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Have you ever opened the pantry, looked around for five minutes, and still felt like nothing was quite what you wanted?
Sugar, honey… I’ve been there.
For me, the luteal phase is usually when my appetite changes the most. Some days I feel hungrier than usual. Other days, I want something warm, comforting, and satisfying.
Instead of fighting those feelings, I’ve learned that choosing filling, nourishing foods often helps me feel much better.
What Is the Luteal Phase?
The luteal phase begins after ovulation and lasts until your next period starts.
Many women notice changes in their appetite, mood, and energy levels during this time.
I’ve found that this is the phase where planning makes the biggest difference.
Have You Ever Felt Hungry… But Nothing Sounds Right?
One thing I’ve noticed is that it’s usually not just hunger.
Sometimes it’s stress.
Sometimes it’s fatigue.
Sometimes it’s simply one of those days when I want comfort food.
Want to Know What to Eat During the Other Phases of Your Period?
Frequently Asked Questions
Why am I so hungry during the luteal phase?
Many women notice changes in appetite during the luteal phase. I’ve found that planning filling meals ahead of time makes this part of my cycle much easier.
What foods help during the luteal phase?
I personally enjoy oatmeal, eggs, sweet potatoes, Greek yogurt, fruit, and balanced meals that keep me feeling satisfied longer.
Can I eat chocolate during the luteal phase?
Absolutely. I believe healthy eating is about balance rather than perfection. A small amount of dark chocolate can absolutely fit into a healthy lifestyle.
Is meal prep worth it during the luteal phase?
For me, yes. Having healthy meals ready makes it much easier to choose nourishing foods when I’m tired or craving comfort food.
Final Thoughts
The luteal phase doesn’t have to become a battle against cravings.
I’ve found that satisfying meals, a little planning, and giving myself grace work much better than trying to be perfect.
Healthy eating isn’t about enjoying chocolate.
It’s about building habits you can actually stick with month after month.
April D. Long
About the author
April Doris Long is a wife, mom, and passionate home cook from Northbrook, Illinois. She enjoys creating simple recipes, experimenting with healthy meals, and finding realistic ways to make everyday eating a little easier. After overcoming one of the most difficult periods in her marriage, April discovered that healthy relationships—just like healthy lifestyles—are built through small, consistent habits rather than perfection. That experience inspired her to begin sharing her perspective with readers of ChiRhoDating.com. Today, April writes about dating, relationships, healthy living, weight loss, menstrual cycle nutrition, and simple recipes that fit into real life. Her goal is to help women build healthier habits without guilt, strict rules, or complicated advice. When she isn’t writing, you’ll usually find her cheering on her kids from the sidelines, trying new recipes in the kitchen, or enjoying a bowl of Greek yogurt with fresh berries and a little dark chocolate.
I have a date tonight and I’m actually feeling pretty good about it. He hasn’t sent me one pointless text! That’s so great!! His texts were very direct and he asked me out in his second text. The rest of the texts were date logistics like time, place, day. I like it when guys are to the point. None of this “How was your weekend,” “Hi,” “What was your last vacation,” et al texts.
The Dating Agency Bath Guide: Find Serious Love in the Most Romantic City in England
If you’re looking for a dating agency Bath singles can actually trust, the most important thing to know upfront is this: there are no established matchmaking agencies based in Bath itself, but the right national agency – chosen carefully – will serve you exceptionally well from here. Bath’s location makes it one of the most strategically placed cities in the country for professional matchmaking, and the professional population it has produced makes it one of the most rewarding places to be a matchmaking client.
I’m James Preece, independentdating coachwith over 20 years of experience. What follows is the straightforward guide to making professional matchmaking work from Bath – without the sales pitch.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
There are no established matchmaking agencies based in Bath, but the right national agency with genuine South West coverage will serve dating agency Bath clients extremely well – the city’s location is a significant asset rather than a limitation.
Bath sits at the heart of one of the most productive matchmaking corridors in the UK – Bristol is 15 minutes away, London is 90 minutes by train, and the wider South West and South East are all within comfortable reach.
The professional population Bath has produced – creative, educated, often relocated from London – is particularly well suited to the matchmaking model, which rewards self-knowledge and clarity about what you want.
Choosing the right agency means asking specific questions about South West database depth and headhunting capability before you commit to anything.
Why Bath Is a Brilliant Place to Use a Dating Agency
Bath is, by any reasonable measure, one of the most beautiful cities in the UK – and one of the most socially active for its size. The restaurant scene is excellent. The cultural calendar is full. The Georgian architecture makes the whole place feel like a film set that someone forgot to dismantle. It should, on paper, be a brilliant place to meet someone.
The reality that most Bath singles experience is rather different. The city is beautiful but small, and the dating pool – particularly for serious, relationship-minded professionals in their 30s, 40s and beyond – cycles through quickly on the apps. Within a few months of active swiping, you’ve seen most of the available profiles in your age range, matched with several of them, and started to wonder whether the problem is you rather than the pool. It isn’t the problem. It’s the pool.
A dating agency Bath service solves this structurally rather than incrementally. A national matchmaking agency with strong South West coverage draws from a database of thousands of vetted, relationship-ready singles and actively searches for compatible introductions well beyond your immediate postcode. The geographic limitation that makes the apps frustrating in a smaller city becomes completely irrelevant when someone is specifically searching for your match on a national scale.
The Bath Geographic Advantage
This is the thing most agencies don’t bother to explain properly – and it’s worth understanding before you approach any service.
Bath’s position in the South West is a genuine matchmaking asset. Bristol is 15 minutes by road or rail – effectively the same commuter corridor, and a city with a significantly larger professional dating pool. London is 90 minutes from Bath Spa station on a direct train, which places Bath comfortably within the London matchmaking orbit for anyone with flexibility. Cheltenham, Cardiff, Salisbury, and the wider Cotswolds and Somerset markets are all within easy reach.
The practical implication is that a dating agency Bath brief should never be limited to Bath itself. The right brief – agreed with your matchmaker from the outset – frames the M4 corridor, Bristol, and the wider South West as your natural search territory. Within that framing, your matchmaker can introduce you to compatible singles across a genuinely substantial population rather than a relatively thin local pool.
Any agency that treats Bath as a self-contained market is artificially limiting your options before the search has even started. Worth knowing before you sign anything.
What to Look For Before You Commit
Not every national agency will serve Bath singles equally well. A few specific things are worth establishing in any initial consultation.
How many active members do you currently have in the South West – specifically Bristol, Bath, and the surrounding area? A specific number, not a reassurance about national coverage. The two are very different things, and the distinction matters for how quickly your search will produce results from within the existing database before headhunting becomes necessary.
What is your active headhunting process for clients in areas with thinner database depth? The right answer describes a specific methodology for approaching and recruiting potential partners beyond existing membership. The wrong answer talks vaguely about their extensive network.
Are you genuinely comfortable introducing me to compatible singles from Bristol, London, and the wider South West as a natural extension of the Bath search? Any hesitation here is worth noting.
For a full independent comparison of which UK agencies have the strongest coverage, headhunting capability, and track record with clients outside London, thefull agency rankings and comparisons hereare worth reading before you book a single consultation.
The Agencies Best Placed to Help Bath Singles
Maclynn, starting from £25,000, is the strongest recommendation for Bath singles who need genuine active headhunting. Their search model is specifically designed for clients whose requirements cannot be met by a passive database search – which describes most dating agency Bath clients accurately, given the relatively thin local pool. You can read ourMaclynn review here.
Drawing Down the Moon, from £12,000, brings four decades of experience placing educated professionals across the UK and handles geographically complex briefs well. Their depth of consultation and values-led matching philosophy means they are less constrained by local pool size than agencies relying on demographic convenience. You can read ourDrawing Down the Moon review here.
Cupid in the City, at around £5,000, is the strongest mid-range option for dating agency Bath clients. Their psychology-led questionnaire and attachment style assessment produce introductions that reflect genuine compatibility rather than geographic convenience – which matters more when the local pool is thin. You can read ourCupid in the City review here.
Club Introductions, from £1,000, offers a national pool of vetted singles with a self-directed model that lets you engage at your own pace. For Bath singles who want professional vetting at an accessible price point, this is a sensible starting point before committing to a premium service. You can read ourClub Introductions review here.
Getting the Most From the Process
The right agency gets you through the door. What you do once you’re there determines whether the investment actually pays off.
Brief your matchmaker on the geography from day one. Bath to Bristol is not a compromise – it is a fifteen-minute journey between two cities with overlapping professional communities. Bath to London is ninety minutes on a direct train – entirely manageable for the right person. Frame your geographic brief generously before the introductions begin rather than discovering flexibility after a good one lands.
Be specific in your consultation. The thinner the local pool, the more important it is that your matchmaker understands your brief in precise detail. Vague requirements are always limiting. In a smaller market they are actively obstructive.
Give the feedback loop proper attention. After every introduction, give your matchmaker something specific to work with. What worked, what didn’t, what surprised you. This information is what improves the quality of the next introduction – and you’ve paid for that improvement, so make sure it actually happens.
If you’d like some support getting genuinely clear on your brief before approaching any agency – and on how to make the most of the consultation process when you get there – theguide to what good matchmakers ask hereis well worth reading first.
Bath Is Ready. The Question Is Which Agency Is Right for You.
The city has the people, the atmosphere, and the geographic position to make professional matchmaking genuinely productive. The only variable is choosing an agency that takes the South West seriously rather than treating it as an afterthought.
Get that right, and dating agency Bath matchmaking works very well indeed.
Want a Straight Answer on Which Bath Dating Agency Suits You Best?
I’ve worked as an independent coach alongside the UK’s leading agencies for over 20 years and I know which ones have genuine South West coverage, which ones headhunt effectively outside London, and which ones will take your money while running a database search that was never going to produce results in Bath. My advice is completely free and completely independent. Book a call before you commit to anything.
On that glorious, nerve-wracking, thrilling first date, questions can flow thick and fast. When the romance is hot and the chemistry electric, you’re dying to find out everything you can about one another. It’s seriously exciting.
All that being said, there are still a few pointers to be aware of when asking (and even answering) questions on your date to ensure things go swimmingly. After all, in the excitement it’s easy to get carried away and accidentally ask something a little too probing or personal.
Make no mistake: if you start dating this person properly, eventually you do need to delve into the deeper stuff. That’s how you form the foundation of a solid relationship. But when you’ve just begun seeing each other—when you’re still floating in the transcendent haze of those dreamy first dates—it’s generally best to keep things casual.
These times are all about getting comfortable with each other, assessing the compatibility of your personalities. If all that goes well, you’ve plenty of time to sit down for the more profound questions.
Getting in the zone
It’s simple, right? You’ve been asking questions all your life. You ask them every day without even thinking about it. In fact, you’re something of a pro.
…Except it’s a very different story when you’re on a date. You’re excited but jittery; you’re effervescing at the idea of spending quality time with this hot new romantic interest, but you’re eager to come across as your best self, too.
Nerves are normal. So if you prepare yourself in advance—not only with some great questions, but also just by thinking about how you actually ask them—you’ll be on to a winner.
Keep things light and open
First, think about things you could ask your date—ahead of time. These can be your go-to questions if the wine temporarily numbs your lips and your mind—or when you’re stunned into silence by how damn sexy they look in the dim light of the bar. Keep them basic—otherwise you’ll struggle to remember them!
“How was your day?”
“So what brought you to the city originally?”
“Where did you grow up?”
You can also try out some fun hypothetical questions:
“You can only take three possessions to a desert island. What makes the cut?”
“Which three people are you inviting to your ultimate dinner party (dead or alive)?” (You’ll have noticed a pattern here: three is indeed the magic number. Big enough to generate some thought—small enough that the effort doesn’t become laborious.)
“What would be your perfect Sunday?” (Hey, clichés are clichés for a reason—they work!)
Hypothetical questions let the conversation go off on some hilarious tangents—and sometimes they can become surprisingly fascinating. They actually provide a valuable window into how your date’s mind works, and their answers often represent more deeply what they value—who they are.
Perhaps the best type of questions revolve around hobbies and interests. These generally elicit non-political answers (more on why that’s important later), and allow your date to come into their own as they expound on their passions and what drives them in life.
People so often have the most unexpected pastimes, and you may see a whole new side to this new romantic interest of yours. Remember, hobbies are not a trivial matter: they are, in a sense, what we’d like to do all the time if time and money were no object.
Discussing your interest can also serve to reveal deeper connections between the two of you, and galvanise secret fleeting fantasies of taking up some of these pastimes together, as a team—as a couple.
And one more key point to remember when you’re nervously pacing outside the bar awaiting their arrival: the two of you are on this date because you like the look of one another. Conversation will flow, if for no other reason than the fact that you’re attracted to and interested in each other.
These questions we’re exploring today aren’t Q&A-style, over in a sentence or two—they’re portals to entire conversations, in which you both become totally absorbed in the other, in which time stands still—but also jumps ahead by half an hour without you realising it.
So in those heady moments between them appearing down the road and reaching you, your mind may go blank. You may gaze in wonder at how mighty fine they’re looking tonight. Words may escape you. That’s fine. That’s normal. That’s what it’s all about. With your go-to questions to hand, you’re all set. You’ve got this.
Remember these 2 vital nonverbal skills
1. Active listening
To the uninformed, listening might seem the easiest thing in the world. You keep quiet, you maintain eye contact, and you don’t interrupt. Right?
Well… kind of. But they’re the basics. Active listening is a skill unto itself. And as you hone it, you’ll become a far more compelling communicator—without saying a word.
Active listening is all about being present. Your date’s words aren’t going in one ear and out the other—you’re genuinely taking them in and visualising the conversation before your eyes.
If they’re rambling, you know what? It doesn’t matter—stick with it. Unless they’re talking at inordinate length because they’re arrogant, chances are they’re simply nervous and just want to impress you. So engage some serious active listening: nod, smile, look inquisitive.
And an addendum to the above: active listening isn’t literally about not saying a word. Despite its name, active listening actually means chipping in with the odd interjection, comment, or question, which demonstrate not only that you’ve heard what your date has said but that you’ve formulated it in your mind and served a portion of it back to them as a question, which then acts to further the conversation.
This shows your date without a doubt that you’re sincerely there with them—present. They know that you’re valuing their time, their thoughts, their words.
2. Body language cues on a date
You don’t need a PhD in Psychology to keep an eye on some basic physical cues to how the conversation’s going. For example, if your date is fidgeting, they’re either nervous or—worse—they’re bored. And the same goes for you—be mindful of how you’re presenting physically, because your date is likely reading your cues as well.
If they’re looking uncomfortable, perhaps the conversation’s veered into dodgier terrain. Grab the wheel and get back on solid ground. If they relax again, you’ll know why.
They might also be looking awkward if you’re being a bit too forward, so keep an eye not only on what you’re saying but also how your body is oriented relative to theirs. If you’ve accidentally encroached a little on their personal space across the table, or your amorous gaze has gone full-blown obsessive stare—ease up, sit back, and let the space between you breathe.
We’ve all been guilty of these faux pas—the trick is to be mindful of your physicality, and self-aware enough to pull back. This is always made more difficult when you add a glass or two of wine into the mix, so know your limits, and keep things casual.
How to answer questions
You’ve asked a potent question, and your date’s enthused as they happily tell you all about themselves, their life, their interests. You sit back, take a sip of wine, and smile. That’s the hard part over. Right?
…Probably, yes—but it does also pay to know what to keep in mind when your date reciprocates the question.
Answer truthfully
It can be tempting to exaggerate your traits, your accomplishments, but in the long run you want to avoid doing this. If you’re serious about this person, you need them to like you for you, not some fabricated version of you which in time they’ll eventually see through.
Don’t falsely advertise your lifestyle, your successes. By all means accentuate your positive characteristics, but don’t deceive. You’ll only achieve a real connection with your date if you’re authentic.
Avoid oversharing
If your date asks an innocuous question with an unexpectedly complicated answer, don’t go into too much detail if there’s any chance you’ll put them off. All that stuff can come later, in good time, and in the right context.
Of course, don’t dismiss the question out of hand: you’ll come across as rude, weird, or secretive. Just summarise, politely allude to the fact that “It’s a long story”, and they should take the hint.
Be Modest
You might have an incredible backstory, a career that’s up in lights, and a proverbial trophy cabinet chock-a-block with prizes reaped during your star-studded life. Great—but let your date work all that out for themselves.
By being humble, you demonstrate that you value empathy and personal integrity over material matters—and ultimately, that’s what will win them over.
Topics to avoid if you want to clinch that second date
If you ask something too personal, your date may feel like they’re being put on the spot. No one wants to go on a date that’s more akin to a job interview.
There’s also the famous trinity of no-go topics on a first date. You know them already—everybody does—but in case you need a reminder:
religion
politics
exes!
These subjects can be controversial and cause avoidable and unnecessary tension at a time when you should just be enjoying getting to know one another. Furthermore, be wary of any first date conversation that’s overtly future-oriented—particularly about marriage and kids. You risk coming across as intense.
Your date may well want those things too, but there’s a time and a place. Current affairs may also seem like a good ice breaker, but be cautious—what’s going on in the news is pretty much always linked to politics in one way or another!
Bonus round: 10 questions for an awesome conversation!
What did you want to be when you were a kid?
What’s the single most interesting thing that’s ever happened to you?
Do you prefer planning or being spontaneous?
What’s the most important thing in your life? (This one is potently open-ended. Your date can interpret it in any number of ways.)
What are you most passionate about?
How would your friends describe you in three words? (Ah, the good old power of three.)
Do you find it easy to open up to people?
What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever had to do?
What would you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
What do you value in a friend?
Have fun. Flirt. Be merry (but not too merry). Above all else, make your date feel special—and you won’t go far wrong.
Oh—and if you’d like to go on a seriously incredible date but you’re just not finding singles of the calibre you’re looking for—we can help.
Drawing Down the Moon is a multi-award-winning dating agency. Our world-class matchmakers are renowned for successfully pairing intelligent, empathetic singles who are ready to meet someone equally impressive—and unbelievably compatible. Whether you’re 20 and yet to embark on your first serious relationship or 85 and ready to fall in love once again, Drawing Down the Moon has a thriving network of singles excited to meet you. Get in touch today to start your journey. We’re here to make it happen.
If you are ready to meet someone special, contact the friendly award winning matchmakers at Drawing Down the Moon Matchmaking.
There’s a viral TikTok video of a woman explaining why she doesn’t have friends. Some commented to share their own struggles. A few believe that she must be the problem, because how can you reach your 30s without a solid friendship group? And that’s part of the embarrassment. We can finally admit that we’re single, lonely and eager for love, but why is it so difficult to share that we need new friends?
Social isolation and loneliness affect 16% of people worldwide. Research shows that we’re drastically spending less time with our peers. In fact, our alone time has reached a point where influencers are gaining followers by celebrating their solitude.
While it might be easy to go online and share that you don’t have enough friends, it doesn’t feel that way in real life. The only plausible explanation is that you’ve moved to a new place, or your close friends are now married with kids.
Could family be the decline of friendship?
As friendship declines, time spent with children has increased. I spoke to a parent recently about the pressure to constantly keep kids entertained. We laughed at how you could no longer let a child play out with friends till dinner. But it’s not just children taking up valuable friendship time. Many of us have divorced parents, leading to potentially four individual households to keep up with. Add that to time spent with partners, holidays and what not, and suddenly you’re waiting five weeks to see your friend on a Saturday.
A partner has become the perfect solution to fill friendship gaps. Dan and I started going on lots of dates every weekend, followed by staying in together to save for our house, to then spending weekends doing up the house. Without him, I found myself alone within my friendships. It was so rare to just randomly meet for a walk or even chat on the phone. Everything required careful planning and scheduled dates. About two years in, I realised that my friendships had slowly faded as Dan had become a replacement.
I joined Bumble BFF and started ‘friendship dating’. I’ve since made new friends and met women with all different types of personalities on the apps (we often think it’s only introverts or quiet people with this type of issue). It still feels embarrassing though to accept that I needed it.
So why are so ashamed to admit we need new friends?
Part of the shame in needing new friends is the feeling that you’re the only one suffering. Even the ‘loser’ in teenage flicks had ‘loser’ friends to hang out with. In our twenties, friendship is often about proximity and fulfilling specific needs. I had a work group who liked clubbing on Saturdays, an ex-colleague that was also desperate for a boyfriend, another friend who quit their job at the same time as me to chase their dreams.
I didn’t go to uni and lost touch with college friends, so work relationships became a priority. But when you’re working in London, it’s easy for your friends to live almost three hours away from your actual house.
By the time you reach your 30s, friendships can take a back seat. Some stick to the same friends they’ve known for years, with little interest in meeting anyone new. Others become so devoted to family life that they’re happy to count friends as cousins and in laws. The people wanting to make new friends then have the challenge of figuring out where to go.
Although I’m writing from the experience of being in my 30s, loneliness and the decline in friendships is rising across generations. While we’re no longer afraid to admit we’re on dating apps or that we don’t have money, friendship just hasn’t reached that point. We’re still ashamed to admit we need new friends or even better ones that give us the connection we need.
How Do You Actually Make New Friends?
In the same way you would when dating, you want to first decide what you’re after. A study showed that it takes around 94 hours to turn an acquaintance into a casual friend and at least 300 hours to become a best friend. Time becomes much more valuable as you age, so you don’t want to waste hours building a relationship with the wrong person.
You might need new friends in general or maybe casual friends to help keep your Sundays occupied. I noticed on Bumble BFF that a lot of people want more friends, but they don’t want to put the time in. Friends don’t always work around your schedule and just like dating, you have to keep some availability.
Here are a few ways to start:
Friendship Apps: They’re a great place to start. You know that everyone is in the same position which cuts some of the awkwardness. You also get to choose your friends rather than just being friends with someone because you work in the same place.
The ‘Friend-of-a-Friend’ Network: If you have a close friend, asking to meet up with their friends is an easy way to expand your network.
Practice the Direct Ask: And while I could add hobbies and clubs to the list, one thing to practice is simply asking people to meet up. I’ve had situations before where after a great conversation with someone, I’ve added them to socials and then reached out to continue the friendship.
When I’m not writing here, you’ll find me sharing updates on my Instagram. Come and say hi @relationshipswithlaura. I’d love to know if this post resonated.
