GLP-1 in My Luteal Phase
Why the Scale Went Up, Why I Ate Taquitos Anyway, and Why I Refuse to Be Miserable
I want to start by saying something that I think a lot of people need to hear right now.
You are not failing just because the scale went up this week.
I know that feeling. I know what it does to your brain when you step on the scale and the number is higher than it was yesterday. I know the spiral that starts. The replaying of every meal. The counting. The bargaining. The “maybe I should just cut carbs” thought that creeps in before you even have coffee.
I have been on GLP-1 medication for three years. I have lost 75 pounds. I still have 40 to go. And this morning the scale said 187, which is two pounds higher than it has been all week.
And I am completely fine.
Here is why.
What Is Actually Happening in Your Luteal Phase
The luteal phase is the second half of your cycle, the stretch of time between ovulation and the start of your period. For most people that is roughly days 15 through 28, but every cycle is different and if yours does not fit that perfectly, that is completely normal.
During this phase your progesterone rises. Progesterone is the hormone that is supposed to help your body prepare for a potential pregnancy, and one of the things it does is cause your body to hold onto water. More water in your tissues means more weight on the scale. Not more fat. Not a setback. Water.
On top of that, your energy naturally drops during the luteal phase. Your body temperature is slightly higher. Your appetite increases, especially cravings for carbs and comfort food, because your body is burning more calories at rest and trying to compensate. Your mood can shift. Your motivation can tank. Your workouts feel harder than they actually are.
All of this is biology. None of it is a character flaw.
I have been tracking my cycle for a while now and my cycles have been running about 23 days, which means I was getting my period every 23 days. That is a lot. That is a short cycle and it means a shorter luteal phase and less time between periods. But since I started going to the gym consistently five weeks ago, my cycle this month has shifted. I am on day 26 and my period has not started yet. Exercise can do that. The physical stress of adding consistent movement can push your cycle longer, which sounds counterintuitive but is actually a good sign that your body is regulating.
My Oura ring data has been all over the place this month too. My body is adjusting. That is not a red flag, that is just what change looks like from the inside.
If you want to go deeper on all of this, I posted a full breakdown about how your cycle affects your GLP-1 journey, when to expect weight fluctuations, why hunger increases in the luteal phase, and what you can do about it. Go check that out after you finish reading this.
Going to the Gym During the Luteal Phase Is Hard and That Is Not in Your Head
Monday I met with my personal trainer for a push day. Push days are usually my easier days. I left feeling like I had been hit by a truck.
I was sore the next day. I was tired in a way that felt heavier than normal. And I spent the whole workout wondering why everything felt so much harder than it did the week before.
It is because of the luteal phase.
During this phase your strength actually decreases. Your perceived effort is higher, meaning the same workout that felt manageable two weeks ago feels brutal now. Your recovery is slower. Your sleep is often worse. Your body is doing a lot of internal work that does not show up as visible progress but is absolutely happening.
I also went to the gym on Thursday and did a leg day, which is my least favorite day of all the days. I did not go on Friday. I needed a break. We had something going on every single day after work this week and I was tired and I gave myself permission to rest.
That is not failure. That is listening to your body during the phase of your cycle when rest is literally the correct biological response.
Two gym days in a luteal phase week is a win. Full stop.
What I Actually Ate This Week
I want to talk about this because I think people assume that losing weight means eating in a way that makes you miserable, and I want to show you what a real week looks like for me.
Monday was pizza night. Yes, pizza.
We also had ground beef tacos with salad and pico. We had Winco sandwiches on Hawaiian rolls with salami, pepperoni, ham and cheese. We had the Caesar salad kit with rotisserie chicken twice, which honestly came out of nowhere because my husband suggested it and I told him it sounded gross and then I made it and I am now obsessed with it. It is just a bagged Caesar kit with the dressing, some cheese, and shredded rotisserie chicken mixed in. We ate it in taco shells. It was so good.
I had salad four times this week. Not because I forced myself to. Because I found a way to eat it that I actually enjoy.
I took my lunch to school every day this week, which is not always the case. I brought Winco boneless wings with ranch. Simple. Not a meal prep. Not a plan. Just something easy that I like.
We ate out once, on Saturday, at Smash Burger between the t-ball game and the volleyball game. I had a Starbucks at Target earlier so I was not very hungry and I ate maybe a quarter of a burger and a few fries.
That is the whole week. No deprivation. No cutting. No misery.
And I ate taquitos Saturday night when I got home from a ten hour day and I have absolutely no regrets about it.
A Very Real Saturday
Since we are here and I want you to see what real life actually looks like, let me tell you about Saturday.
Jude had his very first t-ball game. He is five. It was exactly what you would expect from five year olds playing t-ball. At one point someone hit the ball and Jude ran off second base with his helmet on to go get the ball that his own teammate just hit. Pure chaos. Completely adorable.
Jolene had her first volleyball game of the season, and I was coaching. We lost, badly. The other team was experienced and had played together before and you could absolutely tell. I spent the whole game feeling like it was my fault, like if I were a better coach we would have played better. But they are a brand new team. It was our first game. We know what we need to work on now and I genuinely love coaching even when it is hard.
After volleyball we went straight to a birthday party. It was supposed to end at 3. I did not leave until 4 because a kid did not get picked up and there was a pool involved and I was not leaving while kids were still swimming.
Then Walmart for batteries because one of the kids’ toys needed them. Then home. Then taquitos.
It was a full, loud, exhausting, really good day.
I Am Not in Maintenance and I Need You to Understand the Difference
I have been getting a lot of comments lately along the lines of “why don’t you just say you’re in maintenance?” Because I have not lost significant weight in over a year. Because the scale has been sitting in the 180s. Because from the outside it might look like I have stopped trying.
I have not stopped trying. And I am not in maintenance.
Maintenance is a choice. It is intentional. It is what you do when you have reached your goal and you are shifting your focus from losing to holding. I have not reached my goal. I still have 40 pounds I want to lose. I absolutely believe I am going to see 140 on that scale. It might take another year. It might take two. But I am going there.
What I am doing right now is building. I am five weeks into consistent gym attendance. I am adding more vegetables into meals I already love. I am learning how my cycle affects my weight and my hunger and my energy so I can stop panicking every time the scale goes up two pounds in my luteal phase. I am moving my body in ways that feel sustainable instead of punishing.
That is not maintenance. That is the slow, unglamorous, real version of this journey.
The Part I Really Want You to Take With You
I tried being miserable. I tried it for most of my 20s. I cleared my pantry. I cut every food I loved. I white knuckled my way through meals I hated and workouts I dreaded and I could never sustain it. Not because I was weak but because no one can sustain a life they hate forever.
This is not that.
This is Caesar salad in a taco shell and pizza on Monday and taquitos on Saturday night and still going to the gym twice a week during my luteal phase and showing up to t-ball and volleyball and birthday parties and knowing that progress is happening even when the scale says otherwise.
You do not have to be miserable to get to your goal. You just have to keep going in a way that you can actually live with.
I am still going. And I will see you next week.
Come Join Us Inside the GLP1 Girl Code Inner Circle
If this resonated with you, there is a lot more where this came from.
Inside the paid GLP1 Girl Code community on Substack I go deeper on everything I touched on in this article. I have a full breakdown of how your cycle affects your GLP-1 journey, what to expect in every phase, why your hunger spikes when it does, and what you can actually do about it. I am also working on individual deep dive posts for every single phase of your cycle because I think this information changes everything and most of us were never taught any of it.
Every Friday I post a paid deep dive that goes further than anything I share for free. These are the posts where I get into the real stuff. The things I am actually doing, thinking, feeling, and figuring out in real time on this journey.
If you have been sitting on the fence about becoming a paid member, this is me personally inviting you in. Not because I want your money but because I genuinely believe you deserve a space where someone gets it. Where the scale going up two pounds in your luteal phase is met with “yeah that makes sense” instead of shame.
Come be part of it. The link is right below.
I will see you inside.
Join Us Live Every Monday Night
Every single Monday night at 8:00 PM Arizona time I go live on YouTube for the GLP1 Girl Code Monday Meeting. It is completely free and open to everyone. No membership required. Just show up.
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