PMS tends to throw my eating habits a curveball, as I can go from 0 to ravenous in 60 seconds. My stomach gurgles. I get light-headed. And no matter what I eat or how much, I spend a day or two feeling like I need to eat more.
Apparently this is pretty standard for some women. When researchers from the National Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology studied the eating habits of 30 women between the ages of 18 and 45 a few years back, they found their calorie intake could spike by nearly 500 calories around ovulation and again before their periods. I’ve never counted, but I’m sure I’ve blown past that a time or two. Ever eaten half a pizza in one sitting? (Raises hand.)
Eating six times a day managed to curb that insatiable hormone-driven hunger. Sure, I still had cravings for sweets—and I confess I caved a few times—but for the first time in a very long time, I got through both my ovulatory and premenstrual periods without binge eating. I even managed to eat two chocolate Kisses instead of half the bag on the worst day of PMS symptoms.
MORE: 11 Best Snacks For PMS Relief
Now that the month is over, I won’t be eating six meals a day anymore. It’s just a bit too much for me, but I’m not going back to my old ways: Four seems to be my sweet spot. I’ve gotten in the habit of eating breakfast, a late morning healthy snack, a late afternoon healthy snack, and dinner. But when PMS is rearing its ugly head, I have a feeling I’ll go back up to five or even six meals a day, just to keep the hunger at bay.
Overall, I consider my experiment a success. While six might not be my magic number, this month was really about finding a healthy plan that worked for my body, and I think I did just that.
