Pre Menstrual craving

Other people on these boards have suggested cinnamon pills. I haven't tried them, but lots of people have recommended them.

LMAO....I posted the same thing a few weeks ago. I suck. I just give in...but drink lots of water! I try not give in completely!! But if I want chocolate NOTHING is gonna stop me !! lol

Not sure if it's true but this is what I heard: the cravings are from your body producing hormones that dis-regulate your insulin production. You crave sweets to balance this. Supposedly complex carbs will even out the insulin levels and make your cravings go away - they take longer to be digested and consume the insulin surplus.

I definitely know what you mean with this!

So I know this is an old thread...but I found it today because I'm dealing with the same thing and it looks like our efforts to eat fruit and drink water actually exacerbate the problem.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201008/you-can-prevent-pms-destroying-your-diet was a great article and the advice SOUNDS counter intuitive...but since the other way isn't working... it's worth a shot

One of our weight-loss clients described the effect of PMS on her weight loss: "For three weeks I am in control, and my food choices follow the diet plan exactly. Then one day, during the fourth week of my menstrual cycle, I wake up with an uncontrollable urge to eat junk food. I simply can't stop myself. This goes on for three or four days until I get my period. So of course my diet is blown, and I am three or four pounds heavier than I was a week earlier."

Yet it is possible to stop PMS from destroying a diet.

The solution is to increase the production of serotonin, the brain chemical involved in regulating mood and weight. We discovered at MIT that serotonin activity is diminished during PMS so simply increasing serotonin production reduces the unpleasant mood and overeating during this time of the month.

Increasing serotonin is easy. The brain chemical is made when a non-fruit carbohydrate is eaten. Here is all that needs to be done:

Twice a day (or more if necessary) eat a snack containing 30-35 grams of a starchy or sweet carbohydrate. Choose foods that have no more than 2 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. Protein prevents serotonin from being made, and fat just adds calories.

Eat the foods on an empty stomach or three hours after a meal.

The snacks should be regarded as edible therapy for the PMS, not as a source of nutrition. Make sure you take your usual vitamin and calcium supplements and eat as many fruits, vegetables, low or non-fat dairy products and lean protein as your PMS cravings will allow.

Good snack choices include popcorn, fat-free fudge sauce (for PMS chocolate cravers), sweetened breakfast cereal, an English muffin with jam, oatmeal with brown sugar, graham crackers, low-fat granola bars, very low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, low-fat rice or soy crackers, pretzels, low-fat meringue cookies, low-fat biscotti and cotton candy (in case you have PMS while at a county fair).

Eat spicy cured meats

my cravings last about 2 days and I just eat more than usual. I will work out to fit them in but so far I havn't found a way to curb them. It's usually for cheese and chocolate (not together) but I will eat them. For the rest of the month I'd not eat chocolate so I don't mind giving in to it for the couple of days. The cheese is harder to curb because I LOVE it and eat it most days anyways..extra hard cardio in the meantime :-) For a long time I thought it was me coming off the wagon but after a few months I realised that it was just my body's way of dealing with menstruation and gone with the flow (pun partial not intended :P )

I have this problem for about a week before my period. I never weigh during that time, or the time I am on. For me, over the course of 9-10 months of logging and recording everything, i have come to realize I only loose weight 2 weeks out of the month. I loose a good 2-3lbs right after my period, then the cravings strike then the period. It balances out for me as the 2 weeks after my period I barely have an appetite, and its very difficult to meet my calorie goals. Then I have the week before and week of my period where i eat everything in sight plus the normal 2-3 lbs weight gain that comes with the period. It all balances out in the run of the month, and manage to stay on track with my 0.5 lbs weight loss goals.

Yes, I get terrible cravings for about 5 days during TOM for junk food. I can't seem to stop eating during that time. I decided that if I'm gonna eat non stop I'm going to have to keep loads of fruit nearby. The thing is when I want doritos or chocolate, I'm going to find a way to get it. Like someone else said, I don't even feel like eating when TOM is over.

@AshtangaBabs thanks for that info on curbing the cravings. Wow!

So I know this is an old thread...but I found it today because I'm dealing with the same thing and it looks like our efforts to eat fruit and drink water actually exacerbate the problem.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-antidepressant-diet/201008/you-can-prevent-pms-destroying-your-diet was a great article and the advice SOUNDS counter intuitive...but since the other way isn't working... it's worth a shot

One of our weight-loss clients described the effect of PMS on her weight loss: "For three weeks I am in control, and my food choices follow the diet plan exactly. Then one day, during the fourth week of my menstrual cycle, I wake up with an uncontrollable urge to eat junk food. I simply can't stop myself. This goes on for three or four days until I get my period. So of course my diet is blown, and I am three or four pounds heavier than I was a week earlier."

Yet it is possible to stop PMS from destroying a diet.

The solution is to increase the production of serotonin, the brain chemical involved in regulating mood and weight. We discovered at MIT that serotonin activity is diminished during PMS so simply increasing serotonin production reduces the unpleasant mood and overeating during this time of the month.

Increasing serotonin is easy. The brain chemical is made when a non-fruit carbohydrate is eaten. Here is all that needs to be done:

Twice a day (or more if necessary) eat a snack containing 30-35 grams of a starchy or sweet carbohydrate. Choose foods that have no more than 2 grams of protein and 2 grams of fat. Protein prevents serotonin from being made, and fat just adds calories.

Eat the foods on an empty stomach or three hours after a meal.

The snacks should be regarded as edible therapy for the PMS, not as a source of nutrition. Make sure you take your usual vitamin and calcium supplements and eat as many fruits, vegetables, low or non-fat dairy products and lean protein as your PMS cravings will allow.

Good snack choices include popcorn, fat-free fudge sauce (for PMS chocolate cravers), sweetened breakfast cereal, an English muffin with jam, oatmeal with brown sugar, graham crackers, low-fat granola bars, very low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt, low-fat rice or soy crackers, pretzels, low-fat meringue cookies, low-fat biscotti and cotton candy (in case you have PMS while at a county fair).

Thanks for this. My cravings are killer and I tend to go towards popcorn or gluten free cereal (like Chex). Although sometimes I carve a certain meal (like a favorite chicken sandwich) and I just end up giving in.