One for the ladies... PMS Cravings - tips please

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McWooey
McWooey Posts: 61 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Ladies,

guys... you've been warned that this isnt the topic for you... so if you continue to read , on your own head be it!!

so we're all no stranger to the pain in the butt that is PMS, but for the past 8 months or so by using pinkpad app to track my periods etc, i have been able to also track my moods, cravings etc.

I have now noticed that the week before my period I crave alot of sweet/savoury stuff and fizzy drinks. I don't eat alot of sweet stuff normally, i could happily bypass chocolate and sweets for a bag of crisps or nuts

but especially since my hormones are more crazy prior to my period, my eating habits are bad too. I take hot flushes also which means gyming when its warmer weather is rough( normally this isnt a problem here in N. Ireland but we're having a real humid lovely summer so far... which im defo not complaining about!! )..but the heat makes working out difficult... although i do my best. Also i obviously bloat so my weight loss isnt as high... and i retain alot of water, regardless of whether I drink loads of it or not.

but yet the main problem is i just craze fizzy sodas, i can't drink cola due ot it being a trigger for migraines for me, but i LOVE Club orange, I try to stop myself drinking this kinda stuff especially before the dreaded period, but its very hard not to when Water just doesnt satisfy me at that time

also in my house unfortunately buns etc are always readily available as my folks love them and I still live at home...normally i can just leave them but at this time its just something i'll lift.. have any of you ladies got similar problems and have you any tips for things that can curb the cravings?

N
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Replies

  • batgirl_273
    batgirl_273 Posts: 70 Member
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    I tend to go a little psycho around PMS time.... I'm like the tazmanian devil running through the house, looking through the fridge... eating anything and everything.

    I don't have much as far as tips go, but keep healthy snacks handy. You say you live at home with your parents, otherwise my other suggestion was going to be when you're NOT pmsin'g, go get your groceries for the week and don't pick up any of the "bad" stuff so it's not in the house.

    I find if the junk food isn't in the house, I am not likely to run out and get it (although I have..) If I'm really craving chips or soda.. and I don't have any in the house, I'll have to settle for what I do have, which is hopefully fruit, veggies, rice crisps, crackers, etc.

    Its hard. I live down the street from a bulk barn.. which is basically anything you want, in bulk. It's not unheard of for me to drive myself down there and pick up bags of candy during this time :(
  • McWooey
    McWooey Posts: 61 Member
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    I find if the junk food isn't in the house, I am not likely to run out and get it (although I have..) If I'm really craving chips or soda.. and I don't have any in the house, I'll have to settle for what I do have, which is hopefully fruit, veggies, rice crisps, crackers, etc.


    i feel your pain!... yeah I try to keep things like oat cakes and peanut butter handy in work but never factor in home cravings so i'll have to do that, i love things like nuts, raisins and seeds so mite keep them handy for snacking... but yep when i'm PMS'in all i think about is cupcakes, soda and such like!
  • littlebee26
    littlebee26 Posts: 116
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    I once asked a personal trainer at my local gym about this. The response I got was unexpected to say the least. I was told that I had 'notions'. Anyways, turns out he was right. I did have notions. I was making excuses. You are making excuses. Just don't eat it. Or eat it in moderation. Its PMS. Meh. Get on with it.
  • BoomstickChick
    BoomstickChick Posts: 428 Member
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    You know it's not healthy, but still eat it anyway. It's the same thing with my pregnancy now, I know I shouldn't be eating the stuff I'm craving, but once in a while, it won't hurt. That's how I deal with cravings. Make them fit in your day. To me, it seems like you're looking for excuses for poor eating habits. You can say no if pregnant women can say no ;)
  • McWooey
    McWooey Posts: 61 Member
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    wow, i'm getting quite a bit of negativity... I at no point have said i constantly eat the bad stuff... I crave it... but more often than not I don't eat it!! all I'm doing here is asking for tips on things people think is better to eat to curb cravings

    any tips people had for things to eat... would be great!
  • luckylilma818
    luckylilma818 Posts: 65 Member
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    I will either eat a bite size chocolate or have chocolate crisps from special k.. and caffeine is a must.. I don't normally drink any pop even diet... but I will allow myself one then or I will drink a crystal lite energy
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    For me, I have to indulge in the craving else I'll end up eating 5 servings instead of 1. So if I'm craving chocolate, I'll have 6 Hershey's Dark Chocolate Bliss candies instead of opening a large bag of M&Ms and eating half of it. I also tend to eat my craving food in smaller bites and chew it a lot. Makes it last longer so I'm less likely to go back for more. I work the craving into my calorie budget and do my best to not go over by too much. The other thing is to consider how much of a deficit you're eating at. If you're eating at a 700 calorie deficit and go over by 200 one day, you still have a 500 cal deficit and over 7 days, you should still see a loss.

    When I was weaning myself off sodas, I would chew minty gum since no soda tastes good with minty gum. Also, I'd wait at least an hour and drink at least 8-16 oz of water before I had the soda. Have you looked at seltzer water and adding fruit, especially citrus, to it? I know there are many "water infusion" recipes out there and would think they'd work with seltzer or club soda instead of plain water.

    Can't help you with the exercise. I live in North Carolina so working in hot, humid conditions is normal. Just drink plenty of water before and after (during as well if it doesn't make you nauseous like it does me) and maybe look at working out early in the AM before it gets too hot or late in the evening as the sun's going down.

    Also, I plan my days by adding lunch and dinner to my diary when I log breakfast. I'll also pre-log my pre-workout snack on those days as well. I work best when I can see how many extra calories I have to work with so I can weigh my options when it comes to snacking and cravings.

    But yeah, PMS sucks!!
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
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    I once asked a personal trainer at my local gym about this. The response I got was unexpected to say the least. I was told that I had 'notions'. Anyways, turns out he was right. I did have notions. I was making excuses. You are making excuses. Just don't eat it. Or eat it in moderation. Its PMS. Meh. Get on with it.

    ^This.
  • batgirl_273
    batgirl_273 Posts: 70 Member
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    that's a good point.... I do the same thing, if I'm craving and don't indulge, i'll end up eating 5 servings instead of 1. You have to satisfy your cravings. Just do it in moderation, and make the smartest choice possible. Easier said than done, I totally understand!!

    If you find yourself on the couch eating ice cream by the spoonful out of the bucket, then maybe, just maybe, you need to rethink why you're doing that, because PMS isn't the only reason, though the emotions that come with PMS might be.
  • renstwin
    renstwin Posts: 66 Member
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    I don't know if you have these in Ireland, but I have been curbing my chocolate cravings with original Fudgsicle popsicles. They have no added sugar and are 80 cals for two of them.
  • fyoufat
    fyoufat Posts: 85
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    Around when I PMS I make this tortilla pizza under 300 calories and a crap load of protein.

    flour tortilla (I use 365 organic homestyle)
    pizza sauce-under 1/4 cup (I use Ragu homestyle)
    1 oz sharp cheddar (cooks better on tortilla bc mozzarella is usually high moisture)
    1 oz turkey pepperoni

    bake at 450 for a while then I put to 475 until it gets crispy

    I know it is full of preservatives probably and it isn't "clean" so it still is probably something you don't want to eat everyday
  • Gracie1214
    Gracie1214 Posts: 120 Member
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    low calorie hot chocolate, sugar free jelly or a few squares of 70% chocolate. I'm the worlds worse for sweet binges and I know these do help
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    I get cravings right before my period and I just adjust my other meals to accomodate. I love love love ice cream, and I can usually budget for it. Sometimes I just eat at maintenance for a couple of days, I have a 500 calorie deficit so if I go over by 500, I'm, at worst, breaking even and a push is a win in my books :)
  • littlebee26
    littlebee26 Posts: 116
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    wow, i'm getting quite a bit of negativity... I at no point have said i constantly eat the bad stuff... I crave it... but more often than not I don't eat it!! all I'm doing here is asking for tips on things people think is better to eat to curb cravings

    any tips people had for things to eat... would be great!

    Jees, I suppose I was a bit negative. Sorry. I do find though that the 'sort yourself out' attitude works for me. That does not necessarily mean that it works for everyone. So what do I actually do when I crave sugar. I say no. PMS or no PMS. Honestly, I don't really do chocolate/sugar. I might have a turkish delight on one Sunday per month but that is it. It is pre planned though. Maybe factor in something like this around the time of your period. Maybe have a protein shake? Or a protein bar. Nutrisport do great protein bars. Apples are great to keep sugar cravings at bay. Its the chromium in the apples that fights sugar cravings. If you do not like apples you could think about taking a chromium supplement. Again, these are supposed to be great at keeping sugar cravings at bay. Keep and eye on yourself too thought. The mind is truly amazing. You may have posted this to justify having a sugary snack later on!
  • rebeccalee1986
    rebeccalee1986 Posts: 338
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    I find the healthier I eat throughout the month really curbs my pms, when I am not eating healthily I'm like a grisly bear but when I'm eating well it doesn't seem to bother me and I have very slight craving that I satisfy with fruits or a small bite size chocolate
  • McWooey
    McWooey Posts: 61 Member
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    When I was weaning myself off sodas, I would chew minty gum since no soda tastes good with minty gum. Also, I'd wait at least an hour and drink at least 8-16 oz of water before I had the soda. Have you looked at seltzer water and adding fruit, especially citrus, to it? I know there are many "water infusion" recipes out there and would think they'd work with seltzer or club soda instead of plain water.



    Also, I plan my days by adding lunch and dinner to my diary when I log breakfast. I'll also pre-log my pre-workout snack on those days as well. I work best when I can see how many extra calories I have to work with so I can weigh my options when it comes to snacking and cravings.

    But yeah, PMS sucks!!

    thanks for this... yeah minty gum and sodas aren't a great combo so i'll defo try this!

    but yep I also do factor it all into my food diary and make sure i work within my budget... just would rather be eating clean!

    thanks :)
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
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    I once asked a personal trainer at my local gym about this. The response I got was unexpected to say the least. I was told that I had 'notions'. Anyways, turns out he was right. I did have notions. I was making excuses. You are making excuses. Just don't eat it. Or eat it in moderation. Its PMS. Meh. Get on with it.

    Funny, an awful lot of women make excuses for similar food at the exact same time. Weird. lol
  • McWooey
    McWooey Posts: 61 Member
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    I once asked a personal trainer at my local gym about this. The response I got was unexpected to say the least. I was told that I had 'notions'. Anyways, turns out he was right. I did have notions. I was making excuses. You are making excuses. Just don't eat it. Or eat it in moderation. Its PMS. Meh. Get on with it.

    Funny, an awful lot of women make excuses for similar food at the exact same time. Weird. lol

    :laugh:
  • McWooey
    McWooey Posts: 61 Member
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    I don't know if you have these in Ireland, but I have been curbing my chocolate cravings with original Fudgsicle popsicles. They have no added sugar and are 80 cals for two of them.

    unfortunately we don't have them no... sucks because they sound AMAZING!!
  • soni_me
    soni_me Posts: 95 Member
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    I keep chocolate pudding cups and no sugar added fudgesicles in the house, so that I can get my chocolate fix without going overboard. I find that my calories even out, because although I go through a couple of days where I'm having cravings...once TOM comes, I have no appetite.

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