Necessary dietary changes during TOM? ...sorry guys

Eat chocolate pudding. No pudge brownies. I let myself have 1 meal at my fav Mexican place. Thats enough to get me through the week. I used to crave salt now I just want Mexican. Have what you want just in little bits.

Yes, up that water and have some chocolate....just log it! There are sugar free chocolate pudding cups. I have a little bit of dark chocolate almost daily. I just log the cals. If I deprive myself then I may binge.

A little bit won't kill ya! If you deprive yourself all the time, you will eventually binge. I too have wicked chocolate salt cravings, so I eat a few of my favorite dark chocolate covered macadamia nuts...oh so fattening, but it does the trick. Remember, log log log and if you need extra calories do a bit more exercise:-)

I said screw it and had a cheeseburger and fries yesterday and then realized why I wanted one so bad. I tend to only really crave red meat for the iron when I have TOM.

when i get the "sweet" craving I snakc on the chocolate quacker rice cakes. When the salt/sweet craving hits, nothing better than a Payday candy bar. I eat 1/2 the bar, just log in the calories. It is better than binging :drinker:

if you need a sweet treat try coldstone for sorbet...i went last night and had a like it of raspberry sorbet with raspberries in it for only 185 calories...it totally curbed my sweet tooth without killing my days calories its all about moderation...i still indulge when i need to but in smaller servings...when i deny myself sweets (especially at that TOM), I end up eating way too much later!

I have read you should try to get a good intake of fiber, I guess to feel fuller. Potato chips have fiber, don't they?..... lol!

2ND QUESTION!!!!!

What about the energy drain? I'm sitting here at work, unable to keep my eyes open and having a hard time gripping my pen just to write my initials. It's a serious issue. I know I'm anemic during TOM... but geeze.

I feel like I could have written this! TOM just hit yesterday for me, so I'm going through the same thing! As far as helping with water retention, I've found that taking green tea extract (or drinking it) and drinking lots of water is really the only thing to really work at all. This is the first cycle I've had in ages where I haven't bloated up several pounds!
As far as energy...yeah...I take green tea, B6 and B12 and they help some with the energy that TOM takes away, but nothing seems to really make me normal. I feel like I'm dragging but usually it goes away by the third day.
I just don't do high intensity exercise during TOM because I'm a heavy bleeder also-I'll do my stationary bike and walking-but no kettlebells or anything that would really wind me!!
As far as cravings...if I really want it...I just eat it!! In moderation of course. Plus I'm always hungrier during TOM so I figure my body is telling me it needs more fuel and by the time it's over I haven't actually gained any weight from the extra food, so go figure! I don't know that I'll ever understand these hormones!! :laugh:

bump

Not sure how much help I can be as I am 30 yearsold and am in the early stages of menopause. My TOM is practically non-existant, however, I still get cravings. I tried to drink a ton of water, but I just felt even more bloated. The only thing that worked for me was exercise and giving in a little bit to the cravings. If I am craving chocolate or something sweet, I will hit the peanut butter with low sugar strawberry jam...at least I get some protein. Recently, I have been trying to eat trail mix with the tiny candy bits in it. I usually gained about 3-5lbs during that week and my hunger used to be off the charts. I also tried adjusting my schedule to where I get up early and go to bed early so there is less temptation to eat.

As far as the extreme fatigue, well I know it's bad, but I drink a full pot of coffee a day. I know, I know, awful...but sometimes that's the only way my eyelids will stay open. Maybe you could try deep breathing exercises to increase oxygen flow to your brain and blood, a quick 5 minutes of walking in place or jumping jacks (since you're at work, people might look at you funny, but hey if it works), or a shot of espresso as a last resort! Hang in there!