I get so hungry before my period!

I try to make sure that I've eaten enough and have enough to healthy foods to snack on handy, so that I don't get to that "OMG I'm so hungry I have to eat NOW" stage. Drinking lots of water and keeping busy helps too. But I do have to have at least one piece of chocolate....that's built in to my calories. Some people say chewing gum helps, but that doesn't work for me.

That is the hardest thing for me - last week was my TOM and 3 out of 7 days I did not make good food choices, just felt constantly ravenous. This has been one of the worst months in recent memory. But I realized that I am also exercising really hard and have frequently been like 500 under my calorie goal.

I think you have to make sure you're eating all the "allotted" calories and fill up on stuff that lasts like veggies & protien. WATER WATER everywhere too. Although you feel bloated and think maybe you don't need water, drinking more actually helps to flush it out of the system.

The other thing I noticed is that I was not as busy in the evenings as usual - hubby changed his schedule so we were sitting and chatting more, watching more TV together and was munching more. So staying active, keeping the hands busy with something else will help too.

Those are going to be my strategies for next month... good luck!

With your period, your body may be trying to stock up on iron and other related building blocks. So green veggies like broccoli, spinach, green beans, lean red meat (eye of round is a good lean option). Also, citrus fruits may help reduce heavy flow.
Try some whole wheat pasta or oatmeal as well as your body may be wanting carbs to stock up during your period. You can at least make them 'good carbs'. A 'good carb' is where the fiber grams are higher than the sugar grams.
If you're getting hungry, foods with protien or slow burning foods like oatmeal will take longer to digest and make you feel fuller longer. The lower on the glycemic index the better.
Hope that helps,
-Chad

I have no answers, really. I just wanted to let you know that you're definitely NOT alone. I'm in the middle of my period right now & I'm JUST starting to feel like I'm getting back to myself. I get VERY tired, then cranky, then just out of sorts. I'm anemic and I have PMDD, so it's NOT the greatest combination of things. Still, for me, I've noticed (JUST TODAY) that I need EXTRA sleep during this time. More than the usual 7 1/2 I get on a regular basis. I need like 9 hours. NOW that I know that, I think I'll be more prepared and in better shape during my period. I've not exercise all week b/c I honestly could NOT muster up the energy. Today, I pray that this energy will remain and I'll get in a cardio session this evening. Hey, I'm changing my life here, so it's about making it through the best and worst and never giving up, right?

Stick to it! No matter how difficult it gets or how many times you may have to sit out a few minutes, you'll always get back in.

;-)

I try to have something on hand like homemade turkey chili. This is very filling for me. I usually eat it over green beans. But you could use spaghetti squash or bean sprouts too.

Water helps alot.

No, you aren't alone. It is something I struggle with every month.

I always get cravings the week before my period. I usually drink tons of green tea, which keeps me pretty full, and eat some oatmeal with cinnamon. Plus, I already know I'm gonna want chocolate so I keep a stash of those 100 calorie snacks like chocolate covered pretzels. It's still hard so I try to keep busy by reading, looking at these message boards, playing guitar, etc. Just keeping busy helps take my mind off of it.

Your metabolism increases during your luteal phase (from ovulation to menstruation). You don't just feel hungrier... you ARE hungrier. If you have a small deficit (1/2 - 1 lb / week) it MAY hinder your weightloss. I've recently been testing on myself and find that increasing my calories during this phase INCREASES my weightloss. YMMV.

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&rlz=&q=luteal+phase+metabolism&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

I have this problem too, and sometimes I just try to tough it out because I know I'll lose a ton of weight if I can. I also make sure I don't use it as an excuse to opt-out of exercise because I feel so much better if I make myself do it.

GG

I know no one really wants to hear this BUT I usually try to work out really hard on the first 2 days of my period. 60-90 minutes of cardio intervals. This always takes care of my cramps & bloat. The "after burn" is incredible for soothing cramps away.

AND since I wear a HRM I allow myself to EAT ALL MY EXERCISE CALORIES (if I need to)!!

I can haz chocolate?
Heck yes I can!

Thank you to the original poster! I get so insatiably hungry right before my period! I tend to have the best results from eating meat and carbs, but have wondered if I get so hungry because my body needs extra nutrients for what's coming. I think the post I quoted below indicates I may be right...phew! That means I can eat more as long as my body is telling me it's hungry (not just psychological cravings, but physical hunger).

Your metabolism increases during your luteal phase (from ovulation to menstruation). You don't just feel hungrier... you ARE hungrier. If you have a small deficit (1/2 - 1 lb / week) it MAY hinder your weightloss. I've recently been testing on myself and find that increasing my calories during this phase INCREASES my weightloss. YMMV.

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&rlz=&q=luteal+phase+metabolism&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=ws

I drink twice as much water and twice as many servings of veggies

hey ladies,

check out this group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8450-totm

for all your period woes!

That's the one week a month I don't care. We deserve extra calories.

So glad I found this post! I'm not looking forward to this week...its my time
I cramp so bad I might not exercise like I should. I'm taking some of the advice from here and stocking up on veggie portions.