How to stop overeating before your period
Health / / December 29, 2020
Many women are familiar with this condition, when a few days before menstruation, the appetite breaks down. Thoughts about food - especially sweet food - constantly haunt you, forcing you to consume much more than on other days, or to suffer from the inability to do so.
Below we will discuss the possible causes of persistent hunger before menstruation, and then list scientifically proven methods to get rid of it.
Why is it so hungry before menstruation
Increased appetite, like other PMS delights, is associatedPMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) with a change in the level of hormones estrogen and progesterone during menstrual cycle. In the first phase (follicular), which begins from the start of menstruation and lasts until ovulation, dominatesMenstrual Cycle the female sex hormone is estrogen, and progesterone is low.
In the second phase (luteal), estrogen falls, and progesterone, a steroid hormone that prepares the body for pregnancy, first reaches a peak, and decreases 5-11 days before menstruation.
These regular hormonal fluctuations trigger certain mechanisms in the body and increaseMenstrual cycle and appetite control: Implications for weight regulation appetite in the luteal phase of the cycle, and especially in its second part. Below we will look at the possible causes of this hunger.
Increased metabolism
The energy consumption of the body depends not only on your activity, but also on the phase of the cycle. Speed metabolism declinesMenstrual Cycle and Basal Metabolic Rate in Women during menstruation and reaches its lowest value about a week before ovulation. Then it gradually increases and is at its peak before menstruation.
In the luteal phase, you spend more energy than in the follicular, and the closer to menstruation, the higher these values.
How much metabolism rises depends on the individual and varies.Intra-individual Variation in Resting Metabolic Rate During the Menstrual Cycle in the range of 1.7-10%. If before menstruation you spend 10% more energy than the rest of the time, it is logical to assume that the demands of the body will increase at this time, just like appetite.
However, overeating before menstruation is associated not only with energy costs, because at this time the thirst for delicious food often does not depend on hungerThe experience of food craving: A prospective investigation in healthy women .
You can consume your next ice cream even when your stomach is already full and you don't really feel like eating. Also, the more negative emotions you experienceFood cravings in a college population, the more food is lost from the refrigerator. Scientists suggest that in this way the body is trying to help itself replenish the lack of serotonin.
Low serotonin levels
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that is involved in many bodily functions, including sleep, sensation of pain, blood pressure and emotional background. Thanks to the last point, it is sometimes also called the “good mood hormone”.
The level of serotonin changes depending on the phase of the menstrual cycle and reachesMenstrual cycle and appetite control: Implications for weight regulation to the lowest values at the end of the luteal phase.
It is during this period that the mood breaks through the bottom.
As carbohydrate intake increasesBrain Serotonin, Carbohydrate-Craving, Obesity and Depression the release of serotonin, it is assumed that the craving for sweets is a kind of pill that the body prescribes to itself so as not to be sad.
Expression of genes responsible for overeating
All women have hormonal fluctuations, but some eat only a little more, while others sweep away everything sweet and cannot stop. Perhaps this is due to the expression of genes responsible for overeating.
In the follicular phase of the cycle, genetics has little effectChanges in Genetic Risk for Emotional Eating across the Menstrual Cycle: A Longitudinal Study episodes of emotional overeating - she is responsible for this only in 12–20% of cases. If at this time you eat more than you need, environmental factors are to blame for this: the holidays, bad eating habits.
In the luteal phase, environmental factors fade into the background, and genes already determine 39–47% of cases of overeating.
In other words, if you constantly overeat before your period and don't eat more than you need the rest of the time, chances are your genes are to blame, not bad eating habits. Think about this when you blame yourself for the next ice cream or piece of cake. Admit that it has nothing to do with you, and then take steps to prevent it from happening again.
Coping with overeating
There are several ways you can get rid of your pre-period binge. Try one thing, or better yet, apply everything at once.
Take supplements
Calcium supplements should be tried first. This trace element has a positive effect on the level serotonin and tryptophan, from which the "good mood hormone" is synthesized.
Taking 500-1000 mg of calcium per day for 2-3 months reducesEffect of calcium on premenstrual syndrome: A double-blind randomized clinical trial, AN INTERVENTIONAL STUDY (CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTATION & HEALTH EDUCATION) ON PREMENSTRUAL SYNDROME - EFFECT ON PREMENSTRUAL AND MENSTRUAL SYMPTOMS, Effects of Calcium Supplement Therapy in Women With Premenstrual Syndrome symptoms of premenstrual syndrome up to 75%.
Also works wellEffect of Combined Use of Calcium and Vitamin B6 on Premenstrual Syndrome Symptoms: a Randomized Clinical Trial joint intake of 500 mg of calcium and 400 mg of vitamin B6 per day. If you don't want to buy supplements, try increasing your calcium content with foods.
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- 10 foods that have more calcium than cottage cheese
Also copes well with PMS symptomsThe effect of alpha-tocopherol on premenstrual symptomatology: a double-blind study. vitamin E, and if taken together with calcium, the negative effects of the syndrome may decreaseEffect of combined calcium and vitamin E consumption on premenstrual syndrome up to 56%.
Eat foods rich in iron and zinc
PMS syndromes are much less common in women whose diet is high in iron and zinc.Intake of Selected Minerals and Risk of Premenstrual Syndromethan those lacking these micronutrients.
According to the normsNorms of physiological needs for energy and nutrients for various groups of the population of the Russian Federation Rospotrebnadzor, adult women should consume at least 18 mg of iron per day. The daily requirement for zinc is 12 mg per day. Supplement your diet with foods rich in these micronutrients to keep within the prescribed requirements.
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Be in the sun more often
Serotonin levels directlyHow to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs related to the amount of sunlight. Lack of sun in winter and autumn is considered one of the causes of seasonal depression. Therefore, if possible, try to be in the light as often as possible: this will increase the production of serotonin and you will not need to seize a bad mood with candy.
Go in for sports
Exercise also affectsHow to increase serotonin in the human brain without drugs to the level of the "good mood hormone". Motor activity increases the excitation of serotonin neurons, which increases the release and synthesis of serotonin.
In addition, tryptophan levels increase in the brain after physical activity - especially after exercise until tired.
When your muscles work hard, your plasma levels of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) decrease. These amino acids compete with tryptophan for the transport system, and when levels drop, the precursor of serotonin enters the brain in much greater quantities.
From my own experience, I can say that nothing copes with the excruciating urge to throw sweets like a high-intensity interval or long cardio. After such loads, you will be free from the desire to eat for at least 1-1.5 hours.
Try💪
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Cheer yourself up
Don't focus on bad thoughts about yourself, your life, and your body. As soon as something like this arises, with an effort of will, switch to more neutral thoughts. Ideally, do breathing exercises and meditate - this is proven a way to relieve stress and improve your mood.
But if meditation is the last thing you can do in this state, distract yourself in any other way. Read, dance to the music, call a friend, watch your favorite movie or cartoon.
Recognize that your condition is a product of hormonal changes, and not at all an objective reality (it does not exist at all). In just a few days, this constant hunger will pass, and after a few months of supplementation and physical activity, it may be gone forever.
Share with my pain my experience of dealing with overeating in the comments to the article.
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- How to deal with pain during your period
- The whole truth about PMS: where it comes from and how to get rid of it
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