Why Am I So Hungry?

My oldest has just turned 11 years old! And, yes, she has been in puberty for quite a while now, and I have known it. (She started developing breasts almost two years ago.) However, she asked me the above question just the other day and it hadn't been something that had occurred to me.
She is concerned over being hungry all the time. I always knew that teenage boys will eat you out of house and home, but no one ever really talks about teenage girls being that way. Mine, however, is. She eats more than my husband does, sometimes.

I know that she is anxious to grow up, but at the same time, she is dreading it. One day, I will come home and she will be dressed with hoop earrings and lip gloss. The next, she is out with the neighbors (who are several years younger) getting dirt under her fingernails.

Source

And, yes, we have read the books on puberty and, yes, my oldest has read them as well. But, she must be really hungry lately because she just looked at me the other morning and asked me, "Mommy, am I so hungry all the time because I am getting ready to start my period?"

That question actually tore at my heart strings. I don't remember looking for and expecting my period to come. I remember anticipating summer and planning out how I was going to ask to shave my legs (yeah, I think we all looked forward to that and regret it to this day.  :-)

So, I decided, for my oldest daughter's benefit, I would do some research on her question.

Now, from my 32 years (ah hem, my 29 years) of experience as a woman, I know that PMS has all kinds of emotional and physiological symptoms. For me, that includes an intense craving for chocolate.

However, did you know that the week before your period, you burn a lot more calories? For some women, they can burn 15% more calories per day.

My tween has a monthly cycle, even if it doesn't include a period yet. So, maybe there is some validity to her question...I guess time will tell.