PMS. Me. Hungry.

[kad70]

Hi,  I'm on Day 12...I can't even believe that!!!!!!      I should be getting my period sometime this week.  I've noticed the past few days (since say Saturday) that I'm feeling hungrier (genuine hunger) after school and not staying satiated for quite as long. I would normally go 4.5 to 5 hours without a problem. Now I'm going juuuuuuuust about 4 hours.  I'm increasing my protein and fat with each meal which has helped.  However,  I'm eating 2 small after school snacks per day right now. This is up from one after school snack which I need to eat; I can't go from 11am to 530pm/6pm before dinner.  I teach, so my lunch period is set at 11am.  I get home around 330pm.  Here's what I ate today:

 

Breakfast (7am)- seasoned ground pork in tomato sauce (probably 4oz); a heaping cup of zoodles sauteed in oil and garlic; extra olive oil added on top; half Pink Lady apple with almond butter

 

Lunch: (11:15am) 6 oz sauteed chicken with Tessemae's bbq sauce;  1 cup of Whole30 creamed spinach; some left over carmelized onions; extra olive oil on top

 

Snack #1: (3pm)- Chomp Stick and handful of oil cured olives, a serving of watermelon

 

Snack #2: (5pm)- hard boiled egg and a spoonful of mayo

 

Dinner: (630pm) 2 bone in loin chops cooked in oilive oil, whole peeled tomatoes and balsamic; spinach sauteed in olive oil (a 4c measuring cup filled all the way up to the top of raw spinach)

 

Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated...thanks!!   If there's really not much else I can do and this is life in the big city, then so be it.  LOL  You can be honest.  It's all good!

Kristy 

[ShannonM816]

It's pretty normal to be hungrier than usual in the week or so leading up to your period. Eat more. It's okay, really.

 

In general, most people feel best if they have a fist-sized serving of a starchy vegetable of some kind each day, and women during the week leading up to their period often find they need more than that -- I don't see any listed, so maybe try adding some. (Starchy vegetables would be potato, sweet potato, any root vegetable like turnip, parsnip, beet, rutabaga, carrot, any of the winter squashes like butternut, acorn or spaghetti squash, jicama, or pumpkin.)

 

Somewhere there's a thread that discusses the science behind this, but I can't find it at the moment, I'll try to look for it some more, but there are actual biological reasons that the body needs more food in general and more carbs in particular during this time. Just roll with it, eat lots of food, and know that it'll pass in a week or so.

[Karen]

Between ovulation and your period, your body has to assume it's pregnant. And being (even hypothetically) pregnant takes a lot of energy. Eat more, including compliant starchy carbs. There is a biological reason for all PMS symptoms and cravings. It's hard wired into us because your body needs these things for survival of the species. Cater to those needs in a complaint way!

[kad70]

 

In general, most people feel best if they have a fist-sized serving of a starchy vegetable of some kind each day, and women during the week leading up to their period often find they need more than that -- I don't see any listed, so maybe try adding some. (Starchy vegetables would be potato, sweet potato, any root vegetable like turnip, parsnip, beet, rutabaga, carrot, any of the winter squashes like butternut, acorn or spaghetti squash, jicama, or pumpkin.)

 

Somewhere there's a thread that discusses the science behind this, but I can't find it at the moment, I'll try to look for it some more, but there are actual biological reasons that the body needs more food in general and more carbs in particular during this time. Just roll with it, eat lots of food, and know that it'll pass in a week or so.

 

Ya know what...I didn't realize I didn't have my sweet potato today.    That's my favorite mashed with clarified butter and sea salt.  Yum.  And, now that you've pointed this out, I was definitely eating more starchy veggies last week than this week.  Thanks for your help!!!