Training's consistent. Food's on point. Nothing's changed. And yet the scale jumps a kilo, sometimes two — and the panic sets in instantly. Have I gained fat?

In the vast majority of cases, no. What you're actually seeing is your menstrual cycle influencing water retention, glycogen storage and inflammation in your body. That's it.

In this episode Poppy breaks down exactly why this happens — the luteal phase hormone shifts, why hunger gets louder before your period (and why that's biology, not a lack of discipline), and why restricting harder during this phase makes things worse, not better. Including a real-time personal story from this exact weekend, where the scale jumped 2.5kg after a hen do — and why she didn't panic, restrict, or change a single thing.

This episode covers the luteal phase and why progesterone increases fluid and glycogen storage, why fat loss and water weight move on completely different timelines but show up on the same number, what to track instead of obsessing over a single day's reading, and how to start recognising your own personal cycle pattern across training and the scale.

If you've ever felt like you've undone weeks of progress over a weekend, or panicked at a scale number during your period — this one's for you.

📩 Questions? DM Poppy on Instagram @poppy.nfc