For the ladies : How do you control cravings during "the curse"

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  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    randomtai wrote: »
    Jennloella wrote: »
    The same as every other day... I dunno I don't get the hype.

    This here for me too...

    +2.

    24 hours before "it" hits I actually get an upset stomach and know "tomorrow" is the big day. I actually do not feel like eating alot (I am bloated and feel like I gained 5 pounds...last thing I want to do is eat a lot)

    As soon as the day is here I have loads of energy... I could clean the crap out of my house or exercise twice as much..

  • daisyverma
    daisyverma Posts: 234 Member
    edited April 2015
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    My friends and I in high school would joke about our monthly visitor... "Aunt Flo" seemed too friendly so we just started calling it "the curse".

    Also, the whole experience can differ from one woman to another.

    My body goes crazy, and I just want sweets and carbs around this time. I can actually feel the weird cravings hit me a few days before where I find it hard to resist sweets or chips. My stomach also gets upset and I get bloated but that does not stop me from wanting to run to the nearest grocery store and go crazy in their candy aisle.

    The pickles thing is interesting..I will try this next time. I do sip chamomile tea with honey but its not the same as a Coffee Crisp or Twix bar..lol.

    This time around I bought the snack size chocolate (pack of 10) and tried not to eat more than 2 a day.

    Anyone get super tired? Aside from the cravings, I feel exhausted as well and find it hard to hit the gym or even go for a walk. I just come home from work, and become a couch potato. Once the curse is "lifted" then I feel fine.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    daisyverma wrote: »
    I have been keeping on track for the most part, in terms of my food and exercise goals, although I still have some way to go.

    However, as soon as its that time...all hell breaks loose. Today I found myself in front of Tim Hortons and got a toasted coconut donut :o . Of course it did not stop there, and as soon as I got home from work, I started looking around for sugary things to eat!

    I find it hard to workout around this time as well due to the cramps and just that icky feeling. Normally I would do step class today, but the idea of jumping around and doing tons of lunges...not appealing..

    For those that get these cravings, how do you manage it? What works for you and do you tame down your workout?

    I haven't tried stabbing myself, but that might work.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    Okay, answering seriously now:

    I find myself craving red meat and sweets, but I don't deny myself at all. For example, I'll likely have a burger patty on sandwich thins, maybe a piece of dark chocolate, and I have this awesome Red Velvet Chocolate tea from The Republic of Tea that really hits the spot at night.

    I actually work a little harder during that time, because I feel it alleviates the pain.

    As for as The Flow Flow goes (pm me if I really need to explain that one), I avoid spicy foods and dairy and anything that generally upsets my stomach.
  • shrinkingletters
    shrinkingletters Posts: 1,008 Member
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    tomatoey wrote: »
    I just eat what I want. Your body is using more calories to fuel uterus activity (I think 200ish, something like that?). That time is miserable enough that I'm not about to make it worse. It's only a couple of days, anyway.

    My uterus burns calories for me too? How sweet!
  • rocknlotsofrolls
    rocknlotsofrolls Posts: 418 Member
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    shrinkingletters wrote: »
    tomatoey wrote: »
    I just eat what I want. Your body is using more calories to fuel uterus activity (I think 200ish, something like that?). That time is miserable enough that I'm not about to make it worse. It's only a couple of days, anyway.

    My uterus burns calories for me too? How sweet!

    that's good to know! At least one good thing comes out of it!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I read somewhere that the reason you crave carbs is because most of your glycogen is directed to your uterus so the rest of your body lacks it... so you crave carbs to refeed it.

    I'm weird I guess because I don't get many cravings at all, and really not for sweets, even though I usually have a pretty sweet tooth. What I get is extreme hunger the week before my period, the type where I'm shacking and dizzy and weak if I don't eat something RIGHT NOW pretty much non stop for 5 days. Typically I manage to stay under my goal for 2 of those days, although still going to bed hungry, and the others are so bad I end up eating pretty much anything hoping it will make it go away (and it usually does... after 3000-4000 calories). I've tried everything, lean meats, good fats, fiber, lots of veggies... Basically anything that would keep me full for 4 hours normally keeps me full for 2 if I'm lucky. So typically I end up eating ice cream or something because I'm in some sort of trance where I'd just eat anything to make it stop (and it really doesn't, but when I tried to fill up on veggies I ended up hungry AND terribly bloated and that didn't work out so well).

    Feel free to look at my diary for last week... I ended up eating 3500ish over my TDEE. And I still don't have my period, but today is a bit more manageable (cramps are a b**** though). But specific cravings? Nope.

    Once my period starts though, the hunger goes away and I end up being full on 1400 calories or something.
  • noclady1995
    noclady1995 Posts: 452 Member
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    Oh my gosh I'm totally the same. Someone made a good suggestion on another post and said to keep something low-cal on hand like sugar-free chocolate pudding. I'm planning to do that. It's weird because aunt flow just left and I have no cravings at all for the chocolate and other things I wanted to stuff my face with. It's literally a physiological response I have during that TOTM!
  • TiffanyR71
    TiffanyR71 Posts: 217 Member
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    I generally crave red meat and extra sleep; I indulge both!
  • salembambi
    salembambi Posts: 5,592 Member
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    randomtai wrote: »
    Jennloella wrote: »
    The same as every other day... I dunno I don't get the hype.

    This here for me too...

    consider yourselves lucky then
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Make room in your allotment.
  • TinyRaccoon19
    TinyRaccoon19 Posts: 31 Member
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    If I'm craving it I indulge in it but try to stay within my allotted calories for the day. Exercise-wise I take a couple of painkillers if needed and go for a walk. Often walking reduces any carvings.

    Try to eat something healthy and filling before you eat what you're craving to help prevent all out binging. Or try to slightly increase your calorie deficit during the other three weeks.
  • melissaw78
    melissaw78 Posts: 214 Member
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    Water.

    It seems like my entire digestive system slows down for a couple days before and drinking plenty of water helps a lot. When I don't, I go around looking for carbs like I'm trying out for a part in a zombie movie, lol
  • Mezzie1024
    Mezzie1024 Posts: 380 Member
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    Exercise mitigates the cravings a bit *and* allows for reasonable indulgence. :smile:
  • winterthighs
    winterthighs Posts: 37 Member
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    I stare at a picture of my favorite motivation/inspiration (AJ Lee from WWE), eat a piece of bread/bits of chocolate during the time period, and drink 4 sittings of water afterwards, taking a nap and lil workout right after.
  • kshay89
    kshay89 Posts: 15 Member
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    You should look up raspberry leaf tea! It's not fruity, since it's made from the leaves and not the fruit. Raspberry leaf is a great tea for women. I try to drink it several times a week and sometimes a couple times a day the week of. I have major mood swings and get really hungry a few days beforehand and I notice a drastic change when I'm drinking the tea regularly. I don't consider it a placebo effect either. It definitely helps.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
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    I don't. I stay active and eat like I would any other day of the month. I consider the week or two before TOM as a metab reset. I don't have cravings and my workouts pretty hard most of the time so I'm not too worried when I decide to have chocolate or something.
  • Wreathy
    Wreathy Posts: 61 Member
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    My last 'curse' is just ending - I've just failed miserably at any semblance of craving control. I ate my normal deficit meals and then ate snacks and chocolate up to and probably over maintenance. Haven't gained anything, thank god, but ugh. My last period was better - this one I was just 'to hell with it' and stuffed my face with chocolate and chips. I don't have any magic answers but to be honest, though, I'm not too fussed - it's just 3-4 days and my period is a nightmarish hag from hell.
  • kyrannosaurus
    kyrannosaurus Posts: 350 Member
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    For me, it's the same as any other day and not an excuse to over eat. The only difference it makes is I usually won't go swimming that week but I'll do other forms of exercise instead. If you need treats just portion them out and log them.

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