FEMALES ONLY: That time of the month

2

Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    I weigh every day. During TOM my weight spikes up by 3lbs, it can take it 7 days to settle back down. It was the same when I was losing, a similar fluctuation. I get why some might stay away from the scales but I prefer to track patterns.

  • almostanxious
    almostanxious Posts: 21 Member
    edited April 2018
    Any advice on making myself eat during my cycle? I'm NEVER hungry, but I know my metabolism will suffer if I don't eat something

    Not really. Unless you are starving - like concentration camp starving - you can't affect your metabolism much.

    Are you tracking your calories, using a food scale and logging everything? How much are you eating during your cycle? How much are you eating the other three weeks?

    I usually eat 1,399 calories a day the rest of the three weeks, but during my cycle I have caught myself eating as few as 400 calories a day for two days in a row. I never want to eat anything

    I hate to belabor a point, but do you use a food scale to weigh and log everything?

    Normally or specifically during this week?

    Both. I am hesitant to tell someone to eat more if they are currently eyeballing portions and/or not logging.

    Oh I see what you are meaning now...I log everything that goes into my mouth. If it's prepackaged I rely on the packaging which can be a bit iffy at times, but otherwise things like lunch meat, veggies, and meat I prepare I'm normally very good at weighing out

    EDITED: This is why I'm typically worried about not eating enough
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited April 2018
    Any advice on making myself eat during my cycle? I'm NEVER hungry, but I know my metabolism will suffer if I don't eat something

    Not really. Unless you are starving - like concentration camp starving - you can't affect your metabolism much.

    Are you tracking your calories, using a food scale and logging everything? How much are you eating during your cycle? How much are you eating the other three weeks?

    I usually eat 1,399 calories a day the rest of the three weeks, but during my cycle I have caught myself eating as few as 400 calories a day for two days in a row. I never want to eat anything

    I hate to belabor a point, but do you use a food scale to weigh and log everything?

    Normally or specifically during this week?

    Both.

    Normally yes, I sometimes slip on packaged foods and per measured servings, but when I cook at home I almost always break out my scale. During my cycle, not so much. I tend to eat so little and so sporadically I hardly ever think about it. For this cycle, I have meal planned and intent to follow through with cooking and trying to eat as I would normally, but we'll see how that works out.

    Are we talking 3-5 days where your appetite is so low that you can only eat about 400 calories a day?

    Assuming you have discussed this with your doctor and they're not concerned, if my only issue was lack of appetite for 3-5 days a month, I think I would just increase my calories either immediately before or after my period so that I was averaging (for the rolling week) my calorie goal.

    (Note: This is based on the assumption that logging is generally accurate)

    I have discussed it with my doctor and we both concur that my cramps are generally so bad that I feel nauseated and avoid foods, similar to having a stomach flu. She has advised me to try eat light food like celery and cucumbers and things that are easy on the stomach, but that will keep me hydrated. The only thing is, most of these are very low calorie and don't provide a high running total of calories per day. She doesn't seem to be too worried about it overall as my cycles tend to be short, but I am often left feeling extremely exhausted for a few days after.

    My situation isn't as extreme as yours, but I have many months where my cramps are bad enough to suppress my appetite too. Do things like toast or plain potatoes sit well on your stomach? I find that I can tolerate these well -- anything that is kind of bland and starchy. It's higher in calories than vegetables like celery and cucumber. Brothy soups often work well for me too.

    Even if you're lower some days, it is the general trend that matters. Are you losing weight more rapidly than you expect overall? If not, things are probably fine and you can focus on just staying hydrated and eating what you can on the days when the pain is bad.
  • Katzedernacht
    Katzedernacht Posts: 266 Member
    Heyo, didn't read all the replies cos I'm working lol

    I do weigh myself cos I write it down and I can learn about the average fluctuation on weight during a month.
    On the first day I feel a bit less energetic and will definitely not train legs, but other than that, I feel pretty much the same, just a bit greasier on the face boooo

    I eat pretty much the same as well
  • almostanxious
    almostanxious Posts: 21 Member
    Any advice on making myself eat during my cycle? I'm NEVER hungry, but I know my metabolism will suffer if I don't eat something

    Not really. Unless you are starving - like concentration camp starving - you can't affect your metabolism much.

    Are you tracking your calories, using a food scale and logging everything? How much are you eating during your cycle? How much are you eating the other three weeks?

    I usually eat 1,399 calories a day the rest of the three weeks, but during my cycle I have caught myself eating as few as 400 calories a day for two days in a row. I never want to eat anything

    I hate to belabor a point, but do you use a food scale to weigh and log everything?

    Normally or specifically during this week?

    Both.

    Normally yes, I sometimes slip on packaged foods and per measured servings, but when I cook at home I almost always break out my scale. During my cycle, not so much. I tend to eat so little and so sporadically I hardly ever think about it. For this cycle, I have meal planned and intent to follow through with cooking and trying to eat as I would normally, but we'll see how that works out.

    Are we talking 3-5 days where your appetite is so low that you can only eat about 400 calories a day?

    Assuming you have discussed this with your doctor and they're not concerned, if my only issue was lack of appetite for 3-5 days a month, I think I would just increase my calories either immediately before or after my period so that I was averaging (for the rolling week) my calorie goal.

    (Note: This is based on the assumption that logging is generally accurate)

    I have discussed it with my doctor and we both concur that my cramps are generally so bad that I feel nauseated and avoid foods, similar to having a stomach flu. She has advised me to try eat light food like celery and cucumbers and things that are easy on the stomach, but that will keep me hydrated. The only thing is, most of these are very low calorie and don't provide a high running total of calories per day. She doesn't seem to be too worried about it overall as my cycles tend to be short, but I am often left feeling extremely exhausted for a few days after.

    My situation isn't as extreme as yours, but I have many months where my cramps are bad enough to suppress my appetite too. Do things like toast or plain potatoes sit well on your stomach? I find that I can tolerate these well -- anything that is kind of bland and starchy. It's higher in calories than vegetables like celery and cucumber. Brothy soups often work well for me too.

    Even if you're lower some days, it is the general trend that matters. Are you losing weight more rapidly than you expect overall? If not, things are probably fine and you can focus on just staying hydrated and eating what you can on the days when the pain is bad.

    I've not really tried to eat bread or potatoes. Today I've been trying to eat more fruit than usual. I made toast and a fried egg to put on the toast this morning but ate one bite and can't bring myself to eat anymore. Snacking on blackberries currently. I've planned for Chicken breast Rice and Green beans tonight, but not sure how much I'll eat. I brought light chicken noodle soup for lunch with crackers so hopefully it won't be too heavy on my stomach.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    edited April 2018
    I will throw up if I let the cramps get too bad...so I take ibuprofen at the very first twinge, and that takes care of it. Have you tried a pain reliever to deal with the cramps? Maybe it would make you feel well enough to eat more?
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    Tired. Cramps so bad I stay up all night literally lying on my hard wood floor screaming for my mom. I'm hungry. Sad. Bloated and fat.

    I hate it. I struggle hard.
  • 30kgin2017
    30kgin2017 Posts: 228 Member
    My TOM seems to be different from the majority of people on here. I get loose bowels for a day 3-4 days before hand and often a surge in energy the day before. So I am actually lightest the day before it starts. Appetite doesnt seem greatly different though the day it starts I may have an energy slump (or that could just be because I over did it the day before). Having kids actually fixed my cramping issues as well where as I've been told many people find it worse after kids.
  • kelMee2
    kelMee2 Posts: 203 Member
    I feel like there are only 2 weeks in the month my weight drops and then 2 where I stay the same or see a difference of about 200g due to tom. Weighed in this morning during tom and weigh the exact same as last week even though I’ve been under calories the whole week. I know next week will be roughly the same then the week after I’ll get a whoosh and drop about 4lbs. I still weigh in sometimes I wonder why because it can be a bit frustrating knowing you’re doing all the right things but cause you’re a woman you have to wait longer to see the scale move.
  • swebb1103
    swebb1103 Posts: 200 Member
    I get horrible food cravings, mostly for potatoes and milk. Other than that and some water weight, I am not too badly inconvienced. I tend to stay on my normal workout plan. Occasionally I will get bad cramps so might have to change things up a bit.
  • justjara123
    justjara123 Posts: 63 Member
    I’m horribly emotional a day or two before. If I don’t work out the day before or the day of, I cramp on my first day.

    Appetite-wise, I have cravings and do tend to have a cheat meal (pizza, really saucy pasta, or burger) once or twice while I’m on my period.

    It only lasts for 4 days though, so it’s not that much of a problem. Quick jog + pilates helps. I don’t workout that hard unless I have a planned class that I’m going to.
  • shaumom
    shaumom Posts: 1,003 Member
    edited April 2018
    First- hugs. So sorry the cramps are so bad! My daughters are similar.

    Second, Celery and cucumber are not easier on the stomach, at least not compared to other foods. Raw veggies in general are on the harder end of digestion, usually, although some veggies are worse, of course. Also, If you are drinking enough, water content of your food is irrelevant.

    If you are looking for something that might sit better on you tummy, looking at lists of foods that work for people with gastroparesis or ibs would be helpful- they can’t tolerate a lot of foods that are hard to digest.

    From what I’ve seen, white rice is one that gives you some good calories for less digestive effort. Cooked veggies are better than raw. Dairy sits well with some folks and badly with others. Nuts and seeds and whole grains tend to go poorly.

    That said, I would ask if you are just low in calori s, or if nutri nts are an issue as well. If you are not taking a multi vitamin, maybe you could try that and see if you feel better, even with the lower calories?

    If it does not help, then I wiuld say yeah, it sounds like adding more calories might be inportant.

    I have a disease that impacts my stomach, and there is a soup recipe I found once that is supposed to be really anti- inflammatory and help soothe the stomach( and the body a bit)- it has legitimately helped me when my stomach is not doing well. Takes maybe a day to work, if I have it a couple times a day, but it can be made ahead of time and frozen, just thawed out for use, and with rice added, or ground beef if you like, it might be an easy to make soup that gives you some calories but might also help your tummy a bit so you have more appetite.

    Recipe for it-
    Chop roughly the following:
    3-5 zucchini
    1 head broccoli
    1 fennel bulb
    2 onion
    2-4 cloves garlic
    1/4 cup fresh thyme
    1/2 cup fresh parsley
    1/2 cup fresh mint( i sometimes do cilantro)
    2tbsp fresh rosemary
    1/4 lemon, peeled
    1/2 pinky finger perled turmeric root ( i sometimes do ginger root as well)
    Olive oil.

    Heat up olive oil in big pot, then throw everything in and saute for a couple minutes, then add water to cover, plus a bit extra.

    Bring to a boil and simmer 30-60 minutes. Cool slightly and blend in a blender until smooth.

    If you don’t have some of the herbs, just substitute what you have- they, the onions, and the turmeric are most of the flavor.

    I ended up growing an herb garden so I could get the herbs in large amounts like this, but without paying too much money.

    Another thing that might be of use to you is natural mast cell stabilzers. Mast cells are the cells that release prostoglandins, that cause a lot of the cramping pain. Mast cell stabilizers can sometimes lower the amount that is released, which can sometimes make things better.

    I have a different disorder that causes my mast cells to release more than they should, and I have been helped by these stabilizers myself. Doesn’t help everyone, but some it has a big impact on.

    Quercetin, luteolin, and rutin are all mast cell stabilzers. And bioflavonoids. Quercetin you can even find in a supplement now, but olive leaf extract, olive leaf tea, guava leaf tea, or even juicing thyme so you have a little shot glass of it- all of these contain them as well.
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    edited April 2018
    I got my period when I was 10, cramps weren’t too bad at first. Then from 12 on, they were excruciating: debilitating cramps, throwing up most months from the pain, diarrhea. It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that I saw an excellent gynecologist who explained that about 10% of women have cramps this severe and it’s due to producing too many prostaglandins. That triggers cramps that are like contractions. To prevent it, he recommended that about a week before my period was due to take 1 or 2 ibuprofen a day. He said it wouldn’t be nearly as effective to wait until the cramps started to begin taking the meds bc by that point, too many prostaglandins have already been produced. His advice worked. Well, most of the time. About 30% of my periods would be agonizing regardless, but, still, that was way better than when it was 100%! I mention this in case it can help someone with the same condition. Be sure to eat when you take the ibuprofen, of course. See new doctors until you find one who takes your pain seriously and actually helps you.

    I’m now on a type of bc pill where I only get my period 4 times a year. Changed my life. I regret suffering for so long!

    Before the pill, I had no appetite the first couple of days of my period so would eat very little, like you OP. The week before, I’d crave sweet food, which is a shift for me bc I have a relatively small sweet tooth. I don’t experience much of a change in my appetite now that I’m on that pill, just a bit less hungry during and a bit more before, but the change isn’t anywhere near as pronounced as it was pre-pill.
  • abbynormalartist
    abbynormalartist Posts: 318 Member
    I'm the opposite. Two days before my period starts I start starving. STARVING. I want to eat anything and everything. I plan to eat at maintenance on these days and usually ignore my macros. If I want two chocolate bars, I make room for two chocolate bars. With hormones and water retention (and maybe some of the extra food in my belly) I usually go up around 2-4 lbs around this time. But, towards the end of my period, it's all gone.
  • TrinityR05
    TrinityR05 Posts: 77 Member
    hungry few days before, super super exhausted the day before, then crampy and tired for a few days. fun! lol! was considering going back on the pill, but not sure I want to due to my age (42).
  • glammooreghoul
    glammooreghoul Posts: 75 Member
    The week before my period, I'm super cranky. All I wanna eat is chocolate and salt. I'm a sloth like 2 days before it actually hits. But I swear, as soon and it starts, everything immediately starts getting better. I will say it's worse with age. Exercise helps a lot with my cramps and bloating.
  • flitabout38
    flitabout38 Posts: 48 Member
    For me the hunger starts the week before. But when I start I lose my appetite. I can gain around 3-5 lbs which usually hangs on around 3-4 days after I start. Then it falls back down and if I have been tight with my plan through the bad week they usually take a pound or 2 with them.
  • Chunkahlunkah
    Chunkahlunkah Posts: 373 Member
    It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that I saw an excellent gynecologist who explained that about 10% of women have cramps this severe and it’s due to producing too many prostaglandins. That triggers cramps that are like contractions. To prevent it, he recommended that about a week before my period was due to take 1 or 2 ibuprofen a day. He said it wouldn’t be nearly as effective to wait until the cramps started to begin taking the meds bc by that point, too many prostaglandins have already been produced.

    Sorry to quote myself but I realized I forgot to explicitly state that ibuprofen reduces the amount of prostaglandins that the body produces in the first place. That’s why my dr stressed that it was important to take it the week before the period was due for women whose bodies would produce too much without that intervention. (I’d still need to take it during my period too to help with the pain.)
  • pooks1976
    pooks1976 Posts: 22 Member
    The week before I get pretty hungry and retain about 2 lbs of water. Once I start, the cravings and the water go away. During, I get a little crampy and my appetite drops. I weigh every day, but know the weight will shift based on where I am in my cycle.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    Any advice on making myself eat during my cycle? I'm NEVER hungry, but I know my metabolism will suffer if I don't eat something

    Not really. Unless you are starving - like concentration camp starving - you can't affect your metabolism much.

    Are you tracking your calories, using a food scale and logging everything? How much are you eating during your cycle? How much are you eating the other three weeks?

    I usually eat 1,399 calories a day the rest of the three weeks, but during my cycle I have caught myself eating as few as 400 calories a day for two days in a row. I never want to eat anything

    I hate to belabor a point, but do you use a food scale to weigh and log everything?

    Normally or specifically during this week?

    Both.

    Normally yes, I sometimes slip on packaged foods and per measured servings, but when I cook at home I almost always break out my scale. During my cycle, not so much. I tend to eat so little and so sporadically I hardly ever think about it. For this cycle, I have meal planned and intent to follow through with cooking and trying to eat as I would normally, but we'll see how that works out.

    Are we talking 3-5 days where your appetite is so low that you can only eat about 400 calories a day?

    Assuming you have discussed this with your doctor and they're not concerned, if my only issue was lack of appetite for 3-5 days a month, I think I would just increase my calories either immediately before or after my period so that I was averaging (for the rolling week) my calorie goal.

    (Note: This is based on the assumption that logging is generally accurate)

    I have discussed it with my doctor and we both concur that my cramps are generally so bad that I feel nauseated and avoid foods, similar to having a stomach flu. She has advised me to try eat light food like celery and cucumbers and things that are easy on the stomach, but that will keep me hydrated. The only thing is, most of these are very low calorie and don't provide a high running total of calories per day. She doesn't seem to be too worried about it overall as my cycles tend to be short, but I am often left feeling extremely exhausted for a few days after.

    If your cycles are short but light, the fatigue is probably from undereating.

    If they are heavy, you could be deficient in iron, which can lead to fatigue - have you had your iron levels tested?

    Mine are so heavy I've been prescribed tranexamic acid, which cut the bleeding in half and fatigue by about 75%.

    (It had gotten so bad that iron supplements alone stopped helping with fatigue.)