Ladies what do you do during T.O.M.

PandoraGreen721

I weigh and log. For any sweet cravings I warm up a quest bar and break it up into halo top Ice-cream...I'm all about getting my protein in while satisfying my sweet tooth!

jdhcm2006

I still weigh daily, and I still eat everything in moderation during my TOM & ovulation. I may eat more than normal, but that's to be expected. I will sometimes set my calories to maintenance or just not worry about the 300 extra calories b/c I know next week things will go back to normal. I always end up Chinese food, not chocolate b/c I eat that daily, lol.

MoveitlikeManda

weigh and log it,

I dont seem to struggled too much with sweet cravings, I do get them but can hold them off....but I also get cravings for salty stuff...walkers ready salted crisps are just the right salty and I really struggle holding off on the salty stuff.

so I allow myself to have stuff but in small portions and i weigh ad log everything in my food diary even if it means going over my calories a bit

oolou

Weigh and log food as normal. I tend to weigh myself daily and so I'm not taken by surprise when I see the scale go up a bit during my ToM. I will usually make a note on the weightgraph that its my ToM.

I do get more hungry just before my ToM. Usually I'll give in at some point and go over my calories goal. It is what it is. This is balanced by other times during the month when I'm not hungry and can eat a little less to compensate.

Lounmoun

Megansmith112712 wrote: »

As far as weigh in. Do you weigh and log as normal? Do you weigh and not log? Do you just avoid the scale? Last month and weighed and didn't log (gained 2 lbs) I weighed after T.O.M. left and lost it, then proceeded to lose another 2 lbs.

Do you have cravings and what do you do? The chocolate craving is strong this week. I've tried healthier alternatives abs lay night found a box of junior mints in my kitchen (didn't end well).

I weigh myself on my normal weigh in day and record the result. I think it is useful even if I am retaining water that week. It is normal.
I might eat at maintenance level for a day or two. I keep dark chocolate in the house. One or two pieces a day is fine- a whole family size bag is not. I eat it slowly and really savor it.
You might try taking vitamin or mineral supplements like magnesium if you have a lot of cravings.

CattOfTheGarage

I weigh and log, we're talking one week out of four, there's no way I'd maintain any kind of weight loss if I take a quarter of every month off. I also aim for the same targets as usual. I feel like if I give myself permission to go off the rails for TOM then I'd be doing it all the time!

However, you do have to expect a bit more erratic eating, and more slip-ups, and that's OK. And I don't care if it's magnesium deficiency or psychological (I lean to the latter), chocolate genuinely helps sometimes. BUT that doesn't mean I need to eat the whole family size bar! And if I stopped logging, that's exactly what would happen.

I also agree with the poster who said it's better to weigh and really see the water retention. We need to understand that water retention =/= fat gain, and if you weigh at TOM you'll see the pattern and hopefully get more relaxed about it.

tlflag1620

I step on the scale daily, so I'm used to fluctuations. Right now I'm nursing my youngest child, so no TOM for me (yay!!), but she turns one in August, so I know Aunt Flo will be back very, very soon . I make an effort to drink more water and avoid sodium-heavy foods to try to minimize the effects of the bloat during that time, but there is really only so much you can do.

I still stick with my plan (I eat LCHF), but I will allow myself a few squares of good quality dark chocolate (which isn't really off plan for me anyway, I just don't have it very often) if I am craving sweets. I find drinking more tea (or any warm cuppa) is really helpful in killing cravings for me (not sure what it is, maybe I just find it soothing/comforting?).

ericatoday

I eat everything insight gain 4lbs and it drops off afterwards. I still log and weigh myself everyday it suck but it happens. You burn more calories during that tom so thats why youre so hungry

salembambi

i weigh & try to log

i get really hungry , bloated and crave the hell out of sweets ...alll the sweets...and also salty but i mostly want ice cream

i usually log but i def eat whatever i want though...it gets messy

ouryve

It's PMS that usually makes me hungry and I am a lot more prone to getting shaky if I run out of energy. I don't change what I eat but I do tend to be more likely to use up all my exercise calories on an extra snack or, even give myself a day or so at maintenance if I'm not feeling so well.

I don't crave sweet stuff, so I'm lucky there. And once my period eventually starts, my appetite drops dramatically.

kshama2001

When I do the following, I don't have cravings:

1. Get sufficient sleep
2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts
7. Stay hydrated

When my appetite spikes up premenstrually, I honor it and eat at maintenance for a few days. Most times I add a snack and have a slightly larger dinner, and/or a treat.

I weigh daily regardless. I get a water weight gain at ovulation and right before my TOM (and when I started lifting weights again after a break) and am only concerned that the overall trend stays down.

hannahsadler_tn

I've struggled with craving savory stuff (chips, sushi, ramen) so moving forward, I'm going to eat at maintenance during the really bad craving days, I usually have 2. I think it will help with my fatigue and gym performance as well since those usually are affected during my PMS time.

Seffell

I weigh every day and log no matter what. I find it really fun to see the same patterns of the curve to repeat every month Makes me feel healthy to see how regularly my body works.

nat8199

I get very frustrated the week before my period starts because I don't lose weight at all and am hungry all the time. I never seem to realize what is going on. Then it starts, I lose weight again, and it all makes sense. Repeat each month.

CattOfTheGarage

I never realise what's going on mood-wise, I'm just convinced there's this huge crisis happening and everything's going to hell in a handbasket. In retrospect I can see it's hormonal mood changes but the mood swings themselves make it very hard to step back and be objective. So I know what you mean, @nat8199.