Menstrual Cycle, Recording Your

If you are a woman under age 60, you can set your Body Log to let you record the start of each menstrual period. Your menstrual records are not displayed anywhere, however. They are used behind the scenes to calculate your metabolic rate more accurately.

Since your calorie budget depends partly on your metabolic rate, your budget will be more precise if you record your menstrual cycles. This is purely optional, however. Although recording your cycles may give you a slightly higher calorie budget during the week before and the week after your period starts, during the other half of each cycle it will give you a slightly lower budget¾and in the long run the two effects will cancel each other.

Bottom line: record your cycles if you want to give yourself a few extra calories around the time of your period; otherwise, don't bother.

To record you menstrual cycles:

1.    Make sure your Body Log has a checkbox at the bottom saying, "My period started this day." If it doesn't, open the View Menu at the top of your Home Screen (by clicking the word View), click "Choose Home Screen," check "Chart my menstrual cycle" in the lower-right corner, and click the OK button.

2.    On days when your period starts, open your Body Log and check the "My period started" box.

To stop recording your menstrual cycles...

...just don't check the "My period started" box anymore.

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Last Modified: 7/1/07