TMI - Metabolism boost whilst on Shark Week?

anna_toffee
anna_toffee Posts: 31 Member
edited February 25 in Health and Weight Loss
i'm really sorry if this has gone in the wrong section, and if i'm just talking out my butt here, so mods, i concede to any judgement you make.
also, this is probably going to be a bit TMI, so if you're a bit squeamish, i'm very sorry and you have been warned :P




ladies and people who get periods: i read (ages ago, a long way off somewhere) that being on that time of the month boosts your metabolism by about 50%. my science brain says that's dumb, and my non-science brain is saying "well.."

the reason i ask is, i always lose a little extra weight after mine. so if i have an avg. loss of about half a lb a week, after my time of the month, i find i've lost a little more, like 3/4 of a lb, or a full 1lb. also, i don't gain it back.

i've realised as i'm typing this that i sound really dim, and probably a bit like a spambot spouting crap about metabolism shifting and moving.

so, does anyone else get this? could it actually be a slight change in metabolic rate? am i in the wrong section? D:

Replies

  • ThinLizzie0802
    ThinLizzie0802 Posts: 863 Member
    I'm sorry but I have no good response other than calling it shark week is amazing an I'm stealing it.
  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
    LOL I don't know but you made me laugh... :bigsmile: I go on rambles as well... but if it is true.. I don't care.. would rather NOT have that time :sad:
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    I think I remember reading in a women's magazine or some such back in the day that you do get a slight boost during that time, though 50% seems much much too high (just an educated guess, but I'd figure something like that would max out at maybe 100-150 calories/day at absolute best, probably less). Don't remember what, if any, science was behind it. Water balance can have a lot to do with your loss around that time of the month as well.

    ETA: And here I thought one of my friends invented calling it "shark week." Lol. We've been calling it that for years, and I find it fantastic. :laugh:
  • Alassonde
    Alassonde Posts: 228 Member
    I've noticed that too. Sometimes i think it's just because I gain so much in water, etc. the week or two before, and then it just all comes off at once.
  • Mistraal1981
    Mistraal1981 Posts: 453 Member
    I always gain between 3-8 lbs a few days before my period. I do always find that although I feel achy and sore, that I have a lot of energy and often go nuts doing a deep clean of the house or garden. This lasts about 2 days. Not sure why I get this boost, but I do. When its all over I normally return to what I was weighing before, no less. This is probably due to giving in to cravings a bit more.
  • anna_toffee
    anna_toffee Posts: 31 Member
    i just call it Shark Week because that's when i see documentaries on Great White Sharks and i think "i can relate.."

    and yeah, i thought it was water weight too! but i'm not sure because i simply don't gain that much weight beforehand, if at all. (i'm very lucky in that sense)

    yeah, BarbieAS, it was either a women's girly mag or some website purporting to be an online version. i probably overestimated it at 50%, hence why my science brain is like "..naaaaaaaaaaaahhh!"
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,251 Member
    In because...well... "shark week".
  • KylaDenay
    KylaDenay Posts: 1,585 Member
    I have to laugh at "shark week" hahaha!! I have never heard of it like that before, but now that I think of it, so very true!!
  • ReenieBelle
    ReenieBelle Posts: 11 Member
    I don't have an answer for you but.....Hahaha; Shark Week. That's great. I'm stealing it too.

    The first thing I thought of was possible water gain during Shark Week to, like Alassonde. The female body is pretty amazing, and complicated. I believe a shift in anything during that time of the month is possible so why not metabolism.

    Honestly I don't pay much attention to any fraction under a full pound. I THINK I have a decent digital scale, but I can shift my weight or step off and back on the scale and the number fluxuates a little.

    By the way.... Ya'all are doing great! I've been OFF MyFitness Pal for almost a year! I just started back. I hope to see progress like yours over the next year. I'm determined to stick with it this time. Seeing your progress is very encouraging.
  • Lauren8239
    Lauren8239 Posts: 1,039 Member
    It's just water retention.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    My understanding was that there is a slight increase, but it is not during the menstrual period, it is in the luteal phase, the 2 weeks before when the uterus lining is thickening up, preparing for a fertilized egg.

    I have seen nothing to suggest as high as 50%, just a slight increase in calories.

    ETA - there is also a slight drop during the follicular phase, the first part of the cycle.
  • ReenieBelle
    ReenieBelle Posts: 11 Member
    This makes more sense. Thank you.
  • SrMaggalicious
    SrMaggalicious Posts: 495 Member
    I'm sorry but I have no good response other than calling it shark week is amazing an I'm stealing it.

    ^^yep! that was CLASSIC! :laugh: :bigsmile:
  • AliceSwarthout
    AliceSwarthout Posts: 808 Member
    I've noticed that too. Sometimes i think it's just because I gain so much in water, etc. the week or two before, and then it just all comes off at once.
    ^This. I think it's the bloating FINALLY leaving after.
  • happycauseIride
    happycauseIride Posts: 536 Member
    i'm really sorry if this has gone in the wrong section, and if i'm just talking out my butt here, so mods, i concede to any judgement you make.
    also, this is probably going to be a bit TMI, so if you're a bit squeamish, i'm very sorry and you have been warned :P




    ladies and people who get periods: i read (ages ago, a long way off somewhere) that being on that time of the month boosts your metabolism by about 50%. my science brain says that's dumb, and my non-science brain is saying "well.."

    the reason i ask is, i always lose a little extra weight after mine. so if i have an avg. loss of about half a lb a week, after my time of the month, i find i've lost a little more, like 3/4 of a lb, or a full 1lb. also, i don't gain it back.

    i've realised as i'm typing this that i sound really dim, and probably a bit like a spambot spouting crap about metabolism shifting and moving.

    so, does anyone else get this? could it actually be a slight change in metabolic rate? am i in the wrong section? D:

    I would be curious to see if there is any science behind it because I have had it happen to me too. So, no I don't think you are spouting crap. I don't have periods anymore because I had a hysterectomy but I still have my ovaries so I still go through the symptoms. I would often gain a couple before due to water then when it was over I would lose 3-4. A lot of times I came out of it lower than where I started. I have no idea why. But I wanted to offer support that you are not alone. :)
  • stickersticker
    stickersticker Posts: 140 Member
    Why do I always miss shark week? This needs to be a fixed date to help me.
This discussion has been closed.

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