Overshare alert
Attention men and squeamish women: if you will be overly offended by women's health issues, you should probably just surf away now.
You've been warned.
The last few days it's been tough to keep up my healthy lifestyle plans. I'm tired, so I've sat in front of the TV at home instead of going to the gym every night. Worse yet, I've been craving all the stuff I've managed to avoid the last few weeks: sundaes, brownies and chips.
You've probably already guessed the problem. Three little letters...P...M...S!
Normally, I would just pick up a pint of Ben & Jerry's Oatmeal Cookie Chunk and throw the covers over my head until the whole thing was over. But, in the spirit of this endeavor, I decided to explore the causes -- and potential solutions -- to this monthly dilemma that can throw a woman off her best laid dieting plans.
Enter Lynda Brown, a UNCG professor and researcher with a PhD in nutrition.
Like any good investigator, Lynda did her homework and pointed me in the direction of some research on the subject.
Just before your period, a woman is on an estrogen high, Lynda says. That also boosts the stress hormone cortisol, according to WebMD. Cortisol can trigger your appetite for carbs and stress you out, which is a perfect formula for stuffing your face.
"We eat for emotional reasons and because we might be hungry," Lynda says.
Then there is the brain chemical serotonin, which drops during that time of the month. That can also trigger the carb cravings.
When you eat something with carbohydrates, your brain releases serotonin, making you feel full, Lynda says. And, as it turns out, folks who are depressed sometimes have low serotonin levels.
So that explains the cravings and the general sense of malaise!
“All these things are kind of connected,” Lynda says.
Her best advice was to do what I should have been doing all week: eating right and going back to the gym. Treating your body well, even when it ain't so nice to you, may be the best way to ride that PMS wave.
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