“4. Calorie Burn and the Menstrual Cycle

The phase of the menstrual cycle that a woman is in while she’s exercising may impact her calorie burn. The follicular phase occurs from the first day of menstruation until ovulation. This is followed by the luteal phase, which then lasts until the next onset of menstruation. Researchers from Sanyo Women’s College in Japan found that EPOC, resting metabolic rate and fat utilization were all higher during the luteal phase than during the follicular phase. Energy expenditure during exercise did not significantly differ between the two phases.”

This is from this site:
http://www.livestrong.com/article/4725-need-exercises-that-burn-most/

Researching some of the terms in that quote, I found this:

“Both studies found BMR to be the lowest approximately one week before ovulation and the highest before the menstrual period”

From this site:
http://etd.lib.fsu.edu/theses/available/etd-04072006-124859/unrestricted/diisertation_prawee.pdf
(Do a search of the PDF for “menstrual”)

So basically, what I’m finding out is that our metabolic rates rise anywhere from 200 to 600 cal a day right before we start - which can account for the overwhelming noshing I am craving that day one! It’s nice to have a scientific reason for it!

I’m guessing, though, that you’ll only lose a fraction of a pound, since it’s not 3500 cals (which you need to burn to lose a pound). But hey - if we don’t give in to the binge urge, we can see a nice drop AFTER the water retention leaves.