For the ladies...

emdeesea

Sorry guys if this is TMI. I apologize up front, but I need some feedback.

Ladies, I am usually very good about watching what I eat and logging everything. That is until about 10 days before that time of month.

I have Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder, which, if you're not familiar, is a severe form of PMS.

Some months its tolerable, and others it's crippling. I've had it for long enough that I can function through the emotional aspects, but the cravings are what does me in.

So does anyone have any tricks that they go to to get through the PMS cravings? I've tried a high carb diet and that worked so-so, but I did end up pretty bloated and uncomfortable. I already exercise, and that doesn't really seem to do anything. The cravings are still there, like a monster lurking under the bed, and there are times when I already feel like garbage anyway and the cravings are near impossible to resist. Having one little piece of chocolate doesn't work either because that turns into a whole bar of chocolate. I'm like an alcoholic during that time. Or like Dexter's "Dark Passenger," who is in the driver's seat.

Ugh. Does anyone have any tips they can give me? Thanks,

Iknowsaur

Popcorn with a olive oil and sea salt, and spices. You can have loads of popcorn for very few calories, so long as you don't go crazy with topping.
Fro-yo. It's not super low in calorie but it's better than icecream. I like Ben and Jerry's cherry garcia. For as rich as it tastes, it's pretty fair calorie-wise.
Dark chocolate + peanut butter (super filling, satisfies your sweet tooth, has protein.)
And maybe during your period week just eat at maintenance calories, or set it to .5 pounds a week.

Shell_1384

Sorry, don't have any tips for you. I just wanted to make a comment to help boost your post to the top of the forum list in the hopes it gets the attention of someone who can help. Best of luck achieving your goals

knitapeace

Popcorn with a olive oil and sea salt, and spices. You can have loads of popcorn for very few calories, so long as you don't go crazy with topping.
Fro-yo. It's not super low in calorie but it's better than icecream. I like Ben and Jerry's cherry garcia. For as rich as it tastes, it's pretty fair calorie-wise.
Dark chocolate + peanut butter (super filling, satisfies your sweet tooth, has protein.)
And maybe during your period week just eat at maintenance calories, or set it to .5 pounds a week.

+1 Great suggestions!

tabbyblack13

I know some people may not like me saying this but look at birth control. I have used it to reduce my period and to keep me from experiencing the craving and emotional swing. Now, I doubt I have ever been as bad as you but I work mainly with guys and they can't seem to understand what PMS (or anyother 'female' issue) can do to a person.

I saw the food suggestions and those sound good even without the cravings. The suggestion to do maintanence is also a good one. Helps takes off the pressure to lose weight during a rough time.

ottermotorcycle

Salted dark chocolate. Bitter, sweet, salty. Fills all the cravings and isn't terrible for you. Eat the whole bar. Yummmm.

Branstin

It may help to up your protein and fiber as well along with your water.

ottermotorcycle

I know some people may not like me saying this but look at birth control. I have used it to reduce my period and to keep me from experiencing the craving and emotional swing. Now, I doubt I have ever been as bad as you but I work mainly with guys and they can't seem to understand what PMS (or anyother 'female' issue) can do to a person.

I saw the food suggestions and those sound good even without the cravings. The suggestion to do maintanence is also a good one. Helps takes off the pressure to lose weight during a rough time.

Yell at people who wouldn't like you for this. Birth control isn't just for the controlling of pregnancy, and is often prescribed to help with exactly this kind of problem. It's a medical issue and you suggested a medical solution. You are right.

mschicagocubs

Dark Chocolate is better than Milk chocolate.

Maybe do a protein shake with some dark chocolate flavoring ... make it so you think you are eating ice cream

lilRicki

I know some people may not like me saying this but look at birth control. I have used it to reduce my period and to keep me from experiencing the craving and emotional swing. Now, I doubt I have ever been as bad as you but I work mainly with guys and they can't seem to understand what PMS (or anyother 'female' issue) can do to a person.

I saw the food suggestions and those sound good even without the cravings. The suggestion to do maintanence is also a good one. Helps takes off the pressure to lose weight during a rough time.

I'm on my 4th kind of birth control because I have crazy pms and my BC doesn't help. I don't have an answer for you my dear. I'm trying yoga, exercise, reduce sodium, but in the end I still chow down on sour candies and chips. I try and stave off the monster until the weekend, and keep it to one day, but that doesn't always happen.

lilRicki

I know some people may not like me saying this but look at birth control. I have used it to reduce my period and to keep me from experiencing the craving and emotional swing. Now, I doubt I have ever been as bad as you but I work mainly with guys and they can't seem to understand what PMS (or anyother 'female' issue) can do to a person.

I saw the food suggestions and those sound good even without the cravings. The suggestion to do maintanence is also a good one. Helps takes off the pressure to lose weight during a rough time.

Yell at people who wouldn't like you for this. Birth control isn't just for the controlling of pregnancy, and is often prescribed to help with exactly this kind of problem. It's a medical issue and you suggested a medical solution. You are right.

after you're done yelling, b!tch slap them. Birth Control isn't the devil!

luvmydawgs

Keep it away from you! I am scared my period is due soon and I can already feel myself getting more and more hungry. It is not that I need bad stuff it is just that when I am hungry that is all I can find!

emdeesea

Thanks everyone. I was on birth control for a while for the medical aspects but as I've gotten older it has affected my blood pressure negatively. The last time I was on it I had to go off because my blood pressure spiked to stroke levels. So no more BC for me.

Same goes for SSRIs (antidepressants). Unfortunately I'm in the like 2% of people whose blood pressure is affected negatively.

Which basically leaves me with trying to control it with diet.

All of these food suggestions are great though, I will try a few of them and see what happens. Thanks again!

SJBQ87

I feel your pain. I have horrible PMS symptoms. I was diagnosed with PMDD not too long ago, but I have to say that I think it's diminishing somewhat (I'm 49, still having regular periods, but probably something is changing with my hormones at this age.) Maybe I'm just getting used to it or getting better at dealing with it. I don't know. Overeating is a big problem with me for PMS week, so this month I'm trying something new. I just changed my goal status to "maintain current weight" and I'm leaving it that way until the PMS is over. It's impossible for me to lose any weight that week anyway. Now I have some extra calories to play with. I'll change back to "lose weight" when the PMS is over. I'm hoping that I will be able to feed the cravings a little knowing I have some extra calories and not have to beat myself up for indulging. If I don't give myself a reason to feel guilty, maybe I'll be less irritable about my eating. We'll see how it goes. Has anyone else tried anything like this?

xixshaiyaxix

I also feel your pain, I have PCOS and when I am bleeding (I bleed one every 3 months, but when I do, its dangerous amounts of blood), I can't physically move much during that time, and I barely eat. In the midst of my misery I often just tell the hubby to order pizza and that leads to ruining my diet. I am on treatment now, and hope that I will now have regular periods that I can still be active and do daily activities. I wish you the best.

All I can suggest is, try grazing on vegetables and fruits and dark chocolate. Also eat lots of protein. I often get cravings so I know the struggle. Best wishes!

asia1967

Emdeesea: Thanks for posting, I just finished and whished I could have read this thread. I will also try the maintenance when going thru cycle. Some months are way worse than others. Good luck with whatever helps. If you happen to find some miracle please let the rest of us suffers know. Thanks again. :flowerforyou:

Raynne413

Sorry guys if this is TMI. I apologize up front, but I need some feedback.

Ladies, I am usually very good about watching what I eat and logging everything. That is until about 10 days before that time of month.

I have Premenstrual Dysmorphic Disorder, which, if you're not familiar, is a severe form of PMS.

Some months its tolerable, and others it's crippling. I've had it for long enough that I can function through the emotional aspects, but the cravings are what does me in.

So does anyone have any tricks that they go to to get through the PMS cravings? I've tried a high carb diet and that worked so-so, but I did end up pretty bloated and uncomfortable. I already exercise, and that doesn't really seem to do anything. The cravings are still there, like a monster lurking under the bed, and there are times when I already feel like garbage anyway and the cravings are near impossible to resist. Having one little piece of chocolate doesn't work either because that turns into a whole bar of chocolate. I'm like an alcoholic during that time. Or like Dexter's "Dark Passenger," who is in the driver's seat.

Ugh. Does anyone have any tips they can give me? Thanks,

I've found that if I increase my fat intake around that time, it helps with cravings.

stephgas

when i still had my period, i would get horrible cravings. sometimes it was just I WANT TO EAT, sometimes it was for specific things. when i just wanted to eat, popcorn was my go-to. a big bowl with a tablespoon of butter and a bit of salt was satisfying and not RIDICULOUS, and it gave me the feeling that i was eating a lot. dark chocolate, especially salted - another favorite when i had a craving. and i'd eat half a bar, and save the other half. jello pudding cups, the double chocolate, didn't always satisfy my chocolate cravings during TOM, but they helped.

i also didn't just crave 'bad' foods - i'd get the worst cravings for spinach, broccoli, and tomatoes (not together). the spinach makes sense - iron - but some days i'd just slice a tomato and eat it with a pinch of salt or a pinch of sugar, depending on my mood. i guess i never 'got through' the cravings, i'd give into them. when i was actively watching my diet, i'd be sure to stay under my calorie goal each day so i had a bit of wiggle room for cravings.

TheRealNoodlette

I'm a huge fan of acupuncture and I really recommend it for issues related to your cycle. You may have to go several times a month for the effects. Do you have access to community acupuncture? It's usually cheaper, sliding scale around $15-40 or so. I don't know if this is something that is available to you or if you can afford it, but I think it might help. Best of luck to you!

cecesquats

For sweets, I really like the Weight Watchers ice cream. They have a lot of choices and they're soooo good. I've had ones that range from 60-140 calories. Also, if you check coupon websites, you may be able to find a $3 off/2 boxes coupon Another easy thing to do with sweets is making those little frozen yogurt bites. You take a cookie sheet and line it with parchment paper. Then you load up a plastic baggie with yogurt and cut a piece out of the corner and use it as a piping bag. Pipe little dots on the paper and freeze them. Tastes like candy

nashvillenellie

I can totally relate to your problem I just try to workout extra hard to make up for the junk food I inhale at that time of the month. It sucks!

6ftamazon

Oh man, i feel you lol. last time I ate the whole house! I have noticed though, that when I cut down on breads/carbs and eat a bit more fat, I don't overeat as much, if at all.

nutmeg4204

As a fellow PMDD sufferrer, I completely understand this. One solution I have is to just allow the cravings to take over. You can make sweets much healthier if you make them from scratch. I learned how to use 1/3 oat, whole wheat and whole wheat baby white (not bleached) instead of regular flour. Applesauce instead of oil, and organic sugar or honey instead of more refined sugar. Last time I lost a ton of weight, I did it eating baked goods all the time, but with these substitutions. PMDD is HORRIBLE. Every month I thank God that my last pregnancy reversed the mental side of it. My cravings are still bad and I still have numb leg. Sometimes when going through this, we just have to thank God that it isn't worse, and just deal with what symptoms we do have, even if it does mean eating that entire chocolate bar. Just remember that when you must give in, tomorrow is a new day and that you can work harder the next day to get back on the healthy side of things.

Krikit34

I'll eat dill pickles or have some Altoids mints when I can't get a grip on cravings. Only a few calories, but both are really strong flavors and I usually don't crave the taste of something else following them. The pickles help settle the cravings for salty and the mints for something sweet.

kelsully

Thanks everyone. I was on birth control for a while for the medical aspects but as I've gotten older it has affected my blood pressure negatively. The last time I was on it I had to go off because my blood pressure spiked to stroke levels. So no more BC for me.

Same goes for SSRIs (antidepressants). Unfortunately I'm in the like 2% of people whose blood pressure is affected negatively.

Which basically leaves me with trying to control it with diet.

All of these food suggestions are great though, I will try a few of them and see what happens. Thanks again!

I did not have so much as a cranky moment related to TOM before having my 4th child and only son. My hormones where whacked beyond belief after giving birth to him.

I tried 7 different BC in 2.5 years...The PMDD I experienced were horrible. I did not have predictable TOM, even on the pill, and only knew when I might be possibly due for TOM when I felt completely out of control of myself as a human, emotionally, physically etc. I would feel tired, have cravings, scream at people, want more horrible thoughts to end, hate myself for giving into a craving etc. After 2-3 days of this I would tell my husband, usually in tears, that I bet I get TOM tomorrow..and lo and behold i would.

I could not do another pill. Between migraines, pain, frightening moods, and unusual cycles it was clear that non of the BC was going to "fix it". I went to a crazy doctor we call the witch doctor. He did all kinds of nutrition allergy type testing and told me to go gluten and dairy free for 6 months and then we would go from there...symptoms improved dramatically in 6 weeks. I am regular and on my worst months I would say I have PMS..not PMDD anymore. His methods are odd but his results match testing I had done earlier in life via blood tests etc.

Look up Nutritive Response Testing. It is nuts but it is one of those things that can't hurt to try and if it doesn't solve problems you have not done anything harmful to your body.

Maleficent0241

I just eat at maintenance for a few days. I know I could force myself to eat less, but why make it more horrible than it already is? Whoever mentioned the salted chocolate, that works for me too - salted caramel milk chocolate does me wonders. Sweet, salt, and fat all in one package. I always forget about it though so thanks for the reminder!

I have also heard of taking L-tryptophan or eating tryptophan rich foods can help - I can't personally vouch for it as I haven't really researched into it much or tried it on myself, but it can't hurt to include more of those foods in your diet and see what happens.

smarieallen85

Okay....It's embarrassing that I know this but the Stonyfield chocolate frozen yogurt has 400 calories in an entire pint. Sometimes I have 400 calories left over....and I eat the whole thing!

zilkah

I just give in and eat like total crap when I am pmsing BUT I just make my meals the junk I'm craving so I'm not eating junk on top of other meals too. Sometimes my breakfasts will be...cookies and muffins.... and then I'll have an ice cream bar later in the day after 'lunch' lol. I just try my best to set aside calories for that or I just bump up my exercise so that even if I eat a bunch of junk the damage isn't too much. I do get super bloated though from my bad eating and it always dies down after a few days because I don't go over the calories much, but the nutritional value of the stuff I eat when pms is probably really bad.

I dont get the horrible cravings very often, but every few months it happens