Binging due to periods - help!

[5tofive]

Over the years, I have done every diet going and am a yo-yo dieter. I am doing calorie counting and on 1300 calories.

Before Christmas I was close to a weight I wanted to be - just half a stone more than I wanted to be.

Three periods later and instead of losing that final half stone, I have put it on. Normally I have good self control and can stay on track but in the week before my period, it feels as though a switch flicks in my brain and I can’t stop eating. I have always done this but it is getting much worse. I cannot stop eating , if there isn’t anything I like, I even eat things I’m not keen on. I can’t stop at one biscuit, I have to eat the whole packet.

Anyone have this? How do you control it? I don’t want to say that I won’t buy biscuits because it’s not fair on my family to go without just because I have no self control. Today is my third day of my period and the switch has flicked back and I am back to eating healthily and normally but I wanted to stop the binging. I have used biscuits as an example but it can be anything, toast, cereal, bigger portions of dinner etc.

By the time I lose this half a stone, my period will be due and I’ll be back to square one.

I would love to know the answer to this as i am the same, around a week before my period something switches in my brain an i will bing on anything, even the things i normally dont like and if there is nothing in the cupboards i will go to the shops, its like i am possessed or something. Once my period starts i am eating very healthy low carb food, lockdown made it worse as i can't go to exercise classes, i like you need around half a stone off but can't seem to break the cycle...

Are you eating enough calories? I was the same till I checked my TDEE etc. I used the James Smith Macro calculator which gave me 1695 for weightloss based on age/weight/my activity level. Once I started on the higher calories I was less hungry. During the week of my period I usually allow myself to go up to maintenance if I need it. If you're deducting 500 calories from your TDEE to get your deficit then eating an extra 2-300 during the days you need it during your period would still leave you in a deficit so would potentially still have a loss. Hope that makes sense.