having trouble sticking to caloric intake from the time i ovulate

i'm 39 years old and just recently began to put on the pounds.  i'm not a very active person--i do hula hoop for about 30-45 minutes a day--but i try to count my calories faithfully.  i'm 5'6, weigh about 140 right now and want to get back down to a more reasonable 128.  i've never had a hard time losing weight in the past--i just watched what i ate and the extra pounds would drop off.

what i'm having a very hard time with is the two weeks just after i ovulate.  it seems that until i get my period, every day the desire to eat just gets worse and worse. 

are there any other women out there who have a similar problem?  are there any herbal remedies, tips/tricks you've successfully used?  i try to fight it by drinking tons of water and snacking on celery or carrots; things like that, but this is really starting to drive me crazy.  i feel like my eating habits are completely out of control for those two weeks.  i crave everything that's bad for me--the worst junk food, lots of sweets, etc. 

i'm sure that i'm probably perimenopausal (due to other factors) but i just wanted to know if anyone else out there has had any experience with this kind of thing and what you might have done to help stop those cravings.

I've definitely had similar problems. You feel like you can't feel full, right? It's because your body is producing so much estrogen, it's blocking your insulin receptors, which normally send the message to your brain that you're satisfied. It's really hard to fight the craving. Super dark chocolate (85% or more) often helps me and it's hard to overeat that stuff because it's so intense. Carbonated beverages will help you feel physically full, so you get at least some sense of satisfaction. Seems like you've already tried doing that with the veggies and water. 

All this being said, according to your BMI, 140 is a perfectly healthy weight for your height. It's even below the the max healthy weight. You probably look great already, but those were my tips for avoiding junk food, which you really want to avoid no matter what weight you are. 

wow, dizz!  thanks so much for the speedy reply!

you're exactly right in that i can never, ever feel full.  i'm fine with sticking to my calories once my period gets here, but the lead up--along with the moodiness and inability to sleep--has become an absolute nightmare for me.

i will definitely try out the dark chocolate (love it anyhow) and carbonated beverage tricks as well as sticking to the water and veggies. 

i think part of the reason this has become so frustrating for me is that it's only started up within the past year.  before that, things were fine.

and to be honest with you, i'm not totally thrilled with the way my body looks right now.  bras? look great on me.  my favorite pair of jeans?  not so much. 

thanks again!

Hey there,

I've also noticed that in the week before my period I get REALLY bad cravings for stodgy cakey carbs and junk. 

It's definitely increased in intensity and I was wondering if it was because I've been cutting down on processed-white-starchy carbs throughout the rest of the month.

It's a double edged sword, because I've noticed my cramps are MUCH better on low carb. 

So what gives?! Do I allow myself more carbs over the entire month, or cut back so I have slightly less agonising cramps for one day?  I'm too scared to experiment and run the risk of the agony and bloat returning!?

I'm not sure what to advise for the junk cravings, I must admit I give into mine all too easy!  Interesting to see if anyone else has any suggestions

Same here - for about a week before my TTOM I can't control my eating.  I crave sweet, then salty, then crunchy, then chocolatey, etc, etc...it's endless.  Nothing seems to satiate the cravings.  I'll let myself have a little of whatever I'm craving and then next thing I know I'm craving something else - aaaggghh! 

Anyway...this has definitely slowed down my weight loss efforts but I'm okay with that now.  I'm learning to accept that this is a part of me I'm going to have to live with.  I AM losing weight, just a little slower than I wanted to.  When I reach my goal I'll still have the monthly "munchies" so I'll just have to be EXTRA good the rest of the time.

I realize this isn't the greatest answer to your question, but it's how I deal with it. I hope this helped - even if it's just a little

hi there run!  i think that yeah, this might just be part of my learning curve as relates to losing weight.  like i said before, i would just watch what i ate, and the pounds would drop away.  might not be like that for me any longer and i might just have to learn some patience.

which is probably a good thing!  :)  and yes, just knowing that other women deal with this helps a lot!