How do you deal with PMS hunger?

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  • evilpoptart63
    evilpoptart63 Posts: 397 Member
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    Uhh yeah this is me too. I end up lowering my standards just a bit lol. When I get that bottomless pit hunger I usually end up going over my calorie budget so I focus on staying at or just below my TDEE and try to increase my activity . I also increase my carb settings for a few day because thats usually what Im craving anyway and I seem to minimize the damage if I work it into my daily plan instead of eating my normal meals plus a *kitten* -ton of carbs on top of it when I give into cravings (yes, Im a-type and write out a meal schedule every day haha!!)
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
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    lady_bug_jd wrote: »
    I read recently that magnesium can help with PMS symptoms including food cravings.

    Magnesium used to help mitigate the cramping for me. It was still there, but barely noticeable. Sadly it's gotten too bad for that to help now so I'm on prescription drugs now.

    But for those who suffer mild cramping, it's certainly worth a try.

    Sadly, it never did anything for my cravings. So I've started simply eating at maintenance (those extra 500kcals usually end up being invested in cheese, fruit and chocolate.) :smile:
  • bfitgirl
    bfitgirl Posts: 138 Member
    edited November 2017
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    Eat more fat less carbs after Ovulation around day 14 and reverse more carbs less fat when you period starts. I have found this helps but the week running up to period is when I kick in the diet change. I cannot remember the doc itself but just googled and got this one which is on the same line but involves training and macro specifications!
    https://www.metaboliceffect.com/15-facts-about-weight-loss-and-the-menstrual-cyle/

    And of course when I say fats and carbs I mean the good stuff
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
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    1. Eat at maintenance those days.
    2. Exercise! If I want to eat I move at least 15 minutes first. Then I reassess if I am really hungry.
    3. Get plenty of fiber. This helps a lot with Cravings in general.
    4. Indulge in the really, really good stuff... Not the cheapest chocolate, but the excellent chocolate. I find I'm satisfied much more quickly if I let myself have the thing I really want instead of trying to compromise.
  • RunStart34
    RunStart34 Posts: 164 Member
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    Glad to read these comments. I am not alone!!! I also noticed that every month is different. Usually one month I am able to keep good and another crave and hungry for everything. I have noticed that when I eat avocado with chicken or anything else mixed has kept me full during that time but if I eat anything else I am hungry an hour later. Of course I keep my dark chocolate on hand since sometimes i am not sure what is worse the hunger or the craving :blush: .
  • EsmeMary101
    EsmeMary101 Posts: 154 Member
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    This happens to me too. I find getting a good sleep helps it a little but I just try not to give in too much and accept I can be back to being good in a couple of days.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    lady_bug_jd wrote: »
    I read recently that magnesium can help with PMS symptoms including food cravings.

    That hasn't work for me unfortunately. I mean, before I went on birth control, magnesium did make the cramps a bit easier to tolerate. Now I take a very good magnesium supplement daily and it seems to have no effect on hunger though.
    bfitgirl wrote: »
    Eat more fat less carbs after Ovulation around day 14 and reverse more carbs less fat when you period starts. I have found this helps but the week running up to period is when I kick in the diet change. I cannot remember the doc itself but just googled and got this one which is on the same line but involves training and macro specifications!
    https://www.metaboliceffect.com/15-facts-about-weight-loss-and-the-menstrual-cyle/

    And of course when I say fats and carbs I mean the good stuff

    I don't technically ovulate since I'm on BC (which makes it surprising that I still experience PMS-related hunger even though I don't technically have a natural "cycle", but apparently it's not that uncommon). I will try changing my macros depending like you say to see if it helps. Thanks for the advice.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    Those who keep bringing up chocolate and other junk food in this thread, note that I didn't say cravings in my original post, I said hunger. And that is what it it. I don't crave chocolate or any other particular food. I crave all food, any food: healthy food, unhealthy food. Calorie dense foods appear especially appealing, but not necessarily unhealthy. I might crave nuts, whole grains and sf protein bars. My problem is not that I want unhealthy foods but more food that my budget allows. I guess aiming to eat at maintenance is a the only solution. After reading that thread on refeeds and diet breaks I am considering making a diet break every month during that week when I'm extra hungry.
  • nickssweetheart
    nickssweetheart Posts: 874 Member
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    I'm serious about spicy foods killing my hunger and encouraging me to drink water, btw. Even if you're not a big fan of spice, I'd give it a try at whatever level of spice you can tolerate.
  • oat_bran
    oat_bran Posts: 370 Member
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    nickssweetheart wrote: »
    I'm serious about spicy foods killing my hunger and encouraging me to drink water, btw. Even if you're not a big fan of spice, I'd give it a try at whatever level of spice you can tolerate.

    I haven't notice spicy food killing my hunger before, but I'll try eating a very spicy tom yum soup next time and see if it helps! Thanks for the tip!

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