Crazy hunger at certain points in cycle

tyediri
tyediri Posts: 183 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all! I have been on and off this site for a few years now and successfully lost each time (and only went off and gained because I got pregnant twice). I'm back now and I have been happily losing 0.5-1lbs a week, eating about 2300kcals while breastfeeding. Haven't felt hungry or deprived (shouldn't at 2300kcals really. I'm only 5'4 and have about 30lbs to lose), but the last couple days I've felt famished. I would finish a good sized meal and immediately feel hungry. I am just getting back in to normal monthly cycles and recognising the signals my body gives and I'm wondering if I'm at a specific point in my cycle that causes me to want to keep eating? My baby isn't feeding any more than usual, so that can't be it.
Anyone else in tune with their body signals and know what might be causing this? I don't think it's purely mental, as I've heard my tummy rumble a couple times after a good hearty lunch of beans on toast with cheese. 😊

Replies

  • tyediri
    tyediri Posts: 183 Member
    Ps: my diary shows a lot of red, but I'm losing at a slightly faster than expected pace as I've set my profile as sendentary while on most days I run around after a toddler or clean all day while on maternity leave, so it works for me. When I go back to work I'll be truly sedentary so will leave the setting as that and just go over a bit every day.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    For sure your hormone levels and menstrual processes can affect what you need to feel good. I've used a couple apps to track and see what I see and landed on one called FitrWoman that has quite in depth (relatively speaking) descriptions of your hormonal state and what many women experience during such. I don't know how it would work with BC.
  • tyediri
    tyediri Posts: 183 Member
    Thank you! I can't be on any hormonal birth control so it shouldn't be an issue. I will check that website out so I will know what to expect each month a little better. 😊
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    It's an app, not a website.
  • panda4153
    panda4153 Posts: 418 Member
    Yes, from what I have read its very common for women to feel more hungry especially during the day or two prior to your period. Think about crazy PMS cravings for chocolate or whatever lol. I have seen some women say they switch to maintenance for a few days to help combat that. It may slow progress slightly, but it helps them from completely derailing their diet too. I personally give myself a calorie window so that I can go up or down depending on my hunger levels instead of a hard an fast goal. For me that is anywhere from 1700 to 2400 calories a day. My maintenance around 2500.
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
    PMS makes me nauseous, but when I ovulate I'm bloated, moody, and starving. I could be pre-menopausal, but who knows. I only started noticing this in the last 2 years. I'm not saying it wasn't happening, I just didn't notice.
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
    One of the most important things to recognize is the difference between hunger and appetite. Hunger is a physiological need for food. Appetite is the desire to eat.

    Hormonal shifts dramatically impact appetite, but have a very limited impact on hunger. The hormonal cascade from hunger is a long chain and takes significant time (several hours) without ingesting anything.

    Evaluating signals to test the difference is an important step in several weight management plans.

    If you crave specific foods - salty, sweet, etc. that's a sure sign of appetite. Sudden onset is also appetite. There are many strategies to minimize this impact - drinking water ahead of meal times, eating high fiber/low calorie foods intermittently.

    In all things implement slowly and don't make dramatic changes unless the risk/rewards warrants it. Small changes over time have greater impact than unsustainable dramatic changes.
  • jrh_this_better_work
    jrh_this_better_work Posts: 92 Member
    ponycyndi wrote: »
    My husband doesn't think it's funny when I tell him I'm not feeling well because I'm laying an egg.

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Absolutely using this at all available opportunities going forward!
  • ToadstoolBetty
    ToadstoolBetty Posts: 292 Member
    I thought it was Hormones changing from having 2 pregnancies as they've got much worse after each one.
    Horrible cravings for either sweet stuff or Fat.
    I noticed my hormones have got worse this last year since turning 40. My bad joints are now being affected.
    Thankfully after wonder if it could be Menopause related I found that it looks to the very beginning of build up to the menopause.
    I have to say it's made me much happier knowing that nothing is wrong with me, it's just age and normal.
    I never use to have any pms before entering my 30s, it was just a coincidence that I had my 2nd child at the start and my 3rd at 36 when the pms started to increase.
    I've read this is normal for the hormones to increase in the 30 and 40s as it's is just the start of the body changing.
  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    edited September 2019
    I experience a significant increase in hunger for the two days preceding the start of my period. Like another poster, I only recognized this in the last few years. I am not sure if that’s because I have paid more attention to my cycle or because I have paid more attention to my weight and calorie intake. (Both of those are true). Or maybe it is just a change in overall hormones as I have aged because my PMS has gotten worse as I’ve gotten closer to 40 (and my period has become more irregular).

    All that to say, what you are experiencing is not unusual. I usually try to stick close to maintenance level calories when it happens to me. 🙂

    ETA: I am not on hormonal B.C., either.
  • puffbrat
    puffbrat Posts: 2,806 Member
    ponycyndi wrote: »
    My husband doesn't think it's funny when I tell him I'm not feeling well because I'm laying an egg.

    This is fantastic and I'm going to steal it! My husband would find it hilarious!
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
    Yes, I crave ALL THE THINGS for 1-3 days before my period. Seriously, I could eat a 5-course steak dinner with dessert and 3 bread baskets and then some leftovers and still want more food a few hours later. I've learned to recognize that the "empty" feeling in my stomach is false and although it's a physical sensation, it's not true hunger.

    However, that doesn't help the moodiness that I get if I'm not subsisting on chips and swiss rolls. So I indulge within moderation. I try to remember that my craving for potato chips and fries is likely a need for potassium, so I'll try to have baked potatoes. And that my desire for chocolate is probably for something that makes me feel better, so I eat the chocolate AND try to take a walk that will reduce some calories.

    I find that overeating for those 1-3 days does not affect my weight loss at all because the week after my period, I will have a handful of cucumber slices and feel full and bloated. So it evens out. With that said, I don't let the overeating get out of control - I will go over on my calories by 300-500 per day, not eat double my allotment.

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