PMS and Binge Eating - real or just an excuse?

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  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    I have no problem eating at maintenance for a few days before shark week. I even increase my carbs a little so I can reach maintenance. I have an unhealthy relationship with food, if I have to maintain for a few days, at least I'm not binging right?
  • Flossiesdoll
    Flossiesdoll Posts: 48
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    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.
    People experience PMS differently. It's not the same for every woman. When I have pms, I am so hungry for two or three days that no matter how much I eat, I feel as if I haven't eaten in a week. If you don't experience that, you don't know what it's like, and your judgemental tone is inappropriate.
  • dc139512
    dc139512 Posts: 7
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    It's weird,:laugh: I am less hungry when I am on my period! So I would say this is just an excuse!
  • curlyslim
    curlyslim Posts: 64 Member
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    I can't remember exactly where I read the information, but it seems that our bodies require some more energy during the TOM.
  • scuttlez
    scuttlez Posts: 51
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    Ahh, PMS. What a hoot.

    Watch out boyfriend. Watch out butterfinger pretzels. Sup bloated belly and box of tissues for crying.

    I don't even fight it anymore. I know it won't last forever.

    Kudos to those who don't have the premenstrual insanity.
  • aireeul
    aireeul Posts: 46
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    My cravings are horrible the day before my period. I really try not to give in but if I HAVE to have something, I'll just have a tablespoon of peanut butter and a few chocolate chips. That usually helps. There really is never an excuse to binge, but sometimes we all have a slip up.
  • Nt2Badhuh
    Nt2Badhuh Posts: 107 Member
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    I start craving salt like nobodys business I used to just sit down and pack away tortilla chips.....but now that im working on self control I still have the cravings and they are NO JOKE but I will grab a handfull of pretzels and run away. To answer your question I dont believe PMS makes you sit down and eat your body weight in whatever I just believe that you have cravings and not all of us are strong enough to fight them. that mixed with the emotional changes its gets harder. I get extremly emotional right before my period which makes it harder for me to fight my cravings. I dont want to go anywhere I just want to eat something salty.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    It's weird,:laugh: I am less hungry when I am on my period! So I would say this is just an excuse!
    PRE-menstural syndrome. That is BEFORE your period, not during.

    And if my experience is different from yours, what makes yours real and mine an excuse?
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    It's weird,:laugh: I am less hungry when I am on my period! So I would say this is just an excuse!
    PRE-menstural syndrome. That is BEFORE your period, not during.

    And if my experience is different from yours, what makes yours real and mine an excuse?

    Real talk
  • tapirfrog
    tapirfrog Posts: 616 Member
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    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.

    Good for you.
    I think overeating and blaming it on PMS is wrong.

    Good for you.
    I'd like to hear from other women about this topic.

    Good for you.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
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    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.

    It's awesome that you're fortunate enough to not struggle with this, but don't invalidate the struggles of those that do. If you think that PMS = an excuse to be out of control, you're basically invalidating women for not having the same experiences as you. I get my period every 3 weeks instead of the average 28 days - does that mean i'm using it as an excuse merely because it deviates from the norm? I'm sure there are woman that use it as a scapegoat, but I also know MANY women who genuinely feel out of control during their period- in fact that very symptom is indicative of PMDD.

    PMDD is a recognized disorder- which includes binge eating during your 'time of the month'. Also, those with psychiatric illnesses may find that their emotions are rather unstable in comparison to other times of the month, for PMS does tend to affect those with neurotransmitter imbalances a bit more.
  • mariaseychelles
    mariaseychelles Posts: 107 Member
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    Its as real as it can get.And I get it every month so it has become easy for me to know when my period is about to start.one week prior I will have cravings and no control over them.However i try to fight them I always give in.I wont sit infront of the fridge but every now and then I will pop a piece of choco in my mouth or have a handful of crisp etc.I also get very bad mood swings. Its now a monthly thing and I have accepted it as part of my life and just go with the flow :)
  • JenniferSealtiel
    JenniferSealtiel Posts: 1
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    I'm going to throw in my two cents. I started binge eating when I was six years old. I would come home from school after a rough day dealing with an abusive teacher, and I would raid the cabinets. It's something I've dealt with for 33 years now. Sometimes I get it under control, and sometimes I have no control whatsoever. I've been skinny; I've been fat; I've restricted to the point of starvation; I've exercised 20 some odd hours a week. And, yes, I've binged. And I've noticed over the last few years that I can pretty much keep it under control except for during PMS. Now, I understand where you're coming from. But to make you see it from my side or from someone who's dealt with this in the manner that I have, you mentioned 5000 calories. I find that number laughable. I've pushed upwards of 30,000 calories in a day. I've eaten to the point that i could no longer catch my breath because my diaphragm had no room left to expand. I've eaten to the point to where I could be sick, only I don't purge, and I haven't allowed myself to since I was a teenager. I've eaten things I don't like just because I wasn't finished binge eating yet. So, if you think this is really just about wanting to stuff myself with a few extra calories and using my cycle as an excuse, let me just tell you, it goes way, way beyond that. No one in her right mind would torture herself in this manner on purpose.
  • punkkat1
    punkkat1 Posts: 1
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    This posting is a tad on the smug side, I hope those bruises from patting yourself on the back have healed!
  • cinds77
    cinds77 Posts: 18
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    I get cravings for chocolate badly - yes I will eat a fair bit of it daily for a few days but do try to be mindful of how much I'm eating. I won't just grab the block and sit down with it (as much as that's what I'd love to do!).

    No I'm not using PMS to validate that - I certainly don't sit down and thinkg, ok now's the time of month I can eat more chocolate because I'll have something to blame it on.
  • NoMoreBlameGame
    NoMoreBlameGame Posts: 236 Member
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    I didn't read all of the posts, but in case it hasn't already been stated..it's scientific...therefore the PMS isn't an excuse, but a reason (two different things).

    There's almost always a decline in seratonin (probably spelling that wrong) during PMS...and since carbs are what is used to make that, as is estrogen...the body says "I need carbs...gimmie" (because it recognizes that there has been a sudden decline/imbalance). It's also a leading factor in why some women are "crankier" than others when they're PMSing, as a declination in seratonin has also been linked to depression....it's like mother nature's ecstasy, pretty much.

    Sorry for the rambling. But anyway...yeh, there's a decline in serotonin when it's PMS time with normal reproductive systems...hence the "ravaging hunger" during that time leading up to your period. It's not as simple as "cravings"...your body is hungry for what it's missing. I really like my reproductive endo.

    I have PCOS, and serotonin is a major "pain in the butt" for PCOSers...but that's a whole 'nother thread. xD For the first time since Clinton was in office (maybe before that) I'm having a period...funny I see this thread now.
  • runningforthetrain
    runningforthetrain Posts: 1,037 Member
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    real
  • jnv7594
    jnv7594 Posts: 983 Member
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    The problem for me, and for many other women I know, is that it's not necessarily all about cravings. Sure some of it is, but it goes beyond that. The week before my period. I am literally STARVING all the time...for anything, for food in general. No matter what I eat. I am talking stomach growling, feeling lightheaded, physically hungry, sometimes within just an hour after eating. Not only that, I find that food tastes different around that time. So things that I usually enjoy eating any other time of the month, don't taste as good, and are, therefore, not as satisfying to eat. It's not an excuse. That's just the way my body responds that time of the month. Plus, not everyone has to deal with PMS in the same way, so just because something isn't true for you doesn't mean it's not true for others.
  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
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    The problem for me, and for many other women I know, is that it's not necessarily all about cravings. Sure some of it is, but it goes beyond that. The week before my period. I am literally STARVING all the time...for anything, for food in general. No matter what I eat. I am talking stomach growling, feeling lightheaded, physically hungry, sometimes within just an hour after eating. Not only that, I find that food tastes different around that time. So things that I usually enjoy eating any other time of the month, don't taste as good, and are, therefore, not as satisfying to eat. It's not an excuse. That's just the way my body responds that time of the month. Plus, not everyone has to deal with PMS in the same way, so just because something isn't true for you doesn't mean it's not true for others.

    truth. i've always suffered from bad cramps, bloating, and discomfort during my period but never a significant effect on hunger or mood. in the last year or so (not sure if it's my age, or what), i've been noticing some hormonal changes i haven't experienced before. one of them is turning absolutely ravenous days before my period starts, as well as emotional stress. i don't crave chocolate, or salty food specifically. i just need to -eat-... and just liked you described... stomach growling, lightheaded, etc. when i'm actively logging my food, i can practice more self-control and still manage to stay within a reasonable caloric range ( mostly by grubbing out of less calorie dense food)... most of the time.

    the struggle is real.
  • lucylastic945
    lucylastic945 Posts: 1 Member
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    Hormonal fluctuations are very real and effect some sensitive women immensely. I get menstrual migraines and ridiculous sugar cravings and hunger. I can stick to a diet perfectly and exercise the rest of the month but some months PMS is very real and can derail my best attempts. I don't think people can understand unless they suffer with it. It is biological and is to do with lack of serotonin. Just because it's not visible doesn't mean its not real.

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