Girls, I need some advice!

noooooooooooooooooo not another TOM post, My head is going to explode!!!!

For one week every 28 days, there seems to be an increase in threads of this nature.......:huh:

Funny how that works, women going through their periods about 28 days. I think lots of women would be thrilled if it happned something along the lines of every 28 years instead.

I daren't have a cookie jar! If there's no temptation then there's no problem, that's what works for me. Moderation doesn't exist in my dictionary unfortunately.

I have found that eating more natural foods all month long helps keep the cravings at bay. When I'm not eating natural foods, I find that I tend to over indulge during that wonderful time of month.

How do you keep your hands out of the cookie jar during that wonderful time of the month?
I will be doing so good all month, then a day before, boom!, I must have chocolate, cookies, cake, chips, ect..
I feel like crap because I indulge for about three days as my hormones go crazy, and then it take a day or two to get myself back on track.

Do y'all have the same problem? If so, do you have any tricks to keeps those fingers out of the cookie jar? lol Thankx!

I've learned to just make healthier choices during this time. I switched from my hershey kisses and reeses cups, to junior mints or the mini york peppermint patties. I've also just tried a veggie chocolate muffin with zucchini in it... I'm telling you, you don't taste the zucchini and carrots, I just taste the little chocoalate morsales that's in it. ooohhh and I added a Healthy choice fudge bar. 100 calories... These has helped me the last 2 months, and besides the water weight gain, I still have managed to maintain a wkly weight loss. Feel free to add me as a friend and look at my diary.. I usually make an indication in my notes when TOM happens ;-)

Don't keep that kind of stuff at home. Eat before you go grocery shopping and chew a piece of gum while you are in the store. And, if you really, really have to have that cookie or piece of chocolate figure out exactly what you are craving and go through the motions of going to get just one. For me it was oatmeal raisin cookies or a piece of See's candies so I would either go to a bakery and get 1 really good cookie or go to See's and get 1 piece of my favorite candy.

Your body might be looking for various nutrients. Try adding a multivitamin to your diet.

THIS!!!!!!

Chocolate is what I crave during TOM because I am slightly anemic to begin with. Chocolate is a great source of IRON!

I would definitely start a multivitamin. I usually make it through as long as I am taking mine.

My cravings aren't as bad as some folks, but when I know that time is coming (like right now) I get 60 calorie chocolate jello pudding, chocolate protein powder (for my shakes) and 70% cacao chocolate (it's so rich that I can barely eat one piece and it's only 70 calories). I may not eat a single one of these things, but at least I know that if the craving does hit, I'll something in the cupboard besides my stupid skinny husband's mounds of candy to tempt me.

Failure to plan is a plan to fail. :flowerforyou:

I either eat the cookies

or murder my family

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So true, right? I am not sure how I'm going to handle my first shark week while eating healthy. I guess I have to not refill that cookie jar. OR perhaps allow myself a package of Reeses (my downfall) and be done with it.

Now that I've given up soda for the past 6 days, I have also seen my chocolate intake cut down to zero, too. I seem to have one with the other....I'll report back at the end of the month.

My trick. Cave in. BUT.... don't indulge. When I have a craving for something, I eat it. Why? Because I don't want to hate my "diet". I'm trying to live a healthy lifestyle but this does not mean that I can never have a soda or candy bar. Have A candy bar, or a FEW cookies, but stop there. The easiest way to do this is to not have those foods in your house. If I am craving a candy bar, I will go buy one, and only one and I don't keep any stocked up in the house. You'd be amazed at how one candy bar can satisfy that craving.

Good luck!

I don't have a lot of cravings during that time of the month, but this.
Buy a chocolate bar. Buy a really good one. Eat it, log it, and keep it at or below your TDEE.

One candy bar a month is not going to ruin your progress.

How does the cookie jar keep getting re-filled?

There is no logic during shark week.

I actually gaffaw'd.

How do you keep your hands out of the cookie jar during that wonderful time of the month?
I will be doing so good all month, then a day before, boom!, I must have chocolate, cookies, cake, chips, ect..
I feel like crap because I indulge for about three days as my hormones go crazy, and then it take a day or two to get myself back on track.

Do y'all have the same problem? If so, do you have any tricks to keeps those fingers out of the cookie jar? lol Thankx!

Ohhh, do I have the same problem. Portion control doesn't work for me. If the food is there, I want to eat it. All. So what I end up doing is not buying very much junk food, and changing into pajamas or something when I get home so I'm not tempted to go back out and get some. I also love to bake, so I end up making a batch of cookies or something and immediately package up at least 80% of the batch to send to friends so I don't eat all of it.

If I do have a day where I just cannot help myself, I forgive that one day and try to accommodate it in the rest of the week. One day over won't kill you, but it takes some willpower not to make it two, three, four days. Keep your goal in mind and know that this craving will pass, and you won't die if you don't have chocolate for four days before your period!

There were leftover Reese's Bells in my house last night when this problem arose. Now they are in my tummy. I'm the kind of person who always gives in to the TOM craving. I've finally learned to stop feeling guilty about it, work out harder to make up for it, and accept that one day with a bellyful of Bells (or cookies, or ice cream, or everythingsweetthatisn'tnaileddown) isn't going to ruin all the great progress I make the other 29 or 30 days out of the month.

I find that if I am ravenous for anything its because my body is lacking something. Unfortunately, its sometimes hard to figure out exactly what that is. If your cravings come 3 days before your TOM, then focus on making exceptionally nutritious choices a few days before that. Eat a wide variety of colorful fruits and veggies with lean proteins. Go into the most difficult time of the month with your body being well fed and ready to tackle the cravings.

Do you take a multivitamin? Maybe start taking one daily with a balanced meal to ensure your body has what it needs.

I know the feeling and it's because you're body is searching for iron actually. That's what someone told me but I find I don't eat as much during the first three days so... I think it evens out somehow.

And I noticed someone saying something evil crampies, my stepmom pointed out that caffiene is the big culprit. I stopped getting cramps and have no desire to drink pop coffee or eat chocolate during that time of month and the evil cramps stopped. Bloating on the other hand but it's just water retention.

How does the cookie jar keep getting re-filled?

this! I have "kid snacks" and "grown up snacks" in two different cupboards very very far from one another i admit that during that week i may have a triple serving of finding nemo fruit snacks!! It gets easier each time i shop to try and re-focus their treats to be the least damaging (to the waistline) when mommy gets cravings.
good luck with the extra will power... it takes practice like all else