Getting back into it after a bad month?
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »What about full fat cheese? Avocado? Butter instead of margarine? Full fat yogurt. ...none of that low fat malarkey really, we've been brainwashed for years about it being bad for us and it's hogwash.
Let us know over the coming days if introducing more fats made a difference - I really believe it will.
I've eaten butter, cheese, avocado, 4% yogurt in the last week... I'm not sure it really helps, honestly. I mean, they work great normally! The ribs I had the other day seemed to help though so maybe fatty meat is the answer, lol. I'll go for steak or something next time...
Just wish it was as easy for me as it was while I was losing!0 -
You've been around long enough that I know you can find a way. Believe that you can to. Keep trying to see what works.0
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20yearsyounger wrote: »You've been around long enough that I know you can find a way. Believe that you can to. Keep trying to see what works.
Right now I honestly don't know.
I know I'll be looking for a GYN that takes me seriously and gets some testing done to figure out why my PMS symptoms are so insane (don't get me started on the mood swings too...). It's kinda tough when nobody takes you seriously but I honestly can't see how I will manage to maintain my weight if I end up eating 500-1000 calories over maintenance every other day for 10 days every month. I just can't deal with that hunger, it drives me completely crazy.0 -
I think you should give yourself credit for recognizing the issue. Good luck with your doctor search. There are ones that recognize PMS and hopefully will have a solution for you.0
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WinoGelato wrote: »As infrequently as you weigh yourself, are you sure that you know exactly what your maintenance calorie level is? Is it possible you could maintain eating more calories than you think - only weighing once a month seems like it would be pinning everything on one day out of 30 or so, and I think part of understanding the natural fluctuations of maintenance come from weighing more often, and also from pushing the envelope of how much you can eat before you start to see the scale go up. If it were me, and I wasn't sure, I would try adding 100 or so cals/day and see if that has an impact on the weekly scale number. I maintain at around 2300 and that's far more than anyone would ever think given my height, weight, age, etc.
I'm going to find out, lol. But I did the math over a year really. The reason I stopped weighing 2 weeks after my period is that I was just gaining weight little by little until my next period then, so it wasn't really telling me much (then I lost it all in a woosh after). Of course some months a meal out during that week would mess it up though, and my activity has changed over the months, so yeah, I guess it's a possibility, my metabolism has always been pretty good, all things considered... but both times I went on vacation for a week and ate 20% over my maintenance overall I ended up gaining 2 pounds that it took me a couple months to lose, but without changing anything to my diet really... so I'm hoping it's what's going to happen again... Just feeling flabbier than usual but I guess TOM is due any time so it's not exactly a good indication of how much weight I might have gained.
I wanted to add though - thanks everyone so much. I'll definitely apply your advice as soon as I'm not an hormonal mess. And thanks for not dismissing my issue like so many people have done.
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@Francl27 I really think its a perimenopausal thing, but why doctors aren't being more helpful is not good! We all feel flabby around TOM, none of us like it
the fact that your symptoms last way longer is a pain and I hope a dr will give you better advice/take you seriously.
Somethings not right when your weight stays at the high end for so long during your cycle. Most of us would say that 4 or 5 days sorts the TOM weight gain..
Whatever you do, don't give up on your weight loss/maintenance journey - keep moving and try and rein in your calories as much as possible. You don't want to return to being heavier again, none of us feel good when we are
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and yes, fatty steak is very filling so get some of that into you
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Agree fat may help. Worth trying.
Another thought... have you considered magnesium? A deficiency interferes with insulin transport of glucose across cell membranes, raising both insulin and blood glucose. Hence carb cravings. Women are more sensitive to a deficiency than men because of all the other wacky hormone stuff happening around TOM. UMD recommends increasing intake 3 days before PMS expected for cramps. I've also read hangovers are mostly dehydration & magnesium deficiency (alcohol inhibits mg absorption). I generally don't put a ton of stock in supplements, but I do have a friend who felt remarkably better after a simple vitamin deficiency was diagnosed & corrected, so I know they can make a noticeable difference in some cases. Worth a try?0 -
Agree fat may help. Worth trying.
Another thought... have you considered magnesium? A deficiency interferes with insulin transport of glucose across cell membranes, raising both insulin and blood glucose. Hence carb cravings. Women are more sensitive to a deficiency than men because of all the other wacky hormone stuff happening around TOM. UMD recommends increasing intake 3 days before PMS expected for cramps. I've also read hangovers are mostly dehydration & magnesium deficiency (alcohol inhibits mg absorption). I generally don't put a ton of stock in supplements, but I do have a friend who felt remarkably better after a simple vitamin deficiency was diagnosed & corrected, so I know they can make a noticeable difference in some cases. Worth a try?
Yeah, tried it, didn't make any difference.0 -
Just figured I'd post an update, TOM is still not quite over but I'm up 5 pounds from 2 months ago... so assuming I'm going to lose 1 or 2 next week (I usually woosh the week after TOM), I'm still up 3 pounds at least.
So yeah, I'll always have to keep a deficit to make up for PMS, apparently. I'm not happy (but not surprised, even though my measurements haven't really changed, I look a bit chubbier). But basically it means that if I'm going to have to watch what I eat consistently and be hungry a lot if I want to splurge a little pretty much forever if I want to maintain my weight. And now I need to lose 3 pounds on top of that... I don't know how I'm going to do it! I have a couple good weeks ahead of me to try to have a good deficit at least... but then PMS will strike again... It will probably take me 3 months to lose those 3 pounds, and that's if I manage to stick to my deficit pretty much every day.0 -
well 3lbs aint so bad...and it might be only in your head you feel chubbier? I know mentally that happens me when I'm up.
And you can do this You have done it before and you will do it again, be determined, be self assured and all will be well.
Keep us posted on how you get on.
Ruth0 -
It sounds like you need a break. I feel like you're super stressed out about all of this, and maybe you need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Maybe have a new goal besides weight.
With regards to PMS cravings: They'll always be there, but we chose whether to give in to them or not. Maybe there's something else you can focus on when they hit. Denying at least some of those urges will help quiet them over time.0 -
I'll give the canned feel good responses I've always gotten when I complain about how difficult it's become to lose weight. They're super infuriating. Enjoy.
"Maybe you need to change your priorities and focus on a non-weight goal. Weight is just a number. Maybe you're losing inches even though you're staying the same weight or gaining. Because that's a thing that makes logical sense right? You're probably gaining muscle (Calm down bulkholes, I'm aware no one is EVER gaining muscle. EVER.)"0 -
Cortneyrenee04 wrote: »It sounds like you need a break. I feel like you're super stressed out about all of this, and maybe you need to take a step back and re-evaluate. Maybe have a new goal besides weight.
With regards to PMS cravings: They'll always be there, but we chose whether to give in to them or not. Maybe there's something else you can focus on when they hit. Denying at least some of those urges will help quiet them over time.
There's no choosing for me. I can't function if I don't eat when they hit. It's a physical thing, I turn into a lunatic if I'm hungry at that time. And I don't crave chocolate or cookies or things like that... I just feel the need to eat some 'heavy' dishes. I mean, last time I was craving ribs, which is new, and was actually a nice change, lol. But the problem is that I need to eat a lot for the feeling to go away. And when I'm in that state, already above my calories, and still going crazy from the hunger, yeah that's when it's much harder not to eat ANYTHING just trying to make the hunger go away - so sure, it's still my choice to pick healthier options, but I know that they typically won't work (I've eaten one pound of veggies to make it go away - I felt horribly bloated but the feeling was still there), so it's harder to resist the idea of stuffing my face with ice cream or whatever and finally make that feeling go away.
I don't really know how to describe it. But it's honestly one of the worst feelings I've ever had. The main issue is that I haven't found any food that instantly gets rid of the issue without eating too many calories of it (a lot of bread does the trick, but yeah, it doesn't last, and it's not exactly calorie friendly).CalorieCountChocula wrote: »I'll give the canned feel good responses I've always gotten when I complain about how difficult it's become to lose weight. They're super infuriating. Enjoy.
"Maybe you need to change your priorities and focus on a non-weight goal. Weight is just a number. Maybe you're losing inches even though you're staying the same weight or gaining. Because that's a thing that makes logical sense right? You're probably gaining muscle (Calm down bulkholes, I'm aware no one is EVER gaining muscle. EVER.)"
That made me laugh.0 -
Just figured I'd post an update, TOM is still not quite over but I'm up 5 pounds from 2 months ago... so assuming I'm going to lose 1 or 2 next week (I usually woosh the week after TOM), I'm still up 3 pounds at least.
So yeah, I'll always have to keep a deficit to make up for PMS, apparently. I'm not happy (but not surprised, even though my measurements haven't really changed, I look a bit chubbier). But basically it means that if I'm going to have to watch what I eat consistently and be hungry a lot if I want to splurge a little pretty much forever if I want to maintain my weight. And now I need to lose 3 pounds on top of that... I don't know how I'm going to do it! I have a couple good weeks ahead of me to try to have a good deficit at least... but then PMS will strike again... It will probably take me 3 months to lose those 3 pounds, and that's if I manage to stick to my deficit pretty much every day.
It's the holidays. Everyone is up 3 lbs or so. I think you need to reevaluate if this is the right weight for you. If you are so miserable trying to maintain that weight that you think you have to eat at a deficit constantly in order to offset the over eating that you do during your TOM, then perhaps you need to add 5 lbs back on, or better yet - consider your maintenance weight a range which is what most people do anyway. 3 lbs is within the normal fluctuation for maintenance.0 -
I agree with the healthy fat comment. My husband and I went thru a period where we went super clean but didn't purposely add good fats back in, found we were hungrier the days our fat macros were off... Protein being off can cause it too, but we my carbs are consistently out of balance over then I'm way more likely to get insatiably hungry. Eating for the macro category most under works better for me...0
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BikeTourer wrote: »I agree with the healthy fat comment. My husband and I went thru a period where we went super clean but didn't purposely add good fats back in, found we were hungrier the days our fat macros were off... Protein being off can cause it too, but we my carbs are consistently out of balance over then I'm way more likely to get insatiably hungry. Eating for the macro category most under works better for me...
I've been eating more healthy fats but honestly? They don't fill me up at all. Saturated fats (from dairy and meat) do. Oils, avocado, and nuts? Not so much. It kinda sucks...0 -
I don't know if anyones mentioned it, but have you looked into Evening Primrose Oil?
Google it + PMS.0 -
You work at it each and every day until its easy again. That's my plan. I have a problem with over-eating yummy things that I buy in bulk at home or when I'm on vacation. This year was bad. It is hard to tell because my training regimen makes these lapses only recognizable for a few days. But I want to feel in control of my nutrition so that's my focus for 2016 and I'm going to work hard at it until its natural. I have a high maintenance window, so this over-eating (which I won't call bingeing) is really unnecessary and I only do it because I like the taste of the thing at the moment (either something salty or sweet and convenient...lots on hand) and I know if my weight fluctuates up briefly as a result, I'll be back to normal in a few days. Its a mental thing. And I need to win the battle as its keeping me from reaching certain long-term goals.
Thank you so much for those words of wisdom. I really needed to read that right now. I've been in maintenance for 9 months but slipped into different, lazy habits within the last 2 months. That was so nice to read.
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Some good ideas here: I want to find out more about "Precision Nutrition". Is it a book, or what?
Also one apparently very bad idea: Double Deckers. No idea what they are, and it's probably better that I don't know. They sound British...0 -
sbrownallison wrote: »Some good ideas here: I want to find out more about "Precision Nutrition". Is it a book, or what?
Also one apparently very bad idea: Double Deckers. No idea what they are, and it's probably better that I don't know. They sound British...
Yep they are and highly addictive as they're so yummy lol0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I don't know if anyones mentioned it, but have you looked into Evening Primrose Oil?
Google it + PMS.
Two articles mentioned that studies found no evidence that it helped with PMS, so I'm not going to bother, to be honest. But thanks for the suggestion!
I lost another pound, so there's that. Dropping water weight like crazy, apparently, and I've been able to stick to my goal (300 deficit) just fine the last 4 days.. but again, it's easy when you're not starving all the time. I guess it's the gutting part, it seems that it's totally out of my hands. I can stick to a deficit just fine on normal circumstances, but then there's 10 days a month (or more, like last month) when I have to eat (a lot of the time not satisfied under 3000 calories) or I turn into a raging monster.
I guess I can just do my best and hope it's enough.0 -
@francl27 sounds like you're doing fine ..now if you could manage those 10 days on around 2200 cals rather than 3000 all should be fine. there's a lot of eating in 2200 cals so really you will manage, don't ya think?
And keep drinking that water it really helps take away hunger that's not real.0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »@francl27 sounds like you're doing fine ..now if you could manage those 10 days on around 2200 cals rather than 3000 all should be fine. there's a lot of eating in 2200 cals so really you will manage, don't ya think?
And keep drinking that water it really helps take away hunger that's not real.
No really, I can't. I can eat 2200 calories of whole, low calorie foods (usually by 1pm), and still be hungry on those days. And I drink a lot all the time and it's never helped my hunger. It's been happening to me for a year, don't you think I know what I'm talking about? And I don't really appreciate people telling me that my hunger is 'not real'.
Please stay out of it if you don't believe me, I've had enough of this on MFP...0 -
I'm really not sure what else to offer other than it seems these are your options, one or more of them:
Push your calorie level up by 100-200 calories and weigh more often to see if your maintenance is higher than you think.
Adjust your weight goal upward slightly so that you get more calories to deal with
maintaining at a higher level.
Eat at a deficit forever to offset the 1/3 of the month that you are suffering from this insatiable hunger
Work out like a fiend on those days to get more calories to deal with.
Weigh yourself more than once a month so you can get a better handle on the timing of your fluctuations and the impact of your calorie intake week to week.
Eat more of the calorie dense foods and less of the treats all month long. You like the treats, not just the little ones but the big baked goods and super yummy things. I know you know how calorie dense those are. You may just have to forgo them if these other things are bothering you that much and maintaining the weight you are at is that important to you and you can't get past the hunger.
Just suck it up and ignore the hunger. Have you tried finding ways to distract yourself, something that occupies mind and body like going for a walk listening to an audio book or taking a yoga class?
I don't know what else to offer you as a suggestion. You say that no one believes you, that sounds unnecessarily harsh, you've gotten really good suggestions here from people trying to help and you've dismissed every suggestion offered here, either you don't think it will work or isn't worth trying for xyz reason, or you said you had tried it before and it doesn't work for you.
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I'd try the EPO anyway, you've got nothing to lose, at least you'd have glowing skin
Macca powder is supposed to be good for resetting wonky hormones. If I was in your position I'd be trying them, if they help, great, if not at least you tried.0 -
WinoGelato wrote: »I'm really not sure what else to offer other than it seems these are your options, one or more of them:
Push your calorie level up by 100-200 calories and weigh more often to see if your maintenance is higher than you think.
Adjust your weight goal upward slightly so that you get more calories to deal with
maintaining at a higher level.
Eat at a deficit forever to offset the 1/3 of the month that you are suffering from this insatiable hunger
Work out like a fiend on those days to get more calories to deal with.
Weigh yourself more than once a month so you can get a better handle on the timing of your fluctuations and the impact of your calorie intake week to week.
Eat more of the calorie dense foods and less of the treats all month long. You like the treats, not just the little ones but the big baked goods and super yummy things. I know you know how calorie dense those are. You may just have to forgo them if these other things are bothering you that much and maintaining the weight you are at is that important to you and you can't get past the hunger.
Just suck it up and ignore the hunger. Have you tried finding ways to distract yourself, something that occupies mind and body like going for a walk listening to an audio book or taking a yoga class?
I don't know what else to offer you as a suggestion. You say that no one believes you, that sounds unnecessarily harsh, you've gotten really good suggestions here from people trying to help and you've dismissed every suggestion offered here, either you don't think it will work or isn't worth trying for xyz reason, or you said you had tried it before and it doesn't work for you.
All of this.
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Christine_72 wrote: »I'd try the EPO anyway, you've got nothing to lose, at least you'd have glowing skin
Macca powder is supposed to be good for resetting wonky hormones. If I was in your position I'd be trying them, if they help, great, if not at least you tried.
And this! Even placebo effect may help with regards to Evening Primrose Oil.0 -
@francl27 I really wasn't meaning to offend you ..what I meant by drinking water is that it's what helps ME get past that feeling of hunger.
I do realise you are struggling and that your hunger is real, I am hungry alot too believe me, I just choose to go hungry for the sake of staying within goal range, it's not ideal but it's what I have to do. Most nights I go to bed with a rumbling tummy And some days are easier than others.
I sincerely hope you find what works for you.
Ruth0 -
RunRutheeRun wrote: »
I sincerely hope you find what works for you.
Me too. I'm sitting here wracking my brain trying to think of things to help you. I know you said you were going to try higher fat, but if you do that I'd recommend lowering your carbs to balance it out.
Like i said, i would try what was suggested, what you have to go through every month sounds torturous
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