MY PERIOD IS RUINING MY PROGRESS

135

Replies

  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!
    Or vote!
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!
    Or vote!

    The 20th century was a real step back in my opinion!
  • idontcarroll
    idontcarroll Posts: 216 Member
    Periods do nothing wrong. They come once a month, you bleed, bloat and go back to bloodless in about a week.

    Hand to mouth ratio and lack of exercise ruin progress.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Atleast you get your period predictably every month.. imagine if you didn't know when it was coming! Eating a little bit extra before your period isn't a big deal.. but it really depends on what you are eating. You'll survive
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    That really doesn't sound like much food. What exactly are your goals?

    It sounds to me like you are hungry because you are not eating enough. Of course, I can only base that opinion on your OP.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Or, you know, the fact that if you live in the developed world, we blame all unwanted behavior on "hormones" and that "time of the month" because somehow, if it's unavoidable, then it's socially ok to be short with people, overeat, not exercise, fail to meet obligations and otherwise engage in behavior that we couldn't easily excuse.

    Your period is not a free pass or an excuse. Like the girls who skipped gym class a week every month in middle school, all it does is embolden the rest of the population to not take you seriously, and worse, to not take other women seriously.

    Eat badly, treat others badly, exercise, don't exercise, but don't blame your hormones or your uterus - neither are running the show. Your brain runs the show, and it makes choices. Own them.

    While it's true that perhaps 40% of women (not the majority or all!) have used their period as an excuse (http://jezebel.com/5953440/almost-40-of-women-use-their-period-as-an-excuse-to-get-out-of-lame-things), there's no way for a stranger to know the actual medical status of any given women. Words like "PMS" are indeed thrown around lightheartedly, but it's also true PMS, PMDD, and other menstrual disorders are actual medical syndromes that can have severe symptomology and that many suffer deeply with them. I'm an optimist, so I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt :)

    PMS is not a disorder. PMDD is a disorder, but for those who suffer from it, eating is commonly the last thing on their minds. Early in college I helped with a study on women with PMDD and most of them had more trouble keeping food down/in and in being able to function at all outside of bed. They certainly weren't roving about complaining and using it as an excuse.

    Personally, I've dealt with much of the spectrum of female gynecological malaise. I would never demean that or women that truly suffer by claiming my period made me behave a certain way and interestingly, neither did any of those women.

    EXCUSE me? Please tell me why women with PMDD can not function? I suffered from PMDD and let me tell you, it was not a physical illness but a mental one.(and that is why I was prescribed Lexapro) Now the fibriods I had, THAT made me not be able to function and lead to me getting a hysterectomy at 42 years old.

    Not all periods are created equal. I know people that do not have a minutes problem with theirs, then there are people that are unable to sit up right for the first 3 days. No one woman can tell another how to handle her period, because they do not experience the same types of things.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!
    Or vote!

    The 20th century was a real step back in my opinion!
    Seriously.

    Personally, I never leave the kitchen.
  • j34lr
    j34lr Posts: 32
    Or, you know, the fact that if you live in the developed world, we blame all unwanted behavior on "hormones" and that "time of the month" because somehow, if it's unavoidable, then it's socially ok to be short with people, overeat, not exercise, fail to meet obligations and otherwise engage in behavior that we couldn't easily excuse.

    Your period is not a free pass or an excuse. Like the girls who skipped gym class a week every month in middle school, all it does is embolden the rest of the population to not take you seriously, and worse, to not take other women seriously.

    Eat badly, treat others badly, exercise, don't exercise, but don't blame your hormones or your uterus - neither are running the show. Your brain runs the show, and it makes choices. Own them.

    While it's true that perhaps 40% of women (not the majority or all!) have used their period as an excuse (http://jezebel.com/5953440/almost-40-of-women-use-their-period-as-an-excuse-to-get-out-of-lame-things), there's no way for a stranger to know the actual medical status of any given women. Words like "PMS" are indeed thrown around lightheartedly, but it's also true PMS, PMDD, and other menstrual disorders are actual medical syndromes that can have severe symptomology and that many suffer deeply with them. I'm an optimist, so I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt :)

    PMS is not a disorder. PMDD is a disorder, but for those who suffer from it, eating is commonly the last thing on their minds. Early in college I helped with a study on women with PMDD and most of them had more trouble keeping food down/in and in being able to function at all outside of bed. They certainly weren't roving about complaining and using it as an excuse.

    Personally, I've dealt with much of the spectrum of female gynecological malaise. I would never demean that or women that truly suffer by claiming my period made me behave a certain way and interestingly, neither did any of those women.

    EXCUSE me? Please tell me why women with PMDD can not function? I suffered from PMDD and let me tell you, it was not a physical illness but a mental one.(and that is why I was prescribed Lexapro) Now the fibriods I had, THAT made me not be able to function and lead to me getting a hysterectomy at 42 years old.

    Not all periods are created equal. I know people that do not have a minutes problem with theirs, then there are people that are unable to sit up right for the first 3 days. No one woman can tell another how to handle her period, because they do not experience the same types of things.

    Thank you. Wow I came back to this thread and realized how many people on this site were just outright rude because they can be. My question might seem stupid or like a "call for reassurance" to some of you but there's really no need to be rude about it. A simple answer would do and thanks to those who gave that, I've read them all and appreciate your help.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
    Gah, unless you have a legitimate medical reason, which some women really do, for example endometriosis, or PMDD, there is NOTHING that should change about your eating or exercise habits when you have your period. It's going to happen roughly 400 times in your life, so figure out a way to deal with it. It's not the end of the world. It's a little blood.
  • MissKim78
    MissKim78 Posts: 426 Member
    I'm so hungry becuase of my period that I just ate a bowl of raisins and granola. For dinner all I had was some chicken, a small salad with light ranch dressing and water. I've barely eaten much but cereal bars today so will this set me back? I've been doing so well I just get so hungry when I'm on it. PLEASE HELP IM GOING CRAZY

    Am I crazy or does that sound like a SMALL amount of food?? What is your age, height, weight, daily caloric intake? You haven't provided much information for anyone to offer advice.

    Periods are a part of life...all women get them and probably all get cravings during them. You just need to make sure there is a healthy balance of calories and exercise. Exercise can help cramps so that's a benefit too.
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
    Your body may be craving vitamins and nutrients. Are you taking enough vitamins and calcium? Women need at least 1,200mg of calcium a day. Some calcium rich foods include kale, collard greens, broccoli and yogurt.

    Some foods you should eat during your period:

    Leafy Greens - Iron and Vitamin B
    Nuts - Good Fats and Omega-3s
    Fresh Fruits - Aids in digestion and curbs sugar craving.
    Whole Grains - Fiber and Complex carbohydrates, which provide important vitamins and minerals.
    Red Meat (Lean cuts, not a fast food burger!) - Great source of iron.

    ***Watch your sodium intake and drink lots of water!

    It's easy to make excuses and say "I feel like crap and I am bloated/cramping/etc.", but you are better off getting off the couch and exercising. Working out will curb your cravings and ease cramps.
  • mlclark86
    mlclark86 Posts: 33 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!



    Ummm....as a former military woman, I take offense to this comment. Not all women are created equal, is what I say! :)
  • MissKim78
    MissKim78 Posts: 426 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!



    Ummm....as a former military woman, I take offense to this comment. Not all women are created equal, is what I say! :)

    I myself was hoping that this was a sarcastic joke of some sort! LOL
  • OMG seriously?!?
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    Gah, unless you have a legitimate medical reason, which some women really do, for example endometriosis, or PMDD, there is NOTHING that should change about your eating or exercise habits when you have your period. It's going to happen roughly 400 times in your life, so figure out a way to deal with it. It's not the end of the world. It's a little blood.

    BS.

    I was on some form of hormonal BC for a LONG time and now I'm off of it and having mormal cycles again and I can tell you that things most definitely do change -- at least for some women -- based on their periods.

    I've decided to start actually tracking it on a calendar so I can try and predict when it's going to hit me. This was my first month tracking. From Feb. 11-15, I was so tired I could barely function and so hungry that I don't think 5,000 calories would have satisfied the hunger. I wasn't craving anything specific, but I literally could not get enough to eat. It was ridiculous hunger to the point I felt sick if I didn't eat something.

    This week, there is nothing hormonal going on. Yesterday, I worked out with a trainer and was stuffed at 1,100 calories. I am pretty much satisfied on 1,000-1,500 calories three weeks every month. But that fourth week, I am not satisfied on probably double that amount.
  • njitaliana
    njitaliana Posts: 814 Member
    When you get hormonal related cravings, try eating protein-rich foods, not foods with sugar and white flour. The sugar and white flour increases cravings by causing a temporary spike in blood sugar followed by a drop, which makes people ravenous. Protein-rich foods, on the other hand, decrease cravings because they don't cause spikes in blood sugar.

    Try reading the South Beach Diet book as it explains all of this. The South Beach Diet recommends doing phase 1 for two weeks to cut out cravings. This means cutting out sugar and white flour for two weeks. I know it cut out cravings for me. Maybe you could try that. You can also read the Sugar Smart Diet, put out by Prevention magazine, as it has the same emphasis on cutting cravings.

    I was 51 years old, post-menopausal and in a wheelchair when I lost 126 pounds. If I can do it, anyone can.
  • scythswife
    scythswife Posts: 1,100 Member
    When I've had almost nothing to eat all day, I tend to binge on whatever I can find too...


    ...and that's true whether or not I'm on my period.


    True story.

    lol my favorite comment on here
  • EXCUSE me? Please tell me why women with PMDD can not function? I suffered from PMDD and let me tell you, it was not a physical illness but a mental one.(and that is why I was prescribed Lexapro) Now the fibriods I had, THAT made me not be able to function and lead to me getting a hysterectomy at 42 years old.

    Not all periods are created equal. I know people that do not have a minutes problem with theirs, then there are people that are unable to sit up right for the first 3 days. No one woman can tell another how to handle her period, because they do not experience the same types of things.

    I can't tell you that because I did not assert that was the case. I wrote: "I helped with a study on women with PMDD and most of them had more trouble keeping food down/in and in being able to function at all outside of bed." These were women with some of the most severe PMDD, selected for the study for that particular purpose. From the scores of women diagnosed PMDD we weeded out, it was quite apparent how overdiagnosed the disorder was, for a variety of reasons. That, unfortunately, did not get better when medications specifically developed for PMDD were introduced to the market - it got worse. The most unfortunate part of that was that women who could have been legitimately treated for their mental disorder were just tossed a pill, as were women who did not have the disorder.

    And, yes a significant case of fibroids is far more disabling for most women other gynecological disorders. You were actually pretty fortunate if you did not need a hysterectomy until your forties, though having lived through fibroids myself, you never really feel "fortunate."
  • aprilyankee
    aprilyankee Posts: 345 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!

    Now that is a low blow. I'm a 2 time combat veteran. You haven't lived until you have changed a tampon on the side of the road at night in full battle gear while someone in a Humvee covers you. I do agree if you are big whiney baby, male or female, the military is NOT the place for you. My period has never affected my service. If anything it helps, as I'm more hostile than the majority of my male teammates.
  • Gah, unless you have a legitimate medical reason, which some women really do, for example endometriosis, or PMDD, there is NOTHING that should change about your eating or exercise habits when you have your period. It's going to happen roughly 400 times in your life, so figure out a way to deal with it. It's not the end of the world. It's a little blood.

    BS.

    I was on some form of hormonal BC for a LONG time and now I'm off of it and having mormal cycles again and I can tell you that things most definitely do change -- at least for some women -- based on their periods.

    I've decided to start actually tracking it on a calendar so I can try and predict when it's going to hit me. This was my first month tracking. From Feb. 11-15, I was so tired I could barely function and so hungry that I don't think 5,000 calories would have satisfied the hunger. I wasn't craving anything specific, but I literally could not get enough to eat. It was ridiculous hunger to the point I felt sick if I didn't eat something.

    This week, there is nothing hormonal going on. Yesterday, I worked out with a trainer and was stuffed at 1,100 calories. I am pretty much satisfied on 1,000-1,500 calories three weeks every month. But that fourth week, I am not satisfied on probably double that amount.

    The crummy part about long term BC use is that you never really have "normal" hormone levels again. They change from what they wereduring the controlled state of BC intake, but they are not what they would have been had you never been on BC. There was a really interesting study done on this involving identical twins.

    If your changes in mood and fatigue track somewhere mid-cycle, you migth look into supplementing with magnesium and a good, prescription quality iron supplement (most OTC stuff has minimal absorption). I've tried several and had the best blood results and symptom improvement with Bifera, which is now sold OTC as Feosol Complete (witht he word Bifera listed there as well). Depending on your insurance, however, the Rx might be slightly less expensive.

    For years OBGYNs and docs have said get a multi with iron and that will solve the issue, but if your muti has calcium it will block the body from using the iron. Same with many leafy green veggies. I've also had more than one tell me to supplement during the TOM, but the problem is that the body is depleted of iron and magnesium as it build lining, not as it sheds it, and the delay in processing and storing iron and then making RBC and hemoglobin means that supplementing during TOM helps little because the body replenishes hemoglobin then for a short period right before it starts losing it again, so you never get ahead of the game, or if you do, it's not by much.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    but the problem is that the body is depleted of iron and magnesium as it build lining, not as it sheds it,

    I had endometrial ablation more than a year ago. I no longer build nor shed any lining.
  • but the problem is that the body is depleted of iron and magnesium as it build lining, not as it sheds it,

    I had endometrial ablation more than a year ago. I no longer build nor shed any lining.

    Have you had a recent ultrasound to rule out endometriosis and fibroids?

    ETA: Not having a lining, and even not having a uterus doesn't alter the body's process of diverting RBCs and iron, and from hormonally increasing magensium depeletion, assuming you still possess working ovaries.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    but the problem is that the body is depleted of iron and magnesium as it build lining, not as it sheds it,

    I had endometrial ablation more than a year ago. I no longer build nor shed any lining.

    Have you had a recent ultrasound to rule out endometriosis and fibroids?
    *sigh*

    I know my body. I get tired and hungry for a week every month. Then I'm fine. Although I spent a long time on BC, I also had periods for many years before going on it in the first place. This is not new. I have been having periods on and off BC for 26 years. My point is only that telling women that their periods don't affect their hunger (and for some women this is probably true, but NOT for all) is dismissive and rude.

    Stop it.
  • eimaj5575
    eimaj5575 Posts: 278 Member
    I'm so hungry becuase of my period that I just ate a bowl of raisins and granola. For dinner all I had was some chicken, a small salad with light ranch dressing and water. I've barely eaten much but cereal bars today so will this set me back? I've been doing so well I just get so hungry when I'm on it. PLEASE HELP IM GOING CRAZY

    What is sounds like is not that your over eating but you are under eating. If thats all you ate then your body is probably holding on to every ounce of food you have consumed bc its going into starvation mode. Eat your calories and even go over if you need to during those couple days.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Or, you know, the fact that if you live in the developed world, we blame all unwanted behavior on "hormones" and that "time of the month" because somehow, if it's unavoidable, then it's socially ok to be short with people, overeat, not exercise, fail to meet obligations and otherwise engage in behavior that we couldn't easily excuse.

    Your period is not a free pass or an excuse. Like the girls who skipped gym class a week every month in middle school, all it does is embolden the rest of the population to not take you seriously, and worse, to not take other women seriously.

    Eat badly, treat others badly, exercise, don't exercise, but don't blame your hormones or your uterus - neither are running the show. Your brain runs the show, and it makes choices. Own them.

    While it's true that perhaps 40% of women (not the majority or all!) have used their period as an excuse (http://jezebel.com/5953440/almost-40-of-women-use-their-period-as-an-excuse-to-get-out-of-lame-things), there's no way for a stranger to know the actual medical status of any given women. Words like "PMS" are indeed thrown around lightheartedly, but it's also true PMS, PMDD, and other menstrual disorders are actual medical syndromes that can have severe symptomology and that many suffer deeply with them. I'm an optimist, so I prefer to give the benefit of the doubt :)

    PMS is not a disorder. PMDD is a disorder, but for those who suffer from it, eating is commonly the last thing on their minds. Early in college I helped with a study on women with PMDD and most of them had more trouble keeping food down/in and in being able to function at all outside of bed. They certainly weren't roving about complaining and using it as an excuse.

    Personally, I've dealt with much of the spectrum of female gynecological malaise. I would never demean that or women that truly suffer by claiming my period made me behave a certain way and interestingly, neither did any of those women.

    EXCUSE me? Please tell me why women with PMDD can not function? I suffered from PMDD and let me tell you, it was not a physical illness but a mental one.(and that is why I was prescribed Lexapro) Now the fibriods I had, THAT made me not be able to function and lead to me getting a hysterectomy at 42 years old.

    Not all periods are created equal. I know people that do not have a minutes problem with theirs, then there are people that are unable to sit up right for the first 3 days. No one woman can tell another how to handle her period, because they do not experience the same types of things.

    I have PMDD and it is both physical and mental. Someone who has or has had PMD should know this.

    It's funny - people complain about PMS but imagine being so depressed for a few days that you can't function as usual. You can't work, you can't sleep, you feel suicidal for absolutely no reason at all. I'd be lying if I said I don't find women complaining about their period on here to be annoying. Many women are so lucky to have regular periods, normal hormone levels and just decide to come onto MFP and complain how they can't work out because of slight discomfort. You're right, who are we to judge but having been on the other side, it's really hard not to.
  • Miska_
    Miska_ Posts: 84
    I'd be having some Oreos and bacon with that salad.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    but the problem is that the body is depleted of iron and magnesium as it build lining, not as it sheds it,

    I had endometrial ablation more than a year ago. I no longer build nor shed any lining.

    Have you had a recent ultrasound to rule out endometriosis and fibroids?
    *sigh*

    I know my body. I get tired and hungry for a week every month. Then I'm fine. Although I spent a long time on BC, I also had periods for many years before going on it in the first place. This is not new. I have been having periods on and off BC for 26 years. My point is only that telling women that their periods don't affect their hunger (and for some women this is probably true, but NOT for all) is dismissive and rude.

    Stop it.

    Agreed.

    I don't know one woman out there who doesn't have some kind of higher need for carbs, sugar right before their period.
  • madhatter2013
    madhatter2013 Posts: 1,547 Member
    This is why women shouldn't be in the military!!!!

    Now that is a low blow. I'm a 2 time combat veteran. You haven't lived until you have changed a tampon on the side of the road at night in full battle gear while someone in a Humvee covers you. I do agree if you are big whiney baby, male or female, the military is NOT the place for you. My period has never affected my service. If anything it helps, as I'm more hostile than the majority of my male teammates.

    ROFLMAO Oh I love this! You are my hero! :bigsmile:
  • greenmeena
    greenmeena Posts: 118 Member
    Hi there- I can't even bear to read what people are writing to you. Please read a book called "28 Days Lighter" which addresses fitness in terms of a woman's cycle. This book is wonderful, putting you squarely in touch of your cycle, why we have cravings, PMS and so forth. I love this book, I'm finally no longer stuck in a weight plateau because of listening to my body and giving it what it needs.

    ps: if you're undereating it will kick you in the *kitten* later on. This book will also tell you why.
    best of luck to you!
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    Gah, unless you have a legitimate medical reason, which some women really do, for example endometriosis, or PMDD, there is NOTHING that should change about your eating or exercise habits when you have your period. It's going to happen roughly 400 times in your life, so figure out a way to deal with it. It's not the end of the world. It's a little blood.

    BS.

    I was on some form of hormonal BC for a LONG time and now I'm off of it and having mormal cycles again and I can tell you that things most definitely do change -- at least for some women -- based on their periods.

    I've decided to start actually tracking it on a calendar so I can try and predict when it's going to hit me. This was my first month tracking. From Feb. 11-15, I was so tired I could barely function and so hungry that I don't think 5,000 calories would have satisfied the hunger. I wasn't craving anything specific, but I literally could not get enough to eat. It was ridiculous hunger to the point I felt sick if I didn't eat something.

    This week, there is nothing hormonal going on. Yesterday, I worked out with a trainer and was stuffed at 1,100 calories. I am pretty much satisfied on 1,000-1,500 calories three weeks every month. But that fourth week, I am not satisfied on probably double that amount.


    Oh wait a minute, a few posts down you claim you had an endometrial ablation.