Menstration Mood Swings and Weight Gain: Questions

So, first off, a simple question I've always wondered about- Whe you are on your period, you gain a little bit of weight, right? I mean, you are bloated and the stuff (I can't remember it's name) in your uterus has built up until this point, so it only makes sense. Sometimes I figure that because of this, I can have that bit of chocolate I'm craving...

Secondly, how moody do you all get when its your time of the month? I am unblievably moody. Like, the day before yesterday, I was completely angry, disapointed, and frustrated for no reason at all; then I went to cardio witch perked me up. But that evening, I was feeling pretty blah again. Woke up yesterday morning grumpy, but indifferent. That continued most of the day, with wee little interludes of hopefullness and positivity; but by yesterday evening I was so upset, I had a little binge. I was so angry- I had done so well up to that point. I woke up this morning happy though....WTF? I even felt happy enough to go on a little jog/walk this morning....

Maybe I am just blowing this out of proportion- I just don't know what is normal for other women. I'm not like this the rest of the time (depending on how stressed I am). And none of the changes are starkingly sudden; they come while I'm not paying attention.

Any thoughts?

Can I just say that I think the idea of a 'cardio witch' personal trainer to perk you up is a fantastic image.... "I'll perk you up Dorothy!! You, and your little dog too!!! Now drop and give me twenty!"     Sorry.... I digress...

As to the actual question.  I used to have a little problem with period-related grumpiness but I found it disappeared miraculously when I adopted a Low-GI/clean diet for weight-loss reasons.  Quite a long time afterwards I heard that doctors treating people with hormone-related conditions such as PCOS (Polycyctic Ovary Syndrome) were recommending Low GI diets in conjunction with conventional medication.  And that, as a result, the sufferers were seeing major reductions in symptoms including... guess what... mood swings... ta-daa!!

The reason being that there is a connection between hormone balance, insulin levels and mood.   The hormone imbalance leads to sugar/starch cravings, the sugar/starch leads to high insulin levels and that, in turn, triggers off yet more imbalance... Something like that.

I still feel hungry at that time of the month but I've now learned that I feel 10 x better if I eat more (sometimes a lot more!) but steer clear of the High GI sugars, starches and processed foods.

For me I become an entirely different person during.  I am a very positive upbeat person but during I become moody, irritable and can become downright nasty BUT I am very aware of it when it strikes and I do feel very different and I have learnt to really moderate my behaviour and how I act outwardly but sometimes I just have to go for a walk so I don't over react to something innoculous.

I have really bad bloating actually at the mid point between periods which is different to the norm.  I also have a week just before I get it when I am absolutely ravinous and want to eat everything in sight (often end up around the 1800 cals mark with a lot of self control) and then the week after I can't stand the sight of food and don't want to eat (and end up around 1200 cals mark through forcing myself to eat).

I am just thankful that I don't usually have severe cramps as well.

So you're not the only person and I imagine that everyone has different symptoms.

Joys of being a woman.  Not!

it varies month to month for me.  and i'm perfectly fine while i'm on my period.  it's the 1-2 weeks before that are murder.  my general mood swings bounce from happy to crabby to hungry to horny lol.  and they're all so extreme!  i'm on the pill and it hasn't helped (or made anything worse).  all of my friends go through the same thing.

i always gain like 3 pounds of water weight too.  and it always fluctuates day to day during that time, which is annoying until i remember what time of the month it is!

i control the cravings by having just small amounts of what i crave.  or if it's a trigger food (for me, candy and bakery), i tell myself that i'll eat it later when i get a chance to get out and buy it.  when that time comes, my craving is over and i never end up buying or eating the sugary mess.  i save soooo many calories that way.

to combat the crabbiness, i go for a nice long walk.  by the time i'm done, i feel great and relaxed.

i hope this helps!

i get mood swings about a week and a half before my period,it's super bad,and then when it arrives it's like a relive....during it i get happy and horny.lol.

GI Jane;

I have thought about the diet, and its possible effect. I had a yoga intructor talk about it once. Hopefully, since I am now making an honest effort to eat better, things will even out. And cutting out starches and processed foods makes since, because despite how addicting they are, you/I never really feel "good" when you eat them. Thank you!

Lisajb74;

Joys of being a woman indeed! I have also taken steps to make sure I do not unintionally hurt someone by my whaky moods. And the ravinous stage! Argh! I hate it! Thank you for the insight!

Annacabana;

Yeah, I'm on the pill  too. The first dosage they put me on made me an emotional disaster, constantly! I had to go in and get a different kind, I was so unpleasant to be around. Though, I feel it actually helps me now. Thank you for the tips; I will try them out!

My mod swings have also pretty much disappeared since I`ve been eating properly. Good to know I`m not alone!

I also get a bit hungrier before TTOTM, but the most noticable symptom is fatigue. Don`t get me wrong, I don`t mind exercising, but those are the only few days when I actually need afternoon catnaps, and sleep like a log at night, for 10+ hours (as opposed to the ~8 I usually need).

I've always wondered if the week before my period, by body is saying something like, "hmmm, maybe you're pregnant.  If you are, we had better eat a lot of food in case there is a famine.  This will help ensure the survival of the wee one that may be in your belly.  So...........let's eat everything we see!   The higher the calories the better!  Hence, eat lots of ice cream, chocolate, donuts, baked goods or anything that will pack on the pounds!  If your not preggo, oh well.  You can always take the next few weeks to lose the weight when once again I will ask, hmmm... maybe your preggo!"  Vicious, vicious cycle.  I try and I try but usually the body gets what the body wants.  Strange?  Perhaps.