It’s just as well going every month experiencing ravaging hunger and accepting it as ‘hormonal’ but there comes a time where we might want to minimise any potential over eating or manage the cravings that present themselves. We experience many physiological changes throughout the month as women which also impact us psychologically so instead of just putting up with it, let’s talk about some tactics that might just help us manage those feelings so that we can stay in control.
First of all, without turning this into a science lesson, let’s briefly run through the physiology of why we might experience hunger and cravings differently at different times throughout your menstrual cycle.
Generally, and remember this is general, no two people are the same in their experiences, we want to eat less when oestrogen is high and more when oestrogen is low and progesterone is high – that’s when our cravings for all that delicious sweet, salty and carbohydrate-based stuff begin to strike.
Our oestrogen levels are creeping up during the first part of our menstrual cycle (day one of our cycle starts when our period starts remember) and are at their highest during the middle, right before we ovulate and then drop as our menstrual cycle closes to begin a new one. Therefore, we are more likely to feel fuller and more satisfied as we approach week two and towards the middle of our menstrual cycle, right around ovulation. As we come to the end of our cycle and approach our period our appetite tends to go up – this, of course, differs in intensity between individuals but also can vary for a person from month to month.
Our brain contains what we call oestrogen receptors, that among other functions, detect our oestrogen levels and in turn assist us in feeling more satiated after a meal where there is more oestrogen and the converse when there is less. The effect that these hormone changes can have on our behaviours is profound. It therefore goes without saying that next time you are berating yourself for ‘lacking will power’ or trying to find the motivation to eat well when your oestrogen is at its lowest, that giving yourself a little bit of kindness and remembering that there are physiological reasons for the way that you are feeling can go a long way.
Not only does the changing level of oestrogen directly impact our brains and our physiology and psychology during our menstrual cycle, our hormonal changes can also indirectly impact other hormones, namely our ‘hunger hormones’, leptin and ghrelin, again, impacting our behaviours around food.
Ghrelin is the hormone that ramps up our hunger levels, if the body needs fuel, ghrelin is produced until we satisfy that hunger with food. Increased oestrogen also means that we have less sensitive appetites because the presence of oestrogen suppresses the amount of ghrelin that is made by the body. Leptin is our satiety hormone, telling our brains when we are full enough, oestrogen increases the strength of leptin within our systems, again contributing to those behaviours around food at different times of our cycle. Yet another illustration as to why we are not crazy for feeling the way we do around food at different times of the month!
Many women crave carbohydrates or super sweet things as their period approaches but it is worth noting that cravings don’t present the same for everyone – the little science we have as to why we tend to crave certain things isn’t conclusive.
We have been culturally conditioned over the years, especially as women, to believe that we are lacking in willpower and simply need to exercise more discipline around food – this is, of course, problematic for our relationship with food and ourselves as we make ourselves feel guilty for what is an entirely natural physiological response to our glorious bodily functions! Feelings of guilt can then lead to emotional eating exacerbating the cycle.
So, how can we manage those days when our appetites are higher? How can we approach feeling like our hunger never goes away? Because we know by now that just trying to be more disciplined doesn’t work.
Something that I work on with many of my clients is deciding what is usually most manageable for you depending on the type of person that you tend to be – some women feel able to satisfy a craving with a small amount of something and move on, others tend to feel better abstaining altogether and continuing to remind themselves that they may not be genuinely hungry for that specific food, it’s just their body doing its thing, riding the wave for them might be a better option. If you fall into one of those camps then they may be a couple of tactics to perhaps choose from.
You know I am all about satisfying those cravings in moderation – if we can learn to manage our cravings in moderation then that will be the quickest way to success, not easy and will take time but oh so effective when we nail it.
It is also worth knowing what appropriate portion sizes of the foods that you regularly eat look like for you given your physical activity levels, that way whether you are on your period or not, high or low oestrogen levels, you know what portion control should look like according to your goals. You are then able to feel informed and empowered when plating up mindfully and then eating mindfully, knowing that what you have on your plate is enough. This can make it easier to ride out a craving if you know you are consuming enough for your body.
Alongside feeling empowered in that sense, you can also take a few months to notice any patterns of particular cravings – if you know you are going to crave more carbohydrates for example during a certain week of the month, we can ensure we are prepared with a meal plan and a shopping list containing more carbohydrate-based foods in an appropriate quantity for you and your goals.
Above all I hope, so much, that you can learn to be kind to yourself and not mentally drain yourself beating yourself up for your body’s physiological functions! If you need a hand navigating your relationship with food or simply managing your intake around your menstrual cycle then I would love to hear from you!
Peace and love for now, A x
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