ToM: too much desire for carbs, no power for workout

WingardiumLeviosa91
WingardiumLeviosa91 Posts: 296 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Now my belly is even larger and all I want to do is lay in bed all day and eat more peanut butter and chips. I wonder why I crave unhealthy stuff so much. How do you spend your ToM?

Replies

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    I did baby myself a bit, like a hot bath. I'd relax the exercise; still do it but at a slower tempo. More stretches.

    Perhaps pick gentle activities that don't involve food.

    The biggest discovery is that my monthly cycle would hold on to my weight, then whoosh during my period. That is, if I was eating at a deficit for the month. I blame progesterone. So standing on the scale was my "reward".
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    for what it's worth, I'd say peanut butter and chips is more fat than carbs....

    also, nut butters can actually be pretty nutritious...they are calorie dense due to fat content (dietary fat is an essential nutrient, not the devil), but I have nut butters all of the time and I'm pretty healthy and fit.

    I don't have a ToM, so I can't really speak to that...but my wife does stuff like getting massage and soaking in a warm tub/hot tub and she stays active.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    I eat more - usually more carbs - before it begins. I eat less after it starts. The calories balance out.

    I usually want more meat after it starts. It's like the only time I ever want to eat meat, so I'm happy to want it and eat it.

    I cannot swim and don't generally go put for walks when I'm having cramps. It's embarrassing to be walking along and double over in pain, lol. If it's a particularly bad month, that's about three days of not walking. Most months, it's just a day or not even. Some months, Advil does the trick. :)
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    I workout as usual. One or two days max, I eat ~200 calories extra. After that my appetite takes a dive for a week or so.
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    I increase calories to maintenance and make sure I hit a personal minimum number of protein. Despite horrible cramps I go to the gym because it relieves bloating and helps with the cramps.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    TOM doesn't affect my appetite as much as PMS and my appetite decreases after the first day, usually. But take a magnesium supplement. Eat more fruit if you crave carbs. Make sure to eat some complex carbs (whole wheat pasta, potatoes etc) that will be more satisfying to you than protein and fat. I've tried eating a ton of lean meat and veggies to make it go away but it never worked... so in the end I just ended up eating the carbs I was craving anyway.

    I get pretty nasty cramps and alternate Advil and Tylenol every 3-4 hours, it usually does the trick. Exercising is supposed to help but for me it needs to be really intense exercise and it takes 30 minutes or so to be any help, so the first 30 minutes suck... I just wait until the meds kick in and go.
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  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    I go on a 4-5 day binges which ruins the hard work I did the rest of the month. It's like I lose all control. I still exercise. I take vitamins. I take magnesium. Nothing seems to work but binging
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Like any other day. No excuses!
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Like any other day. No excuses!

    Lucky you
  • usmcmp
    usmcmp Posts: 21,219 Member
    joaniee2003 wrote: »
    I go on a 4-5 day binges which ruins the hard work I did the rest of the month. It's like I lose all control. I still exercise. I take vitamins. I take magnesium. Nothing seems to work but binging

    Sounds like something you should take time to work through. I was a binge eater and it took a few years to change that.

    Here are some tips that helped get me started: http://www.niashanks.com/20-tips-binge-eating/

    The biggest factor to fixing it was to set reasonable calorie goals all month and when my period came my body didn't feel starved.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    I've never noticed any difference with my eating, but for the day I get period pain, I take Ponstan, and I barely notice it.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    joaniee2003 wrote: »
    I go on a 4-5 day binges which ruins the hard work I did the rest of the month. It's like I lose all control. I still exercise. I take vitamins. I take magnesium. Nothing seems to work but binging

    Sounds like something you should take time to work through. I was a binge eater and it took a few years to change that.

    Here are some tips that helped get me started: http://www.niashanks.com/20-tips-binge-eating/

    The biggest factor to fixing it was to set reasonable calorie goals all month and when my period came my body didn't feel starved.
    That's a wonderful link. I'm bookmarking to share in the future. :)
  • NinjaChinchillaNZ
    NinjaChinchillaNZ Posts: 56 Member
    edited October 2015
    jgnatca wrote: »
    I did baby myself a bit, like a hot bath. I'd relax the exercise; still do it but at a slower tempo. More stretches.

    Perhaps pick gentle activities that don't involve food.

    The biggest discovery is that my monthly cycle would hold on to my weight, then whoosh during my period. That is, if I was eating at a deficit for the month. I blame progesterone. So standing on the scale was my "reward".

    Your comment about progesterone is interesting - up until last year I was on the combined contraceptive pill, I would have my period like clock work every month and I would always gain up to 1kg in retained fluid in the 5 days leading up to it, which would then disappear overnight so I knew that was going to happen. My doctor then made me change to the Progesterone only pill, I put on weight over Christmas last year (due to slacking off with my eating) and since then have been really struggling to lose weight despite eating carefully and working harder than ever on the treadmill. I have been starting to wonder whether Progesterone has a role? I don't have periods any more on the Progesterone only pill, but I still sometimes get all the other symptoms so I can't tell any more whether I'm just not losing weight or whether it's because my pills are making me retain fluid.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    I eat more - usually more carbs - before it begins. I eat less after it starts. The calories balance out.

    I usually want more meat after it starts. It's like the only time I ever want to eat meat, so I'm happy to want it and eat it.

    I cannot swim and don't generally go put for walks when I'm having cramps. It's embarrassing to be walking along and double over in pain, lol. If it's a particularly bad month, that's about three days of not walking. Most months, it's just a day or not even. Some months, Advil does the trick. :)

    Have you talked to a doctor if your cramps are that severe. It could have a medical cause.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    cmtigger wrote: »
    Kalikel wrote: »
    I eat more - usually more carbs - before it begins. I eat less after it starts. The calories balance out.

    I usually want more meat after it starts. It's like the only time I ever want to eat meat, so I'm happy to want it and eat it.

    I cannot swim and don't generally go put for walks when I'm having cramps. It's embarrassing to be walking along and double over in pain, lol. If it's a particularly bad month, that's about three days of not walking. Most months, it's just a day or not even. Some months, Advil does the trick. :)

    Have you talked to a doctor if your cramps are that severe. It could have a medical cause.

    I would agree with this. A person should not have to walk around bent over and in pain.

    I am through menopause, so I have not had my TOM in a couple of years, but I used to get pretty bad cramps. I would just take hot baths, exercise, and drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Exercise really helped a lot too, especially running.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    joaniee2003 wrote: »
    I go on a 4-5 day binges which ruins the hard work I did the rest of the month. It's like I lose all control. I still exercise. I take vitamins. I take magnesium. Nothing seems to work but binging

    I used to do those 4-5 day binges. I realize that my need for food has gone up, eat at maintenance calorie levels, and strive for the same macro ratios.

    When I used to eat a pint of ice cream per day, I would eat a pint of ice cream for days. Now that I up my calories and keep focusing on getting 30% of them from protein, I don't go for the carbs the way I used to.
  • saraonly9913
    saraonly9913 Posts: 469 Member
    usmcmp wrote: »
    joaniee2003 wrote: »
    I go on a 4-5 day binges which ruins the hard work I did the rest of the month. It's like I lose all control. I still exercise. I take vitamins. I take magnesium. Nothing seems to work but binging

    Sounds like something you should take time to work through. I was a binge eater and it took a few years to change that.

    Here are some tips that helped get me started: http://www.niashanks.com/20-tips-binge-eating/

    The biggest factor to fixing it was to set reasonable calorie goals all month and when my period came my body didn't feel starved.

    Thank you for your post
This discussion has been closed.

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