A question for the Ladies

ChelseaSmile22

I have the sweet tooth of a 5 year old and honestly ice cream is my biggest challenge BUT one of the things that helped me a lot with my sweet tooth cravings was actually frozen fruit. I would crave icecream but instead get a bowl of frozen mangos and strawberries and blueberries. It is still something cold but also due to the fact that its frozen you cannot devour the whole bowl in a mere couple of minutes like regular fruit. This usually allows you enough sugar and enough time to get your craving under control. But lets be real we all need a little Ben and Jerry every once and a while. But the trick is not to sit on the couch with the container! scoop yourself a bowl, count it in your calories. AND do not return to the freezer. I REPEAT! do not return to the freezer!!!!!!!

nobel99

That was weird...I tried to post a reply to the one thing I liked (not sure what happened but anyway....)
.... "I don't make excuses, I make decisions"! I love that answer. I always want to eat everything that's not tied down during the first two days when FLO comes to visit (lol) I eat whatever I feel like and log it....working hard to burn those calories brings oxygen into your muscles and alleviates the dumbass cramps!!

Fit_Chef_NE

I'm only losing about a half pound per week, so if I ate with reckless abandon once a month, I would gain everything back. It's just not worth it.

mkflores7035

Not sure if it's true...but I read that we can lose weight faster when on our periods...even know we feel bloated and miserable, we burn more calories during this time....so I try and workout alittle harder during, and still small portions on cravings

Fit_Chef_NE

If you love ice cream, here's a cheat I use that is WAY lower calorie.

Fruit of choice (I like berries, usually raspberries)
Fat free greek yogurt
drizzle of honey

Blend it all up together and put it in the freezer. Come back a few hours later and you have VERY tasty frozen yogurt for WAY less calories. You can also use an artificial sweetener instead of honey for sweetness (I use stevia). The berries are very low calorie and also add sweetness. It kills my ice cream cravings every time!

Fit_Chef_NE

Not sure if it's true...but I read that we can lose weight faster when on our periods...even know we feel bloated and miserable, we burn more calories during this time....so I try and workout alittle harder during, and still small portions on cravings

Also working out can make the cramps and bloating a little better!

Gpistons

1200 calories isant enough to start with...have you tried using the BASAL calculator? I suffer during this time, I have awful cramps and with the run of a house with a bf and 5 kids its so hard to stay motivated, Alot of the replys seem so final, yes there are women who wont let this time of the month get in the way, and thats amazing for them, were all human, and I also imagine that time of the month our bodies are working harder than normal, Find what works for you, just log everything you eat and do and then see if there is a pattern and see what works best for you, If im going to eat chocolate I try and find the lowest caloried one I can, a pack of malteasers is 187 but a boost bar is nearly 300... sometimes if i constantly crave and it wont go, I try and fill that hole with fizzy flavoured water... just work with things and see whats best, if you give urself a rest day, maybe around that monthly time have ur rest day on one of ur bad cramp days. Its ok to be human and crave things, its how we see to that crave that gets us to where we go, i would binge.. hence why i gained weight, i enjoy sweet things, today as an instant, im struggling with just the day, i chose to go and get chocolate and ate it, i made that coice im living with it, and i logged it., I use MFP as a guide, 1200 calories for me wasnt enough for my body to survive so using the basal calculator on a non training day i have 1500, and whatever i train i give myself a 500 deficite, the other day i burnt over 1500 calories, i did not eat enough this day, good luck with ur journey, what a great question btw,

Gpistons

Personally, I use my curse as a way to reset my metabolism. I prefer to keep my calories set at maintenance and eat at a 500 calorie deficit every day (It looks nicer seeing "500 calories left over" than "0 calories left over" and allows me to not panic if I have to go over and treat a hypo). On weekends and my curse, I allow myself to eat at my maintenance calories or very slightly above so that my weekly net caloric difference is between 0-3500 calories.

I noticed that looking at it from a weekly perspective has helped me to not feel guilty on days where I need to eat more. Allowing myself to eat at maintenance the first few days of my curse helps to keep me sane. I have also noticed that, even when I allow extra calories, I typically lose weight (ontop of weight lost from extra water retention) right after my curse, and weight loss is a bit easier for the following week.

What a good idea, some days i feel bad for not having my 500 deficit ... but days like monday i had 1000 left over.. (not good i know)

Always_Belle

Here is the deal about TOM and life - they both happen. If you are making changes in your lifestyle (nutrition and/or fitness) then both will continue to happen and you will need to make adjustments depending on what your goals are. That said, remember that this is for LIFE. Don't deny yourself because denying only ends up putting you back where you were before. Your enforcement adjustments might need to be during non-TOM, if your cravings get in the way during TOM. Personally, I work through TOM and make my exercise extra tough during this time.

fruitsalad15

Hello,

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this but eating more fruit, veg and protein can help the cramping feelings and make it easier to exercise. Just a thought!

Good luck with your cravings, wish mine were only at that time of the month! If I find a way to stop them I'll let you know! :-)

estaticaa

Eating at maintenance when I have my period is not an excuse for me, it's something I *need* to do to feel ok. The first time I had my period after I started tracking calories, I almost fainted and had to spend that first day in bed because I felt really weak and sick - I threw up too. I felt so bad I couldn't even stand to make myself a sandwich, so I had to call my mom. After eating some chicken soup and some sugary tea, I began to feel better almost immediately.

I remember that before this horrible experience, I thought I would just carry on and continue dieting as if nothing was happening when my period came, but guess what, something did happen. When I have my period, for me it means that it's time to replenish my body with sufficient nutrients and calories and give myself a pass. And it hasn't affected my weight loss so far either, so I'm sticking with it.

marissanik

Ever since I got my sugars in line I don't crave all the stuff I used to - including on my period. No excuses for me. I stick to the plan. If I want chocolate THAT bad, I'll have a square of dark chocolate or two. Will is a skill!