Does anyone actually know?

Stella_Mayfair
Stella_Mayfair Posts: 226 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Do women burn more calories when menstruating? I mean a lot of gross stuff is happening and pain, do we burn more or can eat more due to something? Always wanted to know

Replies

  • rachelliptic
    rachelliptic Posts: 22 Member
    Coincidentally, I was reading an article yesterday about the pivotal role of serotonin in appetite regulation. The author had written a book called The Serotonin Diet, or something. She cited some practical examples of the relationship of serotonin and weight gain/loss in everyday life, using her theory to explain why weight gain is so common when people go on antidepressants (SSRIs like Prozac) AND when women have their periods!!

    Okay, I found a quote [http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/pms-diet]:

    "Premenstrual mood swings and crazy cravings come down to a shortage of the brain chemical serotonin, says Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., coauthor of The Serotonin Power Diet. "The only thing that helps—and it helps instantly—is to eat carbs, because that's the only way the brain makes new serotonin," says Wurtman, who adds that the serotonin boosters need to be eaten straight with no fat or protein."

    ...and here's another on the subject [http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/is-pms-sabotaging-your-diet]:

    The hormonal ebbs and spikes that occur throughout a woman's cycle are the major culprits in PMS. As levels of estrogen go up and down, so do levels of the stress hormone cortisol. . . . Whether a woman will crave sweets or croissants, though, depends on yet another player: the brain chemical serotonin. Most women with PMS experience a drop in serotonin levels, which triggers cravings for carbs because the body uses carbs to make serotonin. If cortisol is high and serotonin is low, you'll seek carbs and fats, but really heavy duty on the simple carbs -- sugar-based sweets like chocolate bars. The reason: Simple sugars are metabolized more quickly than complex carbs, so they offer a quick serotonin fix. If cortisol is way up but serotonin is relatively normal, a woman is more likely to crave a fat-carb combo without a huge sweet component, such as a bagel laden with cream cheese. Other research has linked PMS to a state of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, in the second half of the menstrual cycle, says Susan M. Lark, MD, a clinician in Los Altos, Calif., and author of Premenstrual Syndrome Self-Help Book: A Woman's Guide to Feeling Good All Month. "Women in these studies experienced a significant drop in blood sugar after eating, accompanied by edginess and irritability," Lark says. "Then within an hour or two, they are hungry again and craving more food."

    ...so the unfortunate conclusion, it appears, is that the urge to eat more during PMS and/or menstruation is not rooted in burning more calories. Love you, mother nature.
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
    Doesn't matter because every man knows that the amount a girl burns is made up in chocolate.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    There is a slight increase in metabolism in the two weeks prior to your menstrual period, not during. There is also a slight decline in the two weeks after.
    It balances out.
  • Stella_Mayfair
    Stella_Mayfair Posts: 226 Member
    Love you, mother nature.


    Gurrr u nature, periods should only come when u want to try for kids, in a perfect world:D
    Son of a b*tch. Well i will stick to complex carbs and keep the article in mind this week.


    When is it safe to weigh yourself again? I mean water retaining, bloating, and all that other great stuff?



    Ty all

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