The first thing to know about restricted-calorie diets is that they don’t necessarily work for weight loss or for hormonal harmony. Cutting calories can trigger weight loss in the short term, but studies show that the weight almost always comes back on. And these diets are a trainwreck for hormones. The first step in healing hormones with food—and losing weight as a wonderful side effect!—is redefining the word “diet” to mean the things you can eat each day to nourish your body instead of the things you can’t. This will begin to transform your relationship to food. Trust me: I’ve lost 60 pounds twice in my life, once in my early 20s after healing my polycystic ovary syndrome, and again after giving birth to my baby daughter. But the most important change I made to lose weight and balance my hormones was to start eating specific foods to help support the hormones at each phase of my cycle. It’s not just what you eat but when you eat it that is the missing factor in most eating plans designed to balance your hormones and help with weight loss. So the first step in cycle syncing is to get familiar with your unique cycle—the menstrual cycle. The next step is to eat in ways that support your body’s unique needs during each phase of your cycle. This allows your body to get the nutrients it needs to restore hormonal balance and rev up your metabolism. You’ll experience big shifts in how you feel by starting with just one food. I’m going to walk you through one food to add in for each of the four different phases of your cycle. And if that piques your interest and you’re ready to dive deeper, I recommend downloading the MyFLO app; it tracks your period, but in addition, it gives you lifestyle suggestions for the period phase you’re currently in. Ingredients For the salad: Ingredients If you’re ready to transform your relationship to food and finally fix your hormones, eliminate your symptoms and lead you to your best life, sign up for Alisa’s webinar! Can masturbating help balance your hormones? Alisa Vitti says yes.