Ladies, I need a little bit of help.

cook6609

I'm sorry to be very blunt, but unfortunately, it's that time of the month. I'm looking for ideas on how to avoid caving to those cravings (mine are mostly fried foods- which any other time I can avoid very easily). If you even look through my past weeks, it was all I could do to eat the amount of calories I was given (with exercise added in). My motivation for exercise is down as well. Any tips, advice, etc that helps you to stay on track during this "painful" week.

Usually, I am very, very good at sticking with this. I've tried finding other resources, but they usually want you to purchase products. I don't really have the extra money for that (especially if it doesn't work). Thanks for any help :-)

in_this_generation

My opinion- I cannot avoid overeating during that time. I do my best to a) find a healthier option that will satisfy my cravings and then b) try to limit portion size. As long as you are tracking your calories you will know what has to be done to counteract a few days of unhealthy food. I don't get cravings for fried foods but when I have cravings for salt, I can easily choose between french fries or a brothy noodle soup. Hands down the soup does less damage to my food dairy. I hope you can find your own substitute.

cook6609

Thanks. I didn't have as big of a problem last month as I am this month. I definitely have the low calorie chocolate desserts that help when I have the chocolate cravings, but sadly there is not many low-calorie fried food options lol

tiffanyheth

Panko coated, anything helps with fried cravings. Seriously. I love boneless buffalo chicken. So I started doing 4 oz of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces, coated with panko and baked about 10 minutes on each side then I spoon buffalo sauce over the pieces and bake again for another 10-15 minutes on each side. Totally works for me!

CristinaL1983

Have you tried baking instead of frying? When I get fried food cravings, I cut up a sweet potato or red potato, toss it in some olive oil (healthy fat) and bake (425 for about 25 min) then salt to taste. Calories are quite a bit lower (for a comparable amount). Even breading or battering some fish and then baking rather than frying can be a good, satisfying substitute. I get really bad carb and fat cravings, rice, cheese, I want it all. I mostly just try to limit my portions and substitute slightly healthier options.

I also accept that I will probably eat more for the first couple days than usual. I tend to not be hungry for a few days after that so I try to just make sure that my calories balance out over the week.

Also, I like some zucchini cooked in a pan with a tiny bit of olive oil, some garlic and some Parmesan cheese.

DaniH826

I can only say that after I started MFP and focused on eating healthy, the hormonal drops and cravings this time around were a breeze to deal with (comparatively speaking).

Filling up on healthy food as much as possible and getting some exercise in helped tremendously.

I usually crave chocolate, so I made sure I had chocolate Fiber One bars around, and that and some vanilla soy milk helps with the sweet tooth.

I have no idea what to tell you about fried food cravings, but I do know what it's like to want to eat yourself through your fridge and pantry all in one day. :huh:

phyllisbobbitt

:flowerforyou: that 1 week out of the month is horrible! i try to keep cleaned, cut up veggies in zip lock bags. i also keep different types of fruits handy. as far as your fried foods go, why don't you bake some fries or chicken in the oven. that would be less calories than fried!

ladymiseryali

I'm on day 4 of mine. I crave sweet things, so I usually allow myself to have a little something here and there. Yesterday I overdid it with those chalky valentines candy hearts. They tasted a bit stale-ish, but I was craving sweet so I went to town. lol. Tomorrow it's all over with until next month, so I didn't mess up too bad. I didn't want to do anything yesterday, but I forced myself. I can't just put life on hold because The Red Tide is in. lol