Ladies what do you do that time of the month?

MaiLinna
MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm bloated, I'm drained, I'm cramped from the stomach down to my aching toes, and I'm craving all sorts of random foods that either don't even care for or I want 500lbs. of carbs!!!!

Ugh...how do you deal with it? I caved and ate a giant sweetroll today...and now I'm hungry. :/
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Replies

  • rachlou82mfp
    rachlou82mfp Posts: 5
    You sound like me! That time of month is awful, and I can't even consider exercise during it. I'd like to know what other people do, too!
  • BRA_S
    BRA_S Posts: 111 Member
    Curious to see answers on this also. Every time I get mine I feel like I am going to literally die. So I haven't worked out yet while on it.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I get monster cravings the week before. Sometimes I cave, sometimes I don't. I'm not going to let it derail my progress the other three weeks.
  • zillah73
    zillah73 Posts: 505 Member
    It is definitely a challenge – I get food cravings and physical discomfort – but I do my best to stick to my plan both with meals and workouts. The only concession I'll make is maybe dialing the intensity back on a workout but I won't skip it altogether. I am always glad I did as exercise and healthy eating seem to alleviate some of the cramps.
  • SuperWhoLock24601
    SuperWhoLock24601 Posts: 245 Member
    I do yoga, and have a banana (I sprinkle a little bit of cocoa and sugar on it to help the cravings).
  • NH_Norma
    NH_Norma Posts: 332 Member
    I get monster cravings the week before. Sometimes I cave, sometimes I don't. I'm not going to let it derail my progress the other three weeks.

    This. And some kind of activity, even if less intense, actually helps the physical blahs and grumpiness. And ibuprofen.
  • jenmom2myboys
    jenmom2myboys Posts: 311 Member
    I am pmsing and bloated right now. I was ravenous today. I ate 2 gluten free burritos for dinner, that helped a bit.
  • manda1978
    manda1978 Posts: 525 Member
    I do the same as every other day. I eat well and train. Take some nurofen if absolutely necessary. No excuses.
  • austepants
    austepants Posts: 356 Member
    I drink tons of water (helps with the bloating) and make sure to exercise I feel it helps me. I try to stay strong when the cravings come but sometimes its tough. Hang in there it really is the worst but we can do this!!
  • callas444
    callas444 Posts: 261 Member
    I still do my steps and workouts, regardless of TOM. I think most people want to eat more during their time. It's one of those nature things that we have trouble overcoming. I just try to remember that every extra calorie I eat will end up being pounds that take longer to lose. I've spent my life losing the same 50 pounds over and over and over again. Those 50 pounds are dead any buried now. I'm not going to let my period derail my efforts. That being said, if I have a chocolate craving, nothing else is going to satisfy me. Instead of eating 10 things to try not to eat the chocolate, I just eat the dang chocolate. In the long run, it's going to save me calories. Half a candy bar is about 150 calories. I can fit that into my day if I choose.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    I gain 5lbs, whine a whole lot and do really crappy in Martial Arts class.
  • Gaaya3
    Gaaya3 Posts: 13 Member
    I did a spin class today and it's that time of the month. This was my third spin class and it was much harder...I had to dial back my normal level of intensity. I'm glad I did it though. I think going through the exercise motions but listening tom your body and adjusting the intensity is a good place to start...based on my one day of experience...
  • jenmom2myboys
    jenmom2myboys Posts: 311 Member
    I gain 5lbs, whine a whole lot and do really crappy in Martial Arts class.

    lmao
  • ckchilds
    ckchilds Posts: 5 Member
    Drink lots of water. That may sound counter-intuitive but it helps. Definitely exercise! It really will help. When I need to satisfy my sweet tooth, I have a bite-size piece of dark chocolate, like a piece of Dove or Hershey's Bliss, or a dark chocolate mini reesee's peanut butter cup. That's just enough to feel like I have indulged, but without too many calories (about 40).
  • MadCountyMama
    MadCountyMama Posts: 38 Member
    I just went thru this last week!! I did give into some cravings (CHOCOLATE!) but I went for dark chocolate and a small amount of that satisfies me. And I ate a bowl of fruit salad at night when I would crave sugar. That really helped.
    I also upped my protein and I think that helped me not feel so tired and sluggish.
    I am training for a 10k in June and Saturday I had to do 3 miles. I did not want to move!!! I found a pin on pinterest about stretches for cramps and it also suggested walking/run intervals.
    Then I took a bath with epsom salts. Drank lots of water! More than usual! And get good sleep!
    Also I sometimes take an Aleve before I run.
    Part of it is mental too. Just gotta decide you're gonna get through it and go!
  • LadyGhostDuchess
    LadyGhostDuchess Posts: 894 Member
    Back in the day (I am getting back into it now) I use to work out through it. Work on Abs and lower torso stuff, then a good bath after it. For me, pressure upon the pain seems to help with it, so does heat.
  • fragilegift
    fragilegift Posts: 347 Member
    I avoid starches, increase read meat intake, and water. Since I have improved my water intake I have barely any cramping (compared to pre-hydration when I wanted to rip my insides out for a week). If cravings look to be bad, I have a multi vitamin for a couple of days. But I also have a LOT more energy the first two days. I feel invincible, I can run a lot further, with less discomfort....no clue why.

    But I also try not to have junk in the house. I know I'll cave in. If I want some, then I have to walk to the shop to get it. Its only a mile round trip, but well..its not mindless gluttony.
  • tabbyblack13
    tabbyblack13 Posts: 299 Member
    My TOM use to be so bad that I could barely move then I went on birth control. Now it has been minimized so it isn't that bad right now. I still take a lot of ibuprofen tho. Just try to move even if it's a walk around the block and make sure you drink a lot of water. Then curl up with a heat pad and watch tv.
  • inky16
    inky16 Posts: 113 Member
    Depends on how bad it gets, some months are worse than others. Last month I was in completely out of it for 24 hours with severe stomach flu symptoms (my SO was threatening to take me to the ER for dehydration), so I there wasn't much of anything happening as far as eating, much less working out. But most months I've realized if I keep my workouts consistent the week before, even if I go over because of cravings and such, it's not so bad the week of. Oh and what everyone said about water - it's good advice. Also dialing back a bit on the caffeine (I drop from 3 cups/day to 1-2).
  • scorpiophoenix
    scorpiophoenix Posts: 222 Member
    I drink lots of water and buy a box of milk duds. Five a day is only 65 calories and takes care of my NEED for chocolate. lol
  • doctorsookie
    doctorsookie Posts: 1,084 Member
    I'd I'm hungry I eat. Some may dispute ot but you really are burning more calories during this Time so your body needs more. This does not mean eat twice as much but if you crave a sweet then go for it and don't sweat the small stuff. This time thankfully only happens once a month so one or two days of going over your calories won't hurt your goals. I myself have been having a tough time of it this month and tonight I am going over because I didn't get a lot of exercise in but I am still hungry so I'm having a snack. Also, up your water.

    Hope you feel better soon.
  • hkristine1
    hkristine1 Posts: 950 Member
    Once every 4-5 months, I get cramps SUPER bad (I get cramps every month, but every so often, one of the months is way worse than the others). Exercising during that time is pretty much impossible. During those really bad ones, I actually don't feel like eating at all because I already feel uncomfortably "full" - like after over-indulging at Thanksgiving. I take ibuprofen and use a heating pad to try to dull the pain. I have skipped work so I can just stay in bed. I also *try* to drink a lot of water, with the hope that will help the bloating to pass faster, but it does make it hurt more right at first when I already feel sooooo over-full.

    On the other months, when it's just "sort of" bad, I find that exercising actually helps me take my mind off the pain / cravings. I find that moderately challenging exercise is the best - so spin class or an eliptical machine is good. Running is too hard at that time, so I don't do that... and things like yoga are too easy and don't take my mind off the pain well enough.

    As for the food cravings, I have food cravings most of the time anyway (like 28 out of 31 days/month - ha) so I do my best to budget calories for the end-of-the-day cravings that I know are bound to hit me. And sometimes, I just have to tell myself "tough luck" and not indulge... and going to bed seems to work pretty well for me. If I'm sleeping, I'm not craving! ha.
  • BraveNewdGirl
    BraveNewdGirl Posts: 937 Member
    I find that hitting it even on those days of the month actually serves to reduce my hormone related aches and lethargy, so I try to suck it up and get 'er done even if I'm not feeling completely up to it. Once I get going, I rarely even have to dial back the intensity of my workouts and I always feel better after I'm done than before I started, so... there's something to be said for exercise as therapy!
  • MaiLinna
    MaiLinna Posts: 580 Member
    I only crave the carbs and chocolate. When it comes to actually eating it, I'm already painfully bloated and can't physically eat much of it (so I guess that's pretty good most days.)

    Last month I did yoga despite the ToM and I did pretty good, but this time I had to do some shopping the other day and man...I can't move...
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    I usually give in, be lazy, take lots of Midol and sleep a lot and it goes away in 2 days or so... 2 days won't kill my months and months of efforts, so I don't sweat it.
  • ErinMcMom
    ErinMcMom Posts: 228 Member
    I keep on trucking.

    I find that if I don't get up and get moving I feel even worse. I may not go for an intense cardio workout, but getting out and taking a nice long walk with some music that I love helps a lot. Curling up on the couch just makes everything worse for me.
    I also crave carbs, but I just make room for the carbs I'm craving in my day and I'm good to go!
  • spirit095
    spirit095 Posts: 1,017 Member
    I take a Motrin and drink lots of water. I still do my workouts as usual, since moving around makes me feel a bit better. I'll sometimes have a treat if I've craving it, but I'm usually too bloated to want to eat much.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
    I work through it. Exercise helps for me - by the end of a long hard workout any discomfort will be gone. Doesn't help the cravings though! I usually just give in to those. Having a couple bad days a month won't ruin my progress.
  • babydaisy81
    babydaisy81 Posts: 218 Member
    I eat like a horse! Try to keep workubg out but sometimes I just can't, so I sit around and fight the urge to eat an entire grocery store.
  • love2b3fit
    love2b3fit Posts: 31
    Ugh I literally get the same way, I just avoid my kitchen at all costs lol! Unless im making a protein shake I stay away from the kitchen, but I usually don't work out during that time because my cramps are just awful, ssso im usually just in bed relaxing with my laptop and some movies!

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