LADIES - if my body is craving should I eat...

ash190489

Hi there,

I am currently having my 'monthlies' and am craving everything in sight as usual during this time & that's fine & to be expected - however a thought crossed my mind... I have always thought to myself that I shouldn't let myself get hungry and if I am hungry I should eat something... does this also count during my monthlies? Or do I need to differentiate between hunger & cravings? And if I am craving, should I eat something or try and hold off? I usually think and go with "I'll just have a little bit of it to remove the craving - but this usually ends up with having bad willpower to stop & I over eat whatever it is --- at the moment it's Easter eggs EEEEK!

What do you do? What should I do or try?
I'd really appreciate your opinions.
Thanks in advance!!!

ash190489

bump

zyxst

Eat the eggs. You might feel bad/guilty afterwards, but it's better than sitting there and listening to the chocolate taunt and tease you.

Oh, that last part might just be me.

Limiting is hard. I have to portion out my sweets so I don't end up eating the 1kg bag of M&Ms.

dad106

I eat it.. I mean, most of the weight gain during this time is water weight anyway.. and a little bit extra won't hurt.

mamabear272

I'd make sure that you have it available but just one or 2 portions. That way you take care of the craving but you're not going overboard. If you deny the craving for too long, you'll end up binging. At least that's what I've found to be true. Travis Stork from The Doctors was just on Rachael Ray and said the same thing. Everything in moderation!

ash190489

Thanks zyxst - my eggs sit there and taunt me too... I am just wondering if I should go back to how I initially began my journey just for this week... that is my partner hides the chocolate from me and he gives me a small portion at night!!!!!

Thanks for your reply dad106 - I'm not too worried about weight gain, I am basically at my desired weight, perhaps 2 kg more of body fat would be ideal, but I am happy at the moment too... I am more worried about getting back off track and getting bad habits again! I was on holidays 2 weeks ago and did not limit myself and just enjoyed being away!

It's just tricky to know what to do!

ash190489

Ohhhh anything Travis from the Doctors has to say I agree with!!!! :happy:
I think you're probably right mamabear272 ---"If you deny the craving for too long, you'll end up binging."
Great advice... from you & Dr Travis!!

Christina1007

I try and have something else instead. You will feel that 1: you will no longer want the chocolate eggs; 2. you will feel proud of yourself.

Have we not had enough of feeling guilty about eating crap? Good luck whatever you choose, xx

MarincicS

Since i have been eating clean most of my former cravings are gone. I do still want something sweet after dinner, but i no longer need a pint of Ben and Jerry's, just one piece of dark chocolate will do.

But last Friday, and note it was during TTOM and i had a little cold, i was starving all day long. I had my dinner at 4:00 because i was so hungry and then ate all of the other food i could find in the house before i went to bed. Luckily the stuff i have around is not so bad, but i still did 500 calories of damage. I've been doing MFP religiously since the end of January and that had not happened to me before. My appetite was completely back to normal the next day but i was very tired.

I would suggest getting rid of the really damaging stuff around (farewell to my dear old friends Ben and Jerry) and then if you're really hungry, eat. If you've been doing this a while, you are probably starting to "hear" what your body really needs now and you need to listen to it. It was failure to listen that got us into all this trouble in the first place!

picassoadagio

Eat just a little of what you are craving. If you are craving it, your body wants it. The longer you wait to have it, the chances of binging are higher.

woodmouse

I always feel the same at TTOM, but usually find that if I have a nap I wake up less Hangry and the cravings go away- figured out that I'm craving because I'm more tired than usual

If a nap doesn't work then a couple of squares of chocolate are in order, but only a couple!

ash190489

Wow - thank you for all the wonderful suggestions and replies everyone!

Christina1007, I love your suggestion of trying to eat something else instead --- I might try having some peaches or fruit to get rid of a 'sugar' craving instead --- less calories and healthy, opposed to tons of sugar and lots of calories! I surely will feel much better & the sugar craving should hopefully be gone!

MarincicS I have not been clean eating during my journey... it's a great concept, but it just won't work in with my lifestyle unfortunately, but in saying that I really have cleaned up my act and have developed a much better relationship with food and eat genuinely great most of the time! I have basically cleaned my apartment of all the unnecessary things with small amounts of chocolate (except then Easter had to come along didn't it!!!) and I live with my partner who is on a different diet which is very carb and protein heavy and he is a bit of a fussy eater! So there is LOTS of pasta and rice, etc. and he loves his ice-cream and treats --- however I try and buy him things that I don't like --- like mint flavoured chocolate / ice-cream or turkish delight, etc. Which works well for me!!!! My cravings are much less than what they used to be since going on my journey, however being this time of the month my cravings are CRAZY!!!

JadeRabbit08

Its the magnesium which is often quite high in chocolate your are probably craving. Look for other high magnesium foods. I buy the raw cacao in powdered form which has really lowered my cravings. (high in magnesium and a few other things that women benefit from. ) I also eat stuff high in iron at that time as well.

It depends what you crave, sometimes its because its what our body needs so you just try and find healthy forms of what your craving.

How many calories worth of chocolate are we talking anyway? If it not a sea container worth I would probably just eat enjoy log it and move on.

ash190489

If you are craving it, your body wants it.

That was my question picassoadagio --- just cause my body WANTS it, does that mean that my body also NEEDS it? lol It's just like when I go shopping --- I have to ask myself the same question "Do I really NEED this dress or do I just WANT it?" haha.

Oh my goodness wood mouse, I would LOVE to have a nap! I have just come off of my 2 week holidays and I had a nap almost daily! Now that I am back at work, naps will be very limited unfortunately! My day consists of full time work from 6.30am - approx 4.30pm and then I go to gym and then I make dinner and then go to bed. I would love to nap in the afternoons but then I can't sleep when I go to bed at night!! Definitely something I can try on the weekend though!

JadeRabbit08, what an interesting concept and way of looking and it! I had never even thought of the magnesium... something I will have to look into more! Thanks!

mamabear272

Ohhhh anything Travis from the Doctors has to say I agree with!!!! :happy:
I think you're probably right mamabear272 ---"If you deny the craving for too long, you'll end up binging."
Great advice... from you & Dr Travis!!

LOL He's the reason I watch! *swoon*

erinsmith1983

Personally I try to only have food around I can eat. When I'm craving sweets I eat a bowl of frozen fruit, its high in sugar but its a lot better for me then ice cream or a snickers bar. Longer I go with out the junk easier it is to be around it and not cheat, now if I eat something really greasy or fatty I physically feel sick and sluggish.

Alice_Liddell

Don't know how much this will help, but...

http://healthwellness808.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cravings1.jpg

I think that's kind of a helpful chart to satisfy cravings while still eating helathy.

Tink_889

That's a really interest chart, thanks for sharing

I think I'm going to be one that says have a small portion of your craving. Perhaps wait 20 minutes and see if it subsides at first but if you are still craving it, have a little. I know I for one would definitely end up binging otherwise!

ash190489

Thanks everyone!!