(women) do you think we really burn more calories on our periods?
Replies
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I am hungrier on some days more than others, but nothing so bad that I can't control my own hand from feeding my face. I don't like the idea that I am not able to control myself in any situation - I find that disempowering. I choose when I eat. Sometimes I have more temptations, but ultimately it is up to me.
I have to shift around my calories on those days for sure and if I want loads of sugar I eat it, but that is something I am prepared to do any day of the month to stay within calories.
If there is an extra calorie burn, it is absorbed by my almost total inactivity on those days (terribly debilitating cramps). If I eat more, I think it is because I feel sorry for myself because I am in pain and don't want to deny myself anything. That is a mental battle.
Men get irritated by our constant griping and excusing ourselves over our hormones. I can see why. We would not accept a man using "hormones" as the reason he gets a girlfriend on the side and cheats on us. Even though we recognize how strong those drives are, we expect him to resist them. I see this as the same sort of thing.
I knew you would post here. As usual, I'm shaking my head. Just because YOU don't have those hunger issues that some of us DO have, doesn't mean they don't exist... Might be a shock, but you're not the center of the universe and everyone isn't like you.
Infuriating.
But again, it only started for me once I got close to my goal, so I'm (not so secretively) hoping that karma will be on my side.
Wow. Are you hangry?
I think what she's saying is that all women eat chocolate or are a little hungrier during or before TOM, probably because we're in pain, bloated and/or uncomfortable. It evens out though and most women don't stuff their faces uncontrollably then say it's something they can't control because 'hormones'. That's just an excuse. You can always control what you do or don't eat.
Also are you aware that pregnancy morning sickness is caused by progesterone? I threw up during all my pregnancies and have also thrown up prior to my period and in all cases I can't really eat at all. It's classified as 'progesterone intolerance' and I have had to take anti nausea meds for it and am here because I lost so much weight during my last pregnancy I had to try really hard to get even minimum protein amounts As far as I know progesterone intolerance isn't defined as stuffing your face with food due to insatiable hunger (although there's nothing wrong with doing that if that's what you feel like doing), but please let me know if your Dr says otherwise. I am genuinely interested what you think is causing this.0 -
I don't know if it does or don't but I won't let it effect my routine. However, each month when auntie flow visits I do notice my body retaining more water...and as I get closer to the end of my menstrual cycle my body loses that and I get my true weight...so I don't weigh myself during her visiting. I will notice my weight will go up at least 5 lbs.0
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afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »Extra calorie burn or not, I know that I am extra hungry 3 days or so out of the month, typically the days just before. I eat at a smaller deficit on those days. It's not cravings. I'm not eating chocolate and bonbons - just an extra 200-300 calories of whatever I would normally be eating. So, that week, my deficit is reduced by 600-900 calories. I haven't had any issues with the scale because of it.
This is what I do. I'll just settle for a smaller deficit and eat on the days that I really need to. That being said, I do get very lightheaded on my second and third days and I do need to eat a bit to keep that horrible feeling away.0 -
I've never heard this.0
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Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »I am hungrier on some days more than others, but nothing so bad that I can't control my own hand from feeding my face. I don't like the idea that I am not able to control myself in any situation - I find that disempowering. I choose when I eat. Sometimes I have more temptations, but ultimately it is up to me.
I have to shift around my calories on those days for sure and if I want loads of sugar I eat it, but that is something I am prepared to do any day of the month to stay within calories.
If there is an extra calorie burn, it is absorbed by my almost total inactivity on those days (terribly debilitating cramps). If I eat more, I think it is because I feel sorry for myself because I am in pain and don't want to deny myself anything. That is a mental battle.
Men get irritated by our constant griping and excusing ourselves over our hormones. I can see why. We would not accept a man using "hormones" as the reason he gets a girlfriend on the side and cheats on us. Even though we recognize how strong those drives are, we expect him to resist them. I see this as the same sort of thing.
I knew you would post here. As usual, I'm shaking my head. Just because YOU don't have those hunger issues that some of us DO have, doesn't mean they don't exist... Might be a shock, but you're not the center of the universe and everyone isn't like you.
Infuriating.
But again, it only started for me once I got close to my goal, so I'm (not so secretively) hoping that karma will be on my side.
Wow. Are you hangry?
I think what she's saying is that all women eat chocolate or are a little hungrier during or before TOM, probably because we're in pain, bloated and/or uncomfortable. It evens out though and most women don't stuff their faces uncontrollably then say it's something they can't control because 'hormones'. That's just an excuse. You can always control what you do or don't eat.
Also are you aware that pregnancy morning sickness is caused by progesterone? I threw up during all my pregnancies and have also thrown up prior to my period and in all cases I can't really eat at all. It's classified as 'progesterone intolerance' and I have had to take anti nausea meds for it and am here because I lost so much weight during my last pregnancy I had to try really hard to get even minimum protein amounts As far as I know progesterone intolerance isn't defined as stuffing your face with food due to insatiable hunger (although there's nothing wrong with doing that if that's what you feel like doing), but please let me know if your Dr says otherwise. I am genuinely interested what you think is causing this.
The thing you don't get is that for me there is NO choice. I get dizzy and I get the shakes if I don't eat during that time. I can't function if I don't eat. I mean I guess it's a choice, either feel horrible or eat, but it's a pretty bad one if you ask me.
So yes, the accusations that it's just an excuse that, at this point, infuriate me. It's no excuse. I don't even enjoy my food when it happens, it's just attempt after attempt to make the symptoms go away. It sucks. And I KNOW it's not in my head because my cycle is late (again), and I didn't have that problem this month (yet). I have no way of predicting when I'm going to have my period, yet when it happens, I always get my period 10 days later. Funny how that works.
But as I said, it only started happening about a year ago... I had no problem when losing weight. Then I stopped getting my period for 2 months, and it's been a nightmare since (but I only get about 10 periods a year now, which my GYNs have said is normal, and they both said that my symptoms are normal as well).
Believe me, I typically don't need an excuse to stuff my face when I feel like it. But when you HAVE to eat because you're feeling so sick, it's just not enjoyable at all (and again, I don't crave sugar - just bread/bready things, and they're the only ones that make the symptoms go away, although fruit seems to help a bit too). Believe me, if I used that as an excuse to eat, I'd stuff my face with ice cream and pastries and chocolate, not bread.
When I was put on progesterone shots for IVF I had the same symptoms than you mention - dizziness, nausea etc. The pills basically put me to sleep. I can't remember honestly if it made me hungrier than normal or not though because it's been a while, but it was not pretty.
Bottom line is that we all react differently to hormonal changes. Don't dismiss other people's issues just because you haven't experienced them. Might be that some of my other hormones are not where they should be so the change in estrogen and progesterone levels cause that. Who knows. All I know is that it's very real for me.0 -
Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »I am hungrier on some days more than others, but nothing so bad that I can't control my own hand from feeding my face. I don't like the idea that I am not able to control myself in any situation - I find that disempowering. I choose when I eat. Sometimes I have more temptations, but ultimately it is up to me.
I have to shift around my calories on those days for sure and if I want loads of sugar I eat it, but that is something I am prepared to do any day of the month to stay within calories.
If there is an extra calorie burn, it is absorbed by my almost total inactivity on those days (terribly debilitating cramps). If I eat more, I think it is because I feel sorry for myself because I am in pain and don't want to deny myself anything. That is a mental battle.
Men get irritated by our constant griping and excusing ourselves over our hormones. I can see why. We would not accept a man using "hormones" as the reason he gets a girlfriend on the side and cheats on us. Even though we recognize how strong those drives are, we expect him to resist them. I see this as the same sort of thing.
I knew you would post here. As usual, I'm shaking my head. Just because YOU don't have those hunger issues that some of us DO have, doesn't mean they don't exist... Might be a shock, but you're not the center of the universe and everyone isn't like you.
Infuriating.
But again, it only started for me once I got close to my goal, so I'm (not so secretively) hoping that karma will be on my side.
Wow. Are you hangry?
I think what she's saying is that all women eat chocolate or are a little hungrier during or before TOM, probably because we're in pain, bloated and/or uncomfortable. It evens out though and most women don't stuff their faces uncontrollably then say it's something they can't control because 'hormones'. That's just an excuse. You can always control what you do or don't eat.
Also are you aware that pregnancy morning sickness is caused by progesterone? I threw up during all my pregnancies and have also thrown up prior to my period and in all cases I can't really eat at all. It's classified as 'progesterone intolerance' and I have had to take anti nausea meds for it and am here because I lost so much weight during my last pregnancy I had to try really hard to get even minimum protein amounts As far as I know progesterone intolerance isn't defined as stuffing your face with food due to insatiable hunger (although there's nothing wrong with doing that if that's what you feel like doing), but please let me know if your Dr says otherwise. I am genuinely interested what you think is causing this.
I'm not hungry when I'm in pain. I'm hungry when my progesterone and estrogen levels tank just before all of that.
Given your experience with morning sickness, which, btw, many believe is NOT caused by the progesterone, but rather by the shift in the "symphony" of the hormones, you're keenly aware of how our hormones can make us feel.
Women given high doses of progesterone supplementation (as high as the THIRD trimester of pregnancy, which is much more than when morning sickness occurs), don't generally experience morning sickness. Why is that?
During perimenopause I had morning sickness about every four months. Mid-cycle. When estrogen would have been HIGH and progesterone low. My OBGYN said it was because of anovulatory cycles (which meant NO progesterone at all).
My point: we don't know everything about the symphony of hormones, nor how they affect EACH INDIVIDUAL WOMAN. Princess Kate being a good example. Her symptoms during pregnancy were much more extreme than many. Was it "in her head" or "within her control"?
That said, I'll say again: reducing my overall consumption of refined carbs/sugar made all of that, and PMS in general, better. Reducing them even more has improved menopausal symptoms. FOR ME.
ETA: at menopause, progesterone production falls to nearly zero, estrogen falls 40-60%. Women often report an INCREASE in carb cravings and cravings for sugary foods at menopause.
(as well as symptoms of insulin resistance, which is another topic)0 -
I hadn't heard that. I know personally I'm heavier by up to 4lbs sometimes and put this down to water retention.0
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I am hungrier when I'm on my period, but I don't think I buy that we're burning any extra calories.
I let myself eat a bit more though, because I know the week after my appetite naturally dips a little.0 -
I have read that a woman's bmr increases by about 9% during the entire luteal phase leading up to their period. This commonly manifests as hunger only a few days right before menstruation actually commences. I don't see the harm in eating & logging a little more than usual if that's something you experience.afatpersonwholikesfood wrote: »Extra calorie burn or not, I know that I am extra hungry 3 days or so out of the month, typically the days just before. I eat at a smaller deficit on those days. It's not cravings. I'm not eating chocolate and bonbons - just an extra 200-300 calories of whatever I would normally be eating. So, that week, my deficit is reduced by 600-900 calories. I haven't had any issues with the scale because of it.
Ya, right before my period my appetite increases and I just eat up to 500 calories more of normal food.
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I don't get cramps before/during my period. Never have and I'm 36 years old. I got my period at age 13 so that's 23 years, not one cramp. That doesn't mean that I don't believe other people get such bad cramps that they're bed ridden. I don't keep track of my period either. I can't ever remember when my last period was lol. You know how I know it's coming? I'm suddenly STARVING. Dizzy, shaky, can't think kind of starving. I don't buy that "it's all in your head" bs. Thank god I have a husband that understands my mood swings and starvation days that he buys me chocolates and is extra carful with what he says on those days. Lol0
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I've never heard that we burn more on our periods...guess you heard a new weight loss myths all the time!0
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I've never heard that women burn more during TOM either, although it would be nice because it would make up for the sugar I eat due to low and irregular mood swings.0
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I've heard that we do burn a little more during our luteal phase, because our body temperature increases slighty. But I don't think it's that much. Maybe an extra hundred calories. I wear a Fitbit and my heart rate is a little higher the past few days. I'm expecting AF in about 5 or so days. I've also been much more hungry than usual. And much more tired.
Not giving into any cravings though....and well there is coffee for the tiredness...0 -
People hearing all this stuff
Hit google scholar ..find the research ...post it so we can all get up to date and discuss
I've heard that waist trainers, green tea and juice detox work ..but have been able to completely discount them thanks to real information
This. Holy cow people. Read up. Don't just sit around wondering. I keep these in my profile. There's more than you asked about OP but it's good reading.
Menstrual cycle & fitness & other lady stuff
* http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/impact-of-the-menstrual-cycle-on-determinants-of-energy-intake-reseach-review.html/
* http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/what-really-causes-irregular-menstrual-cycles-in-female-athletes
* http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
* https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
* http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/69538-the-pelvis-abs-and-hormones-walk-into-a-gym/
* http://www.strengtheory.com/gender-differences-in-training-and-diet/#axzz3kRAhKHG5
Thanks @jemhh you beat me too it! I think the original studies are > 30 years old so the full texts of the articles are in the public domain. There was quite a bit of variation in changes in BMR at various pts in the cycle between women. One unlucky lady, as I recall, had a variation of around 700 kcal/ d between the high and the nadir others much much less. I think I'm that lady.0 -
People hearing all this stuff
Hit google scholar ..find the research ...post it so we can all get up to date and discuss
I've heard that waist trainers, green tea and juice detox work ..but have been able to completely discount them thanks to real information
This. Holy cow people. Read up. Don't just sit around wondering. I keep these in my profile. There's more than you asked about OP but it's good reading.
Menstrual cycle & fitness & other lady stuff
* http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/impact-of-the-menstrual-cycle-on-determinants-of-energy-intake-reseach-review.html/
* http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/what-really-causes-irregular-menstrual-cycles-in-female-athletes
* http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
* https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
* http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/69538-the-pelvis-abs-and-hormones-walk-into-a-gym/
* http://www.strengtheory.com/gender-differences-in-training-and-diet/#axzz3kRAhKHG5
Thanks @jemhh you beat me too it! I think the original studies are > 30 years old so the full texts of the articles are in the public domain. There was quite a bit of variation in changes in BMR at various pts in the cycle between women. One unlucky lady, as I recall, had a variation of around 700 kcal/ d between the high and the nadir others much much less. I think I'm that lady.
None of these articles support that. The one from Lyle McDonald (which was posted a bit before my post actually) discusses increased energy expenditure during the luteal phase (around ovulation.) The increase was minor...Next, the paper looks at the impact of menstrual cycle on energy expenditure (this brings us back to the increased body temperature I noted above). The major increase in energy expenditure occurs also during the luteal phase (when hunger is increased) with increases of 2.5-11.5% having been reported.
It’s important to note that this only amounts to a daily increase in energy expenditure of 90-280 calories per day. That would be contrasted to the potential increase in food intake of 90-500 calories. That is, while energy expenditure is up during the luteal phase, so is appetite; increases in energy intake can easily overwhelm the small increase in energy output if food intake isn’t controlled.0 -
mrsnazario1219 wrote: »I don't get cramps before/during my period. Never have and I'm 36 years old. I got my period at age 13 so that's 23 years, not one cramp. That doesn't mean that I don't believe other people get such bad cramps that they're bed ridden. I don't keep track of my period either. I can't ever remember when my last period was lol. You know how I know it's coming? I'm suddenly STARVING. Dizzy, shaky, can't think kind of starving. I don't buy that "it's all in your head" bs. Thank god I have a husband that understands my mood swings and starvation days that he buys me chocolates and is extra carful with what he says on those days. Lol
You're so lucky about the cramp part, lol! When I was a kid it used to be so bad I would throw up every time! (I got my first period at 11). Now it varies, sometimes it's bad, sometimes I hardly have any, but on bad days I'm ok if I alternate tylenol and advil every 3 hours. It's just hard until it kicks in. But my period as a whole has been way less unpleasant since I lost weight.. it's just PMS that is worse.0 -
I've never heard of this myth, and no clue if it is true but I've noticed if I don't give into the munchies during that week, I actually lose some weight. I have no idea why and I am sure it is not something common but it is something I've noticed over the years for me, I am always a few pounds less during that week.0
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The extra calories burned are negligible. It certainly is not 500 calories.
There is never any excuse to eat like a horse. I see people recording 4000-5000 calorie days and blaming it on PMS and find it both ridiculous and disgusting.0 -
Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »People hearing all this stuff
Hit google scholar ..find the research ...post it so we can all get up to date and discuss
I've heard that waist trainers, green tea and juice detox work ..but have been able to completely discount them thanks to real information
This. Holy cow people. Read up. Don't just sit around wondering. I keep these in my profile. There's more than you asked about OP but it's good reading.
Menstrual cycle & fitness & other lady stuff
* http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/impact-of-the-menstrual-cycle-on-determinants-of-energy-intake-reseach-review.html/
* http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/what-really-causes-irregular-menstrual-cycles-in-female-athletes
* http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
* https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
* http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/69538-the-pelvis-abs-and-hormones-walk-into-a-gym/
* http://www.strengtheory.com/gender-differences-in-training-and-diet/#axzz3kRAhKHG5
This is great. I get so sick of seeing this on here (my period makes me eat all the food because of 'hormones'). What hormones??? Because progesterone doesn't effect appetite (and I say that as someone who had to have progesterone shots in the *kitten* every day for a month). Leptin and some others do but men have those too. 'Hormones' is not a blanket excuse for stuffing your face.
But those links aren't supporting what you are saying in this post. They tell what hormones. Not to mention all the other studies on progesterone in particular.
I bet the 500 calories came from an old study where the women studied were found to eat 500 calories more a day during the 10 days before their period than in the 10 after. That's just a guess. I've never heard anyone cite exactly where '500' came from.
The study wasn't great (it was very introductory research into the subject, to be fair), but it does have a background discussion with citations that are pretty interesting. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/34/9/1811.full.pdf
If anyone is still wondering (in 2015!) whether reproductive hormones affect how much female mammals want to eat when, well... yeah. That seemed pretty obvious for a while now anyway, no? That 'all in their heads' assumption for women is way too old school for me, and that is all I can think of for why people might not believe that hormones affect the situation. Or maybe individual women thinking we're all the same as they are, which happens a lot (with all genders), I think.
'Want to eat' doesn't mean you have to eat, but it's entirely normal to notice the changes in appetite! I certainly don't eat 500 more a day for 10 days before, but I do eat more early in my period and fewer once it's been going on a few days. I get a bit nauseous, personally, which is pretty clearly hormones in that latter case.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »The extra calories burned are negligible. It certainly is not 500 calories.
There is never any excuse to eat like a horse. I see people recording 4000-5000 calorie days and blaming it on PMS and find it both ridiculous and disgusting.
I hope karma hits you when you get older. Although I don't do 5000. I've done 4000 once or twice because I was just starving.
But hey, I guess you're way stronger and superior to us all because you either 1) don't have any clue what we're actually talking about, 2) don't mind having the shakes and being dizzy from hunger all day. I'm gonna go with 1. Unless you're completely masochistic then it's 2, but I seriously doubt it, because then you would at least show some kind of empathy, which you obviously completely lack.0 -
Re: calories burned: I can't imagine that we would burn an extra 500 cal/day while on our periods. If that were the case, I'd lose a lot of weight during and after mine! But I suppose it is possible we might burn a little bit more ... like, say, 50 cal/day.
Re: premenstrual hunger: When I have been heavier (like let's say, above 140 lbs), I get mildly more hungry in the day or two leading up to my periods ... like I wouldn't mind an extra piece of toast and honey in the evenings or something. When I am lighter, like I am now, the cravings go away. I also found that a little bit extra (not too much) calcium and magnesium eased a lot of the PMS symptoms, including cravings ... it also eases the cramping.
Re: premenstrual dizziness: That doesn't have anything to do with hunger. When I went into perimenopause, I started getting dizzy in the couple days leading up to my periods and first day of my period. But again, now that I've lost weight, that seems to have eased off too. Incidentally, so have the hot flashes.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7124662/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/36/4/611.full.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8735314/
Put some women in an energy expenditure lab and measure their BMR (study 1), measure some women over a single cycle less controlled study 2, changes blunted by OCP study 3.
I have great respect for Lyle and the average change in BMR is small so I am not disagreeing with him or the But the spread is important too and if you read the full texts there is a lot of variation between different women. So the IQR or SD in the data is wide. Which was my point. Some women very small change in BMR. Others very large change. Studies are very small so what does this mean on a population level? Need bigger studies.0 -
azulvioleta6 wrote: »The extra calories burned are negligible. It certainly is not 500 calories.
There is never any excuse to eat like a horse. I see people recording 4000-5000 calorie days and blaming it on PMS and find it both ridiculous and disgusting.
LOL. This was just kinda out of left field. Clearly, there's some PMS going on in this thread.0 -
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/7124662/
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/36/4/611.full.pdf
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8735314/
Put some women in an energy expenditure lab and measure their BMR (study 1), measure some women over a single cycle less controlled study 2, changes blunted by OCP study 3.
I have great respect for Lyle and the average change in BMR is small so I am not disagreeing with him or the But the spread is important too and if you read the full texts there is a lot of variation between different women. So the IQR or SD in the data is wide. Which was my point. Some women very small change in BMR. Others very large change. Studies are very small so what does this mean on a population level? Need bigger studies.
I can't get the second link to load but I am still not seeing evidence of extra calorie burn *during a woman's period*. During the luteal phase? Yes. But your first study noted that bmr dropped *at menstruation*, which means when the women got their periods. I have no doubt that women may feel a variety of symptoms, including hunger, when menstruating, but I don't see anything indicating that extra energy burn is happening.0 -
cafeaulait7 wrote: »Heartisalonelyhunter wrote: »People hearing all this stuff
Hit google scholar ..find the research ...post it so we can all get up to date and discuss
I've heard that waist trainers, green tea and juice detox work ..but have been able to completely discount them thanks to real information
This. Holy cow people. Read up. Don't just sit around wondering. I keep these in my profile. There's more than you asked about OP but it's good reading.
Menstrual cycle & fitness & other lady stuff
* http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/impact-of-the-menstrual-cycle-on-determinants-of-energy-intake-reseach-review.html/
* http://breakingmuscle.com/womens-fitness/what-really-causes-irregular-menstrual-cycles-in-female-athletes
* http://www.optimumh.co.uk/influence-of-menstrual-cycle-on-strength-training-and-timing/
* https://www.t-nation.com/training/hormone-cycle-and-female-lifters
* http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/69538-the-pelvis-abs-and-hormones-walk-into-a-gym/
* http://www.strengtheory.com/gender-differences-in-training-and-diet/#axzz3kRAhKHG5
This is great. I get so sick of seeing this on here (my period makes me eat all the food because of 'hormones'). What hormones??? Because progesterone doesn't effect appetite (and I say that as someone who had to have progesterone shots in the *kitten* every day for a month). Leptin and some others do but men have those too. 'Hormones' is not a blanket excuse for stuffing your face.
But those links aren't supporting what you are saying in this post. They tell what hormones. Not to mention all the other studies on progesterone in particular.
I bet the 500 calories came from an old study where the women studied were found to eat 500 calories more a day during the 10 days before their period than in the 10 after. That's just a guess. I've never heard anyone cite exactly where '500' came from.
The study wasn't great (it was very introductory research into the subject, to be fair), but it does have a background discussion with citations that are pretty interesting. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/34/9/1811.full.pdf
If anyone is still wondering (in 2015!) whether reproductive hormones affect how much female mammals want to eat when, well... yeah. That seemed pretty obvious for a while now anyway, no? That 'all in their heads' assumption for women is way too old school for me, and that is all I can think of for why people might not believe that hormones affect the situation. Or maybe individual women thinking we're all the same as they are, which happens a lot (with all genders), I think.
'Want to eat' doesn't mean you have to eat, but it's entirely normal to notice the changes in appetite! I certainly don't eat 500 more a day for 10 days before, but I do eat more early in my period and fewer once it's been going on a few days. I get a bit nauseous, personally, which is pretty clearly hormones in that latter case.
Seriously. Enough with the "women are deluded/malingerers/excuse-makers" bull, so boring
It would be strange for (most of) us to have evolved a sense of **illusory** hunger during menstruation & the few days before. I guess nature's full of weirder things, and evolutionary psych is full of a lot of crap stories, but a regular, temporary uncoupling of subjective hunger from caloric needs/expenditure doesn't seem adaptive on the face of it.
I mean it happens all the time in general now that we're yay far from originating conditions (food industry food) but the obvious connection of increased hunger with menstruation is something else0 -
I like to think I have a great deal of mind over matter with my body, but a couple days before my period, you will keep me from my dark chocolate at your own peril. Due to a Mirena, they are few and far between, but I can always signpost their arrival by a craving for dark chocolate.
Fun fact: a common euphamism for a period in Denmark translates as "there are communists in the fun house". Cracked me up.0 -
Alatariel75 wrote: »Fun fact: a common euphamism for a period in Denmark translates as "there are communists in the fun house". Cracked me up.
That is great.0 -
You've never had a 4k day? Seriously?azulvioleta6 wrote: »The extra calories burned are negligible. It certainly is not 500 calories.
There is never any excuse to eat like a horse. I see people recording 4000-5000 calorie days and blaming it on PMS and find it both ridiculous and disgusting.
(How did you come to be here?)
But seriously.
As with most things diet related: walk a mile in someone else's shoes first.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
You've never had a 4k day? Seriously?azulvioleta6 wrote: »The extra calories burned are negligible. It certainly is not 500 calories.
There is never any excuse to eat like a horse. I see people recording 4000-5000 calorie days and blaming it on PMS and find it both ridiculous and disgusting.
(How did you come to be here?)
It doesn't take 4000 calories a day to be here.
I calculated out how many calories over my maintenance I was as I gradually gained weight over the past 4 years, using 1 lb = 3500 calories. It came to less than 80 calories/day. I'm not exactly sure what my maintenance calories are yet, but for sake of argument, let's say they were 2000 calories per day ... for 4 years, I was consuming on average 2080 cal/day.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Machka9/view/about-weight-749365
I have rarely consumed more than 3000 calories in day. About the only times I have done that are when I'm on a long randonnee and I'm desperately trying to keep my fuel up. Even then, I have a lot of trouble doing that ... just simply too much eating involved ... I try to find small high calorie items (like a packet of hot chips) so that I don't have to eat much to take in the required number of calories.
I had a massive food day on Sunday ... a planned diet break. I consumed 2,722 calories and burned about 900 of that off with exercise. But I would have a tough time eating more than that.
Obviously everyone is different, some people get really hungry ... but if I have PMS cravings, it is for a chocolate bar, or as mentioned above a piece of toast with honey ... or maybe a slightly larger dinner.
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