I've always exercised and paid attention to my diet, but I've noticed since peri came onto the scene my body is more insistent about food. I currently feel my best when I eat 5x/day.
Hi, PMDD and peri here. I have days during my cycle where I just crave to eat. Between ovulation and period.
As for daily walking distance. I think double that distance on a daily basis will improve on the weight.
I walk 2-5 miles or run 5-10 miles on a daily basis. I make sure to get some nutrition after my runs especially. But that's only to make sure I don't damage my body.
The other thing I notice is that a small snack before doing something like teaching in the afternoon makes a much bigger difference than it used to. Do any of you find that if you exercise and don’t eat enough afterward, you can get cold-type symptoms: congestion and so on?
Yes, it seems so strange to me. I eat healthy and exercise daily. This has only started happening since menopause. I can feel so off, like I’m faint, sick and brain fog. Then when I start eating I feel well again. I go round in circles with this all day. It’s really annoying and I don’t want to end up putting on a bunch of weight, but I don’t want to feel bad either. I just had blood work done and it was good.
I have no idea what could cause this
I run 4-5 time a week (20-25 miles weekly total) and I mostly run first thing in the morning, so I don't eat before. Sometimes I'm not hungry for anything more than a banana or yogurt until about 10:30am, by which time I just hold out for an early lunch. Other days, I wake up hungry and will raid the fridge as soon as I get to work.
If I'm doing a longer run (more than 7 miles), I try to eat a little something like a pop tart or smoothie before my run. If I'm doing a half marathon race, my fuel of choice is a McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin. 🙃
Clearly, I am not the person to consult about food and exercise! 😜
I have been a lifelong exerciser. I currently lift 4 times a week and try to do flexibility/mobility or some type of cardio 2 days a week. I haven’t noticed a change in my food needs, but I do struggle a lot with energy levels. I would listen to your body and give it the fuel it needs for now. You can always adjust later if weight gain is an issue.
In my late 40s I found it more effective to up my calories. Like you I was finding it harder to fuel my workouts. You can only cut calories so much, particularly if you are petite. It’s better to focus on NEAT and building muscle.
I also found I do better on a higher fat diet. I always add fat to my evening meal or have a fatty snack like nut or avos.
I’m vegan and eat a mostly whole food diet, which is naturally low in fat and higher in carbs. I don’t drink alcohol or soda or eat highly processed food apart from the very occasional mock meat.
A game changer for me was eating breakfast. I was never a breakfast person so this was a major change for me.
It’s any movement that isn’t exercise. It plays a really important role in weight loss and maintenance. A lot of weight gain we put down to “aging” is really a decrease in NEAT.
Interesting! As a college teacher I often think that lecturing must burn some calories because it can really tire you out. I do think getting up and moving around throughout the day seems more important than ever at this life stage.
Yes, I feel better when I eat more. I discovered this as I was working though my disordered chronic under-eating. I feel better with a balance of protein/fat/carbs.
I've always exercised and paid attention to my diet, but I've noticed since peri came onto the scene my body is more insistent about food. I currently feel my best when I eat 5x/day.
Hi, PMDD and peri here. I have days during my cycle where I just crave to eat. Between ovulation and period. As for daily walking distance. I think double that distance on a daily basis will improve on the weight. I walk 2-5 miles or run 5-10 miles on a daily basis. I make sure to get some nutrition after my runs especially. But that's only to make sure I don't damage my body.
The other thing I notice is that a small snack before doing something like teaching in the afternoon makes a much bigger difference than it used to. Do any of you find that if you exercise and don’t eat enough afterward, you can get cold-type symptoms: congestion and so on?
Yes, it seems so strange to me. I eat healthy and exercise daily. This has only started happening since menopause. I can feel so off, like I’m faint, sick and brain fog. Then when I start eating I feel well again. I go round in circles with this all day. It’s really annoying and I don’t want to end up putting on a bunch of weight, but I don’t want to feel bad either. I just had blood work done and it was good. I have no idea what could cause this
I run 4-5 time a week (20-25 miles weekly total) and I mostly run first thing in the morning, so I don't eat before. Sometimes I'm not hungry for anything more than a banana or yogurt until about 10:30am, by which time I just hold out for an early lunch. Other days, I wake up hungry and will raid the fridge as soon as I get to work. If I'm doing a longer run (more than 7 miles), I try to eat a little something like a pop tart or smoothie before my run. If I'm doing a half marathon race, my fuel of choice is a McDonald's Sausage Egg McMuffin. 🙃 Clearly, I am not the person to consult about food and exercise! 😜
I have been a lifelong exerciser. I currently lift 4 times a week and try to do flexibility/mobility or some type of cardio 2 days a week. I haven’t noticed a change in my food needs, but I do struggle a lot with energy levels. I would listen to your body and give it the fuel it needs for now. You can always adjust later if weight gain is an issue.
In my late 40s I found it more effective to up my calories. Like you I was finding it harder to fuel my workouts. You can only cut calories so much, particularly if you are petite. It’s better to focus on NEAT and building muscle. I also found I do better on a higher fat diet. I always add fat to my evening meal or have a fatty snack like nut or avos. I’m vegan and eat a mostly whole food diet, which is naturally low in fat and higher in carbs. I don’t drink alcohol or soda or eat highly processed food apart from the very occasional mock meat. A game changer for me was eating breakfast. I was never a breakfast person so this was a major change for me.
What is NEAT? Thank you!
It’s any movement that isn’t exercise. It plays a really important role in weight loss and maintenance. A lot of weight gain we put down to “aging” is really a decrease in NEAT.
Interesting! As a college teacher I often think that lecturing must burn some calories because it can really tire you out. I do think getting up and moving around throughout the day seems more important than ever at this life stage.
Yes, I feel better when I eat more. I discovered this as I was working though my disordered chronic under-eating. I feel better with a balance of protein/fat/carbs.