How do you manage when it's that time of the month ladies?

wobchunk

Hi there I'm new to fitness pal and wanted to know how you ladies deal with eating the right foods when its that time of the month?

I just started today and feel like the munchies right now lol but holding back. . .help lol.

lemonychild

Omg. I felt like posting about this today. I'm going nuts!!!! Trying not to gain everything I lost

SJBanks89

I was terrible on my last TOM.. was told to have more magnesium a week before. I don't know if that works. However I brought dark chocolate only so I couldn't over indulge on the nice chocolate lol.

lemonychild

Yes I have found that magnesium does help a bit but certain months are wayyyyyy harder for me, this is one of them

pinkraynedropjacki

Don't ever seem to have a problem. I fast 3 times a week and not eating on days of TOM is easy for me. No cravings, snacking...... I got used to it

wobchunk

lemonychild wrote: »

Omg. I felt like posting about this today. I'm going nuts!!!! Trying not to gain everything I lost

I feel like crying when that happens lol, but we can get through this.

wobchunk

pinkraynedropjacki wrote: »

Don't ever seem to have a problem. I fast 3 times a week and not eating on days of TOM is easy for me. No cravings, snacking...... I got used to it

Hmmmmm I'm good at fasting so I think I may have ago tomorrow, today is going OK so far, just trying to keep my mind on others things other than food lol.

CollieFit

I have no problems with cravings. As long as I stick to a certain amount of protein in my diet I don't really snack on crap.

During TOTM I have a much lower pain threshold though, feel a little weaker and have a bit less energy, so I adapt my exercise accordingly, but it's only 2-3 days or so.

hungreeteacher17

The week before is the worst for me, I just started and now it's not so bad. But the week before, watch out, I'm starving, crabby, out of control cravings, I actually had a dream about curly fries, and that's not normal for me

vickymbarclay

Ha, was just wondering the same thing! Think I'll be having a couple of small treats this weekend, to give myself a break without giving up.

wobchunk

HazelTrisEverdeen wrote: »

During my time of the month I often feel horribly bloated so I actually can't eat that much! Everyone's different though.

Snap that's my tummy right now bloated and looking pregnant lol

Phrick

I have a "secret weapon" of really low carb treat recipes - the way I'm looking at it is that since I'm going to be holding water weight during my period anyway and I too suffer from the urge to inhale all foods, I'm not going to add to the water weight by sucking down carb-filled treats... I know most low carb treats are pretty high calorie b/c they tend to be high fat but honestly it still helps because higher fat intake equals more satiety so I don't feel like I need to cram food in my gob as OFTEN. I figure if I maintain during that week, I'm pretty damn happy with it and won't complain!

wobchunk

Well maintaing is better than gaining I guess.

jennyloie1

wobchunk wrote: »

Well maintaing is better than gaining I guess.

True! But I definitely wouldn't take the fasting route. I'd pop a couple gas x and take a hot bath. Have a bowl of sliced strawberries with a tablespoon chocolate syrup and some reddi whip. A large bowl is under 250 calories!

wobchunk

jennyloie1 wrote: »

wobchunk wrote: »

Well maintaing is better than gaining I guess.

True! But I definitely wouldn't take the fasting route. I'd pop a couple gas x and take a hot bath. Have a bowl of sliced strawberries with a tablespoon chocolate syrup and some reddi whip. A large bowl is under 250 calories!

Ummm that sounds delish.

BeYouTiful94

Lol my whole day would look like Hershey's dark chocolate kisses and Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares (I actually prefer dark chocolate over regular so I could quite literally eat bags of kisses if I didn't keep myself under control)!! I get really bad cramps so I actually ended up talking to my doctor and getting one of those extended cycle birth control pills. So this only happens once every 3 months now (hallelujah), but the loads of chocolate I could and would consume before was astronomical

CollieFit

Unless you are overeating for the whole week, any gains are usually water. At TOTM I can fluctuate up by as much as 5lb, but it's not true gain and "whooshes" straight off the scale after a couple of days.

wobchunk

Thanks for your replies ladies xxx

amusedmonkey

I get the munchies before my period, so I munch within my calories. I usually spend my days hungry because if I'm going to be a bottomless hungry pit regardless of calories, I might as well be a bottomless hungry pit on appropriate calories. Of course it doesn't always work and sometimes I try to keep to maintenance, still hungry. Once my period starts I get "reverse munchies" and my my calorie intake dips drastically. Same with water weight. I balloon in all directions right before, then shrivel back to my absolute lowest for the week as soon as it starts.

lili200

Drinking tons of tea!! Making myself giant thermos with tea, and drink all day!!

amusedmonkey

Weird enough I crave oatmeal and potatoes instead of chocolate, and both have to have butter or oil for them to even slightly satisfy my cravings. Last month it was even weirder... It's been a long while since I had semolina (farina, or cream of wheat), but couldn't stop eating it last month.. with whole milk and butter of course. I find myself gravitating towards fatty starchy foods, not much towards sugary.

amclain93

I'm always the odd one out because i dont want to eat at all when it's lady time. I have to force myself to eat the week of and the week before. My sister does though, and the key is moderation, not denial. Have one chocolate before you want them so much you eat the whole bag, you know? You'll be satisfied and one chcolate is a lot easier to work off then a whole bagful, lol!

4leighbee

If I deny myself anything I seriously overcompensate, so if I crave salt, I eat salty pretzles (and then more water). If I crave chocolate, I choose dark chocolate and enjoy every bite. I ignore the scale completely.

VSXEdition

Just for today, I'll fit in some squats before bed - because my buns have gotten tired. Ha!

jmpaterno

I try to exercise and try to eat smaller meals so that I can fit in snacks I wouldn't normally eat (chocolate or chips for the win)! If I'm really feeling crappy or hungrier than usual, I just try to be nice to myself and may go past my calorie goal. I figure that one almost-maintenance day won't kill me, and as long as I'm not gaining, I'm doing better than before. I also refuse to weigh myself that week. I know the scale will show a gain, but I so don't need to see that if I'm already feeling a bit off!

arditarose

I indulge a bit and consider myself a success if I get through without gaining 10 lbs or stabbing anyone.

VictoryGarden

So struggling with that this month. Sometimes it's easy, but then there are months like this, where it's chocolate AND salty stuff. If it's nice outside I can go for a long walk, but winter still has us in its grip.

jenilla1

It isn't that much of an issue for me, especially if I stay active, but you could just try eating at maintenance instead of a deficit during that time. That way, you'll get to eat more, but you won't be reversing your weight loss, just taking a brief pause.

shiloheurydice

I go on as normal but I live by 4 words. STAY. OFF. THE. SCALES. I wont go near them unless my period is long gone.

Sweetnsimpleblond

Protein bars and dark chocolate.

Lounmoun

I prelog my food and try to stick to what I had planned.
Weigh and measure foods and drinks.
Get enough protein.
Watch sodium.
Drink water.
Drink hot tea.
Have some dark chocolate.
Eat at maintenance level for a day or two.
Chew gum.
Exercise.
Take vitamins. Magnesium, B vitamins or just a multivitamin could help.
Use a pain reliever.
Get enough sleep.

Coming to the end of my period right now and weighed in today with a 1.5 lb loss.