Reflecting on Three Decades of Womanhood
I don't know why this popped into my head, but I just realized that I've had a menstrual cycle for 30 years as of this month. 🤯
While my period used to ruin me one week out of every month and I dreaded it (until after I had babies and it miraculously calmed way down)… I have a twinge of sadness because I just realized I'm (much) closer to menopause than I am to "youth".
Why Your 40s Can Be Your Best Years
I'm fully aware that being in your early 40s is still young (and I feel better than I ever have) so I definitely don't want to go back. My 20s were spent pushing through hangovers and my 30s were consumed with overcoming Lyme disease and then two pregnancies back-to-back—a total of 3 years straight of being pregnant or breastfeeding, and then 2 more years getting out of the postpartum hell that resulted.
Being 1-1½ years out of the postpartum stage, I'm now feeling great, especially considering a night of uninterrupted sleep is rare with my 3-year-old and almost 5-year-old.
What 30 Years Taught Me About Cycle Syncing
They say with age comes wisdom, and while I take this pause to reflect on the last 30 years of womanhood, I have to say I've only just started learning what it means to live with a menstrual cycle.
The Two Game-Changing Insights I Discovered
1. Post-Baby Bodies Need Different Nutrition
My nutritional needs now are much different than they were before I had kids (when I was in my mid-30s). I used to be able to do a juice cleanse with minimal calories, workout, and feel great—no matter what part of my cycle I was in. Now if I don't time the cleanse for the week after my period I cannot sustain it. And even if I do a cleanse the week after my period, I still find myself needing more fat and protein than I used to.
My go-to cleanse is now the Protein Cleanse, or a Skinny Cleanse with a clean dinner (basically protein and vegetables). But either way, I need more calories (and fat) than I used to.
2. The Luteal Phase Demands High Protein and Fat
I need to eat high protein and high fat foods the week before my period (the Luteal Phase). I used to try to eat the same way consistently, but the more I listen to my body, the more my diet ebbs and flows. The week before my period I crave high fat/high protein foods, and the week after I could eat 100% plant-based and feel great.
I don't usually do anything 100% anymore, but I eat light to heavy—if you don't know what that means read this. And that's usually how my diet shifts throughout my cycle. I feel better and am able to maintain a weight that I'm (mostly) comfortable at.
The Bottom Line on Eating for Your Cycle
It took me three decades to learn what my body was trying to tell me all along: there's no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition, especially when you're a woman with a menstrual cycle.
The rigid dieting rules that worked in my 20s? They don't apply anymore. The juice cleanses I could power through regardless of where I was in my cycle? My body simply won't tolerate them the same way post-kids.
And that's not a failure—it's wisdom.
Learning to honor your body's changing needs throughout your cycle (and through our different hormonal phases) isn't just about weight management. It's about energy, mood stability, reduced PMS symptoms, and honestly, just feeling like yourself. When I eat high-protein, high-fat foods during my luteal phase (the week before my period), I'm not "giving in" to cravings—I'm giving my body exactly what it needs to function optimally. (And I firmly believe that cravings are there for a reason... it's your body's way of telling you what it needs.)
If you're in your late 30s, 40s, or 50's and feeling frustrated that what used to work doesn't anymore, I want you to know: you're not broken, you're just in a different part of life. Your body has been through things. It's (possibly) created life, recovered from illness, and weathered stresses. It deserves to be listened to, not forced into submission.
So here's my challenge to you: for the next month, pay attention. Notice when you feel energized and when you feel depleted. Track what you're craving against where you are in your cycle. Your body has been trying to tell you what it needs—maybe it's time we finally listen.
