Hello! I am new here again. I lost my last name/password so I had to start over. Back in 2008 I lost 72 pounds but unfortunately, after a knee cap dislocation, I eventually gained it all back. It took me a while to get the drive to start over and so I did on January 6th of this year. So far I have lost 29 pounds and I am feeling really good about it!

So here is my question. This time around I have noticed a pattern that about 2 weeks before my period, I start feeling like I don't want to do my exercise and I don't want to eat right. I get really hungry!! This lasts about 4 days. I normally make it through but it's such a crappy way to feel. I make myself eat right those days and I exercise anyways because I know I will come out of it and feel disappointed with myself. I just this month put it together that it's 2 weeks before my period. Does anyone get this way 2 weeks before? I could understand better if it was a week before. Does it have anything to do with my TOM or something else? I can't stand when it gets like this because I feel so unmotivated!! Any suggestions on how to make it stop?

I meant to add in too that at this time, even though I am doing everything right still, about 5 extra pounds will show up on my scale. It goes away just days before my period. That will go away with whatever I have lost as well.

That, including the bloating, is very typical for pre-period weeks. Some people find that birth control pills help in regulating the hormones, but even just recognizing it can be helpful. And knowing that it is normal.

I am already on birth control pills. I was just really surprised that it would be a whole 2 weeks before my TOM. It can be very disheartening even though I now know to expect it.

Well, I don't know how birth control would affect it, but that sounds like it could be the time you are ovulating. It can have similar effects to TOM. Most people aren't sufficiently in tune with their bodies to notice (including me).

A whole two weeks before TOM is usually the time of Ovulation. Me personally, I get a TON of bloating, water weight, and mood changes during Ovulation more than I do right before TOM. This could be what is happening with you.

Yep, you're probably ovulating.

I am EXHAUSTED and cranky when I ovulate. I have this weird thing going on where the older I get, the more regular and predicable my cycle is. Even my husband, who isn't very interested in these kinds of things, notices that I'm exhausted/cranky for a few days a month. PMS is bloating, sore breasts, cramps, weepy - but ovulation is tired and miserable.

I must be a joy to live with

It sounds like that is exactly what is going on with me. I wonder why it never was a problem before? Maybe it gets worse as I get older. When I think about it, I do find myself snapping at people whereas I normally don't do that. It's such a crazy feeling. I'm glad to know what it is though because it was driving me crazy and I worried something was wrong with me.

I read a pretty interesting article a while back that I go back to for reference, maybe it may shed some light on what you are experiencing. I too was wondering about my weird bouts of fatigue and did some reading, and it was the only article that summed up pretty much everything I read.

Menstrual Cycle Dieting

I have similar patterns...