Period Cravings

BombolinaM

Sorry to all the gentleman on here but I must ask this question.....


What do you do with the cravings during your period?? I crave salt and sweets!!! So far I eat 100 pack cheese its and low fat chocolate pudding. Anyone have this problem???? Any Tips?

DeeDeeLHF

No tips...day 3 for me with mega cramps!!! I have not been able to even excercise. Perimenapause will do this to a girl!

A MFP friend recently told me about Chia seeds and I think they may have helped me yesterday and today...they make you feel fuller so it is easier to say 'no'.

Try to find healthier ways to indulge the craving. Maybe apples and peanutbutter, or air-popcorn and grapes. Something that is at least real and not toxic to your body even if the calories are a bit more.

D

MissingMinnesota

I tend to crave a fatty fastfood burger and fries durning mine. I give into it and get a kids meal at mcdonalds. I usually only have the craving the day before mine starts so I am lucky that way. Some healthy nuts should help you with the salt craving and for sweets you could do fruit and sugar free coolwhip.

DG82

Lol... ah the joys of being a woman right!! Ha... guys just really have no idea! So I'm the same... totally crave horrible food a few days prior and then during my 'time'. So I know when I wanna start scarfing all that junk it's about ready to rear it's ugly head, lol. My usual vice would be to drink some vino but I'm SOL on that right now since I gave it up for Lent (why I punish myself I'm not sure, haha). Anywho, tips I guess... just try to keep yourself busy, drink a TON of water (throw some flavor packets in there or lemons to kick up it so it's not so boring, hehe).... keep your end goal in mind. I guess what we need to do is realize that giving in to the munchies we get because of the hormones around then will only make us happy for those few fleeting minutes and then leave us feeling guilty and yucko much loger thereafter! It's a work-in-progress.... hehe. :-) Be strong!!

lvfunandfit

I eat about 10 almonds and 10 dark chocolate chips to get my sweet, salty protein snack when I'm craving a candy bar or something sweet. If I'm craving salty, I eat pop chips. If I'm craving sweets (like pie), I'll eat 1% cottage cheese with mandarin oranges and some almonds.

I try to stay away form the 100 calorie packs of not so healthy snacks... they leave me craving another 100 calorie pack. LOL

jlewis2896

I like the 94% fat-free kettle corn for salty and sweet. I usually have it with a diet soda, too and I feel like I'm mega-cheating since I try to avoid soda.

coderchris

That is a tough one for a lot of us. Sometimes I feel like dying. I try 100 calorie bags of popcorn for the salt. I usually reserve that for my special salt cravings. I also buy the dark chocolate (72 percent cocoa) I only eat one not the 4 that package says it a serving. That way I am only taking in 62.5 calories. Sometimes you have to be creative. I guess the key is to mix it up a little and figure out what you can have on a day by day basis.

YogaRunner

I started drinking soy milk a few months ago to help with PMS and it seems to be working well for me. I still get cravings, but not as intense or for as long a duration. I admit, I give in to them :blushing: Doritos are often my downfall.

msbanana

Totally just went through this. Good luck!
Some advice I was given (I crave meat) I'd forgotten that often those cravings stem from something your body lacks. Listen to your body but pick healthy options.

lvfunandfit had some good suggestions- you may also want to check out www.hungry-girl.com there are some good healthy swaps for some of those junk food cravings. Try and keep with in your calories, exercise (if you can do it with out pain it really does help) and just remember if you cave- there's always another day. (Learned that lesson from a piece of chocolate cake yesterday... who knew a hefty piece of costco cake had 1000 calories?!? HA!)

Good Luck!!

lvfunandfit

I like the 94% fat-free kettle corn for salty and sweet. I usually have it with a diet soda, too and I feel like I'm mega-cheating since I try to avoid soda.

I didn't know there was 94% fat-free kettle corn! YUM!

yes-if you cave, like msbanana said, there is always tomorrow! I caved last week and had a candy bar. First time in months... and it tasted so yummy! But, I made up for it by running 5 miles the next day. Although, I cheated again at a BBQ and had 3 chocolate chip cookies. 2 BIG cheats in 3 days! But I deserved them and they didn't ruin my weight loss results. I just worked hard to fit in some extra exercise to work off those extra calories.

BombolinaM

Totally just went through this. Good luck!
Some advice I was given (I crave meat) I'd forgotten that often those cravings stem from something your body lacks. Listen to your body but pick healthy options.

lvfunandfit had some good suggestions- you may also want to check out www.hungry-girl.com there are some good healthy swaps for some of those junk food cravings. Try and keep with in your calories, exercise (if you can do it with out pain it really does help) and just remember if you cave- there's always another day. (Learned that lesson from a piece of chocolate cake yesterday... who knew a hefty piece of costco cake had 1000 calories?!? HA!)

Good Luck!!

Thanks for the website. So if you crave meat what does that mean? Sometimes I want a huge steak!! HAHA

BombolinaM

Thank you ladies for the great tip. I am so happy we are in this together:flowerforyou:

YogaRunner

If you crave meat, it could be because you need iron.
Risa

kcdrake

I always crave salt (like french fires...) and usually for one day I want a lot of sweets.
I try to just suck it up and deal with it (not always possible!!) and the cravings pass by the end of my period.
Although, sometimes, if I have been really good for a week or two and I have gotten exercise in, I will grab something that I wouldn't normally eat. I figure I'm going through enough those days, why torture myself even more? haha

hasiangirl

carbs carbs carbs and more carbs!!...oh and fatty greasy food....so pretty much nothing healthy lol...I can eat a whole box of paste with a good bolagnese sauce during my TOM....(i've done it before) :embarassed: and i think a whole box has what 12 servings in it?....not to mention the half a loaf of garlic bread i somehow managed to shove down my throat....thank god this was a while ago.... :indifferent: but still my stomach felt so full and sick the rest of the day :sick:

arfletcher

sweet and salty is what I want - I do a small handful of almonds and a tsp or so of honey to dip them in - yummy.

I've also found that good dates help with my chocolate cravings... dont know why. But they do!

smae1980

Eating a candy bar once a month is not going to set back all your progress as long as you have the portion control under control. I just eat a half a special dark bar or some salty popcorn and try to keep it under my cal. limits. I don't feel guilty after, I feel good because I don't have that nagging craving in the forefront of my mind anymore!(ha ha)

bbgirl

Those are the worst. My husband usually buys me 1 package of M&Ms with peanuts and 1 small bag of Lays Chips; but this month I told him not to do it. Instead I had Sugar-free Jello with Cool Whip and ate sunflower seeds for the salt cravings.