LADIES - PMS/TOM question

xmeganxtarax

LADIES what can I do to stop my terrible binge eating during PMS? it's really hard to control myself. I get really angry if I don't get the candy I'm craving. I know that I need more will power, it's just candy that I crave. Are there any ways that I can get this bad trend to rest for good? I find myself needing extra calories when I am PMSing and I don't want the healthy food I normally do. Should I just force myself to have some good calories, like oranges and apples and bananas instead? Please, no rude replies, I am struggling and really need some guidance/help in this department.

kimbyfly

Maybe try some dark chocolate or a banana? I had a horrible TOM sugar craving this morning, so I had some cordial and then a Nature Valley Sweet Peanut bar. Did the trick nicely! There are healthy alternatives to regular sweet things, it is just trying to trick the body into accepting these instead.

ambernicoleperez

I am no wizard but I would think the best thing to do would be to replace your high calorie snacks with some still satisfying but low calorie options like dark chocolate and acai blueberries or raspberries, or two light Graham crackers with light or fat free whipped cream snuck in the freezer for awhile so it takes just like ice cream! another good one is dole makes these 100 calorie packs of 4 frozen banana sliced dipped in dark chocolate. if your more of a chip person I just read in another thread about citric acid being used on popcorn or veggies to give that sweet and sour/sour patch kids kick! I haven't tried it yet but set on my bucket list! I hope these help I definitely feel your pain!

samntha14

an ounce of dark chocolate does me good

CherylP67

Do you think some of this is a deeply engrained habit?

My cycle has been very irregular past year, sometimes every 3 weeks, sometimes 5-6 weeks. I always had to have chips and chocolate. With the irregularity, I don't know when I'm getting PMS and it will sneak up on me and before I know it, I made it through a cycle with no weight gain or cravings I couldn't ignore. It made me think about the cravings and I realized it was a habit, and something I'd allowed myself to get away with for so many years.

I still randomly crave chocolate, or have some night team eating problems, last night I fell asleep on the couch and when I woke to go to bed, I ate a piece of angel food cake. Today I'm crampy, but I also had a good loss for the week when I weighed in this morning.

I guess my point is that cravings may be part habit, expectation.

bubaluboo

I have the same issue. The week before I really get the munchies but I know that it will all even out and the next week I'll have a reduced appetite. I eat dark chocolate and cut myself a little more slack but at the same time I try to keep focused that it is just a few days of staying strong and that it will be worth it. If you're anything like me, you won't be losing weight that week even if you eat perfectly because it's evened out by bloat so maybe allow more calories and aim to lose less for that week and then reduce your allowance again for the week after...I suspect you'll lose just as much over the 2 weeks once any bloating has gone if that makes sense.

xmeganxtarax

Thanks ladies, it helps to know I'm not alone! I do think that it is a habit because over the years I knew it was all from PMS and a PP is right, I do get tons of bloating. I think I will try a piece of dark chocolate to get me by, or check out those chocolate dipped banana chips! I am not into chips or anything just things like gummi bears lol but I gotta stop!

photojunkie28

I make homemade very chocolatey protein brownies and those feed my need for the "sinful". Find a recipe you like and prepare for this in advance. Trial and error

beautyonthebeach83

This isn't the *healthiest* option, but it works for me. When PMS strikes I make a batch of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I only bake half a dozen or so (and share with my husband and 2 kids) and FREEZE the rest. When cravings come up I pull out a couple frozen dough balls to bake. I know I don't have the self control to bake all of them and only eat 2, so freezing most of it works for me. I like the healthy suggestions but for me when I crave something "bad" I want it and my desire only gets stronger. If I deprive myself it only works for so long and then I want to binge. So yeah, I am all for small portions of the real deal. I like PP's suggestion of dark chocolate. That works well for me too. I love me some high quality dark chocolate.

Bobbie8786

I go get chocolate fat free frozen yogurt covered in yogurt chips and my sweet tooth is satisfied.

zytah

I craaaaaaave dark chocolate during that time. what I do is take a piece of chocolate (in this case mini dove dark chocolate) and grate it. ill pick at the shavings thru out the day and it keeps my sweet tooth in check.

CarmenDsewell

Try sunflower seeds and honey, or a good peanut butter and honey on graham crackers.

alfiedn

If you love fruity candy, what about homemade Popsicles or sorbet? I have a great strawberry lime sorbet that doesn't have a ton of sugar and I know I'm getting some real fruit in my diet. Is it the best? No. Is it super low cal? Not really. I do feel better feeling like I'm eating something real, though. You could also do banana "ice cream." (Good thing it's summer...all my ideas are frozen!)

BluestockingSH

I found online that you can dry strawberries in the oven for 3 hrs at 210 degrees F. I haven't tried it yet, so I can't attest to how good they turn out, but it may help with the sweet/chewy cravings. Good luck!

jennifer_417

From what I've heard, the body needs a few more calories during TOM. So, there's that. Also, I would say, EAT THE CANDY if it's that bad! Just cut somewhere else, or work out a bit more!

jenilla1

Sometimes you think you're hungry when you're really thirsty. Drink a full glass of water and see if the hunger goes away. That works for me at least half the time. :drinker:

chani8

I had this same issue this month, and I just ate fruit. Grapes, to be exact. I don't eat much fruit because I'm watching sugar intake. Wait, I'm not done admitting what else I ate. I also ate homemade popcorn. So I had the salty and the sweet, and I didn't even bother to log it all. I recall that I took a slice of cheese to try to balance out all those carbs, also.

And then I went to bed early! We're human and have to accept that.

Also, when I'm feeling like binging, I try to stop myself and concentrate on what I'm eating. The texture, the chewing, the flavor, etc. Focus on the pleasure of it. Try to relax. Slow down. Enjoy. This grounding of myself helps to get out of binge mode.

R55T

Thanks for sharing . . . Glad to know that I am not alone in trying to deal with this.

PMS for me is when I cannot control my appetite for beer . . .TOM for me is when I lose my appetite for food & become very lazy. . . Of course, not eating properly can be the reason why I'm feeling lazy but . . .

Last Friday & Saturday, same old story . . . I didn't keep myself in check with my night out drinking though I tried to ensure I ate properly. I drank more than 12 glasses of water each day but that didn't help. Lol.

Now that TOM started yesterday, I'm in the cycle of not feeding myself properly. Just had lots of fruit (2 oranges, some pawpaw, almonds, mixed vegies, left over chcken stirfry vegies, some yoghurt) as well as the last remaining 12 blocks of chocolate in the fridge . . .

Today, I made myself eat breakfast, didn't want lunch & now I'm in the process of talking myself into cooking dinner as well as exercising when I get home from work . . .(sigh!) Glad TOM for me is only 3 days a month cos I am yet to get on top of this issue.

herblackwings39

Have the candy you're craving. It's so much easier to work a candy bar into the daily calorie goal than to add in all the other stuff you eat trying to NOT have the candy bar. Or that could just be me.

KarlaH9801

Oh, wow. This information is so helpful to me. I have a Mirena IUD, so I haven'thad a period ( off and on ) for 10 years. We are done having kids, and my hubby is getting 'fixed'. I like having this infofor futute reference. Cuz it's coming!

FightingFox

Yes thanks all for the ideas!!!!! xx

CarlieeBear

I tend to give myself a treat any day I'm under on calories...sometimes just a couple of chocolate chips. So, you could do an extra bit of cardio and burn the calories you eat.

On the other hand, I have heard that the things we crave make our symptoms worse...I don't believe this and if it does it's worth it :-)

aquarabbit

I eat fruit and add some melty Nutella. That way it's still healthier than a chocolate bar, but I still get my fix. I also really like sunflower seeds as a salty snack instead of chips. It takes some effort to get the seeds out, so I don't eat as many. I try to keep myself as busy as I can to distract myself. I clean a lot during the first few days so that I don't snack,.