AT,TP x The Dish: Cycle Syncing

"I've had no PMS symptoms for 20-something years"

Welcome readers, old and new! This post is the first of its kind on AT,TP — I’m collaborating with my buddy and author of “The Dish” on Substack, Phoebe Fry. She’s the sister of one of my first-ever college pals, Trevor; my dad actually introduced himself to Trev by mistake on move-in day assuming, “this whiskered man must be the father of my daughter’s hall mate.” Trev accepted the firm father-to-father handshake in stride, and rose to the ranks of “treasured friend” in my book quickly thereafter.

Before ever meeting Phoebe, I was an avid listener of her Soundcloud; the girl has the voice of an actual angel. Listening back to some of her originals like “Dance Partner,” “Most of All” and “Broken Door” while I write this newsletter is making me emotional — I still know all the words by heart. Phoebe’s is one of those voices of which it feels criminal to deprive the world, and I’m not just blowing smoke. If enough people bug her about it maybe she’ll release more music, so pester away!!

On top of her singing prowess, Phoebe is a trained chef and skilled writer. Her weekly newsletter promises to satiate you with one of the following offerings each week:

• Menu: A monthly menu suggestion, complete with tips to help you execute it yourself.

• Notes from the Kitchen: A collection of dishes I’ve been cooking and loving lately, along with thoughts on how to make everyday life more delicious.

• Ingredient Love Letter: An ode to a particular ingredient I love (like crème fraîche!), featuring ideas for how to use it.

• Sweet Somethings: A mix of recommendations and personal notes. This is the most nebulous category — I might share a restaurant I adore, a TV show I’m hooked on, or a glimpse into my personal life. Sweet Somethings is a great way to get to know me.

In light of our mutual admiration for each other’s writing, we decided to cook up a fun crossover episode for you all — think That So Suite Life of Hannah Montana… Perhaps we’ll make this a more regular thing, touching on various intersections of our work and passions, but today’s trial run hinges on the concept of “cycle syncing.” I featured a podcast episode all about the concept in an early newsletter, which is definitely worth a listen to gain a really comprehensive explanation of this approach to managing hormones.

Here’s some background, to give you insight into why this topic piqued my interest in the first place:

After receiving a PCOS diagnosis a few years ago, I enrolled in the Institute for Integrative Nutrition to learn more about how best to manage my cognitive and physical symptoms through a holistic approach. During this time, I was also completing my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling from NYU, and was stunned by the lack of education we received with regards to the endocrine (or “hormone”) system. There was plenty talk of the various neurotransmitters, but it was implied that these factors were static, unaffected (positively or negatively) by the lifestyle changes of our clients.

The Cycle Syncing Method was created by Alisa Vitti, a nutritionist and hormone expert whose research focuses on “the female infradian rhythm and the distinct patterns and needs that each phase of the cycle has from a metabolic, stress, immunologic, energy, and cognitive perspective.”¹ Alisa’s method has three pillars: food, fitness, and time management.

At each phase in your cycle, your endocrine system experiences shifts. And through her research, Vitti discovered that accommodating for these fluctuations through diet and lifestyle adjustments mitigates negative symptoms and supports one’s mental and physical health. The data is so compelling that even the US Women’s National Soccer Team’s coach, Dawn Scott, implemented the framework² to support players’ training, giving the team a competitive advantage.

This newsletter will provide a bit more insight into the cycle syncing method, while Phoebe’s newsletter will share some education on the food side of things, and includes some beautiful hand-crafted recipes she developed to support each distinct phase. Groovy, huh???

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Overview

People who menstruate experience two distinct biological rhythms: the infradian, and the circadian.

The infradian rhythm “governs cycles longer than a day, and women [and people who menstruate] experience this over the course of our menstrual cycles,” whereas the circadian rhythm “governs the daily clock of various body functions, and we experience this with our sleep-wake cycles.” This rhythm, which is unique to people who menstruate, is “chronically dysregulated” in this population.

Our world is built around the model of a circadian rhythm, making men/non-menstruating people well-situated to thrive, and putting those who menstruate (and therefore operate on two separate cycles) at a disadvantage.

If you menstruate, each of your cycles contains four discrete phases: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal.

From Alisa Vitti’s FLO Living website

Here, you can see the variation in hormone levels and their ratios throughout a cycle.

By organizing our food (type and caloric intake — no restriction involved, promise), workout (type and intensity), and work schedule (productivity/creativity), we support insulin regularity/balance, cortisol balance, sex hormone production and metabolism, and immune response and performance. It allows for a “flow state,” so to speak.³ By neglecting to accommodate for the endocrine system’s dynamic monthly pattern, we deplete our progesterone, which is important for protecting our ovaries from aging prematurely.

“If you’re having any PMS [during your luteal phase], that means you’re not making enough progesterone… PMS is not something we should joke about, it’s something we should take seriously. It’s a big red flag. It’s a hormonal imbalance — that’s the bad news. But the good news is cycle syncing quickly — very quickly, within a cycle or two — will put PMS as a ghost in your past.”

Follicular Phase

The 7-10 days at the beginning of the cycle

In a healthy cycle, the follicular phase generally lasts 7-10 days. During this phase, your ovaries are developing follicles in preparation for ovulation; estrogen levels are lower but rising, which lets your uterus know to prepare for the potential of a fertilized egg. Luteinizing hormone is also released to support the follicles to maturation.⁴

Metabolism is slightly slower, and physical energy is at its height, which means we can benefit from doing more high-energy physical activities like cardio-based workouts.

Here’s what Alisa Vitti recommends in terms of lifestyle during this phase:

“During this time, as part of my Cycle Syncing Method, I like to map out what I want to achieve in the weeks ahead of me. I set my intentions, I write down my goals and desires, I use my planner to draw up my schedule. If you’re more of a visual learner - you can use this phase to create a vision board for your new cycle. I carry a purple notebook with me during this phase, knowing that inspiration may strike at any time with new ideas for FLO Living.”

Ovulatory Phase

The 3-4 days in the middle of the cycle

During this phase, there’s a “super-surge of estrogen, FSH, LH, testosterone — this triggers one of the eggs to mature fully and break away from the ovary and travel down the fallopian tube, which begins the luteal phase.” ⁵

Similarly to the follicular phase, we have energy during this time because our testosterone is higher, so we can handle more intensity in our workouts (e.g. HIIT). Given this spike in energy, we might also feel more social and communicative — perhaps a good time to initiate conversations with friends and loved ones.

Luteal Phase

The 10 to 14 days after ovulation and before the “bleed”

During this phase, “estrogen levels continue to rise and the uterine lining continues to thicken, progesterone levels start to rise.” Towards the end, “estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone peak and then begin to drop, hitting their lowest levels just before your period.”⁶

Here, your metabolism speeds up, meaning it’s best to eat more since our bodies are doing a lot of work. Therefore, it’s recommended that we “dial up” calories by 279-300 in this phase. According to the Vitti:

“In the second half [of your cycle] you have to eat really strategically because your body is 3-D printing a very specialized organ, called the endometrium. You know the thing that comes out when you bleed? That’s not blood, it’s this beautiful, special, immunologically-robust organ, and you manufacture that out of the food that you’re eating every month… Otherwise your blood sugar will be chronically low during your luteal phase, which will definitely negatively impact your mood.”

She also notes, “so many women have anxiety during this phase of the cycle simply because they’re not getting enough calories… not because there’s a bigger mental health issue.” Personally, I genuinely feel possessed by a demon during my luteal phase — I recently likened it to feeling as though I’m inadvertently pushing my own head under water, and it’s only once I make it to the menstrual stage that I’m suddenly able to emerge from my drowning and breathe again. For whatever reason, each month that emergence comes as a surprise; I don’t realize I’ve been in a fugue state, despite the fact that the rhythm is so predictable, cycle after cycle.

All this is to say it’s critical we accommodate for that dramatic metabolic shift during this phase; if we neglect to eat enough, ghrelin (a hormone) “will take over, because [we] need more glucose which puts [us] in a sort of eating trance.”

In general, we want to eat more slow-burning carbs and cooked veggies, and do strength training with moderate cardio (e.g. walking) — nothing too intense.

‍”Hormone levels during this phase prime your brain to be good at focusing on details and wrapping up projects. Toward the end of this phase, as your hormone levels plummet, you will have less energy and feel more inclined to focus inward rather than on socializing.”

Menstrual Phase

The 3 to 7 days during the “bleed” — I’m putting this last because it’s really the culmination of the cycle

If there’s no conception by day 18 (or so) of our cycle (aka the egg was no fertilized by a sperm), our estrogen and progesterone levels start to recede — eventually signaling to our uterus to release the lining of the endometrium (blood and tissue). Then, our uterus sheds the thick endometrial lining that it has built up during the luteal phase.⁷

At this stage, we feel the most inwardly focused:

“The left (analytical) and right (feeling) hemispheres of your brain communicate the most during this time, which means it's a great time to integrate how you feel about situations in your life and make decisions about how to proceed. This is an ideal time to reflect and journal.”

It’s helpful to eat enough calories and focus on incorporating protein and fats to encourage hormone production, while prioritizing gentle, restorative movement like pilates and yoga.

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As I said earlier, the world we live in is largely oriented around the needs of a circadian rhythm. While it’s pretty infuriating that few of us received a meaningful education on the distinct needs of each cycle phase, I hope you feel empowered to implement cycle syncing to better support your body and mind. I personally use Alisa Vitti’s MyFlo app to track my cycle and gain insights into the needs associated with each phase (including ingredient lists, recipes, workouts and meditations) — it’s actually an incredible tool, I highly recommend.

For the companion newsletter to this post, head over to this week’s entry on “The Dish” where you’ll find more information about the nutrition side of things, and some exclusive hand-crafted recipes for each phase of your cycle.

This was certainly different from my usual newsletters, but if you want a weekly dose of self-analysis and reflection upon the beautiful parts of life in your inbox, become a subscriber — I’d love to have you here for the long haul!!

Xx

Bec

P.S. Here are my Instagram and TikTok :)

1. https://www.integrativenutrition.com/blog/cycle-syncing-method-alisa-vitti

2. https://www.si.com/soccer/2023/07/21/dawn-scott-periods-washington-spirit-uswnt-womes-world-cup

3. https://open.spotify.com/episode/212XfSEYZC7f4ftyUGZYwB?si=fa2ebb425ec74bfb

4. https://floliving.com/blog/living-in-your-flo-folllicular-phase

5. https://floliving.com/blog/ovulatory-phase

6. https://floliving.com/blog/luteal-phase

7. https://floliving.com/blog/menstrual-phase