This one is for the ladies

My mood dips a bit before my period, but returns to normal during, and I have never had food-related fluctuations such as cravings or increased appetite.

I always ate more just before my period, and I never worried much because I knew the minute my period started I wouldn't be hungry at all. And I never forced myself to eat then if I didn't want to.

The weird thing for me is I find I lose weight easiest the week before my period. So this is a MAJOR motivation for me to try and not binge or eat random things. It is mental for me and I have to keep reminding my self that if I want to lose weight now is the time to take advantage.

However I really don't hate myself if I do tend to trip up and pizza appears in my mouth. lol.

Hmmm...maybe that's why I've been doing a lot of late-night eating lately...just started...

Same here!!

The thing I always find odd is I can only accurately measure my weight loss right after my period ends. I gain tons of water weight from the middle of the month all the way through the end of my period and then all of a sudden I lose a bunch of weight when it ends. I hate this part of me because I'm trying to get into a maintenance stage but I just keep losing weight every month!

yarushajimenez411 wrote: »

weight loss is different for us than for men. Especially when it's that time of the month. Right before my period my motivation and mood dip down low. I notice there are times right before my period I binge. I spoke to my dr. About this and while she said binging is not healthy if it's linked to that time of month it's usually chemical. And believe it or not giving into the craving is what you need mentally and physically. So I agree with this but in moderation. Finding a balance is key. How do you deal with maintaining your weight loss and that time of the month?

Just putting it out there, while the science and current research on the topic is a little all over the place, men do also have hormonal cycles (there's argument over whether the meaningful ones are more monthly, like women, or more seasonal) which can create increases/decreases in appetite, water retention, mood swings etc just like for women.

For weight loss, for every gender or distinction, it comes down to CICO.

If you know you get a bit more hungry during or leading up to your period, account for that. Either acknowledge that your body doesn't actually need the food(s) you're craving and stick within your deficit or plan to eat closer to maintenance; personally, I try to cut back on calorie dense foods during this time so that I can up the volume of food I'm eating but maintain the deficit I'm looking for. As to water weight, it's a reality of life. Annoying, yes; but fairly obvious when you jump on the scale and are 3lbs heavier that you didn't put on 3lbs of fat over night. Appeal to the logical rather than emotional side of yourself.

Speaking to the advice from OPs doctor, there is some science out there to back up giving into your cravings, to a degree. Most doctors (who actually took any of the elective nutrition based courses) will tell you however that you should be looking at your cravings to identify if it's your body actually trying to tell you that you're deficient in a micro-nutrient (especially like Iron, where your levels can drop even lower during your period).