Hormones are usually blamed when we gain a few pounds. But, truth is, your hormones can also help you reach your weight-loss goals. That’s because they affect your eating habits and metabolism in ways that promote weight loss during certain weeks of your cycle. Once you know how to harness these pound-melting hormonal influences and how to overcome hormonal hurdles that have been blocking your slimming goals, you can finally be successful in dropping a dress size (or two or three)! Read on to learn how to take advantage of your body’s hormonal benefits and get past hormonal diet sabateurs each week of your cycle….

Week 1
First day of period to Day 7
Your slim-down hormonescope: Set your goals and get started!
As estrogen and testosterone rise this week, they boost optimism and inner strength, making you want to create and stick to diet and exercise resolutions. And it’s the easiest week to launch a new healthy eating regimen since progesterone-fueled cravings for sugary, salty, fatty and carb-rich foods that plagued you during the second half of your cycle vanish as this hormone makes a hasty exit. Plus, Tufts University research shows you’re eating 12% less now than you did during the second half of your cycle thanks to rising estrogen, which has a mild appetite-suppressing effect. While pep and endurance start out low in the first half of this week, they grow to full force by the second half.
Your Week 1 weight-loss challenge: If you end up caving in to temptation by eating a food on your no-no list, rising estrogen is giving your brain a bigger buzz from it, making it difficult to cut yourself off before doing real damage to your calorie count. Plus, rising testosterone is making you impulsive, so you may reach for a fat-packed munchie before you even realize what you’re doing!
To reach your weight-loss goal: Start by mapping clear, practical and attainable diet and exercise strategies—don’t let optimism-inducing hormones let you bite off more than you can chew or you’ll lose interest altogether. Then, take advantage of these low-craving days by eating lots of high-nutrient, low-calorie foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats if you’re a meat eater. Finally, monitor your eating habits (for instance, by eating mindfully or jotting down what you eat in a daily diary) to help you become more aware of when you’re about to go overboard with snacks or portion sizes. If you do tuck into your favorite munchies, use portion control dishes or dole out a small serving so you don’t accidentally eat more than you intended.

Week 2
Day 8 to Day 13
Your slim-down hormonescope: Take action!
Peaking estrogen and testosterone amp up the positives from last week—you’re still enjoying a slight-appetite suppressing effect, you have loads of energy and endurance, and your optimism keeps you motivated about reaching your weight-loss goals. These rising hormones also make you more open to trying anything new, including healthy recipes and workout routines.  This makes it a great week to amp up your efforts by joining a support group or exercise class, fitting in an extra workout and challenging yourself to swear off one high-calorie baddie altogether, like soda, ice cream or chips.
Your Week 2 weight-loss challenge: High estrogen and testosterone are also amping up all the negatives from last week—you may eat impulsively and, once you start munching, it may be difficult to keep calorie counts in check. What’s more, you may feel so overly confident about reaching your goals that, if you do overindulge in calorie-rich foods, you’ll try to convince yourself you’ll be able to make up for it by cutting back or exercising more the following day. You have one more challenge to your weight goal this week: Peaking estrogen makes your stress response more intense, which can prompt the production of stress hormones, like cortisol, that trigger food cravings and emotional eating.
To reach your weight-loss goal: Continue monitoring your portion sizes and keep stress levels in check by taking a walk, meditating, doing deep, slow breathing, or sipping chamomile tea at the first sign of tension. Also try decreasing your intake of caffeine, which can amp up your body’s stress response.

Week 3
Day 14 (or ovulation) to Day 22
Your slim-down hormonescope: Munchies vs. fat burn!
The excitement and confidence you had during the first two weeks of your cycle is replaced by fear and self-doubt. That’s because estrogen and testosterone are plunging, taking your confidence with them. What’s more, progesterone rises all throughout Week 3, and this prompts bloat by triggering constipation and water retention, making you feel like you packed on 10 pounds overnight. But, it’s not all bad news: Research shows that progesterone helps your body burn up to 30% more fat during exercise all through Week 3 and most of Week 4!
Your Week 3 weight-loss challenge: You may get suckered into thinking you blew your diet because of the one, two or three pounds you put on this week; the constipation and water retention are the likely culprits, which means the weight gain is temporary. However, this hormone is also triggering cravings for sweets, carbs, fats and salty foods, making them more difficult to resist when you go grocery shopping, to the movies, parties or anywhere else munchies may be within reach. What’s more, this sedating hormone is making your energy drag, so you may not feel like getting up off the couch to exercise.
To reach your weight-loss goal: Combat the diet blahs by shedding those extra progesterone pounds with high-fiber foods (such as whole grains paired with water, fruits and vegetables) to ease constipation and try natural diuretics (such as asparagus, melon and dandelion tea, as long you have no ragweed or rubber allergies) to eliminate water retention or sweat it out through exercise. Also, avoid salt, which exacerbates bloat. As for cravings, when the urge hits, go for a walk—research shows that just 10 minutes (about the time it takes to go around the block once!) will crush those hunger pangs. Finally, motivate yourself to move by reminding yourelf that your body burns 30% more fat during exercise! Then take advantage of this biological blessing by doing fun activities that get your heart pumping, such as hopping on a bike or dancing.

Week 4
Day 23 to the end of cycle
Your slim-down hormonescope: Final stretch!
Okay, so cards on the table: This may be the hardest week of your cycle when it comes to sticking to your diet. That’s because plunging estrogen drags down the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, which can make you feel like you somehow failed in your weight loss efforts and/or that you don’t see any positive changes in your body. If you can get past those negative feelings and not let them sabatoge your goals, you can actually use Week 4′s hormones to help you slim down faster. That’s because progesterone is still making your body burn up to 30% more fat during exercise up to two days before your period!
Your Week 4 weight-loss challenge: To make up for your lack of serotonin, your body will push your toward comforting carbs (such as cookies, bread, cake, pizza, etc.), because they boost serotonin levels back up. (Ever notice how grouchy people get while doing low-carb diets? Mystery solved.) Plunging estrogen is also making you more sensitive to aches and pains during your workout and driving down your pep and endurance. As a result, you may tire out easily or find it harder to do you usual exercise routine.
To reach your weight-loss goal: When you get a hankering for carbs, remind yourself that “simple” carbs (like sugar and white flour) aren’t the only serotonin-lifters around—healthier carbs (like whole grain bread, brown rice, nuts and beans) also boost flagging serotonin back up. Even better, they’re filling, so you’ll naturally eat less at meals. Also, consider eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acid, such as fatty fish (like tuna and salmon), flax seeds and walnuts since this nutrient has been shown to help overcome down moods and anxiety that trigger emotional eating. You’re still experiencing bloating and constipation due to progesterone, so continue with Week 3′s tips for combatting both. And, finally, if you feel like giving up altogether on your weight-loss goals, just remember it’s simply due to plunging hormones. Try journaling your emotions or calling a friend for support. If you keep up the forward momentum, you’ll see in just a few short days you’ll be feeling optimistic and renewed about your waist-whittling efforts once again.

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[photo: D Sharon Pruitt]

Find it difficult to resist cupcakes, chips, chocolate, soda, French fries and other greasy, gooey, yummy foods, especially during Week 3 and Week 4 of your cycle when progesterone kicks your desire for high-calorie foods into high gear? Try making a fist whenever you’re about to cave in to a craving. A just-released study published in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that clenching any muscle, such as your hand, finger, thigh or calf, automatically pumps up your willpower, making it easier to resist temptation. In fact, the researchers found that this easy technique can bump up your willpower to reach all your health goals where you need to exert self-control, such as withstanding a foul-tasting yet helpful medicine, getting through the pain of a flu shot and motivating yourself to exercise! Turns out, simply tensing a muscle, which is a physical act of willpower, sends a non-conscious message to the brain to amp up its self-control, the researchers explain. There is one caveat, however: This trick works only at the moment when you’re making the decision to be healthy or not. Study participants who clenched a muscle beforehand depleted their willpower by the time they had to make their choice.

[photo: Neil Alejandro]

As estrogen plunges during Week 4 of your cycle (your premenstrual week), it brings down the brain’s level of pain-masking endorphins with it, which makes you more sensitive to discomfort, like headaches, sore muscles and chronic conditions, like fibromyalgia. And now researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands say that there’s another culprit behind worsening pain in women: an angry or sad mood. How they proved it: When female study volunteers were asked to think about situations that made them either irritated or blue, their sensitivity to pain caused by electric currents rose significantly compared to when given the same electrical current while thinking of something neutral. While this study didn’t look at the cause, past research has shown that stress hormones produced during negative moods intensifies pain.

Unfortunately, as any woman knows, an angry or sad mood is practically the hallmark of Week 4 of your cycle. So, what can you do to avoid pain? Anything you can to lift your mood, such as go for a walk, talk with a friend, treat yourself to something you love, play miniature golf, watch a funny TV show or sniff your favorite fragrant flower. Not only does doing something you enjoy distract you from discomfort, it actually lifts levels of endorphins, serotonin and other mood-regulating brain chemicals and puts the kibosh on pain-magnifying cortisol, so you feel happier and more comfortable!

[photo: Orin Zebest]

Nope, it doesn’t involve popping prescription pills or supplements. All it takes is snuggling with your pet, splurging on a sundae, going to a baseball game, treating yourself to new shoes, taking a walk, dancing or doing anything else that helps you banish stress during the second half of your monthly cycle. A just-released study shows that high levels of tension during these two weeks leading up to your period makes you two to three times more likely to experience premenstrual syndrome, including sadness, crying spells, irritability, body aches, bloating, back pain, headaches and cramps, than women who aren’t as stressed-out, reports the Journal of Women’s Health.  And the news is worse if you suffer from chronic stress; women in the study who felt tension during the second half of their cycle for two cycles in a row were an astounding 25 times more likely to suffer from intense premenstrual symptoms. What’s the link? A high production of the hormone cortisol, which the body produces when you feel stressed, increases moodiness and exacerbates pain.

[photo: Never Cool in School / Leslie Kalohi]

When PMS hits in Week 4 of your cycle, do you get hit with intense cravings for a big bag of chocolate M&Ms, a heaping bowl of salt and vinegar potato chips, or a combination of salty and chocolate snacks? New research reveals the reason: Two separate studies—one from the University of Iowa, the other from the University of California, San Diego—show that chocolate and salt (eaten alone or together) activate pleasure mechanisms in the brain that chase away depression, a common problem women face during their premenstrual week as estrogen and testosterone plunge.

Trying to watch your waistline? Research shows that exercising, shopping, doing your favorite hobbies and spending time with uplifting friends also boost mood-lifting brain chemicals and distract you when cravings hit so you’re less likely to indulge.