectively.

Why you can’t lose 10 kg in 7 days

There are many tips on how to lose weight in a week without sports.As a rule, advisors offer miraculous diets that promise that with their help you will fit into your favorite dress or jeans within 7 days. However, it is important to understand that this is cheating or self-deception, because even if you completely stop eating, it is physically impossible to lose 10 kg in a week. If somehow you succeed in this, urgently seek medical help: there is an acute illness or pathology that destroys the body.

What happens when you try to lose 10 kg in a week? To begin with, it is worth saying that the first to “leave” the body is not adipose tissue, but fluid.It can be up to 3 kg in weight. Dehydration explains the “miraculous” effect of some diets: due to fluid loss, the figure on the scales immediately decreases by 2-3 kg, and it seems that dietary restriction works. However, this is an illusion. Signs of exhaustion on a strict diet include:

• nausea;
• dizziness and fainting;
• nervousness and irritability;
• Constant tiredness and fatigue;
• exacerbation of chronic diseases;
• Disorders of digestion and stool.

If you try to “tighten” a severe diet for a month, of course, you will lose weight. But the work of the stomach, liver and kidneys will also be disrupted, the nervous system, possibly the heart and blood vessels, will suffer. Let’s say, with the help of the strictest diet, you will lose 10 kg in less than a month. This is a huge stress for the body, to which it will respond in the future … by building up adipose tissue. And if before the diet you weighed, for example, 75 kg, six months after stopping the diet, the scales will show 85-90 kg.

Another mistake that is often made in the pursuit of a thin waist is overtraining.This is a state when the body does not have time to recover from physical exertion, so its resources begin to deplete. Overtraining is familiar to many people who are involved in running, swimming, strength training. It makes itself felt drowsiness after exertion, an increased heart rate during activity and lack of sports progress, as well as low immunity.

The easiest way to overtrain yourself is to exercise a lot and get little rest. Which is often done by people who want to lose weight.You can bring yourself to exhaustion at home, you don’t have to go to the gym. To do this, you can exercise every day without changing your activity or taking pauses. So you can really lose 10 kg, it is possible that even in a month. But you won’t be able to keep the result. Constant exhaustion is life-threatening, and as soon as the body recovers, it will respond to prolonged stress by gaining weight.

Now that you know how not to do it, it’s time to tell you how to lose 10 kg correctly.

Why sleep is important

Adequate rest is a prerequisite for healthy weight loss. The modern lifestyle does not always allow for 8 hours of sleep every day, but if you want to lose 10 kg in a month or two, it is critically important to get at least 6 hours of sleep. Ideally 8 hours every night. The timing of falling asleep also matters: you should not go to bed on the same day that you wake up.

Lack of sleep slows down the metabolism, increases the feeling of hunger, depletes the body’s resources.In addition, you must move, engage in physical activity, and rest well before and after. Otherwise, there will be no sense.

How to train correctly

The recipe for how to lose 10 kg is simple: consume more energy than you consume with food. Pick a physical activity that you enjoy (or at least seem least unpleasant) and exercise at least 3 times a week. The main thing is not the type of physical activity, but the regularity and alternation of activity with rest.You lose weight not when you exercise, but when you rest!

Running 3 km three times a week is better than running 20 km once a month. To lose 10 kg, you need to make exercise an organic part of your life. Run if you don’t like gyms. Swim if you don’t like running. Walk for an hour on foot, do home exercises – choose for yourself the type of exercise that you can do for a long time and regularly.

Balanced diet for weight loss for 10 kg

To normalize weight, you need not a depleting diet, but a correct, healthy diet.Some products will have to be completely abandoned or reduced to a minimum on the menu. The black list includes alcohol, carbonated drinks, sugary drinks like Cola, muffins, sweets, mayonnaise, sausage and sausages. The basis of daily nutrition should be cereals, legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, lean poultry meat.

It is important that the menu is varied, and the daily amount of calories is less than the amount of energy that you spend on movement. The easiest way to lose 10 kg without a diet is to use the ready-made food delivery service from LetBeFit.We offer a delicious, varied and healthy menu for the week with a dosed amount of calories. You don’t have to count them yourself, our chefs will do it. At the same time, with mouth-watering dishes and original recipes, there will be no temptation to go to McDonald’s in the evening for a hamburger.

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90,000 10 tricks to keep losing weight when your diet no longer works

According to the results of research by a team of scientists from large US universities, only 1/5 of people managed to lose excess weight, which is at least 10% of their body weight.One of the reasons that complicates weight loss is the occurrence of a plateau effect. This is the name of the phenomenon when the weight, after a certain period of decline, remains in one place, despite all efforts.

Unsurprisingly, the lack of progress is frustrating and conducive to abandoning new lifestyles. However, the plateau effect can and should be combated.

5 Fun Facts found scientifically proven ways to make your weight get off the ground and keep your enthusiasm alive until you reach the right figure on the scale.

1. Do strength training

Resistance training (with dumbbells, kettlebells, strength machines) is less effective for weight loss than cardio, but it allows you to maintain your metabolic rate, which is important with a long-term diet. Strength training literally “turns on” the metabolism, preventing the body from entering a state of reduced energy consumption.

Just do not forget to have a snack with protein food after exercise: then the muscles will get stronger, and excess fat will not add a single gram.

2. Change the calorie intake during the week

During a diet, our cunning body adapts to a reduced diet, reducing energy costs. In fact, the body adapts to new conditions of life, continuing to tremulously store the accumulated kilograms – what if hunger times come? And reducing the calorie content of the diet only convinces him of this even more.

To trick the body, you can resort to a technique called “calorie cycles”. 2 days a week, you should eat about 1,000 or 1,200 kcal with a minimum of carbohydrates, and the rest – 1,500 kcal.Such a move will not allow the metabolism to slow down, but it will create a calorie deficit necessary for losing weight.

3. Distinguish the real plateau from the imaginary

In the first days of the diet, excess water leaves the body, which makes the figure on the scales drop sharply. However, for the loss of 0.5 kg of fat, it is necessary to create a deficit of 3,500 kcal. It doesn’t matter how you do it – through diet or sports, but obviously, the process will not be the fastest.

Many people mistake very slow weight loss for a plateau, so they lose their enthusiasm and quit the diet.Be patient and give yourself the word to weigh yourself no more than 1 time a week: this way the progress will be more tangible.

4. Focus on protein and vegetables

Low carb diets are recognized as the best strategy for weight loss. Protein and fiber keep us full and boost our metabolism, while carbohydrates cause insulin spikes, increasing hunger and promoting fat storage. In short, if you are on a diet, it is better to eat a piece of lean meat than a sweet fruit.

5. Change exercise set

Millennia of struggle for survival has taught our body one simple thing: resources must be saved in all possible ways. After a while, the human body adapts to the load, including exercise in the gym. Consequently, after a few weeks of repetitive training, progress will dwindle.

There is only one conclusion: once every 1–1.5 months, the sports program must be changed. There are many options: switching from yoga to Pilates, and from Pilates to step aerobics, introducing new exercises that affect a variety of muscle groups, or changing weights on dumbbells.

6. Allow yourself a delicious meal

The ability to resist the urge to eat requires proper functioning of neural circuits. However, if a person is on a diet for a long time, his brain increases the craving for food: it seems to us that a chocolate or cookie will bring more joy than it actually is.

That is why nutritionists insist on the inclusion in the diet of small (and this is the key word) portions of “prohibited” foods. By pampering ourselves from time to time, we prevent large-scale breakdowns that make the diet seem to be not working.

7. Recalculate the calorie content of the diet

The number of calories required to maintain or lose weight depends not only on physical activity, but also on a person’s weight. If a very fat person consumes 2,000 kcal per day, he will lose weight, and if a slender young lady adheres to the same figure, she will recover.

Do not forget to recalculate the calorie content of the diet after every 5 pounds dropped: this is necessary for further weight loss.

8. Monitor your sleep patterns

As scientists have long found out, poor sleep and weight loss are incompatible. There are many biological reasons for this connection, but in general, the following can be said: lack of sleep creates stress, which leads to an increase in hunger, changes in hormonal levels and metabolism in general. Therefore, the minimum task is not to sacrifice sleep for the sake of training, and the maximum task is to create conditions for good sleep.

9. Count calories

Scientists have proven that people losing weight without supervision after several weeks of following a diet ceased to carefully monitor the quality and quantity of food in the diet.Of course, this led to a halt in the process of getting rid of the extra pounds, although the subjects believed that they were eating the same way as before.

10. Take into account the characteristics of the body

It is no secret that before the start of the menstrual cycle, water is noticeably added in a woman’s body – as, indeed, with excessive fluid intake (especially at night), the use of salty foods, alcohol and even dairy products. The reaction of each organism to a particular product is very individual, and this should be taken into account.Do not forget to analyze your diet and the effect of a new meal on weight.

For example, the author of this article had a stagnation in weight loss just due to excessive consumption of tomatoes. Even if these are just vegetables and by themselves they did not carry extra calories, but for some reason it was they that contributed to water retention in the body.

After excluding one or another product from the diet, the edema will go away within 1-2 days, but a couple of extra pounds on the scales leads to panic and despair of a woman sitting on a diet.