I'm 47yo (will be 48 in a few weeks) & I'm down to 164 lbs... a 20 pound loss since January - and I've been eating basically the same thing nearly every day (I am not bored with my menu so I don't feel a need to change it at this time.) Some days I may have a little more or a little less food, but keeping the calorie count right at about 1500.

It's time for my "TOM" - but...I didn't have any bleeding last month, but I did experience the normal premenstrual cr@p and so forth. According to my OB/GYN, I'm in peri-menopause (for about 4 years now), and for the past couple years, I have had 3-4 months where I get "the symptoms" but don't bleed (yeah, such a joy)

Anyway, yesterday AND today, I AM SO FRIKK'N HUNGRY!!!! I haven't been! I mean, nothing out of the ordinary, able to ride out any small hunger pangs & wait until dinner, etc - & in the past 6 months, I've been very satisfied with my food quantity & quality. But the past couple days... good grief. I'm ready to eat my weight in vending machine food, and then maybe even the vending machine itself. This isn't about craving junk food - I'm just ... seriously... HUNGRY...

(And before anyone asks: NO I am NOT pregnant! good googly moogly, if I got pregnant at MY AGE I think I'd jump in front of a bus or something!)


Also, last night after dinner, my stomach started really hurting. What could be the problem here? What could be causing this?? I'm scared of getting crazy & going on a crazy binge & afraid that will set off a binge-period that will un-do all my hard work. Help.

when i get super hungry like that, i try to eat something full of fat and that seems to help...cheese especially helps me although i will admit to eating far more cheese than i should at that moment in time...however i'd rather eat a large helping of melty cheesy goodness than dive headlong into a day's worth of sugar or junk food...and something about the fat or the saltyness or something helps stop a far longer binge for me

i totally know what it's like to be that hungry....ive told someone once that i could eat the paint off the walls LOL!

Protein helps with hunger the most, fat next, and carbs hardly at all. If you have basically been eating the same thing, you may not be getting proper nutrition. It's important to eat a wide variety of foods for that!

How many veggies are you eating daily? I aim for 5 cups a day and I am STUFFED. When I'm having a serious case of the hungries, I'll have a handful of almonds and two cups of baby carrots.

I can SO relate to this. I have been so very hungry this week. Up until now, I've had no problem eating an average of 1400 calories per day. But this past week, I have just been starved, so this week, I've just made a mental pact with myself that I am allowed to eat up to 1600 calories per day if I need it.

I do not know what it is, but the last 2 days I have been hungrier than normal too! I ate 1798 cals yesterday, my high limit is 1800. Today I have eaten a crazy amount of raw vegis, and scrambled egg whites to try and fill myself up between meals. I hope tomorow is calmer...

You need a steak, baby!

Jay

OMG Jay! you read my mind! - seriously! I thought about steak all day yesterday! maybe it IS a serious Protein thing... but last night I ended up having flounder AND shrimp, which is good protein in its own right, but I think I should have gone with the steak!!! And... yes, I "pigged out" ... I mean flounder AND shrimp? and green beans... and baked beans... and 3 hushpuppies well, at least I skipped dessert, eh?

So here it is Sat. morning, and I'm not hungry. I am, however, crampy, headachey, constipated (even tho I took a good dose of Milk of Mag last night!) bi-chy and the general grrrrr that goes along with TOM.

maybe I'll have a big thick juicy steak tonight... wow, it's not even 9:00am and I'm thinkin' bout dinner... geez loo-weez!!!!

Beach, it ain't the protein, it's the RED meat, that is, the iron etc. Get that steak. Mmmmm, about 5-7 ounces of medium rare sirloin sounds good...

Jay

Dittos to red meat. Maybe it's hardwired - nothing seems to scream "survival nutrition" like eating a prey animal. . A little goes a long way!

I was thinking that you should try an antacid as well. If you are actually having discomfort in your stomach, maybe try omeprazole over-the-counter for the next 10-14 days.
LGW

I get ravenous during the first day or two of TOM, and yes, protein and fat helps immensely. I crave carbs, but they don't satisfy me. A good steak would hit the spot

...said the lady with a BUNNY in her avatar!!! (that IS a bunny, isn't it??)

OK - UPDATE!

I had my regular breakfast this morning at 10am (a "Turkey Sammich" - one slice wheat bread with a t-spoon of light mayo, two slices turkey breast & one slight 2% cheese.... yum!) and then ate nothing the rest of the day until dinner, which was at 7pm. I wasn't hungry all day (Ok, WEIRD!) but finally started getting that gnawing feeling around 6pm-ish. Wanted steak, but had none and realllly didn't feel like going out to dinner (psycho-cycle in full swing today... still haven't bled) so I settled for the next best thing - a BIG JUICY CHEESEBURGER from Five Guys. OH YEAH! that really hit the ol spotter-roo! I also had some french fries (not too many, was more in "meat" mode, ya know?)

Altho that could possibly make my constipation a little worse, I do FEEL better having eaten it. While my breakfast hasn't changed much in the past 3 months or so, it's been the most protein of my normal-food-intake day. At lunch I eat Green Giant Healthy Vision veggies, one tomato, one cucumber, a slice of cheese & a piece of fruit. Dinner is usually a salad or sometimes a chicken breast or pork chop w/something green. So it makes sense that my body was screaming for some serious protein.

Thanks, y'all. I love the 3FC support, with all the experience & cheering & pats on the back, etc. We are a bunch of totally cool chicks.