Pre-menstrual bingeing and body dissatisfaction
RochelleLUnangst
Posts: 42 Member
Do any other ladies here experience extreme compulsive urges to eat, even when not hungry and also feel terrible when looking in the mirror just days before your period?
If you feel these same urges how do you cope? Have you found a way to suppress the feelings without ruining all your hard work of eating right and exercising from the month before?
If you feel these same urges how do you cope? Have you found a way to suppress the feelings without ruining all your hard work of eating right and exercising from the month before?
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Replies
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I would venture a guess that the vast majority of women do.7
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Sorry had to edit the post, half of it didn't show up the first time0
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Yeah, horrible cravings and hunger. It lasts over 10 days sometimes!
Lots of women do fine just eating at maintenance for a couple days, but I have to change my diet and basically avoid refined sugars and flour products or my day is shot (even one piece of toast with eggs triggers crazy cravings). So I eat more fat and fiber at that time - more fatty meats (like regular sausage instead of turkey, 85% ground beef instead of 90% etc), more eggs, more beans (and plenty of protein and veggies too of course). I usually make a big pot of barley at that time too. Fruit seem to be ok at least, as well as steel cut oats (but not quick oats). Potatoes and rice are a no no for me too (but sweet potatoes or squash are great).
I basically end up eating some kind of whole grains or beans at every meal to try and keep the hunger at bay... It sucks and it's a pain but when I don't do that I can end up eating 3000 calories and still be hungry... Usually I eat what I want in moderation but it just doesn't work that week... and even then sometimes I have to eat at maintenance because I'm just too hungry.
It lasts from ovulation until day 3 of TOM, typically, and I also bloat horribly and can look 5 months pregnant. Good times.
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I stop looking in the mirror those days, I stick to my calories, and ESPECIALLY my exercise, and allow myself an extra glass of wine or bit of dark chocolate. I try not to stress over it...if I can stay on track three weeks out of four, and I don't go crazy over during that one week, then I think I'm pretty good to go.8
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Yup! Just had six servings of salt and vinegar chips! It's ok. It only made me 200 calories above maintenance. I'll make it up tomorrow. I let myself have a few indulgences like that if I really have a craving but I don't let it last more than a day or two. So I give myself some leeway but still have some parameters so I don't go all out crazy.3
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I don't really feel any hungrier. I suppose the cramps make me feel ill, if anything.
I generally sleep more, if that helps!0 -
Yes I do
I don't record my weight when my period is coming. I know it is water retention, so when I see the scale start going up and I know it's that time of month, I don't step on again until the day after my period ends. I usually get a "whoosh" that I like to see.
As far as eating, I eat at maintenance for the first few days and then I am usually ok to eat normal again. It helps me keep my brain from rebelling!3 -
No.
The good news about PMS is that it does not actually exist--it is a cultural construct.
https://ted.com/talks/robyn_stein_deluca_the_good_news_about_pms?language=en
PMDD, on the other hand, is something that is a defined disorder. If you have it, get it treated--do not use it as an excuse to eat like a pig.-2 -
I don't know if I have pms or pmdd or whatever but I absolutely look in the mirror and feel awful about my body and just want to eat my feelings. Sweet and sour candy, hamburgers, chocolate, cupcakes. Pretty much anything and everything is what i feel like eating. Sometimes I do eat above my calories, sometimes I moan about how awful my life is and go hungry. It sucks.5
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Thanks everyone
it's nice to know I'm not the only one struggling here. It is really REALLY bad for the first 3-4 days and then Poof! Everything is normal again. 2 -
Anything I find about PMDD doesn't even sound remotely close to how I feel at all.
"Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, sometimes disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Although regular PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt your work and damage your relationships."
Treatments include depression medications and hormonal changing medications... No thanks.
On the other hand avoiding certain foods and the mirror at that time sounds like very helpful tips! I keep meaning to keep track of when my next monthly is coming but I always forget to, and I don't realize it until it's too late. This time I've actually put in my calendar when it's expected to show up again so I can be prepared ahead of time4 -
I also think I'll eat at maintenance like suggested, that way I won't feel as if I've gone over my goal and/or ruined hard efforts!4
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Oh my. That time of the month for me is hell. Without considering the binging I can hold up to 7lbs in water over that week. So it certainly doesn't help you stay away from the cupboards. 'Oh it doesn't matter as I've already put so much on!' And dive into the naughty cupboard. My cramps will knock me off my feet for 4 days. So no exercise too. Keeping on track when it's all over is hard. Then it all comes again in another 3 weeks!
As for PMS or PMDD, I just get called the monthly pyscho. Hahaha2 -
I was diagnosed with pmdd and was on yaz until insurance stopped covering it. Now almost a decade later I'm on a different one for different reasons but I gotta say I still get those urges but I'm able to talk myself down (most of the time), also it's gotten a lot easier now that I'm eating enough to net at least 1200 so on days I exercise hard, even during pms/period time, I get to stuff my face with pleasure. On a side note I found a nice website for tracking a long time ago called monthlyinfo. It's been super handy and it sends you reminders if you need it to.
Hope you find what works best for you and feel better. This TOM is the Pitts.2 -
RochelleLReid wrote: »Anything I find about PMDD doesn't even sound remotely close to how I feel at all.
"Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is a severe, sometimes disabling extension of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Although regular PMS and PMDD both have physical and emotional symptoms, PMDD causes extreme mood shifts that can disrupt your work and damage your relationships."
Treatments include depression medications and hormonal changing medications... No thanks.
On the other hand avoiding certain foods and the mirror at that time sounds like very helpful tips! I keep meaning to keep track of when my next monthly is coming but I always forget to, and I don't realize it until it's too late. This time I've actually put in my calendar when it's expected to show up again so I can be prepared ahead of time
I'm not 100% regular so I usually push my luck a little and end up with one bad day, then I know it's time to change my diet, lol.
My GYN did mention depression medications to help with it but I turned it down... been there, done that, and it made me feel horrible too.Oh my. That time of the month for me is hell. Without considering the binging I can hold up to 7lbs in water over that week. So it certainly doesn't help you stay away from the cupboards. 'Oh it doesn't matter as I've already put so much on!' And dive into the naughty cupboard. My cramps will knock me off my feet for 4 days. So no exercise too. Keeping on track when it's all over is hard. Then it all comes again in another 3 weeks!
As for PMS or PMDD, I just get called the monthly pyscho. Hahaha
Find something for your cramps. Talk to your GYN. Mine prescribed painkillers, but I realized that taking both Advil and Tylenol at the same time was enough for me. There's NO reason to deal with that when there are treatments out there. Now I just suffer for one hour until both take effect in the morning, then I'm good to go. No excuses.
On a side note, losing weight has made TOM much better, but unfortunately PMS and cramps are worse now.1 -
I'm a bit older than many of you... but I have a Mirena so I no longer have TOM or PMS--it's the best! I guess I've been lucky in that I haven't had any of the inexplicable weight gain, either--I've lost all of my weight since the Mirena was placed.0
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I hadn't had TOM for about 8 months and thought I was in the clear. Suddenly I was hit hard with cravings beyond control, that horrible fat feeling and overwhelming sobbing like a baby. Ive just lost 33 lbs and felt fatter now then before loosing. I told my daughter "If I didn't know better I swear I'm PMSing". Sure enough three days later bam...TOM shows up. I did manage to stick to my eating and exercise plan, for the most part
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azulvioleta6 wrote: »No.
The good news about PMS is that it does not actually exist--it is a cultural construct.
https://ted.com/talks/robyn_stein_deluca_the_good_news_about_pms?language=en
PMDD, on the other hand, is something that is a defined disorder. If you have it, get it treated--do not use it as an excuse to eat like a pig.
That was fascinating, thanks.
Especially of interest to me:
- We know there's a strong cultural component to the belief in PMS because it's nearly unheard of outside of Western nations.
- Research tells us that the more a woman believes that everyone gets PMS, the more likely she is to erroneously report that she has it. Let me tell you what I mean by "erroneously." You might ask her, "Do you have PMS?" and she says yes, but then, when you have her keep a daily log of psychological symptoms for two months, no correlation is found between her symptoms and time of the month.
- psychologists like Joan Chrisler have suggested that taking on the label of PMS allows women to express emotions that would otherwise be considered unladylike. The near universal definition of a good woman is one who is happy, loving, caring for others, and taking great satisfaction from that role. Well, PMS has become a permission slip to be angry, complain, be irritated, without losing the title of good woman. We know that the variables in a woman's environment are much more likely to cause her to be angry than her hormones, but when she attributes anger to hormones, she's absolved of responsibility or criticism.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robyn_stein_deluca_the_good_news_about_pms/transcript?language=en#t-4834941 -
When my appetite spikes up premenstrually, I honor it and eat at maintenance for a few days. Most times I add a snack and have a slightly larger dinner, and/or a treat.
When I do the following, I don't have cravings:
1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts2 -
Even under medication and doctor's care, i'm still a mess for at least a few days.
i track closely and frequently eat at maintenance on those days2 -
RochelleLReid wrote: »I also think I'll eat at maintenance like suggested, that way I won't feel as if I've gone over my goal and/or ruined hard efforts!
This is what worked for me - once I took the pressure of hitting my deficit off and eliminated the guilt of not eating at a deficit for a couple of days, I found I was much less likely to binge. And I kind of settled into eating my regular diet but letting myself eat that bowl of chocolate ice cream or some potato chips with the extra calories. Having an extra snack or two for a couple of days out of the month doesn't make you a pig
If my belief in the "cultural construct" of PMS is giving me permission to have a couple days break from my regular way of eating, I'll take it.6 -
RochelleLReid wrote: »I also think I'll eat at maintenance like suggested, that way I won't feel as if I've gone over my goal and/or ruined hard efforts!
This is what worked for me - once I took the pressure of hitting my deficit off and eliminated the guilt of not eating at a deficit for a couple of days, I found I was much less likely to binge. And I kind of settled into eating my regular diet but letting myself eat that bowl of chocolate ice cream or some potato chips with the extra calories. Having an extra snack or two for a couple of days out of the month doesn't make you a pig
If my belief in the "cultural construct" of PMS is giving me permission to have a couple days break from my regular way of eating, I'll take it.
This is essentially what I do now. My appetite goes up and I eat a little more.
However, I used to use PMS as an excuse to add a pint of Ben & Jerry's a day for a few days or otherwise #eatallthethings. I think that sort of attitude is what @azulvioleta6 was getting at.1 -
I find the whole 'cultural construct' thing total BS, personally (and the whole 'using it as an excuse' thing). But it's the kind of thing I'd expect from that poster.
I mean, if it was not real, and your cycle is irregular, it's such a coincidence that all the symptoms would start 10 days before TOM every time, isn't it? Nothing for 2 months, then BAM, crazy hunger and cravings, and imagine that, TOM starts 10 days later... Although in my case it could be PMDD, but I've always acted strongly to hormones, which is why 'getting it treated' is not as easy as it sounds (I said above that the only thing my GYN said is that he can prescribe anti depressant pills, but those make me so sleepy that I can't function - same for painkillers or even progesterone pills - so it's really not an option).
So yeah, I call total BS... and don't exactly trust psychologists about that either. You just can't deny that there are hormonal changes between ovulation and TOM - it's science - and obviously hormonal changes can have an impact - depression is often an hormonal imbalance after all. I just don't think we all react the same way to it (heck I had no PMS symptoms except cramps until 2 years ago). But again, just because you don't experience it... doesn't mean that other women don't.
Although yeah, I'm sure a lot of women use it as an excuse. Just not everyone.8 -
PMS is real, and so is PMDD. And no matter what the psychiatrists say, they're physiological, not mental issues. Our hormones very clearly cause variable effects in women.
"Premenstrual Syndrome" - this publication from the government has a lot of really useful tips:Lifestyle changes
If your PMS isn't so bad that you need to see a doctor, some lifestyle changes may help you feel better. Below are some steps you can take that may help ease your symptoms.- Exercise regularly. Each week, you should get: ◦Two hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity;
- One hour and 15 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity; or
- A combination of moderate and vigorous-intensity activity; and
- Muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days.
- Eat healthy foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
- Avoid salt, sugary foods, caffeine, and alcohol, especially when you're having PMS symptoms.
- Get enough sleep. Try to get about 8 hours of sleep each night.
- Find healthy ways to cope with stress. Talk to your friends, exercise, or write in a journal. Some women also find yoga, massage, or relaxation therapy helpful.
- Don't smoke.
The OP may be interested in looking at the criteria for PMDD - it sounds like she may have it, and it would be worth talking to her doctor about treatment options.
Here's a recent review on the topic. It's pretty clear that progesterone triggers the symptoms of PMS & PMDD, but the mechanism by which it does so is still unclear. It's definitely NOT a social construct though.
Imai, A., et al. "Premenstrual syndrome: management and pathophysiology." Clinical and experimental obstetrics & gynecology 42.2 (2014): 123-128.
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Yeah, considering how many medical issues are under-treated in women because they were told the symptoms they were experiencing "weren't real", I take anything like that with a grain of salt. Far too many women struggle to deal with undiagnosed medical conditions PLUS the frustration of being told there's nothing wrong with them, just because so many doctors are dismissive of the different ways conditions surface in women as opposed to men, and so much research still needs to be done on the effect of hormones on all sorts of body processes and problems.
And I agree with @Francl27 when I was in my twenties, my cycle was all over the place, completely unpredictable, and the first clue I would get that it was about to be my TOM (which could be every two weeks or every four months), is I would start snapping at people and becoming obsessed with Snickers bars and chocolate covered pretzels. Now that I'm in my forties, that doesn't happen at all, I just have a little extra appetite, which could for sure just be more habit than anything else. Not sure how I could have imagined that when there was no other predicting factors, but maybe we are actually psychic!3 -
YESS!!! I just force myself to eat within my calorie goal and end up cranky most of that time... I haven't found a way to stop craving things though... and definitely, feel bad about my body too as I feel bloated and fat and all around negative these days. I avoid weighing myself and looking in mirror unnecessarily0
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I really love the idea of eating at maintenance for the period that you know you will most likely be struggling. I have been losing at an average of 2lbs a week, but the week of my period, that whole water weight, and bloating, the crazy cravings...I always maintain that week (after the water weight comes out), and then feel bad for failing to hit my goal. So I am now changing my goal to losing 6 lbs per month, and eating at or just under maintenance for the week that TOM cravings hit the most. I actually just upped my calories two days ago after reading that in another post...I already feel so much more mentally relieved just knowing I don't have to feel down on myself for wanting a bit more food during that week.
And I do not need to use that time of month as an excuse to "eat like a pig". I do a long run every weekend where I always burn well over 1000 calories. If I want to eat like a pig, I do it on those days. Oink.2 -
I find the whole 'cultural construct' thing total BS, personally (and the whole 'using it as an excuse' thing). But it's the kind of thing I'd expect from that poster.
I mean, if it was not real, and your cycle is irregular, it's such a coincidence that all the symptoms would start 10 days before TOM every time, isn't it? Nothing for 2 months, then BAM, crazy hunger and cravings, and imagine that, TOM starts 10 days later... Although in my case it could be PMDD, but I've always acted strongly to hormones, which is why 'getting it treated' is not as easy as it sounds (I said above that the only thing my GYN said is that he can prescribe anti depressant pills, but those make me so sleepy that I can't function - same for painkillers or even progesterone pills - so it's really not an option).
So yeah, I call total BS... and don't exactly trust psychologists about that either. You just can't deny that there are hormonal changes between ovulation and TOM - it's science - and obviously hormonal changes can have an impact - depression is often an hormonal imbalance after all. I just don't think we all react the same way to it (heck I had no PMS symptoms except cramps until 2 years ago). But again, just because you don't experience it... doesn't mean that other women don't.
Although yeah, I'm sure a lot of women use it as an excuse. Just not everyone.
Unlike what was meant in the second bullet from my quote from the TED talk, your issues are clearly related to your cycle.
Did you ever get a chance to talk to your GYN about Prometrium, which is a bio-identical progesterone? I don't have the same side effects with it that I do synthetics.0 -
kshama2001 wrote: »I find the whole 'cultural construct' thing total BS, personally (and the whole 'using it as an excuse' thing). But it's the kind of thing I'd expect from that poster.
I mean, if it was not real, and your cycle is irregular, it's such a coincidence that all the symptoms would start 10 days before TOM every time, isn't it? Nothing for 2 months, then BAM, crazy hunger and cravings, and imagine that, TOM starts 10 days later... Although in my case it could be PMDD, but I've always acted strongly to hormones, which is why 'getting it treated' is not as easy as it sounds (I said above that the only thing my GYN said is that he can prescribe anti depressant pills, but those make me so sleepy that I can't function - same for painkillers or even progesterone pills - so it's really not an option).
So yeah, I call total BS... and don't exactly trust psychologists about that either. You just can't deny that there are hormonal changes between ovulation and TOM - it's science - and obviously hormonal changes can have an impact - depression is often an hormonal imbalance after all. I just don't think we all react the same way to it (heck I had no PMS symptoms except cramps until 2 years ago). But again, just because you don't experience it... doesn't mean that other women don't.
Although yeah, I'm sure a lot of women use it as an excuse. Just not everyone.
Unlike what was meant in the second bullet from my quote from the TED talk, your issues are clearly related to your cycle.
Did you ever get a chance to talk to your GYN about Prometrium, which is a bio-identical progesterone? I don't have the same side effects with it that I do synthetics.
I haven't seen him in a while, but my PMS issues have been better since I changed my diet during those days (except this month but my sister was here and we ate a lot so I knew I would go over anyway, so it was actually good timing)... so for now I'm not really worried about it. The last two months were relatively fine and I managed to stay a bit under maintenance. We'll see next month.
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