PMS and want to eat anything that isn't stapled down!

NHBourque

I've been doing well but now that it's PMS time I want to eat anything that isn't stapled down, especially Carbs! My husband bought chips yesterday for superbowl...and I made him take them out of the house because I KNOW I would have eaten them! Any suggestions as to how to stop the carb cravings?

lakebreezewi

CONGRATS on having the chips removed from the house is a GREAT step.

I live alone so I have only me to be accountable for. I have gotten better at not buying stuff but sometimes the cravings take over and I head to the store just for the junk.

Though not PMS related (I got rid of those parts last year) I too fight various massive cravings on occassion and end up with some junk food/fridge raiding pig outs. Which result in both weight gain AND leave me feeling yucky. Odd how even if the fridge is full of good for me choices the only thing I want is the carbs/sweets/fatty stuff. Never have had a salad overload ;0)

I know I didn't provide any answers - I'm hoping someone here will have a better answer. Know you are not alone.

mochaphobic

I just asked my mfp friends the same kind of thing and their suggestions were to drink more water, try peppermint tea and go exercise when the urge strikes to eat. I am not a tea drinker but I did buy some peppermint tea and I'm going to try that when the craving hits next. Maybe someone else will have an answer ~ once I get started it's really hard for me to stop, too!

A70sgirl

Check out some recipes for low cal "sweets". Liked, baked wonton crisps with cinnamon, or mini lemon cheesecakes. Not that they will take the place of a snicker bar or bag of jalapeno kettle chips (trust me)....but sometimes it's just enough to get through the craving. I experiment with recipes all the time. Some are great, some not so great...but just having something there to grab is good. Just google light recipes and you'll get a million and ten.

angevee

I'm with you there! I just want to eat. I've been drinking instead and feel like my stomach is a gigantic water bed! Any suggestions gratefully received!

SparksFly460

I feel your pain. With PMS & during TOM I am ravenous. If I don't pay attention to what my hands are doing, they'll end up shoveling something in my mouth. I live with my boyfriend who, of course, has the ability to eat 3000 calories a day and maintain his weight. There are always DOUBLE Stuffed oreo cookies in the house, chips, ice cream, ellios pizza....etc etc.

It took a while for me to train myself NOT to dig into cookies with him during TOM. I keep healthier options around the house. Fiber one brownies, brooksides dark chocolate covered pomegranates and etc. (chocolate is my PMS/TOM weakness). Not to say it always works....I have worse days I have better days. I dont use my TOM as an excuse to dig into a pint of Ben & Jerry's but if the bf breaks it out and wants to share some and my crabby-PMSing self cant resist I wont beat myself up for it.

Just make sure you take extra care to stay hydrated, take your vitamins and get as many nutritious foods in as you can (bump up that kale, cucumber, spinach, grapefruit & etc) so whatever your body is missing it will help take the edge off.

Oh the wonders of being a woman :flowerforyou:

ahealthy4u

Never fails that time of the month and I want to eat everything in site as well but I have learned to control myself don't know how or what it is but something goes off in my head and says you don't need it. Every now and again I will have a little something and I try not to use the excuse oh it is that time of the month or it is the holiday oh it’s a party. I don't do it all the time every now and again I do a little splurging I just have learned to somehow control my impulses

Luandanielle1979

I have just had a really bad week of snacking and cravings. I have given into temptation at least 10 times and been dreadful today the scales are showning a very nice gain of 3lbs. I am totally to blame and back on the waggon and cups of green tea. We all have cravings I usually just try to ignore them. I drink loads of water and try to focus on something else.

But as you can see sometimes they just get a grip of me arrrggghhhhhh. Well done on getting shut of the chips xxx

silverdaisy7

I have that issue too. I was told by an aerobics teacher and nurse (the same person) to down a Tablespoon of honey, or maybe even two. Honey is very sweet and curbs the appetite. I haven't tried her recommendation, but I think I probably will today!

RockChick1984

i also have major craving... not just then... but all the time!!... people on here really good at remindin ya why your here though... rather than eat... drink lots of water so you no longer feel the need to eat... or even have a workout... these can usually help.... hope you find something that works for you... stay strong and learn to say no... its hard... but gets easier

ebaywidow

I know what you're saying...it just seems as though my body needs those extra calories. Try drinking some sugar free hot cocoa...it seems to satisfy my craving for sweets.

yoya1960

try taking evening primrose oil throught the month it dosnt stop all the cravings but helps

Kristiehaines

I'm another who can totally relate: the only way I manage is to keep all those bad choices out of the house, and it subsides in a couple of days. We women are tested and monthly prove what warriors we truly are!!

curvygirl512

OMG I totally know what you mean. I typically give in--I have more important things to stress over.

Hambone23

This suggestion will probably be stomped down by a bunch of folks, but frankly, I just had my period too. I put myself on maintenance calories for the days I was on my period. So I let myself give in to a few cravings. /shrug One week of not losing beats a week of absolute misery and depression in my book. Of course, I still lost 3 pounds. >.< Go figure. Water weight, I'm sure.

joanneonline

I'm totally with you and I need foods that will last long enough to satisfy the amount of munching required

I turn to low-cal, high volume foods such as:

Salty:
- Microwave popcorn

- Homemade spinach dip (recipe on Knorr's veggie soup mix using fat-free sour cream and non-fat Greek yogurt in place of the mayo) 4.5 oz is only 96 calories - so I'll have A LOT of raw veggies and one serving of my favorite baked chips

Sweet:
- sugar-free jello with fat-free cool whip - can add fresh fruit too
- I love "Oh-Yeah" protein bars because they remind me of Snickers - the danger being only have one, so I'd have to have it after eating one of the above

And if I can just get the heck out of the house between meals, that helps too. Just a few thoughts. You can do this. Just be faithful to log whatever the case so you can examine your patterns over time. That will help too. Good luck!

fragilegoat

Hahaha love your word choice ("anything that isn't stapled down").
I've started making a list of healthier snacks, and I arm myself in this Battle of Cravings by prepping everything preemptively.
Love some of the ideas here. I'm going to start making a list of snack alternatives.
My contribution:
- slices of apple + cinnamon + nuked briefly in the microwave = pseudo apple pie.
- kale chips with a sprinkle of salt
- sweet potato fries
- hummus + veggie vehicle of choice
- tiny cubed roasted veggies (toss in just a little bit olive or coconut oil, sprinkle seasoning of choice) (cubing them into small pieces makes it more like "finger food"/snacks and last a bit longer)

clairification

I have found a few things that have helped with my cravings....

-Drink first. Sometimes I'm thirsty and just don't realize it, so having some ice water takes the edge off.
-Anticipate your cravings. Chances are you know what you will crave, so try and plan responsible ways to integrate it into your meals. It's easier to say no to a sudden craving if you know you will be having something similar soon.
-Focus for a moment and think about what you are craving. Is it sweet, creamy, crunchy, salty? For example, this weekend I was wanting crunchy/salty foods something fierce. Rather than loading up on chips, I had raw cauliflower and ranch. This totally hit the spot even though it wasn't what I thought I was craving. Why? It had crunch and flavor. I've found that most times cravings are in my head, meaning I crave the idea of the food more than the food itself.

NHBourque

Thank you so much everyone!! What a FABULOUS support systme this is! Wonderful to know I'm not alone! :flowerforyou:

3rrorist

I believe in supporting your SO with dieting, but it was the superbowl and it was a bag of chips. That's ridiculous that you made him take them out of the house. I can't believe no one has said anything negative towards you. You are pretty ridiculous. Learn some self control and stop taking it out on your husband.

AbiNichole

I agree w/ @clairficatio I was PMSing like crazy on Saturday. I was craving sugar pretty badly and no amount of greek yogurt would satisfy it. Ordinarily I would buy some chocolate chip cookies (the precut kind) and pop those in the oven BUT instead I bought some whole wheat waffles. Had those w/ fat free whipped cream, blueberries, and strawberries.

I felt so much better because I felt like I was restraining myself but instead making better choices.

Regardless remember it's just a week you can make it! Good luck!:flowerforyou:

NHBourque

I believe in supporting your SO with dieting, but it was the superbowl and it was a bag of chips. That's ridiculous that you made him take them out of the house. I can't believe no one has said anything negative towards you. You are pretty ridiculous. Learn some self control and stop taking it out on your husband.

Well thank you very much for the support...not.... and I won't call you names...I'm more mature. My husband supports me in my goals and he was happy to take them with him.

fragilegoat

I believe in supporting your SO with dieting, but it was the superbowl and it was a bag of chips. That's ridiculous that you made him take them out of the house. I can't believe no one has said anything negative towards you. You are pretty ridiculous. Learn some self control and stop taking it out on your husband.

Well thank you very much for the support...not.... and I won't call you names...I'm more mature. My husband supports me in my goals and he was happy to take them with him.

"HEH HEH. More for ME!" he thought happily as he walked out. :-P

tistal

I was there last week! I bought some Fiber 1 brownies and some Skinny Cow chocolate to help with the chocolate cravings. I gave them to my hubs to put out in the garage where I could not reach and to only let me have one a day! LOL Water, water, water. I was still down 3lbs!