During 75 Hard, I wasn’t just focused on workouts and clean eating—I was tracking everything: my weight, calorie intake, and menstrual cycle. Why? Because I wanted to understand what was really going on when the scale wasn’t budging.
And the data didn’t lie.
From day 1 of my cycle to about 10 days before my next period, I’d lose maybe one pound. But in the final 10 days leading up to my period? I’d drop four pounds. That’s right—the biggest change came right before my cycle started.
No wonder I used to feel defeated in the two weeks after my period ended. I was doing all the right things but seeing little to no change. Without the data, it looked like nothing was working. But tracking showed me the truth: my body was making progress—it just wasn’t showing up on the scale yet.
Before this, I’d always heard you shouldn’t expect to lose more than 1–2 pounds per week. So when the scale stayed the same, I assumed I was doing something wrong. But the truth is, fat loss isn’t linear—and for many women, your cycle plays a massive role.
This is why data is queen. Without it, I would’ve continued the yo-yo cycle—pushing hard, getting discouraged, and giving up. With it, I could zoom out, spot the trend, and stay consistent.
This graph shows the exact same weight data—but instead of plotting by calendar days, I aligned it by cycle days.
So if you’re in your fitness era and the scale is making you second-guess yourself? Track. Observe. Learn. Because when you have the data, you hold the power.
📊 Data is Queen—And This One’s for Sale
This blog only scratches the surface. I recorded:
- Daily weight
- Calorie intake
- Cycle day
- Notes on workouts and habits
Interested in buying or licensing the raw data for analysis, coaching, or content?
Contact me at optimizewithjacqueline@gmail.com.
Optimize with Jacqueline 
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