Perimenopause and sweet tooth

layladrew26

Hi all,
Just a question out of curiosity more than anything. I am currently perimenopausal and have been for approximately 2-3 years. Lately I have noticed an insatiable urge for anything sweet. I was always a salt lover although I did enjoy the odd cake now and again. If I was to be given a choice between crisps or chocolate I used to always prefer the salty option (or both ideally 😄) but with having to count calories I would always choose crisps or savoury foods as my go to snack. Now.... I'm really craving chocolate, cake, ice cream etc and have been having them regularly. IDK if it is something to do with hormones being peri or if its possibly something else. Its not an issue for me as I am maintaining my weight and am almost at goal (no rush to get there, I am enjoying my diet and eat balanced and mostly healthy). Has anyone else experienced this? I've looked at the thread 'Is it over yet' and couldn't find anything about developing a sweet tooth. Thanks guys in advance

ChrisCatMama

Everyone is different. Just like our time of the month- 100 different people can give 100 (or more) different experiences with it. I think any kind of cravings going through this is normal. I crave breads like crazy. Others may not. 🙂

Sabine_Stroehm

I had major carb cravings for about 18 months during peri-menopause. Fortunately, it got better!

kshama2001

layladrew26 wrote: »

Hi all,
Just a question out of curiosity more than anything. I am currently perimenopausal and have been for approximately 2-3 years. Lately I have noticed an insatiable urge for anything sweet. I was always a salt lover although I did enjoy the odd cake now and again. If I was to be given a choice between crisps or chocolate I used to always prefer the salty option (or both ideally 😄) but with having to count calories I would always choose crisps or savoury foods as my go to snack. Now.... I'm really craving chocolate, cake, ice cream etc and have been having them regularly. IDK if it is something to do with hormones being peri or if its possibly something else. Its not an issue for me as I am maintaining my weight and am almost at goal (no rush to get there, I am enjoying my diet and eat balanced and mostly healthy). Has anyone else experienced this? I've looked at the thread 'Is it over yet' and couldn't find anything about developing a sweet tooth. Thanks guys in advance

I'm 52 and hopefully peri myself, although there aren't many signs of it. Here are some thoughts that came to mind:

1. It sounds like this is all the time but in case it is just premenstrually try just eating a few hundred calories more at that time.
2. What's your protein goal set to and are you meeting it? The MFP default is 20%. When I don't get enough protein my body gets confused and wants sweets.
3. You could also try seeing if you can satisfy that itch with very small amounts of high quality chocolate - chocolate chips work well for this for me - I let them dissolve in my mouth rather than chewing them and this takes so long that I'm satisfied after only about 50 calories worth. (OTOH, I can eat 500 calories of cake or ice cream easily.) Also see if fruit helps. It is also sweet, but for far less calories.
4. Has your sleep gotten worse or have you stopped exercising lately? When I'm not sleeping well or exercising regularly, I get the munchies.
5. Finally, I developed a sweet tooth when I quit drinking in my 30s.

garber6th

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I had major carb cravings for about 18 months during peri-menopause. Fortunately, it got better!

Same here!!!!

OooohToast

I've gone off eating meat, my taste for sweet things has reduced and I barely drink booze anymore - my craving for buttered toast has gone up tenfold !