(LADIES ONLY) PMS HELP!!!

rose_gian

Dear ladies of myfitnesspal,

I have trouble the week before my period begins when I start cramping because I want to snack. When my period begins I want to snack all the time on high calorie food. I vowed to stop emotional eating but I was not prepared for my first mensies on myfitnesspal. I was doing so well with this app until the pms symptoms began and I blundered. Looking to get back on track and prepare myself for the next one. Please give me your suggestions and insight ladies.

joyous504

Not only do I want to snack, the scale goes up 1-2 lbs and stays there for awhile. I've been doing this for 16 months and it never gets easy, you just have manage it. Mind over matter.

khall86790

Use the search function for this, plenty of posts about it and I think there is one floating about in the Recent Posts right now with a similar title to this.

JumpingDog

Honestly, I eat 1.5x - 2x the food on my period and before it because I am just plain hungry. I don't see the benefit in being hungry for no reason. I just try to make sure that I am either at or below calorie goal on my weekly average. If you eat maintenance for one week, you won't gain weight, just lose slightly less weight. I would much rather not be hungry.

Lifting_Knitter

Use the search function for this, plenty of posts about it and I think there is one floating about in the Recent Posts right now with a similar title to this.

THIS!

qaaro

You're not alone, rose_gian! Periods are the worst for diets and exercise. I crave chocolate bad, so I typically increase my iron intake prior to PMSing. It usually helps curb it a bit.

The worst for me, though, is the exercise part. I have NO desire to work out. It hurts so much to move. My joints get inflamed, my belly bloats so bad....it's my own personal hell.

These are pics I took last week of the belly bloat and how crazy it gets.



If any ladies have advice, pleeease comment!

iulia_maddie

OMG!! I am bleeding, and hungry, and cranky! What is this sorcery?!?!

007FatSlayer

I have the same problem. We burn more calories the week before, so that's why we are more hungry-- sometimes I cave to the cravings and sometimes I don't; but, like someone mentioned, it's mind over matter.

jikkenkekka

I think I'm about a week out from starting--my period's pretty irregular, but yesterday I was in such a snacky mood which I didn't connect to my cycle at first [as I was always snacking in general before losing weight; I was very much a 'grazer'] but now I know starts up a little bit before I start. The only things I can really do is to be aware of that and to try to combat it as much as I can, although I'm rarely perfect. I've just kind of accepted that I'm going to bloat up and look extra horrible for several days and want to eat everything in sight, and reassert that these intense cravings are temporary.

I rely a lot on 100 calorie packs and such, because I have issues with portion control when snacking. The Snackwell fudge drizzled chocolate cookies are awesome. Lately I've tried those banana dole dippers as well--in each pack it's four banana slices each dipped in dark chocolate. Since it's dark chocolate they take me ages to eat so that's really helpful. I also drink a lot of tea, which I buy online at adagio.com (I love their fandom blends).

My problem is maintaining an exercise routine, which I still haven't figured out. I've fallen off the exercise bandwagon several times (and am currently trying to get back on it!) and I've realized that most of my stops and starts are related in some way with my period starting, me not exercising for a week... and then just... not again after that. |||| I have a very heavy flow and monster cramps so it's difficult for me to work out during this time. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thinking maybe if I concentrated on my arms/upper body, I could still at least get something done....

SutapaMukherji

OMG!! I am bleeding, and hungry, and cranky! What is this sorcery?!?!

THIS!

mmddwechanged

I enjoy almond butter and / or chocolate. I bloat too, but my main concern is not my weight or what i am eating; my main concern is making sure I don't blame my grumpiness on my husband who is usually first in the line of fire:)

TLWallperson

I'm usually pretty hungry a few days out myself, but I just try to eat healthy foods even if I'm eating more cals then normal. Doesn't always work, but I try.
But also, I find that the day I start I'm not hungry...AT ALL. So for several days I'm eating below my cal goal. So in the end, I guess it evens itself out.

CristinaL1983

I normally practice IF but during my period week, I don't. I'm also super snacky so instead of just eating one or two large meals, I do nothing but snack all day. I try to make sure that I still hit my macros (especially protein) but I spread it out throughout the day. I might cook some chicken strips in the morning and save them and munch on them all day (I tend to crave cheesy foods so I might do a bbq sauce on them with some melted cheese) still healthy, still in my macros and calories but fills my cravings. Really, it's not worth it to me to be hungry and grumpy all day but I still try to hit my calorie/ macro goals.

I guess my only advice is find healthy snacks that fill your cravings and your macros (protein,fats) things like apples and peanut butter with a chocolate drizzle. Fills cravings, can still be low calorie, delicious and instead of meals, maybe just snack all day.

rose_gian

Things I’ve learned from all your wonderful comments so far:

1) burning extra calorie a week before, therefore more hungry
2) Mind over matter
3) other women gain weight on their period it’s not just me
4) take a picture of myself before and after bloat. Thanks qaaro I really enjoyed that!
5) snake all day within macros
6) 100 calorie snacks for chocolate
7) up the intake for iron (&b12)

gaveupheart

So this is what happens to me. I PMS like crazy and want to eat all the bad foods (greasy, sugary, everything in sight!). And then I'm not motivated to work out. Then I get extra crampy and it sucks!!

However, when I force myself to exercise and say NO to my cravings.. and take midol, my cramps are hardly there (still a little tenderness but overall less bloating) and my period isn't as heavy either!

I would def. say to try to exercise and not cave into cravings - you'll thank yourself! Trust me.

rose_gian

So this is what happens to me. I PMS like crazy and want to eat all the bad foods (greasy, sugary, everything in sight!). And then I'm not motivated to work out. Then I get extra crampy and it sucks!!

However, when I force myself to exercise and say NO to my cravings.. and take midol, my cramps are hardly there (still a little tenderness but overall less bloating) and my period isn't as heavy either!

I would def. say to try to exercise and not cave into cravings - you'll thank yourself! Trust me.

What kind of midol to you buy?

generallyme2

I'm pretty lucky that my cramps are very light but I do try to exercise to reduce the pain and I think it really helps. Or at least it takes my mind off it lol!

Usually I snack like CRAZY during that TOM but this time I've been really sticking with it, trying to drink more water, etc. I did have a weak moment this morning when it was rainy and cold and the kids were napping- but I resisted the temptation and walked on the treadmill instead! Super proud of myself about that

I can't do the 100 cal packs because I have a big appetite anyway and those are such a teaser for me! I do like air popped popcorn which takes me a long time to eat and is fairly low in cals for what you get. If I really need chocolate, sometimes I'll add a TBS of chocolate chips to it and they get nice and melty. yum!