Females Only! hunger during period?

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  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
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    I just sliced up a plum and dipped it generously in peanut butter.

    Perfect sweet/sour/salt/fat combo.

    Only yelled at 2 out of 3 people in my house and didn't eat any of the chocolate my husband was having. I put that as a win.

    Fit better with my nutritional goals and I'm ready for bed with no more cravings.
  • fitchick37
    fitchick37 Posts: 124 Member
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    The only supplement I take is iron around the WTOTM, seems to help me a huge amount and I get mahoooosive sugar cravings the couple of days before
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
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    I read a study a few years ago showing that women's metabolisms actually increased during PMS (usually around 200 extra calories a day, but in rare cases up to 500 extra calories). Since we're programmed to hang on to weight in case of famine, this increase in metabolism causes a big increase in hunger.

    I found that if I tried to hold the cravings off, they just got worse until I REALLY ate a bunch of extra calories. If I just had that brownie when they started, I'd be fine.
  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
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    jipsybird wrote: »
    I usually get extra hungry within a week before my period. Usually chocolate. I love dark chocolate! However, I understand that the chocolate cravings come from a need for more magnesium, which can be satisfied with squash or peanuts. I will usually allow myself some indulgence, but it takes some willpower to stop once I've started!

    This - craving chocolate often means our bodies anticipate needing magnesium. Magnesium is known to alleviate cramps and contractions (hence why hospitals sometimes inject a heart attack patient with Mg). Also chocolate is delicious.

    I do keep a bar of dark chocolate 70-85% cacao on hand, but I find while this satisfies for the taste, it does not satisfy the ravenous craving for CARB SUGAR CHOCOLATE OMG SO HUNGRY that comes every 28 days. For that I try to get a banana or almonds (also has Mg) or just go get some So Delicious coconut milk chocolate ice cream. It doesn't really have Mg but it has some fiber, is low in calories, has chocolate, and tastes sweet so it satisfies for a while and is less likely to put me way over.

    Sometimes the hunger gets so bad that I can't think about anything else. So I just eat, even if it means every 2 hours I end up eating. And I stop caring how much the calories are that day because I find that the week after, everything settles down and it's easy to eat under the calorie goal. So it evens out, as long as I don't let that one feast derail everything afterward.

    Also, yoga helps. And I take a magnesium supplement sometimes; this helps with cramps, sleep and bathroom regularity.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,952 Member
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    evileen99 wrote: »
    I read a study a few years ago showing that women's metabolisms actually increased during PMS (usually around 200 extra calories a day, but in rare cases up to 500 extra calories). Since we're programmed to hang on to weight in case of famine, this increase in metabolism causes a big increase in hunger.

    I found that if I tried to hold the cravings off, they just got worse until I REALLY ate a bunch of extra calories. If I just had that brownie when they started, I'd be fine.

    Yup. I'm legit hungrier, so I eat more. But I plan this, rather than using it as an excuse to #eatallthefood. I might move lunchtime up, have an extra snack, and/or a bigger dinner, etc.

    I used to have a pint or two of Ben & Jerry's premenstrually, but now I realize I just need a few hundred extra calories per day, not 1500.
  • khelmann
    khelmann Posts: 14 Member
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    Lately I've been munching on Valley Popcorn. I found it at my local grocery store and its REALLY good (I would eat it even if I wasn't dieting) 1 cup is only 35 calories so you can feel like you are eating more while not going over your calorie limit
  • JustMary82
    JustMary82 Posts: 19 Member
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    I typically eat more as well but as previous commenters mentioned, it's mostly emotional eating. As a stay at home mom I try go stay out of the kitchen and keep busy elsewhere.

    The water retention is what kills me!!
  • mafhoney
    mafhoney Posts: 28 Member
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    Yeeeep. Usually for just a day or two before it starts. Last night, I went to my OrangeTheory class, and ended up at the burger shop next to it. Double cheeseburger and an oreo milkshake (no fries... watching my calories and all that). It was delicious and just what I wanted, and I ate all of it with no regrets. Today, back to it with no milkshakes or double cheeseburgers, but I'm sure I'll have something sweet later on.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Why did we open a period hunger thread from July 2013?
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why did we open a period hunger thread from July 2013?

    Because we were hungry? :smiley:

    I usually eat at maintenance (or close to it) during PMS. I see absolutely no harm in eating at maintenance for a few days. There is zero reason I have to be in a deficit every single day of the month. Now, that's not to say that I'll eat extra food I don't want just to get up to maintenance, but I find that giving myself "permission" to have maintenance days actually results in fewer days where I go over maintenance (as evidenced by the fact that I only ate over maintenance twice over the holidays and the bigger surplus was only 500 calories).
  • hiyaitschloe_x
    hiyaitschloe_x Posts: 36 Member
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    I struggled with this yesterday, I was so good up until 7pm and then I just ate everything in sight, crackers, pâté, hot cross bun with jam and butter, mince pies with icing on, sugar cereal. No regrets though, the scales didn't move and I'm back on track today.
  • VodkaAddictx
    VodkaAddictx Posts: 33 Member
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    The week before I binge on everything sweet fatty and unhealthy I just crave junk! Then sit guilt ridden after but I find it really hard to not eat junk! Any ideas how to stop this let me know haha xx
  • whiskeykittentoo
    whiskeykittentoo Posts: 43 Member
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    I get a massive headache a few days before, and I crave chocolate like a crazy woman. I try replace it with fruit, and if that doesn't work I will have some dark chocolate, and try and stick to the serving size and just factor it in to my calories for the day. I do gain a lot of water weight the week before and it can be quite scary getting on the scale... just have to remind myself that when it comes, and after it's done... I'm back down to where I was before it started.
    So yes - eat, just try and keep the portions to a reasonable size and factor in some extra calories and either work it off, or cut back on your "regular" meals if you can.
  • whiskeykittentoo
    whiskeykittentoo Posts: 43 Member
    edited January 2017
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    TanyaHooton wrote: »
    jipsybird wrote: »
    Also, yoga helps. And I take a magnesium supplement sometimes; this helps with cramps, sleep and bathroom regularity.


    Yoga helps, yes, as does the magnesium. If it's really bad I eat a banana dipped in Nutella. I also have a magnesium spray that I (try to remember to) spray on every evening - it helps me sleep and most of the time it helps alleviate the cravings and the headache.
    I do sometimes just give in, like you do - like this morning. I ate 4 leftover home made Swedish meatballs... AND my regular lunch of 2 slices of toast with peanut butter and honey.... I haven't even looked at my calorie count, as I know it will make me all wilty and sad, so I'm just going to enjoy the calories today and hopefully work it off tomorrow...
    It's all about balance, I think.
  • runshellersrun123
    runshellersrun123 Posts: 21 Member
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    That time of the month is pretty much the only time I want chocolate. I usually buy a dark chocolate bar and have a few bites of it here and there over the course of a few days until it's gone. The cravings are terrible, but I try not to ruin two weeks of progress over it.

  • TanyaHooton
    TanyaHooton Posts: 249 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Why did we open a period hunger thread from July 2013?

    I think sometimes someone googles something (you know, uses Google or Bing to search all the interwebz), finds a thread on that topic, and responds to it without noticing it's from 2013.
  • atowinram
    atowinram Posts: 8 Member
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    runshellersrun123 wrote: »
    That time of the month is pretty much the only time I want chocolate. I usually buy a dark chocolate bar and have a few bites of it here and there over the course of a few days until it's gone. The cravings are terrible, but I try not to ruin two weeks of progress over it.

    I usually give myself an extra calorie margin those first few days. I always shoot for my goal, but don't beat myself up if I land in that margin at the end of the day. Dark chocolate is definitely a lifesaver for the cravings!
  • harribeau2012
    harribeau2012 Posts: 644 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Day before... Insatiable hunger...I could eat a horse, and the saddle and the cowboy and the rope and the steer...And then ask for pudding.
    Oh and I have NEVER EVER EVER CRAVED CELERY
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    harribeau2012 wrote: »
    Day before... Insatiable hunger...I could eat a horse, and the saddle and the cowboy and the rope and the steer...And then ask for pudding.
    Oh and I have NEVER EVER EVER CRAVED CELERY

    LOL I'll never ever crave celery. I hate it so much.

    But yeah, there are so many 'hungry before period' threads, it's amusing that the one that got necro'ed is one from 4 years ago.
  • Reaverie
    Reaverie Posts: 405 Member
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    Sugars. I crave stuff like cookies and brownies. I HATE them the rest of the month.. But for a day or 3 during that time, I crave them. I cant council on whether or not you should allow cheat days during this time as I have just started this journey.. However, if you forbid the junk all the time, you WILL cheat and over do it. You shouldnt go crazy with it and definitely still consider your calorie intake, but say you are eating 2000 calories in lean meats and veggies and whole grains for 3 weeks then your period hits.. What if you ate 1500 calories in healthy foods and 500 in snacky foods? Or heck, 2000 in McD's.. some guy lost weight doing that to prove that its not WHAT you eat but how many calories you take in. He said a calorie is a calorie. I dont know how much I buy into this, but hell, Ive seen petite little princess scarf big macs with no ill effect so maybe their is some truth to it? Dont consume MORE just consume DIFFERENT.

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