LADIES: Does anyone know if....???

Hi all,

I was wondering if anyone knows if us girls need more calories during menstruating? Are our bodies (organs, etc) working harder during our time of the month? My monthly visitor is here, and for the past couple of days when I eat my usual goal, I [think] I still feel hungry! I feel like my body is constantly telling me I'm hungry and I am having cravings so I'm guessing either:

1) it's the hormones, it's cravings and I don't need the cals (need to control myself!)

or

2) I ACTUALLY need more cals this week and my body is trying not to go into starvation.

I have been eating low cal snacks consistently throughout the day (breakfast (400), snack (100), lunch (400), snack(200), dinner (400), snack (100) = 6x a day).

My diet is usually (+/-) 25% fat, 35% protein, 40% carbs (fruits, veg, whole wheat). I try to get as much fiber as I can, thus the high carbs! If I don't actually need more cals, should I be moving my proportions around, like more protein or something?

Btw- my stats are 5'6", 265lbs, goal=135lbs, time frame: whenever I get there (no rush/healthy way)

I burn 2300 @ sedentry

Depending on the day:

+add 500 (work out) 4x a week

+add about 1000 (standing at work for 8 hrs) 4x a week

= I usually eat 1500-1600 a day regardless if I did nothing all day or if I went to the gym and worked all day (btw- is this ok?)

Does this mean during my period should I be eating 1700-1800?

Any advice/input would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

bump

Hmm there's been quite a few people asking this.
I asked it too at one point lol.
I don't think our body needs more :\ i think it's just hormones making us have cravings.

:) You could Google it though, see if you can find any websites talking about it.

Hope you have a good day,
C.

From what I've read, your body burns an extra 300 calories during menstration.

I also think that it is the hormones that give us the cravings. Face it, an extra 300 calories of food or burning it off, ain't much.

I don't think we need any more calories during our periods, though we do have to be extra-careful to get enough iron. You might be not eating enough in general, though. If you burn an average of 2700 calories a day and you're only eating 1500-1600, you have a typical calorie deficit of 1100 or higher. In general, calorie deficits shouldn't be above 1000.

Thanks for all the answers girls! Very Helpful!

Okay, this may be an old wives tale, but I was always told that if your body is deficient in anything, you'll crave it. For example, if you have cut your sodium back too much (or if you sweat alot) and you're actually deficient, you'll crave salty food, etc.

It seems like to me that if I cut back my protein a little too much, when Mother Nature makes her monthly visit, I start craving red meat. Now since I've started on CC, I don't seem to have that problem, most likely because my diet is much more balanced that it was before.

Or maybe I'm just weird...

yea, I have it right now also and I am definetly more hungary. The thing is, if you are hungary, you should eat something. I do because if I don't, whenn I get to the next meal of the day I eat it so fast that it doesnt hit my stomach fast enough to make me feel full and then I eat some more stuff! All you have to do is eat something healthy of course.

I have an idea for that! My mom found 100 calorie packs of cream cheese fruit dip so I can dip fruit in the dip! haha I can't wait to eat it!!! Best of luck!

:)