Cycle syncing: workouts & nutrition. Learn your own pattern (Part 1)

For years I was moody, hungry and stuck at a weight I hated, and I thought something was wrong with me. It turned out to be my blood sugar.In this video I share my whole story: growing up on my mom's lingonberry pies and learning to turn to food for comfort, gaining weight in San Francisco, nine hungry months on Weight Watchers to lose 15 kilos, and gaining it all back (and more) after moving to Spain. My body got so inflamed that I broke my foot just jumping in beach volleyball.Then a book changed how I saw food, and one night a tourist on my tapas tour asked why I wasn't eating. I shut the business down the next day.You'll learn why blood sugar swings make you cranky and keep fat stuck, what changed when I stopped fighting my body (no more mood swings, hunger that whispers instead of screams, clearer skin, deep sleep), and what I'm learning now as I approach perimenopause.Your first step: get a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and watch what your favourite foods really do to you.Want my help? Metabolic Reset is my 12-week program for women who want to burn their own fat the way nature intended: http://metabolicdaria.comGot a question? Leave it in the comments, I read them all.0:00 From tapas tours to health coach0:08 Lingonberry pies and comfort eating2:48 Your body counts safety, not calories3:03 Moscow, San Francisco and Food Network4:22 Nine months hungry on Weight Watchers4:58 Spain, paella and gaining it all back6:07 The book that changed everything6:37 The night I shut down my tapas tours7:42 Why we're not meant to eat after dark8:19 Blood sugar, mood swings and cravings9:42 Clear skin, long walks and effortless fat loss10:56 Sleep amnesia11:24 What I'm learning as I approach perimenopause12:22 Your first step: get a CGM#moodswings #weightlossafter40 #bloodsugar======Connect with me!Website: http://metabolicdaria.comInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/metabolicdariaYoutube: https://youtube.com/@metabolic-daria

One of my clients lost one pound on the scale. When she got a DEXA scan, it showed she’d built about 25 pounds of lean mass and lost roughly 25 pounds of fat. Same weight, completely different body.Your bathroom scale measures how hard gravity pulls you toward the floor. It can’t tell fat from muscle, or muscle from water. If you’re eating well, training hard and the number won’t budge, you’re probably judging your progress with the wrong tool.In this episode I walk you through four tools that show what’s happening inside your body, and what healthy numbers look like on each one:DEXA and InBody scans: what you’re made of, including body fat, muscle and the visceral fat tied to insulin resistanceCGM (continuous glucose monitor): how your body handles your food, and simple experiments to tryKeto Mojo: whether you’re burning fat, plus why higher ketones don’t mean more fat lossHRV (heart rate variability): whether your body feels safe enough to let go of stored fatThere’s nothing wrong with you. You just need better data than your scale can give you.Connect with meWebsite: http://metabolicdaria.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-DariaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/

“I’m afraid I’m going to fall off the wagon.” If you’ve ever said that to yourself, this episode is for you.Driving home one night on a dark highway with no lights, I could only see about twenty feet ahead. I kept going anyway, because I trusted the road was there. That drive taught me something about weight loss, self-sabotage, and why so many of us feel stuck.In this episode, I share a conversation with a client that ended with her saying, “Oh my God, it’s all mindset.” I talk about:Why we act on what we focus on, and how fear of failing steers you right toward itHow years of dieting start to feel like proof you can’t succeedWhat changes when you let your potential define you instead of your pastThe big secret: in order to achieve results, you only need the next twenty feet and trust the process.Connect with meWebsite: ⁠http://metabolicdaria.com⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-Daria⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/

If carbs never seem to fill you up, there's a reason. In a small 1996 study, lean women released a strong GLP-1 response after a carb meal, while women with obesity barely responded. After a fat meal, both groups responded about the same. GLP-1 is your gut's fullness hormone, and with insulin resistance the carb signal gets much weaker.In this episode, I walk through how to work with the signal your body still has:- Why a low-carb or ketogenic diet fits: fat and protein still trigger GLP-1, and ketones turn down ghrelin, your hunger hormone- Natural GLP-1 boosters: protein first, yerba mate, allulose and a healthy gut microbiome, plus how strong the evidence is for each- What new research says about GLP-1 drugs- Why I see the drugs as a temporary bridge for carb cravings: lowest dose, with an exit plan, strength training and real food habitsThis episode is for education only and isn't medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting or changing any medication.CONNECT WITH MEWebsite: http://metabolicdaria.comYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-DariaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/SOURCESRanganath et al. 1996, GLP-1 in obesity (Gut): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1383202GLP-1 defect after lowering fatty acids (Surrey thesis): https://openresearch.surrey.ac.uk/esploro/outputs/doctoral/The-Role-of-Glucagon-Like-Peptide-1-and/99516004402346GLP-1 before and after weight loss (IJO): https://www.nature.com/articles/0801655.pdfKetone drink lowers ghrelin and appetite (2018): https://www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/publications/publication_modal/743590Ketosis lowers ghrelin, not GLP-1: https://research.regionh.dk/da/publications/acute-ketosis-inhibits-appetite-and-decreases-plasma-concentratio/Yerba mate and GLP-1 (Nutrients 2025): https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11858593/Allulose and GLP-1 (J Nutr 2022): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9071322Allulose trial protocol (2026): https://www.researchprotocols.org/2026/1/e81857Whey protein pre-load trial (Diabetologia 2014): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25005331/Short-chain fatty acids and GLP-1 (Diabetes 2012): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22190648/Akkermansia human evidence: https://acibademinternational.com/blog/akkermansia-the-next-generation-probiotic-what-human-data-show/Weight regain after stopping (BMJ 2025): https://bmjgroup.com/stopping-weight-loss-drugs-linked-to-weight-regain-and-reversal-of-heart-health-markers/Weight regain review (Cambridge 2026): https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/weight-regain-common-after-stopping-glp1-drugsMuscle vs. liver on GLP-1s (Cell Reports Medicine 2026): https://bioseb.com/en/module/prestablog/news?id=23942026 body composition review: https://substance-over-noise.beehiiv.com/p/how-much-muscle-are-glp-1-patients-actually-losingRegulators on GLP-1s and mental health: https://ro.co/perspectives/glp1s-mental-health/GLP-1s and suicidality review (2026): https://orb.binghamton.edu/pharmacy_fac/112Semaglutide and alcohol cravings (JAMA Psychiatry 2025): https://www.emjreviews.com/neurology/news/semaglutide-cuts-alcohol-cravings-in-new-trial/Low-dose GLP-1 outcomes: https://www.epocrates.com/online/article/is-glp-1-microdosing-effectiveLow-dose semaglutide preprint (2026): https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202606.0636FDA winds down GLP-1 compounding: https://www.techtarget.com/pharmalifesciences/news/366621720/FDA-winds-down-GLP-1-compounding-policiesCompounded GLP-1 timeline: https://www.americanmedspa.org/news/compounded-glp-1-faq/

That week before your period, when the pantry starts calling your name and chocolate develops its own gravitational pull? That hunger is real. Your metabolic rate rises in the luteal phase, and progesterone turns up appetite and cravings. At the same time, insulin sensitivity dips, so your body handles carbs and sugar less efficiently. If you’re dealing with insulin resistance, prediabetes, or stubborn fat, that combination hits harder.In this episode, I share how I handle the luteal phase without fighting my biology or letting it turn into a free-for-all:Why I side with Dr. Ben Bikman on carbs in this phaseProtein first, carbs on purpose, and how to time themHow to enjoy chocolate and fruit without the blood sugar rollercoasterThe 10-minute habit that’s the cheapest metabolic tool there isThen we take a hard look at seed cycling. Does rotating flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds balance your hormones? I’ll cover what the evidence says, the linoleic acid problem hiding in this “hormone-balancing” trend, and why flax is a weak source of omega-3s.Your cycle shapes how you feel across the month, but you don’t need a color-coded calendar to honor it. You need to know your own rhythm.Connect with me: 🌐 Website: ⁠http://metabolicdaria.com⁠ ▶️ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-Daria⁠ 📸 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/⁠

Fast or eat? Lift heavy or go for a walk? With conflicting advice coming at us from every direction, it’s easy to lose touch with the one voice that knows us best: our own body.Cycle syncing promises an answer, with color-coded calendars and phase-by-phase rules. But what does the research say? In this episode, I break down the four phases of your cycle and look at what a big 2020 review found about exercise performance across the month. Spoiler: your body never read the infographic.Then I’ll show you how to find your own rhythm instead of following a template:How HRV (heart rate variability) can tell you when to push and when to back offWhy your smartwatch might be giving you noise instead of useful dataThe luteal-phase HRV dip that trips up so many women, and how to read your numbers the right wayThe energy pattern many women notice across the month, and how to train with itOnce you know your pattern, you won’t need a tracker or a calendar. You’ll just know.In Part 2, we’ll get into what to eat in the second half of your cycle, especially if you’re dealing with insulin resistance or stubborn fat, and take a hard look at the seed cycling trend.Connect with meWebsite: ⁠http://metabolicdaria.com⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-Daria⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/

Can’t stop thinking about food? This is your biology responding to the signals you're allowing in your life.When I moved to San Francisco in 2008, I discovered the Food Network and gained 10 pounds in two months without changing anything else. That taught me a lot about food noise.In this episode:Why people on Ozempic and Mounjaro say the food noise stops, and what that tells usHow an ancient brain reacts to engineered foods and a feed full of food photosWhat dieting does to leptin, and why food noise gets louder after weight lossThree ways to turn the volume down: your people, your protein and a short stint in ketosisI recorded this on day two of a three-day fish fast. Hear how it went.Connect with meWebsite: ⁠http://metabolicdaria.com⁠YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Metabolic-Daria⁠Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/metabolicdaria/