Ladies, is Tom sabbotaging your diet?

13

Replies

  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    No. I don't let it. I had quite a few health problems last year, and spent 6 months bleeding continuously while my hormones did whatever the heck they wanted to. If I had said "whatever, I'm on my period so I'll just eat whatever" I would have made no progress at all. The vast majority of women have to deal with this nuisance for the majority of their lives...I'm not going to let it get in the way of what I want in life. I probably spend more of that week begging for a hysterectomy than I do craving chocolate anyway. :laugh:
  • BabyLovesToRun
    BabyLovesToRun Posts: 120 Member
    Women using TOM as a means of not being about to diet is just an EXCUSE!

    I bloat, and I crave during that time as well, but if you don't keep crap in the house to eat, you can't eat crap!

    And NO birth control does nothing. I spent 28 years of my life without a TOM (Yep, didn't start my TOM til' 28 and went on BC.) It made me crave MORE. Train yourself to crave something good. Go for a sweet fruit instead of chocolate. My favorite are strawberries.
  • qtgonewild
    qtgonewild Posts: 1,930 Member
    no.
  • jesyfm
    jesyfm Posts: 20 Member
    I clicked on this topic and actually thought it was about boyfriends called Tom who don't help your diet!! Hahaha.

    Anyway, whenever I had a period I would be so hungry, and so much pain... my boyfriend (called Tom!) never understood that chocolate helped and said 'no, too many calories'! :( I have the injection now every three months and it stops periods - honestly, it's amazing, no more pain or periods!
  • Hmm...for a couple of days a month, yeah! But two weeks of each month? No way! That would mean being out of control half of the time! Seems a little crazy to me.
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
    I have gotten my period every month since I was 14... it doesn't just sneak up on me each month. I know how it effects me, but it is my responsibility to control my food intake. It seems to me that women use TOM as an excuse. If you cant't control yourself you are doing the sabbotage.
  • vixx1405
    vixx1405 Posts: 129 Member
    During my TOM my problem is that i just feel so lazy an its just so hard to motivate myself when i just wanna curl up an eat chocolate!!
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    Seriously! Every time my tom comes around there is 2 weeks where all I want is garbage and i completely sabbotage my diet and have zero self control. Does anyone else have this problem? Does birth control help?

    Once in a while I might get cravings but it's not that often.

    Also I would strongly urge you to NOT go on the pill just because you think it's going to "fix" your cravings before your period. The pill wreaks havoc on your body and screws up your hormones. I got off the pill several years ago and even though getting off of it was the best thing I ever did (I was exhausted all the time, slept away my weekends) my hormones are still screwed up from the years that I was taking the pill.
  • Chain_Ring
    Chain_Ring Posts: 753 Member
    Wish I had a built in excuse. Alas. ;-)
  • raqueldaisy
    raqueldaisy Posts: 47 Member
    Seriously! Every time my tom comes around there is 2 weeks where all I want is garbage and i completely sabbotage my diet and have zero self control. Does anyone else have this problem? Does birth control help?

    BC does not help unfortunately! But I'm right there with you!!
  • Wish I had a built in excuse. Alas. ;-)

    I think it is a valid excuse...when used honestly. There is no way a person can be out of commission half of the time because of their period. And if they are, it would be wise to go to the doctor and figure out what is wrong! ;)
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I broke up with TOM in March of 2009 and no longer have this problem.
  • idontcarroll
    idontcarroll Posts: 216 Member
    Do I get cravings? Yep. Do I eat everything I'm craving? Nope.

    It's called having willpower. You have to learn to say no!
  • kekeleeks
    kekeleeks Posts: 74 Member
    Girlfriend, I know what you are going through. I used to have this same issue. I would be fine, doing real good. Then TOM comes and I am off the game for weeks, weeks!! One month TOM had the air smelling like cookies..

    What has helped is (1) telling TOM to shut the #$%^ up! I mean literally when the thought of eating a bag of cookies for dinner enters my mind I say shut the #$%^ up. Ain't nobody got time to be working off those calories. It's easy to gain but sure is hard to loose. (2) Supplementing the bad stuff with the good so it balances it out. Meaning that I might be craving something really delicious (and sugary and fattening) so I am going to eat more veggies, lean meats etc. throughout the day to balance it out. (3) exercising, which is hard when TOM comes around, but my cravings subside and I am less likely to binge. This could be something as simple as taking a 10-15 minute walk or if you really want to quiet the noise, some hardcore *kitten*-kicking tabata because usually by the time you are done you ain't even thinking about TOM and his unreasonable demands (4) I don't keep those things in my house or in my purse. So if I really want them, I have to go to the store and I am usually to tired and ornery to get out of bed or leave the house.

    It will take some time to get used to and some trial and error. But find what works for you to get through it. I do not have that issue now. And just know that some months will be better than others.
  • silver_arrow3
    silver_arrow3 Posts: 1,373 Member
    Nope. I have an occasional craving, sure, but I know how to stop eating or just make sure I have the caloric budget to satisfy those cravings.
  • KHalseth
    KHalseth Posts: 104 Member
    OMG, yes! Most months I crave potato chips and nuts. Salty fatty foods. I very occassionally will crave sweets. Most rare is the chocolate/coffee/caffeine craving. If I have no cravings that month, I will get horrible back cramps and the normal TOM migraine will be significantly worse. Most months I get a 'functional migraine' on or about day two. But if I don't have TOM cravings I will get a migraine that keeps me home from work. I really don't know why. But I usually gain weight that week.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    2 weeks out of every 4?? You are going to have to deal with your period for a LONG time. You've got to get it under control. Maybe schedule small things to satisfy your cravings or something. Like a piece of dark chocolate every night. Make sure you fill up on protien and fiber (and make sure you aren't eat at too steep of a deficit) so you are less likely to give in.
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    You have your period every month. You know when it's going to happen. Plan accordingly.

    Being a female isn't rocket science.
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
    No, if anything I walk more because my TOMS are so comfortable.

    Seriously, can we not write period or menstruation on here?
  • a_stronger_me13
    a_stronger_me13 Posts: 812 Member
    I think our metabolisms actually increase slightly during our periods. So, our appetite increases. We also may experience a little water retention that, combined with our heightened appetites, makes us feel like we're gaining weight.

    Why on earth would you think that a little menstrual bleeding would increase metabolism? Metabolic changes happen over time, not quickly from one day to the next.

    You clearly don't understand how hormones affect your body.
  • mmia73
    mmia73 Posts: 7
    Hi im Mia. I have the same problem with sugar bread white mind you at that time of the month. Im am incorporating healthy sweets and nut butters in my diet. Nutella and celery does the trick for me. Just try to savor every bite. I know its hard but its so worth it. Even a chocolate portion shake is satisfying and delicious.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    I think our metabolisms actually increase slightly during our periods. So, our appetite increases. We also may experience a little water retention that, combined with our heightened appetites, makes us feel like we're gaining weight.

    Why on earth would you think that a little menstrual bleeding would increase metabolism? Metabolic changes happen over time, not quickly from one day to the next.

    You clearly don't understand how hormones affect your body.

    Pretty sure I do. Hormones affect how our body stores fat and where, and imbalances can affect such things, but not metabolic calorie burn in any way that would affect weight gain over a couple of days based on intake.

    http://www.metaboliceffect.com/female-effect-hormones-determine-female-fat-patterns/
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    It makes fighting cravings more harder yeah. But I'm trying to get better to tackle it. I don't usually crave sweets any time, I usually want more bread and carbs and cheese type stuff. But it could only sabotage my diet if it lasted like 12 months or something. It's just for about 7-10 days and then afterwards (and during if I'm strong enough) to battle impulses and nothing too bad happens.
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    No, if anything I walk more because my TOMS are so comfortable.

    Seriously, can we not write period or menstruation on here?
    I agree...I was so confused at first as to who the h..l tom was. I literally thought she was talking about someone only to finally realize she meant her period. Maybe some people are just uncomfortable with the word period
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    Hi im Mia. I have the same problem with sugar bread white mind you at that time of the month. Im am incorporating healthy sweets and nut butters in my diet. Nutella and celery does the trick for me. Just try to savor every bite. I know its hard but its so worth it. Even a chocolate portion shake is satisfying and delicious.

    I just saw your post and just wanted to reply that my name is Mia too haha. I just thought that was neat.
  • mandi_spicer
    mandi_spicer Posts: 37 Member
    No, every time I see Tom Hiddleston I pretty much drool

    Agree.
  • RonnieLodge
    RonnieLodge Posts: 665 Member
    Wish I had a built in excuse. Alas. ;-)

    Pretty sure it *could* be arranged for you to bleed from your fun parts once a month. :wink:

    PMT'ing so hard right now. I am super sleepy (hello 10+ hours sleep a night), cramping up despite massive amounts of painkillers, a chest so horribly tender so that it is painful to walk quickly or even up/down stairs and wanting to eat ALL THE THINGS. ALL OF THEM.

    For at least 7-10 days a month. It is pretty ****ty. :grumble:

    (and this is it made BETTER with birth control)
  • Jkn921
    Jkn921 Posts: 309 Member
    Few days before mine started I was so hungry and craving junk food...my scale went down weirdly enough. Seems at the time it wants to stay still. I see a little of the weight creeping up but as I'll be done with exams (hooray) and finished with TOM it'll be time to put it in place
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    FYI God kills a kitten every time a TOM thread appears on MFP.

    RIP sweet little kitten :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    FYI God kills a kitten every time a TOM thread appears on MFP.

    RIP sweet little kitten :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad: :sad:

    but if you cover 'em with chocolate, the chicks on the rag will eat 'em.
    problem solved.