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Ladies, a Question?
vortex15
Posts: 19 Member
I searched but couldn't find a similar post. Does anyone have issues with Low Carb during TOM. I absolutely love eating low carb. I have done it on and off for years and really do find it easier than anything else. More energy, less cravings and good sleep happen for me. I always have an issue during TOM. Anyone else? Just wondering if it is me or if this is common. I still have to decide if I want to struggle through it or give in for just one day of the month.
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You mean issues with carb cravings just before or during TOM? I think that's pretty common; I definitely get that. My strategy is to allow a few extra carbs for those days, but to focus on starchy veg, low sugar fruit, and a square (or three, lol) of really good dark chocolate as my sources for those extra carbs. If I indulge my cravings with grains and high sugar items (wheat especially) I find that it not only results in more cravings, but also more bloating and stomach distress, which is the last thing you need during that TOM, amiright? That said, I don't eat VLC/keto, I am around 80g per day, so I have a bit of leeway to begin with. You could experiment and find what foods will give you the extra carbs that will satisfy your cravings without leading to more cravings and other unpleasant side effects.0
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Yes, that is what I mean. It only feels like this for a day or so. I guess I can experiment and keep track for the future. I am usually under 50g of carbs a day. I am not sure if that is VLC or not. Thanks so much!0
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I find I'm hungrier in general but I don't notice carb specific cravings. I usually just eat a little more than usual and bump my fats up.0
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I get both - hungrier and cravings. I up my calories to maintenance levels for those days (or just allow myself to eat more, but I do NOT increase my carb allowance. That's a super slippery slope for me.
I also find keto friendly versions of what I'm craving - keto ice cream, cheese crisps, whatever. And Pickles or a heavy dose of salt really help... Load with fat and salt during this time, stay extra hydrated, and it gets easier. (hugs)0 -
I get both as well. For the PMS week, I want to eat everything in sight, and in particular I crave chocolate. Dark dark chocolate, to be precise. Then TOM arrives, and things level out a bit. I generally allow myself the dark chocolate (within reason, but it's pretty easy to stay within a limit due to my budgetary constraints as well--I basically buy one large dark chocolate bar a month, and I eat the entire thing when I'm PMSing), but I still eat LCHF like usual. I might eat more in quantity but still the same things.0
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I get both as well. For the PMS week, I want to eat everything in sight, and in particular I crave chocolate. Dark dark chocolate, to be precise. Then TOM arrives, and things level out a bit. I generally allow myself the dark chocolate (within reason, but it's pretty easy to stay within a limit due to my budgetary constraints as well--I basically buy one large dark chocolate bar a month, and I eat the entire thing when I'm PMSing), but I still eat LCHF like usual. I might eat more in quantity but still the same things.
I highly recommend Green & Black Organic Dark Chocolate 85% (70% can be a transition type to get used to dark). They carry it at Walgreens (and other more expensive places). Ghiradelli has an 86% that is pretty good too, but not quite as good as the non-gmo/fair trade green and black. Their 72% is okay, but triggers sweet cravings for me.
I have a reasonable portion most days (1/4 to 1/2 of a 40 g portion). Remember, too that hot cocoa can be made with cocoa powder and almond or coconut milk, with or without heavy cream, and sweetened only to take the edge off. Fat bombs are great here, too...0 -
Lily's brand makes chocolate bars with Stevia as the sweetener. It helps me through my chocolate cravings without the 'got have more' feelings I get with a chocolate bar that has sugar. So I get the chocolate craving satisfied without the sugar binge side effects.0
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Almost every single night whether it's TOM or not I eat one square of a Lindt 90% dark chocolate bar. Each bar has 10 squares with 1.2 carbs a square. It seems to keep sweet cravings away. Like above you may not like chocolate that dark at first because it's not sweet but once you get used to it it's lovely. I had to buy the 85% bar a couple of weeks ago because they were out of 90 and it seemed way too sweet. lol0
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Not quite on point here but Pascha chocolates and Taza Stone Ground chocolates also offer good chocolate bars with high cacao %. I like Pascha better myself simply because I find the Taza stone ground has a gritty texture and not the silky smooth texture I am used to where chocolate is concerned. FWIW...
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I'm generally ok now (almost a year in) but defnitely in the first few months I was ravenously hungry right before and yes, cravings were brutal. But I did not give in and eat crabs because I knew it would trigger more cravings that would be even harder to ward off given that I was feeling icky when TOM actually arrived. But that's my body. I would combat the hunger with more fat. Now... I use the period tracker app on my phone to know what TOM is likely to start because otherwise, it would be a surprise as I have no symptoms before hand. 0
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I'm generally ok now (almost a year in) but defnitely in the first few months I was ravenously hungry right before and yes, cravings were brutal. But I did not give in and eat crabs because I knew it would trigger more cravings that would be even harder to ward off given that I was feeling icky when TOM actually arrived. But that's my body. I would combat the hunger with more fat. Now... I use the period tracker app on my phone to know what TOM is likely to start because otherwise, it would be a surprise as I have no symptoms before hand.
Wow! Didn't know there's an app for that! I will have to check into that!0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »I get both as well. For the PMS week, I want to eat everything in sight, and in particular I crave chocolate. Dark dark chocolate, to be precise. Then TOM arrives, and things level out a bit. I generally allow myself the dark chocolate (within reason, but it's pretty easy to stay within a limit due to my budgetary constraints as well--I basically buy one large dark chocolate bar a month, and I eat the entire thing when I'm PMSing), but I still eat LCHF like usual. I might eat more in quantity but still the same things.
I highly recommend Green & Black Organic Dark Chocolate 85% (70% can be a transition type to get used to dark). They carry it at Walgreens (and other more expensive places). Ghiradelli has an 86% that is pretty good too, but not quite as good as the non-gmo/fair trade green and black. Their 72% is okay, but triggers sweet cravings for me.
I have a reasonable portion most days (1/4 to 1/2 of a 40 g portion). Remember, too that hot cocoa can be made with cocoa powder and almond or coconut milk, with or without heavy cream, and sweetened only to take the edge off. Fat bombs are great here, too...
That's the kind I always look for. I hate 70%--TOO sweet! But the Kroger I always go to hasn't had anything better than 70% recently. I'm going to have to switch stores just for my chocolate fix.
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I've only had a couple of cycles since starting keto. This last time, I had zero PMS at all. TOM just showed up with no warning; it was so strange!0
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I have a couple of days right before TOM hits that I get huge carb cravings. We're TTC, so I track all sorts of symptoms re: my cycle anyway, and added "carb craving" as a symptom, and it looks like I pretty regularly carb crave 3-4 days before my TOM hits.
My favorite thing for the chocolate cravings are Dark Chocolate Covered Cacao Nibs (1 T. will usually kill a chocolate craving, and is 60 calories & 5 g carb, 1 gram fiber, 3.5g sugar. Best price I've found is bulk through Amazon). I'm also a big fan of the Lindt 90% chocolate bars. I also make "cream shakes" that are heavy cream, flax milk, tons of cocoa & cacao powder, sometimes with a little stevia in it to kill my ice cream cravings...lol.
You're not alone with the carb cravings when TOM visits.0
This discussion has been closed.