Losing Weight While PMSing.

Have you noticed that your appetite increases during your those days when you are about to start your menstrual? Have you noticed your craving for certain foods that can sabotage your diet plans? Well, I certainly have. Over the last week, I've been craving chocolate and salty foods, so I decided to look up the reasons for this by searching the phrase "cravings during menstrual cycle." What I came up with was an article on PMS and the affects of PMS on a woman's system.

Guess what! It's a normal response to lower than usual levels of serotonin. According to midlife-passages.com, "The theory is that when serotonin levels are low, the brain signals the body to eat carbohydrates, which in turn stimulates the production of serotonin from its naturally occurring amino acid "building block." Just in case women have ever wondered why their appetites seem out of control and willpower goes out the window during PMS, factors as strong as brain chemicals and hormone production may be powerful influences over behavior and physical cravings."

Further down in the article, I found information on how to counteract the low serotonin level reaction during PMS. It said, "Restricting sugar, salt and fat content generally helps decrease bloating and swelling, while avoiding caffeine, sugar, nicotine, and alcohol eases irritability and improves sleep patterns. Dietary recommendations for PMS sufferers vary from woman to woman, and because women with PMS can have other underlying conditions such as hypoglycemia and high blood pressure, special assessment and management are necessary prior to making dietary recommendations."

So, anyway, that was an interesting article that I thought you'd find stimulating and encouraging in regards to your weight loss. There are a few more actions that you are encouraged to take to control PMS, so I'd read that article in its entirety.

I believe now that my cycle has started, I'm no longer feeling those cravings and I'm no longer ravenous, so all is back to normal and well with the world. I gained 1.5 pounds over the past week. It's so hard to see that since it takes so long to lose that amount of weight, but I'm determined and and moving in the right direction towards my weight loss!

Now that I'm moving in the right direction, let me get going with my search for Kentucky Derby Party Invitations. It's coming up on May 1st and I have so many other things to think about that any party I attempt to plan will take time.

Happy weight loss! Oh, and by the way, please leave a comment. What do you think about PMS and weight loss?