Why Am I So Hungry The Week Before My Period?

Do you find yourself ravenous a few days before your period? Or maybe even a whole 2 weeks before your period?

Well I am here to tell you this is totally normal and a GOOD thing!

Here’s the deal. After ovulation, progesterone is the dominant hormone. Progesterone makes your temps rise and warms you up, stimulates the thyroid and increases your metabolism. Your body is actually burning more fuel from ovulation to menstruation.

When this happens your need for nutrients and minerals goes up. In most cases, you will find your body needing at least 300 calories more a day. This is a great thing, you want your metabolism to increase!

Don’t fight it! EAT and honor those signals! This is just another reason why dieting and hormones don’t mix. You can’t expect to balance your hormones if you are eating the same macronutrients every single day and knocking out strenuous energy sucking work outs day in and day out.

Simple way to know what is going on with your cycle is to check your temps right when you wake up in the morning. During the luteal phase (from ovulation to menstruation) your temps should rise anywhere from 0.5-1 degree.

During this time focus on getting your blood sugar in check and eating balanced nourishing meals every 3-4 hours and upon waking. Just because you need more calories doesn’t mean you should be sucking down taco bell. Eat with intention and nourishment in mind.

Another thing to keep in mind- your body simply can not use progesterone efficiently when you’re on the blood sugar rollercoaster. A drop in blood sugar means a drop in progesterone.

Have no appetite? You are running on stress hormones girlfriend!