Why you want to eat a lot before your period: PMS and appetite. Why I want to eat before menstruation - how to eat less during menstruation

Why a lot? There are many signs of the premenstrual period. One of the most pronounced of these is the growing need for food. At such moments, it seems that you want to eat everything and more. Why is this happening and how to deal with it?

The fact that during PMS you want to eat a lot is quite natural and the increased appetite is explained by ordinary female physiology. As you know, the entire menstrual cycle consists of two phases, which are almost the same in duration. This is an ongoing process that takes place every month.

During the first phase, estrogen levels increase. It is he who promotes the maturation of the egg. During this phase, a woman's well-being is at its best. After the production of the hormone has reached its peak, the period of ovulation begins. This means that the egg is completely ready for fertilization. Then estrogen levels begin to drop.

However, at the same time, the amount of another hormone, progesterone, increases in the body. It is thanks to him that the woman's body is preparing for a possible pregnancy, creating the most favorable conditions for this.

But this period cannot be called as harmless as the time of increasing estrogen concentration. So, in most cases, women complain of a feeling of fatigue, drowsiness. Sometimes the inner state becomes apparent in the literal sense of the word. In particular, skin may appear as well. Women want to eat as much as possible. Because of this, it seems to many that they have significantly gained weight and irritability from this only grows.

Why do you crave sweets before your period?

Why, what to do with it and is it necessary to indulge all your desires? The answers to these questions are of interest to many women.

As you already know, during the second half of the cycle, the body tries to compensate for the lack of estrogen, so it tries to actively replenish it with additional calories. Hence the increased appetite, in particular, I want to eat as much sweets as possible.

Estrogen slows down the production of insulin. It is he who is the main regulator of blood sugar levels. Therefore, the body compensates for the lack. Most women want to eat a lot of chocolate, candy and other similar sweets.

Moreover, such a desire arises quite often. The fact is that the menstrual cycle also affects the digestive system. Before menstruation, its functioning only intensifies, which is why there is an active production of gastric juice. And this means that the desire to have something to eat, despite the cake eaten that very morning, will intensify with each new impulse.

If conception does not occur, the level of progesterone in the body drops, and therefore appetites gradually decrease and then completely return to normal.

Why there is a growing need to eat bread before menstruation

In the days before menstruation, the taste preferences of women can be very different. So, in particular, many people prefer bread instead of sweets.

Flour products are a kind of source of calm before menstruation. These products contain starch, which in some cases works better than any sedative. At the same time, it is recommended to consume as many carbohydrates as possible, which are found in grains, legumes and root vegetables. Drinking coffee should be avoided.

Why do women feel full before their period?

Due to fluid retention in the period before menstruation, many women may experience swelling, which negatively affects the psychological state. So, in particular, some women call and feel fat and ugly.

Salt provokes fluid retention in the body. However, its increased use is inevitable against the backdrop of a growing appetite. Ideally, it's best to avoid foods that contain refined sugar and starch. These are cookies or cakes that also provoke water retention. The same applies to the consumption of all sugary or salty refined drinks.

A diet based on foods that contain high levels of potassium can remove fluid from the body. It's fruits or vegetables. But drinking coffee can exacerbate premenstrual syndrome, which will lead to increased pain in the chest.

Do all women suffer from increased appetite

Doctors do not get tired of repeating - each organism is individual, therefore its functioning and needs also differ from each other. Especially when it comes to PMS. Many women want to eat a lot, all at once. But what is familiar to one girl may be completely unusual for another.

So, menstruation is an individual matter. Some do not stop visiting stores in search of sweets. But there are also cases when PMS does not provoke an increased appetite - women experience a feeling of disgust for all flour products, sweets, and especially for very fragrant foods.

How to fight

You should not deny yourself food, as this will provoke severe discomfort, both psychologically and physiologically. But you should not overeat, because then problems with being overweight cannot be avoided.

It is better to remember one simple saying - everything that is a lot is not great. Therefore, you should treat yourself to sweets, but not much. You don't have to eat the whole cake in one sitting. A limited number is the best solution for this. So, how to overcome increased appetite:

• consume carbohydrates from whole foods;
• eat in small portions;
• do what you love - positive emotions defeat appetite;
• drink more water;
• add a small amount of mayonnaise or oil to food.

It's hard to contain yourself if you have candy bars hidden in your desk drawer. In such cases, you should replace them with gluten-free ones.

Wanting to eat a lot during menstruation or after menstruation is not a vice. This is a consequence of the natural physiological processes that occur in a woman's body. At the same time, you should not overeat, because no one needs problems with being overweight. Ovulation requires additional sources of strength from the body, hence the need for calories.

Are you menstruating and want to eat yogurt or a sandwich, chocolate bar or pasta? There are reasons for this and they will be discussed further.

Physiological rationale for food cravings

Some girls ask the gynecologist a question about why during menstruation you want to eat a lot and even without gastronomic preferences - just more and everything at once, what can provoke such a craving? This is due to a change in the hormonal background, when every 28-32 days transformations take place in their body, as a result of which the menstrual cycle or pregnancy ends.

To understand why you want to eat so much during menstruation, you should understand female physiology. The menstrual period itself is divided into 2 identical cycles, equal in flow phase. So, in the first phase, the body intensively produces estrogen hormones, which contributes to the maturation of the egg in the body of a woman.

During this period, the woman will feel great, and her performance increases. At the peak of this phase, the egg enters the fallopian tubes and is ready for fertilization. The level of progesterone hormones increases, the body prepares for pregnancy and everything would be fine, but only one thing worries, namely the constant desire to eat, irritability and drowsiness, swelling of the extremities and acne.

Exacerbation of hunger - what you need to know

Strong desire to eat before menstruation is normal and is due to hormonal changes. During this period, many women begin to eat large portions, which can result in overweight. But it’s worth making a reservation right away - metabolism accelerates before ovulation, as well as before menstruation itself, so you shouldn’t be afraid of extra kilos. This is how the body sends a signal about the need to stock up on energy.

The main thing is not to eat everything: it is optimal to make a menu, enriching it with vegetables and fruits, vitamins, in particular, such important for the female body as vitamin E. It is worth introducing foods rich in fatty acids and magnesium into the diet, which will allow you to normally survive hunger before menstruation , minimizing the rest of the negative symptoms of menstruation. The main thing is not to overeat and not to sit hungry - it is worth observing such a golden mean.

Does everyone feel hungry before their period?

In this case, everything is individual - you yourself could notice that not every woman experiences negative symptoms in the period before menstruation. And not all of them manifest themselves as aggression and tearfulness, a desire to scandal, or something.

Many women continue to live their normal lives and do not suffer from negative addictions until the end of the cycle. Some women, on the contrary, have an aversion to food and lose weight during menstruation. As you can see, everything is individual here. For your own peace of mind, you can visit a gynecologist and undergo an examination and consult with him.

How to deal with it?

If you do not intend to deviate from the old way and rhythm of life even on these interesting days, which simply kill with hunger and bad mood, you should be prepared for mood swings. First of all, adopt a few simple and effective rules for yourself and continue to enjoy life.

Pamper yourself more often, because the main reason for overeating and bad mood is dissatisfaction with yourself and your body. The belly grows catastrophically quickly in size, we do not fit into our favorite skirt, and accordingly this does not have the best effect on the mood, which can lead to a raid on the refrigerator.

You should never dramatize about excessive appetite during menstruation - after all, it is only in the power of a woman, in her power to look great. The main thing is to feel great everywhere - at home and at work, and it's easy to do. Manicure and face mask, massage and hairstyle, to work - as if on a holiday, and at home - go in what is convenient for you.

In order not to think constantly about food and having eaten, not to feel remorse, occupy yourself with your favorite thing. Knitting or modeling, reading books or painting pictures - the day will pass unnoticed. As an option - gatherings with girlfriends, where the day will pass by talking, and in relation to food - you must agree, well, you won’t press on Olivier in front of them, with the greedy eyes of a hungry person.

When everything is so bad that you don’t want to see or hear anyone, to the point that you are too lazy to get out of bed, arrange an impromptu relaxation session. Yoga and a warm bath, aromatic candles and an exciting romance, watching your favorite comedy under a warm blanket.

Some women in the fight against PMS and negative symptoms resort to hormonal contraceptives and so eliminate them. And here the main thing is not to make independent decisions - it is optimal to consult a gynecologist and, if the doctor deems it necessary, he will prescribe hormone replacement therapy for you.

If the body requires it, then so be it. More often, this is an excuse to eat and satisfy gastronomic needs in the period before menstruation and on critical days. But in order not to gain extra kilos - the stomach can be deceived, unlike us, it is not so illegible and therefore it is possible.

As an example, any flour product can be completely replaced for the benefit of the body with such useful fiber, which is found in vegetables and bread, cereals. But instead of chocolate, you can eat a banana, and sweets - replace with marshmallows or marmalade. As you can see, the stomach can be deceived and not harm yourself. Your main task is to take willpower into a fist and you will succeed.

A well-known romantic postulate says: "There must be a mystery in a woman." And it is very nice that such thoughts come to the mind of men. But it is completely unacceptable when a woman is so “mysterious” that even her own body is a mystery to her. And hundreds of woeful "why?" sound like a sentence to good health, mood and self-esteem. You need to study yourself, like that very secret and riddle, and understand the reasons for your mood. So why?" becomes a simple question, and the answer to it is simple. So, why do women want to eat a lot before menstruation? Is it possible to eat a lot at this time? And how to reduce the desire to eat a lot of what you really want?

The body of a woman is changeable. In a relatively short period of time, approximately 28-30 days, he manages to go through all the stages of preparation for fertilization, including the selection and attraction of the best partner. And if conception did not occur, then the uterus is cleaned and prepared for the next cycle. During this period, the hormonal background changes significantly, and the woman herself is not always able to keep track of the manifestations of these changes.
For simplicity and clarity, you can represent the entire menstrual cycle in the form of a plate:

As you can see, fatigue and irritation before menstruation are not at all caused by the hostility and injustice of the world, the desire to burst into tears is not caused by the deceit of a friend or the inattention of a spouse. The feeling of hunger before menstruation does not arise due to weak willpower or depression. It's all about hormonal changes. During the same period, other sensations arise:

• want to drink a lot (thirst increases);
• want to cry or laugh for no reason;
• loss of desire to have sex;
• want to sleep all the time.

On average, PMS lasts a week (from 2 to 7 days).

The body was ready for pregnancy, but this did not happen. Now it intensively gets rid of the endometrium and the egg that have not fulfilled their functions. The body really needs rest and certain foods during this period. I want a lot of good, tasty food, I want to drink. If all this is not there, stress and a long period of weakness are provided. Sweets and chocolate are especially attractive now. But can you afford all this? After all, every piece eaten is a difficulty with being overweight in the future.

Why do you crave certain foods?

You may have already noticed that severe hunger as such does not occur at this time. But the desire to eat something specific sometimes becomes obsessive. These products may be different, but, as a rule, such a desire indicates the specific needs of your body. Why during menstruation do you want something that you can easily do without at normal times?

• Lack of endorphins, to which during the ovulation phase, when they were released in excess, the body got used to. Therefore, I really want sweet or other “solid” food. Chocolate, starch, pastries, salted fish, and sometimes more meat. All this suggests that the nervous system wants to achieve the level of calm and security that it experienced quite recently.
• In the luteal phase, there is a change in metabolism and the body really needs additional calories. This explains why you want to eat a lot and often, and also to some extent justifies bouts of night gluttony.
• The habit of seizing stress, which is already enough in the life of women.

How to deal with food cravings before your period

Women are very sensitive to their achievements. A good figure is, without exaggeration, one of them. It is difficult not to fall into despair, looking at the arrow of the scales, inexorably adding an extra kilogram to the usual mark. But before deciding to fight such a scourge, you need to pull yourself together and show maximum calmness and endurance.

In order for one kilogram to remain one kilogram, which will easily go away after menstruation, that is, literally in a few days, it is necessary to avoid stress as much as possible. And the constant volitional suppression of cravings for food, especially starvation, is stress. And guilt for the broken diet. The woman becomes angry and hungry, which only exacerbates the symptoms. At the same time, serious physical exertion during a period when the body needs rest will do a disservice in the future. How to reduce an unhealthy interest in food and not become an enemy to yourself? The fight against lack of will is necessary, but how can one not do harm?

Experts advise at this time not to eat thoughtlessly, but to focus on the quantity and quality of the products used. If you crave chocolate, eat chocolate. But not a whole tile in the hearts after a quarrel or a work rush. A small piece, in a calm environment, with pleasant thoughts. Or think about it, maybe it’s better to replace chocolate with dried fruits or yogurt. Also sweet, but useful.

Take your time while eating. Eat small meals and chew thoroughly. The number of meals also matters.

If you distribute food 6-8 times a day, but in small portions, overeating can be avoided.

The more you eat, the more fluids you need to drink. And do not be confused by some puffiness these days. The body tries to retain moisture. Eat less salt, sour and spicy - and the water will be removed on time.

Get ready for days of increased appetite

Such a phenomenon as appetite before menstruation is quite amenable to correction. It can be controlled, but it is necessary to work on the problem not on these specific days, but throughout the entire cycle. You need to start with control over yourself during a period when the desire to go "peddling" is especially strong. Do not allow yourself to be nervous, do not indulge the desire to seize unpleasant situations. It's one thing to want to eat a little, it's another to constantly overeat. Critical days will end, the mood will change, and the excess weight will remain with you.

For the subsequent alignment of hormonal fluctuations, try to add physical activity from the very beginning of the cycle. This will allow you to quickly bounce back after menstruation. Education of the will and suppression of food cravings is also best done during these periods, then it will be easier to give up extra calories on critical days, when mental balance is already unstable. And so the next month.

Teach your body to properly consume water. Sometimes you really want to drink, but it seems that you want chocolate.

Get a menstrual calendar. Get ready not for the red numbers themselves, but take into account a few more days before them. Free this time from stress and processing. Don't be touchy. Soothe the body with a sparing diet and relaxing exercises.

You will notice very soon that the difference in mood and hormonal levels will no longer change and affect you so drastically. It will also reduce your appetite before your period. And the next recovery period will be even easier.

Increased appetite before menstruation is a consequence of PMS, when mood jumps, emotional vulnerability increases and at the same time irritability grows. Before menstruation, in most cases, ladies want to eat more than usual and preferably sweet. Why does this happen and, most importantly, how to deny yourself before menstruation extra and harmful, but such a welcome food?

Causes of increased appetite

PMS is familiar to almost all the fair sex, with the rare exception of a few lucky women, in whom it goes unnoticed. Before menstruation, there may be a strong desire to eat something salty, spicy, and most often, something sweet. Not just sweet, but very, very sweet: chocolate, cake or a mountain of sweets. It is much more difficult to control your appetite, and hated kilograms strive to appear during this period.

Of course, weight gain is very frustrating for women. However, it is worth remembering that weight gain is largely due to fluid retention, and not due to the growth of adipose tissue. If you observe your body, you may notice that before menstruation, the stomach seems to “swell”, “swell”, gas production increases, the amount of urination decreases, and sometimes there are constipation.

Excess fluid is necessarily excreted during and after menstruation, and other symptoms will also go away. And, most importantly, if you do not overeat, then the weight will return to its usual norm. What to do if the desire to eat is simply irresistible?

To find counteraction, you must first understand the reasons, of which there are only 2 - this is ovulation and changes in hormone production.

Ovulation

There are 2 main periods in the work of the female body, approximately equal in duration and making up about 14 days: before and after ovulation. Even if the fertilization of the egg did not occur, the female body is set to conceive and after ovulation it works as if it needs to start accumulating energy and strength for preservation and bearing.

On the scale during this period, you see an increase, mainly due to fluid retention in the body, so do not rush to severely limit yourself. Firstly, it will greatly aggravate your negative emotional state during PMS, and secondly, it is unlikely that you will be able to completely suppress your appetite.

It is much more effective to carefully observe your body and understand what kind of weight gain, in your case, is acceptable. If at the end of menstruation the weight returned to normal, then you did not overeat. It is impossible to completely eliminate weight gain before menstruation, this is our female nature.

Hormones

Unlike men, who have an even hormonal background, in women, the body is dependent on its cyclical nature. Each new cycle a woman goes through the same changes in a circle, including hormonal ones.

There are 2 main female hormones: estrogen and progesterone. Before ovulation, the female body gradually produces more and more estrogen, which is needed for the maturation of the egg, peaking at ovulation itself. During this period, we have a good mood, a strong sexual desire, high efficiency, the skin shines, and the woman herself shines.

After ovulation, estrogen is no longer needed, as the egg has matured and left the ovaries, so the level of this hormone drops sharply. It is because of the decrease in estrogen in a woman that her mood deteriorates sharply, drowsiness and other signs you know appear.

After ovulation, a woman’s body begins to actively produce progesterone, it is also called the “pregnancy hormone”. As we already wrote, regardless of whether the egg is fertilized or not, the female body is still preparing for gestation, and “releases” a large amount of this hormone.

One of the side effects of progesterone is an increase in the secretion of gastric juice, and, consequently, the speed of digestion increases, we cannot get enough of the usual portion and eat more.

Focus on sweets

Hormonal fluctuations cause more appetite than hunger. Understanding this fact can already alleviate the condition of a woman. Despite the strength of this desire, it has a hormonal basis.

Why do you want something sweet? There are two reasons:

• endorphin deficiency,
• blood sugar deficiency.

endorphin deficiency

Many people know that endorphin is the hormone of happiness. Many also know that it is easy to brush away a little blues with a snack on a chocolate bar. The habit of eating sweets, and especially chocolate, to stimulate the production of endorphins, is already quite firmly entrenched. If you like sweets, there is no particular point in forbidding yourself before your period. You will only aggravate your bad mood, our recommendation is to eat better, but not much.

Blood sugar deficiency

It turns out that the decrease in endorphin has another negative consequence that few people know about. Due to the lack of this female hormone, insulin production decreases. This reason also leads to an irresistible craving to eat sweets and, thereby, increase blood sugar.

How to deal with increased appetite

What can be done to overcome increased appetite and avoid extra pounds and overeating:

• balance nutrition, make it healthier, and not only before menstruation, but on an ongoing basis, then it is easier to withstand bouts of appetite;
• to live an active lifestyle: If before your period you will be passionate about your hobby or sports, and not sit in front of the TV, there will be less opportunity to overeat.

The main thing in the fight against increased appetite is to take care of yourself, not to self-flagellate and, if you really want to, allow yourself small pleasures in the form of sweets. Moreover, you now know that the weight, in any case, will grow before menstruation and will definitely decrease during them. Control its fluctuations, and if after menstruation you are at your usual weight, then you are all right.

During menstruation, hormonal changes occur in the female body, which immediately affect the condition and mood of the woman. Also these days there are problems with nutrition, in particular, you constantly want to eat. Why is this happening?

To understand the reason for this, you need to know what menstruation is and what changes are happening in the body these days.

Monthly: main characteristics

Menstruation or menstruation is bloody discharge from the vagina, which occurs as a result of rejection of the uterine mucosa. It is considered normal if a woman has her period every month at approximately the same period. The first day of menstruation is the beginning of the menstrual cycle, which on average lasts 21-35 days. The duration of the critical days is 3-5 days.

The nature and duration of the menstrual cycle directly depends on the hormonal environment, which is controlled by the hypothalamus located in the brain. Female hormones (progesterone and estrogen), which are responsible for the vital activity of the uterus and the development of the egg, are produced by the ovaries. The endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) a few days before the date of the onset of menstruation prepares for the introduction (implantation) of an already fertilized egg. If the egg has not been fertilized, then there is a sharp decrease in hormone levels. As a result, the vessels of the endometrium narrow, which reduces the supply of blood to it. As a result, the endometrium gradually separates from the uterus and, together with the blood formed from the rupture of small vessels, exits through the vagina to the outside. This is called monthly. The endometrium is separated not simultaneously over its entire surface, but partially, which explains the different duration of menstruation (on average, it is 3-5 days). Simultaneously with the separation of the old endometrium, a new mucous membrane of the uterine cavity is formed.

Regular periods are an indicator that everything is in order with the female body. Menstruation is an external manifestation of hormonal changes that occur in the body. Hormones contribute to:

• the development of an egg in the ovary;
• the formation of the internal endometrium of the uterus and its preparation for receiving a fertilized egg;
• providing optimal conditions for the development of a fertilized egg.

The same hormones ensure the normal and simultaneous passage of processes in the ovary and uterus. During the fertilization of the egg, the so-called “pregnancy hormone” (progesterone) becomes predominant, but if there was no fertilization, then the production of hormones decreases, the functional layer of the uterus is rejected and menstruation begins.

As a result of these hormonal changes, eating problems often appear before menstruation.

Do not be upset in advance, because this is only a temporary phenomenon. Menstruation will pass, and everything will fall into place.

Weight gain

Why does weight increase by a few kilograms before menstruation, no matter how hard you try to lose it?

Weight gain before menstruation is due to the presence of fluid in the body, and not excess fat. Due to a jump in the level of the hormones progesterone and estrogen, the body seems to accumulate fluid. A few days before the day of the onset of menstruation, you can notice a decrease in the number of urination, and constipation may also occur. As a result of hormonal changes, there may also be excess gas production, which leads to bloating. At the end of the menstrual cycle, the accumulated fluid is excreted from the body with urine, constipation and gas formation also disappear. And with them go and excess pounds.

If before menstruation you want to eat in unlimited quantities and do it, then over time you can get better. And to solve the problem of excess weight will not be difficult at all.

I want sweets

Why do you really want to eat sweets, in particular chocolate, before menstruation?

The reason for the need for sweetness lies in the lack of the hormone estrogen in the female blood in the days before menstruation. The greatest amount of estrogen is produced in the body during ovulation. This explains the well-being and high spirits of women these days. After ovulation, with the onset of menstruation approaching, the level of estrogen drops sharply and the woman experiences the so-called premenstrual syndrome (bad mood, fatigue, drowsiness, irritability). For this reason, at this time I want to eat something sweet.

But there may be other reasons for the need for sweets. As a result of changes in the hormonal background in a woman, the level of insulin (a hormone that regulates sugar levels) in the blood can also change.

Gynecologists recommend not to abuse sweets, because it will be extremely difficult to stop and not eat too much. If you want to eat something sweet, then during this period it would be better to give preference to foods that contain fructose - natural sugar. It can be bio-yogurt with dried apricots, an apple or a pear with rye bread. If you really want to eat, you must definitely do this in order to prevent an aggravation of the feeling of hunger. When a person is hungry, he is able to eat everything and in unlimited quantities, which will only make it worse.

Why do you want bread before menstruation?

In the days before menstruation, women's preferences can be very different:

• one wants sweets,
• others - bread in unlimited quantities,
• the third wants potatoes.

The occurrence of such desires is explained by the low level of the hormones progesterone and estrogen before menstruation. These days, the body needs an additional source of "calm", which can be products containing starch (bread, potatoes, etc.). It is better to avoid coffee and alcohol now, as you will want to eat even more. In addition, it is desirable to eat carbohydrates, which are contained exclusively in whole foods (legumes, root vegetables, grains).

Exacerbation of hunger

Why does the feeling of hunger become very aggravated a couple of days before the onset of menstruation?

Exacerbation of hunger before menstruation is also due to hormonal changes in the body. Many women during this period eat portions much larger than the usual norm, which then results in excess weight. Metabolism accelerates after ovulation and just before the onset of menstruation. During this period, more calories are burned and the body sends signals that it needs additional sources of energy replenishment.

During this period, it is important to control the amount of food consumed in order to avoid the problem of extra pounds in the future.

Proper nutrition, which should be the norm of life, will help in premenstrual days. Food should contain complex carbohydrates, foods rich in vitamin B. If the food contains enough fatty acids and magnesium, you can even minimize the manifestations of premenstrual syndrome, in particular such a common manifestation as depression. The diet is also able to regulate blood sugar levels and help reduce cravings for something tasty.

The emergence of "animal" appetite in women in the days before menstruation is due to a change in the level of female hormones. If you adhere to some restrictions in food, you will be able to avoid extra pounds. It is better to eat during this period in small portions, but more often. Avoid overeating and exacerbation of hunger.