ladies- Q- menstruation time???

Try a good high cocoa percentage dark chocolate for the chocolate cravings. I usually need a lot less of it than milk to satisfy my cravings.

Sorry I cant help with the carbs, I don't normally have a problem with them. It's chocolate all the way for me.

I personally find that if I'm craving something really bad I have to give in to it or I'll end up eating everything else trying to distract myself. On really bad days I find it better to eat at maintenance rather than beat myself up over it.

I buy those like 'share pack' 'family pack' bags of chocolates you know the sort i mean? like the mini versions of chocolate bars, instead of eating a full sized chocolate bar for about 300cals to get my chocolate fix i can just eat one of those little chocolate bars for 50cals it helps curb my chocolate cravings and helps me stay under my daily calories

Another one who craves chocolate and gets hungrier, although this happens to me during ovulation as opposed to actual TOM (as do all the moods and crankiness and even cramps... ).

I don't keep a lot of snacks in the house for me - not to be miserably restrictive, I just don't snack often - so when that time hits and I'm snacky and hungry there isn't a lot of choice for me! If I want popcorn I have to make it myself so I'll just make a single portion (~17-20g), whereas I could easily eat a large bag of ready popped corn in one sitting. I don't keep milk chocolate in the house, just dark chocolate, as it's more satisfying, plus I have sachets of hot chocolate and mini ice creams. I find these hit the spot and as it comes as a single serve it keeps everything in line.

I also eat greater volumes of lower cal food if I'm really hungry. Lots of vegetables with lots of Quorn, for instance, low cal but very filling and better than inhaling chocolate.

And then sometimes I just give in to the weird stuff. Last month it was rice topped with melted cheese and swimming in gravy... my husband looked like he wanted to puke...

kleighjen wrote: »

I know exercise is also supposed to help with cramps, but I have a hard time getting to the gym during that time.

who ever said lied thru their teeth

I have one extra hungry day usually. I eat 100-200 calories more.
A piece of dark chocolate not a giant bag of chocolate.
Drinking water
Exercising
Vitamins and minerals healthyeating.sfgate.com/vitamins-menstrual-cycle-8811.html
womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/premenstrual-syndrome.html
Soak in a hot bath... Maybe with epsom salt added.
Enough sleep

iLoveMyPitbull1225 wrote: »

I think that overall, my menstrual symptoms have improved a great deal with lots of daily exercise. IMO it does help with cramps. I too tend to crave the not so great foods and feel more hungry than usual. I don't have a profound answer for you; I try not to eat much in the way of carbs anyway so I just say no, but there's nothing wrong with having some chocolate if that makes you happy. Just work it into your goals like everything else and try not to be too hard on yourself.

Daily exercise and lowering carbs also decreasing my premenstrual food cravings.

I do eat (small amounts of high quality) chocolate because I like it, but chocolate cravings can also be a sign of a magnesium deficiency: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2721369/What-choccy-cravings-trying-tell-not-mention-yearning-cheese-meat-rice.html

I usually just drank water or fit it in.

Pm Sunday I will be starting BC and I won't get my period for 3 months so we shall see how this goes....

Good for you for logging it I make room in my log every day for something sweet. It might be a big cal thing (like that boston cream pie I made the other day) or a small cal thing (a little vanilla pudding with whipped cream or a Tootsie Pop). Fudgesicles are good too. Unlike an earlier poster, I don't buy the family size bags of goodies because I won't stop myself at one serving... on that same note, I don't buy hershey's kisses either because I'm a chocolate NUT and I learned that if I buy good, handmade chocolate, one piece satisfies me instead of half a bag of kisses.

MissAmyx wrote: »

I buy those like 'share pack' 'family pack' bags of chocolates you know the sort i mean? like the mini versions of chocolate bars, instead of eating a full sized chocolate bar for about 300cals to get my chocolate fix i can just eat one of those little chocolate bars for 50cals it helps curb my chocolate cravings and helps me stay under my daily calories

I wish this worked for me. I end up eating 2 or 3 of those mini bars. And would have been better off just buying ONE full bar

I never get the chocolate cravings. I get cravings for bread, pizza, pasta, and other salty carb things. And I'm also typically starving. It's not uncommon for me to eat 3000 calories or more (like yesterday), but it doesn't help that meat and veggies typically don't appeal to me at all at that time (and don't fill me up either anyway).

But for me it's only at ovulation (yesterday) and the week before my period (next week. So not looking forward to that). Then it goes away.

Haven't found any way of getting rid of it, unfortunately. But if you really crave chocolate, have a square of dark chocolate, or some magnesium supplements. That might help.