Burning more calories when you're on your period?

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  • sarahsedai
    sarahsedai Posts: 273 Member
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    i'm not sure about the burning more calories part, but i know that i've gained up to 8 lbs the week before my period, and that's without satisfying the urge to stuff my face any chance i get. i just do my best to stay on track for numbers and continue with my workouts (though there's usually at least one day in there where i go over), and towards the end of my tom, i'm down that added weight and usually another pound or two.
  • daisyeyes
    daisyeyes Posts: 144
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    I get super hungry during my TOM, so I'm guessing you DO burn more calories. I don't think it's simply a good appetite.
  • AndiGirl70
    AndiGirl70 Posts: 542 Member
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    Thank you for confirming I'm not losing my mind for roughly 3 days during the week before my period arrives. I am able to manage my craving very well all month sans those 2-3 days. I just want to pull my chair up to the nearest buffet table and have at it. No amount of food seems to satisfy my appetite those couple days a month. I hate it! Then it ebbs and I'm back in control.

    As for the weight gain I feel my "truest" weight is during the week after my period.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Interesting!
  • KAS0917
    KAS0917 Posts: 172 Member
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    I'm just on the last day of mine. I ate no more than usual, I worked out as hard as usual & lost nothing. Why use it as an excuse to eat more? It's crazy but people on here WILL find any reason to eat more even if it's a stupid reason. Eat more if you want to, but damnit don't use your period as an excuse cause then when menopause hits you are going to have no reason to eat more then. Workout more if you want to eat more, don't take the easy way out.

    Well I'm on day 3 of mine, ate over 2 days this week by 500-700 calories and lost 1.5 pounds. It's not an 'excuse' to eat more (at least not for me), it's just how some of us (apparently) are wired. I'm not going to walk around for 2 days light headed and with a stomach grumbling in hunger because I'm too scared to eat a little more. If it's easy for you to stick to your daily calories goal, GREAT for you. Or if you have time to double your exercise to eat more calories, GREAT for you. Not all of us have that ability or desire.

    I don't use it as an 'excuse' to gorge on chocolate and potato chips and a gallon of ice cream. My cravings during my period are for red meat. I would assume that's tied to my iron levels in some way. It's not something I ever crave any other time of month. I assume that isn't just a 'oh, it's my period, I should eat all the things' excuse craving, and it's something my body needs. So I ate a big ole dinner that included a steak, and didn't worry about the fact that I was over my calories. It's 1-2 days of a month. Not something to get so worked up over.
  • lislynhar
    lislynhar Posts: 7 Member
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    Exactly, KAS- I thought the previous commenter was being pretty rude. We're all just trying to figure things out, paying more attention to our bodies, learning new things and she had to get snarky. Before I started MFP I knew that my appetite increased dramatically a couple of days before my period and that I would gain a few pounds before and during but it always came right back off, even when I ate more during my period, so I assumed my metabolism was probably revving higher too. Lot's of other things go on during my period, some not too pleasant to talk about, so I like to know I'm not alone.

    I do crave chocolate while PMS'ing, sometimes it's a very strong craving, sometimes it's not. And I really crave carbs, like pasta, etc. Mostly, I'm just really, really hungry and nothing fully satisfies that hunger. Trying to figure out how best to manage all that while counting calories and eating healthy.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
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    I crave cheese and even if I resist that craving, I get constipated just before. I am consciously not weighing myself until the 2nd or 3rd day after. No need to depress myself when the hormones are doing sucha good job themselves :-)
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
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    This is a relief! I just started with MFP for the second time (and this time I'm actually committed!) and the day before my period I ate 2,600 calories! I was *so* hungry! I ate all very healthy things, but I couldn't believe I consumed so much. I just hoped that this wouldnt mess up my weekly average consumption and thus affect my weight loss. It's comforting to know that my metabolism was working in overdrive.
  • christa0130
    christa0130 Posts: 102 Member
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    Me also goes up during and then drops quickly for the week after.
  • estherdfoster
    estherdfoster Posts: 127 Member
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    Mine does it in reverse both ways.. My weight keeps dropping but my appetite increases haha. Makes it harder for me to stay at 1200 calories a day when in this mode.
  • Curtruns
    Curtruns Posts: 510 Member
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    I haven't noticed :laugh:
  • albayin
    albayin Posts: 2,524 Member
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    I read in various sources that we do tend to have a slightly elevated metabolism during the ovulation days...but not as much as it could compensate a binge...

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