Why the scales go up and down when you're doing everything right

we all know what it's like, right ladies? You're smashing your workouts, eating well, then you wake up and bam! the cravings, bloating and fluid retention hit. #thankshormones

Honestly, our bodies are freaking awesome. When you think about the amount of activity that goes on in our brains just so we can blink or raise our arm, it's mind blowing. And your liver? That organ does over 500 jobs within your body. How does one organ have that many jobs?!? Our bodies really are complexly amazing!

And our reproductive system is no different. We often think about our uterus, ovaries, vagina etc, as isolated parts with an isolated role. But wait - there's more to these organs than something to reproduce or have fun with. Our reproductive system is intimately connected to our brain, thyroid, and even our adrenal systems.

biology 101

Here's a quick recap for those who need a refresher about their monthly cycle:

• Menses: The time when you're actually having your period, day one of your cycle. Your estrogen and progesterone levels have dropped because you're not having a baby this time around. Time to start fresh!
• Follicular phase: Your follicular phase is actually from day one of your cycle until ovulation. This is because your eggs develop in little follicles on your ovaries, hence, "follicular phase"!
• Ovulation: This is when an egg is released from your ovaries. Your body figures out which is the best, most mature egg. Luteinsing (LH) and Follicle Stimulating (FSH) hormone levels spike, and voila! Egg = released! Your egg will be alive for around 12-24 hours, a very short life span in comparison with it's male counterpart (sperm), which can survive for 5-7 days!
• Luteal phase: The time between ovulation and your next period is called the luteal phase. This is when your hormones are increasing again, making a nice comfy home in your uterus for any possible baby that might come about. 

And how does all of this relate to my fat loss?

At the start of your cycle, during your follicular phase, you won't be retaining as much fluid as you would during your luteal phase. This is because your hormones are lower.

During ovulation, when your LH and FSH spike, you might get some bloating, maybe some slight discomfort in your lower belly, as well as breast tenderness.

Between ovulation and your next period, you'll start to get those delightful PMS symptoms. Breast tenderness (maybe even increasing in size too), fluid retention, sluggishness, all that blah stuff that we love sooo much!

It's because of these hormonal changes within your body, that it may seem like you're not making any progress. I'm going to give you one handy hint about taking your measurements or weighing in that will help you keep your sanity:

ONLY TAKE YOUR MEASUREMENTS AT THE SAME TIME DURING YOUR CYCLE.

Yep! That's right! If you don't want to mess with your head and feel like you're getting nowhere, only track your progress once per month. If you don't seem to get hung up on and upset about what your body is doing, you can try fortnightly or weekly. But pick a day, and that will be the day. That way, you'll know what your cycle is doing and how it will influence your weight and measurements. It will save you a LOT of frustration!

(Another handy hint: track your cycle. There's loads of apps online, so it should be really easy to get started. And of course, I'm here to help if you get confused!)