How do you fight pms cravings?

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muffin1848
muffin1848 Posts: 20 Member
in Motivation and Support
when pms hits all I think about is junk food and chocolate. How do I fight this?

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  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    I don't fight them. I fit what I'm craving into my calories. My macros might be off for a day or two, but I still hit my calorie goals.

    I don't eat massive quantities of what I'm craving, but I can easily fit some chocolate, a serving of ice cream, or a serving of chips into my day.
  • Owlie45
    Owlie45 Posts: 810 Member
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    Make them fit or just be extra pissed off.
  • stfuriada
    stfuriada Posts: 445 Member
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    I leave the house or occupy my mind with something.

    Or find something I want more than the cravings - ie, I'd rather not exercise to make up for the extra calories, ESPECIALLY when I feel bloated. :D
  • arathena720
    arathena720 Posts: 449 Member
    edited July 2015
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    Gum and sugar free mints help me. I like to meditate, too. Sounds weird for weight loss but it actually works for me. You can find free online audio meditations at Fragrant Heart. My biggest problem with working stuff into my diary is I find I can't stop once I start, just like an addict. If I'm craving it that much I'm better off just not having it.
  • SavannahStClair
    SavannahStClair Posts: 35 Member
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    I try to occupy myself with something else. I go bug my husband or play with my dog. If I'm still craving it later I eat a meal or a snack of something healthy along with a small portion of what I'm craving
  • masihbelum
    masihbelum Posts: 8 Member
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    I mark these days on my calendar: Beware of Cravings! This serves as a little reminder to make sure I eat good meals during those days, sometimes logging them ahead of time so I have a plan in place and know my nutritional needs are met. I've found recently that my cravings often signal a need for some TLC, like a walk, yoga or an early bedtime, taking time to relax and have a cup of tea.

    Honestly, my best strategy is not to keep sweets or candy at home, and if I do decide to get a treat, I make sure it fits into my calories for the day. It also helps to get a single portion in a restaurant or bakery, sit down, and really savor the treat. I've arrived at these plans after realizing how capable I am of devouring whatever is moderately tasty in the kitchen or shamelessly buying and consuming whole packages of things. (I think my PMS spirit animal might be Godzilla, so I try to keep her in check!)
  • reyoflightphoto
    reyoflightphoto Posts: 76 Member
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    I just went through PMS this week. I actually permit myself to eat up to how many calories I burned instead of meeting my deficit for the couple of days. I can't help but think the body is actually burning more calories during that time and that's why we are so ravenous. I also have noticed a huge drop in appetite the day I finally start. Then I actually go under my calorie allowance with my deficit. So I think over the week it all works out in the end. So far I haven't had a problem. Still slowly and steadily winning the race. :-)
  • kryss247
    kryss247 Posts: 120 Member
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    I chew on ice :)
  • ireadlabelsdammit
    ireadlabelsdammit Posts: 64 Member
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    masihbelum wrote: »
    (I think my PMS spirit animal might be Godzilla, so I try to keep her in check!)

    Hahahaha!

  • jacau
    jacau Posts: 139 Member
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    I just went through some MAJOR bingeing sessions the last two days, lol. I still need to come up with some better strategies it seems.

    I started noticing my craving patterns only some months ago when I began journaling my food intake again. And ever since, I am getting better in managing those bursts of Choczilla mode. But am not totally done yet. It's also that I usually feel super fatigued and can hardly get my muscles in gear for exercising. While I'm mostly ok during day time (thanks to distractions), I can do some serious damage at night time. The last two nights were just ridiculous ;) That with no exercise, yay!

    Anyhow, I like the idea of planning ahead and marking those days in the calendar. Some healthy munchies in the fridge, declaring the supermarket a red flag area, and planning the munchy calories seems like a proper strategy. Better than still get surprised when the time comes up again. Like "Hey, it's Christmas again." hahaha :) Thanks for the ideas! Super simple and straightforward, why didn't I think of it before???
  • rebeccamorgan58152
    rebeccamorgan58152 Posts: 35 Member
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    Mostly, I got rid of PMS temptation by giving into it and totally destroying my deficit for the whole week in a matter of hours, getting depressed about the resulting gain, giving up on the whole thing, not bothering to log properly until after the end of my period, climbing back on the wagon, losing for a week or so, eating like a monster because of ovulation, rinse, repeat. This isn't working well for me, so this month I started taking a magnesium supplement to reduce water retention and cravings, lowered my deficit a bit and took up strength training. I did go over maintenance by 150 calories or so the day before my period started, but that's no biggie and I've been more or less on track since then. I didn't have the usual ridiculous compulsion to eat my own weight in chocolate either.

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