"Female" related question.

msbrittanyhelene

Lovely MFP ladies: What do you do about those pesky "that time of the month" cravings? Sometimes I just need to eat an entire pint of ice cream. And half a pizza. And a row of oreos. And a family size bag of Doritios (I've actually eaten all of these things in one day - disgusting, I know). I've heard people say to eat healthier items but sometimes I just need something sweet! Any advice??

I_Will_End_You

Just try really hard to eat less of it. Keep a bag of Dove chocolates or something and just eat one or two of them.

Sabine_Stroehm

I let myself have some of the thing I knew would satisfy my cravings. And then I knew I'd soon (when it hit) NOT be hungry at all, and didn't force myself to eat then.

kparrish1814

I honestly get moments like those more times than I like to admit, even when its not "that time"! I dont completely deny myself those treats, I just make them an irregular part of my diet and on those days I try to compensate by eating a healthier meal like a salad. But making wiser decisions, like eating dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate or drinking a smoothie over a milkshake, help too. Sometimes if I'm really Jonesing for more than two of those oreos I'll chug down 4 cups of water to make myself feel full. I also rely on a trick I picked up from the doctor Oz show; if I'm not hungry enough to eat an apple instead, or carrots, then im not really hungry.

Hope that helps!

Mrsrobinsoncl

More than once I have bough a bunch of junk in a moment of weakness, eaten a bite or two then thrown it in the trash so Im not tempted to eat the whole package. Recently I have decided dark chocolate MnMs are my sweet treat, I bought a big bag and measured it out to single servings and put it in baggies. Then I can take one little baggie to work with me and I can pig out on them.

msbrittanyhelene

@kparrish1814 I really like that! I think I eat a lot sometimes because I'm bored, or because I just feel like I "have" to. I made a sandwich earlier and it sat next to me for about 15 minutes because I wasn't even hungry. I just made it because it was around noon and I figured I needed to eat lunch.

Thanks for the advice ladies!

arditarose

In the beginning? Stuck to my deficit. I ate some replacement type of snacks that were lower cal but that I could eat a lot of.

Now? Maintenance mode. Not wearing a bathing suit till June so don't care. Eat all the cake.

savvyfantastic

Discerning between emotional cravings and physiological is the hard part.

Make sure you've got your nutritional needs met (especially magnesium, iron etc), sure support the emotional one in whatever ways you need before turning to food.

Personally I'm a fan of a chocolate truffle from my favourite chocolate place, some almond butter and a good nap.

Bnillow

I have a chocolate addiction and what has helped me is chocolate (low sugar) protein bars and chocolate protein shakes.

kandeelopez

Mrsrobinsoncl wrote: »

...Recently I have decided dark chocolate MnMs are my sweet treat, I bought a big bag and measured it out to single servings and put it in baggies. Then I can take one little baggie to work with me and I can pig out on them.

First, I had no idea dark chocolate M&Ms existed! Yay!! Second, good idea on the measured out baggies!!!! Thanks for posting.

kinkyslinky16

I eat what I want.

ajwall3

Normally I don't eat sugar unless it's in fruit and even then I'm careful. I have to tell you that there's a protein line called "six star" and their protein bars are better than candy bars. 20 grams protein and only 6 grams of sugar. If it's that TOM and I have a hard craving, I go for one of those. Totally guilt free. I also use chocolate pb protein powder in almond milk and it's a great milkshake alternative. You can freeze them and make fudge pops!

midnightsunryze

That's the one time each month I just give in. My vice is bbq nachos. In fact, that's my lunch plan tomorrow. I'm just working the rest of my day around that splurge.

RideRunRepeat

savvyfantastic wrote: »

Discerning between emotional cravings and physiological is the hard part.

Make sure you've got your nutritional needs met (especially magnesium, iron etc), sure support the emotional one in whatever ways you need before turning to food.

Personally I'm a fan of a chocolate truffle from my favourite chocolate place, some almond butter and a good nap.

THIS!!!!

lindsayk324

msbrittanyhelene wrote: »

Sometimes I just need to eat an entire pint of ice cream. [...] I've heard people say to eat healthier items but sometimes I just need something sweet! Any advice??

Those cravings might actually be for fat or fluids or vitamins/nutrients! I always thought I had chocolate cravings but it turned out I actually wanted FAT, so a tbsp or so of peanut butter or a couple ounces of cheese gave me the same fulfillment. For ice cream (and popsicles, and sugary cereals like Capn Crunch or Lucky Charms) it was dehydration, and a big glass of water or big mug of tea (with a 20 minute patience-period for the water to "sink in") made me forget about the pint in the freezer. I also always seem to have cravings for terrible TexMex food, like Taco Bell or Taco Time. That, for me, was actually needing extra iron and sodium! Easy enough to fix with some red meat for the grill and some seasoning salt. Another salt one was wanting potato chips or soft pretzels, but again, that was a sodium craving so having some peanut butter or cottage cheese (with water) helped.

Of course, your results may vary, but these are some things that have worked for me!

RebelDiamond

I tend to not have things like ice-cream, chocolate and lollies in the house for this reason. I find that I have a pringles mentality toward those types of "craving" foods (once you pop you can't stop). But's that's me, a lot of people (see posts above) are able to limit themselves and stop when they need to.
Sometimes I have a small bowl of frozen blueberries with a dollop on greek yogurt and a sprinkle on cinnamon (wishing it was cookies and cream icecream), but it does the trick (cold, sweet with good fat)