How Do Estrogen Levels Affect your Diet?

Let’s continue our discussion on the topic of hormones.  Estrogen is a hormone that both men and women possess.  This particular hormone helps regulate our mood and helps with our reproductive health.  For women, one way our estrogen level is affected is by our menstrual cycle.

Ladies, think about days 1-14 of your menstrual cycle.  This is the two weeks before you actually start your period referred to as the follicular phase.  During this time, your insulin resistance is down which means that you have a higher carb tolerance because your body is moving glucose from your blood stream to the cells with ease.  If you are someone who typically has a low carb tolerance (you have to stick to an intake of less carbs in order to maintain or lose weight), then you should take advantage of these two weeks and enjoy a carb rich diet.  Sounds wonderful right? 

Ever Wonder Why You are More Hungry around Menstruation?

During the luteal phase of our cycle, naturally our hunger rises because our bodies are expending more energy because of hormonal shifts during the days when we’re on our period.  This results in an increase in insulin resistance which can result in an increase in blood sugar.  That means our body is having a harder time distributing insulin to the cells throughout our body therefore it’s building up in the blood stream resulting in higher blood sugar.  All of this will cause a lower carb tolerance.  During this week to two weeks, we should fuel our bodies with more dietary fats, protein and vegetables so your insulin levels don’t spike.  This recommendation could help you feel less fatigued and notice less “hunger pains.”

How Does all of this Affect your Macros?

Don’t be afraid of dietary fats.  Weight gain comes from eating fats in conjunction with a large quantity of carbs.  For example, ice cream, chips, French fries, and cream sauces are foods that are considered to be high fat/high carb foods. With that being said, it would still take a lot of these foods consistently eaten over time to notice a difference.  If you’re eating French fries for lunch every day of the week or ending your day with a bowl of ice cream before bed every night, then that’s when you’ll start to see a change in your body composition and possibly weight gain.

If you’re looking for more information and details about your carb tolerance or what to fill your pantry and fridge with to help you manage your cravings, message me on Instagram @fitwhit903 or on my website, fit-whit.com.