[Rana]

So, the other day I was reading on 3FC, of course, and someone on another board mentioned that when they are ovulating, they get hungry, their metabolism increases, and they wanted to use that time to lose weight (by not giving in to the cravings and stuff).

I've always thought that my cravings and hunger would come right before my period.

But I don't think I can have PMS for two weeks.

Could it be that I am ovulating and I just didn't know it??

[beerab]

Honestly I give in with some added protein cuz if I don't I'll binge. I started TOM the other day and had two eggs with a slice of toast and that helped a lot.

I'm not sure what you mean for PMSing for two weeks, the actual act of ovulating only happens for a day when the egg is released and travels down. I certainly don't PMS for two weeks but for a few days leading up to TOM I feel the changes in my body. I definitely don't feel myself ovulating unless I ovulate just before my period (not everyone ovulates exactly halfway between cycles.).

[fitkristi]

Since my period has been regulating, I've definitely had some serious cravings for at least a week before my period, if not 10 days.

[berryblondeboys]

That was me who said I get more hungry after ovulation and I see almost all weight loss after ovulation. When I lost a ton of weight a decade ago, I ate, let's say 1500 calories the first two weeks of the menstrual cycle and exercised 30 minutes every day and I was LUCKY if I lost 1 pound total for that two weeks period.

Then, after ovulation, I would be ravenous, would eat about 1700 calories, exercise 30 minutes a day and would lose 2-3 pounds a week. Month after month of that.

Same again now with this new weight loss journey. I happen to have very regular cycles, so it just happens to be every two weeks.

But, I have a couple close friends with PCOS adn it's not that they don't ovulate, but that it's not regularly. They may have a 90 day cycle one time, 102 the next, 60 the next. But, ovulation, typically is two weeks (10-15 days) before menstruation starts.

So, that explains it a bit more. Which means for me, since that's how my body works, I better get this weight off before I hit menopause, otherwise I'll have to starve myself to drop teh pounds and that is not appealing!

[Rana]

Thanks for chiming in!

I was asking because I was on BCP for so many years that I simply never really knew what was my own cycle and everything that went into it. I've been off them for about a year and a half now but it's taken this long to really figure out if there is something going on here that isn't PMS. I'm used to the PMS (right before my period) because of the BCP would cause me to have huge cravings, especially for chocolate. Nowadays I'm not getting those cravings pre-period, but around the middle of the cycle.

I've been saying that's PMS, but that seems too long to have PMS..... right???

So maybe I am ovulating and I just never knew it or wasn't ovulating before...???