PMS and Binge Eating - real or just an excuse?

CrazyTrackLady

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

Joannesmith2818

I actually do not get any more cravings than usual during PMS. But maybe I'm just a little different!!
I just use a little bit of peanut butter and that usual gets rid of the cravings!!

nrz242

AGREED - but as an emotional eater I'm very prone to over eating when the hormones hit hard, I have to be very conscious of why I'm eating when I know I'm prone to binge once a month. It has actually helped me to give myself a day to have some mac and cheese, a few glasses of milk and a little too much chocolate, then at least I've planned for it and I don't feel out of control.

samsteve2012

Unfortunatly for me only yesterday i went over my calories by 300+ due to being my time of the month, i craved chocolate and due to not having a bar of chocolate for so long, i just could not resist, i asked my husband to shop buy me a bar from the shop, he said no and made his own chocolate instead, which was portioned and lower in calories than the shop bought stuff. I have managed to resist today by having greek yoghurt and fruit, but i dont think this is a myth as i can resist chocolate during any other time, maybe its your bodys way of telling you that you need it :-)

12skipafew99100

CHOCOLATE OFTEN SOUND SUPER GOOD WHEN I'M PRE-MENSTRUAL

Iron_Lotus

I get hungry, very, very hungry and no matter what I can't feel full. I don't use it as an excuse it's a fact for me. I always over eat when PMSing and have still been able to have amazing results.

mem50

I used to have horrid cravings before and during. Finally figured out it was my body letting me know it was missing key elements and once I started taking the correct vitamins and minerals I am happy to say I don't have that issue any longer.

Now stress binge eating...whole different story. I am getting better at that though.

rml_16

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

My experience is A, so if you say your experience is B, then you are just making excuses.

*eyeroll*

Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time.

SiempreBella

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

My experience is A, so if you say your experience is B, then you are just making excuses.

*eyeroll*

Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time.

This

honey_bee_keysha

[/quote]
My experience is A, so if you say your experience is B, then you are just making excuses.

*eyeroll*

Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time.
[/quote]

^This.

MyM0wM0w

I get hungry, very, very hungry and no matter what I can't feel full. I don't use it as an excuse it's a fact for me. I always over eat when PMSing and have still been able to have amazing results.

This. Eating a full 500 calorie well rounded meal and 20 minutes later your stomach feels like you haven't eaten in two days. A gnawing hunger that makes you light headed.

I can still easily pack away 2000 extra calories on day 14, 15, or 16 of my cycle and still go to bed miserable because it feels like I haven't eaten all day.

VanessaHeartsMasr

Every woman is different, and for me, every month is different. Some months I'm able to maintain, but some months my hormones are raging so badly, I just really don't CARE if I go over, or WAY over. I do have to say, however, that if I was seriously PMSing and read your quip about it being an excuse to overeat, my reply wouldn't have been so polite.

supertracylynn

when I PMS... No food is safe. Especially when I'm training for an event.

And that's even drinking 100+ oz water a day.

SteelySunshine

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

So you admit something physical actually can make you want to eat more. But, you control that. Good, we are all ultimately in control of what we fuel our bodies with and in control of whether we are going to track it or not. I am a bit confused about where you say you control the amount of those things you crave, do you bump your cals up slightly and make up for it elsewhere or do you radically alter what foods you eat at this time?

CrazyTrackLady

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

My experience is A, so if you say your experience is B, then you are just making excuses.

*eyeroll*

Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time.

I think you missed the entire point of the start of this thread. I said that I do not believe PMS is the cause for eating far too much food. I ALSO never said that my experience is the right and only experience. THIS IS WHY I ASKED FOR ALL REPLIES.

I think the "eyeroll" was a bit unnecessary. But, hey, what ev er.

rml_16

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

My experience is A, so if you say your experience is B, then you are just making excuses.

*eyeroll*

Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time.

I think you missed the entire point of the start of this thread. I said that I do not believe PMS is the cause for eating far too much food. I ALSO never said that my experience is the right and only experience. THIS IS WHY I ASKED FOR ALL REPLIES.

I think the "eyeroll" was a bit unnecessary. But, hey, what ev er.

My reading comprehension is just fine. Your post was judgmental and rude. The eyeroll was absolutely necessary.

You stated that while you crave specific foods, you don't need large amounts of those foods and therefore, anyone who overeats due to PMS is just making excuses because of YOUR experience.

Well, if that's the way it works, then I say you're using PMS as an excuse to eat junk food because *I* don't crave junk food when I have PMS and clearly what I experience is what everyone experiences.

LilRedRooster

Hormonal fluctuations have far more impact than people give them credit for. They influence not only your physiological function, but your mental function, as well. Every person handles those mental function changes differently, because we all have different coping skills and abilities.

Some people might not have the same coping skills you do, which means that for them, it's much, much harder to "control" things. Which means it's a real problem for them, while for you, it would be an excuse.

Perspective makes a world of difference, so your experience will never dictate the experiences of others, since you cannot get inside their head and body to experience things the way they do. If they say it's a problem for them, the first step you can do to help them is to accept it as real, and then ask how you can help, rather than assume it's an excuse. Dismissing someone's experience is never going to be productive, and will never allow you to be helpful to anyone.

CrazyTrackLady

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

So you admit something physical actually can make you want to eat more. But, you control that. Good, we are all ultimately in control of what we fuel our bodies with and in control of whether we are going to track it or not. I am a bit confused about where you say you control the amount of those things you crave, do you bump your cals up slightly and make up for it elsewhere or do you radically alter what foods you eat at this time?

Great question! I think that hormonal fluctuations of PMS can and do change what we want to eat (foods normally on our "do not eat" or "do not eat a ton of this" lists), but I don't think hormonal levels cause an increase in the amount of foods we eat. That's still more within our control. When I am experiencing cravings, I will try to satisfy those cravings with things that aren't high in calories: sweet pickle chips cure my sweet tooth and a small handful of nuts cures the salty cravings. As much as I WANT to, I try NOT to open a bag of potato chips or Doritoes and go to town. And I eat slowly, until the craving dissipates, so I am not shoveling too much in at once.

Pregnancy, however, might have that affect -- I believe I was much hungrier when I was pregnant than when I wasn't. Growing a life takes big calories!

It's interesting, because I had an OB/GYN doctor come to my classroom to discuss hormonal changes during PMS and puberty (6th grade health class). The first thing he said was "PMS causes hormonal fluctuations that will make girls feel pretty icky, HOWEVER, the hormones themselves do not cause anger outbursts, poor decision making, and overeating. Those things are still within your control." He made a great point and I've been thinking about that ever since.

jsuaccounting

I am not sure if 5000 calories in one day counts as a binge necessarily - binge eating is a special type of disorder. 5000 for one or even two days sounds more like a short spike which might even be healthy for some folks.

Having said that, I do find myself eating over 3000 calories a day sometimes right before/as my period starts. [ I am sedentary and 5'2 so that is a lot for me). Hormones seem to make a difference for me at times and I don't even have anything out of wack. Hormones would make a bigger difference in women with PCOS or other hormone issues. Also, insulin, which is a hormone - causes both hunger and fat accumulation.

Personally, I do not need an 'excuse' for eating when I am hungry. I cannot be sure what you were getting at with your post but if I am more hungry then I will usually eat more unless I am dieting on purpose. Hormones, mood, activity, available food - these things can all affect hunger and food consumption. I agree with honey bee on this, " Until you live in another person's body, you can't have any idea what that person goes through at any given time. "

**edit to correct spelling

supertracylynn

I said that I do not believe PMS is the cause for eating far too much .

Sometimes there is no other reason.
Dehydrated?
Nope, drank 100oz.
Lacking minerals?
Nope, anticipated TOM and made it a point to take my supplements.
Poor eating?
Nope, stocked up on produce, ditched the crap.
Not enough exercise?
Nope, ran 10miles.
Not enough sleep?
Nope, got 6-7hours plus a nap.
Stressed?
Nope, things are actually wonderful.
Pre-menstral?
:sad: how did you know? I can't stop eating everything even though I super glued the fridge and pantry shut!

rml_16

I don't buy into the "I have PMS so I just ate 5,000 calories!" theories floating around. Yes, when I get PMS I get cravings for salty and sweet things. I crave food with those tastes. HOWEVER, I still manage to keep control of the AMOUNT of those sweet and salty foods I'm eating.

I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong. We should have more control over it than some women like to believe. It shouldn't be an excuse to eat way too much.

I'd like to hear from other women about this topic. All replies are welcome.

So you admit something physical actually can make you want to eat more. But, you control that. Good, we are all ultimately in control of what we fuel our bodies with and in control of whether we are going to track it or not. I am a bit confused about where you say you control the amount of those things you crave, do you bump your cals up slightly and make up for it elsewhere or do you radically alter what foods you eat at this time?

Great question! I think that hormonal fluctuations of PMS can and do change what we want to eat (foods normally on our "do not eat" or "do not eat a ton of this" lists), but I don't think hormonal levels cause an increase in the amount of foods we eat. That's still more within our control. When I am experiencing cravings, I will try to satisfy those cravings with things that aren't high in calories: sweet pickle chips cure my sweet tooth and a small handful of nuts cures the salty cravings. As much as I WANT to, I try NOT to open a bag of potato chips or Doritoes and go to town. And I eat slowly, until the craving dissipates, so I am not shoveling too much in at once.

Pregnancy, however, might have that affect -- I believe I was much hungrier when I was pregnant than when I wasn't. Growing a life takes big calories!

It's interesting, because I had an OB/GYN doctor come to my classroom to discuss hormonal changes during PMS and puberty (6th grade health class). The first thing he said was "PMS causes hormonal fluctuations that will make girls feel pretty icky, HOWEVER, the hormones themselves do not cause anger outbursts, poor decision making, and overeating. Those things are still within your control." He made a great point and I've been thinking about that ever since.

That OB/GYN is an idiot. And a "he"? Well, "he" never experienced PMS and has clearly not kept up on the most recent studies on it.