PMS and Chocolate

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Rhiana1188
Rhiana1188 Posts: 67 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ladies: How do you deal with chocolate/sweets cravings when it's *ahem* you know, that time? I find I have no self-control for like 3 days straight when it comes to that. If there isn't chocolate in the house, I will literally load up all the kids in the pouring rain and drive to go get some. Any tips, hints, or suggestions?
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  • MissusMoon
    MissusMoon Posts: 1,900 Member
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    Normally I'd suggest budgeting some chocolate into your calories, but it sounds like you might still lose control. I have had some success stuffing myself with lots of steamed veggies. It doesn't fix the craving, but it can make me too full to do anything about the craving.

    FYI Sugar Free Fudgsicles have 40 calories each. You can't eat them too quickly and it would take a very long time to do a lot of damage to your caloric intake.
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
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    I know it's not chocolate, but I used to increase my carb intake during those few miserable days. Not necessarily chocolate, because I prob wouldn't be able to control that, but I'd eat bread, pasta, etc., (within calories). It seemed to help with my cravings anyway. Didn't make me feel any less miserable though. :)
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 4,982 Member
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    I just fit some chocolate into my goal.
  • mommazach
    mommazach Posts: 384 Member
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    I eat chocolate. I also exercise more. I tend to work out before I hit the candy store, but I want chocolate, so I eat it. (Currently eating a Hershey's)
  • jafinni
    jafinni Posts: 3 Member
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    I make a chocolate protein shake - some of them are low in carbs and there is always the bonus of the extra protein :)
  • meganmoore112
    meganmoore112 Posts: 174 Member
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    I'm struggling with the same thing. I usually go a bit over my calories for the 3-4 days before and 1-2 days of my period. I also eat a higher proportion of carbs than my normal. It helps somewhat. I'm still working on a better solution.
  • ogtmama
    ogtmama Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Add cocoa to a green smoothie, eat a square or two of dark chocolate, make a healthy snacks and add a few dark chocolate chips
  • WifiresGettingFit
    WifiresGettingFit Posts: 1,773 Member
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    My suggestion is put yourself on maintenance for the days you need and allot yourself as much chocolate as you need.

    For me, I had 81 grams of chocolate the other day which was 449 calories. I didn't put myself in maintenance but I just ate less of other stuff because chocolate was what I wanted.
  • GeckosRachel
    GeckosRachel Posts: 3 Member
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    I find low calorie hot chocolate helps me. Options are less then 40 cals and do a variety of flavours then I add my own sweetener too.
  • ibme64
    ibme64 Posts: 4 Member
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    i found "Food Cravings" Chart on FB and Pintrest that i'm trying to get used to referring too... for chocolate it says "what you/we need" is Magnesium... then it says "what to eat instead" of the chocolate - Raw cacao, nuts, seeds, veggies, fruits. I have also started looking on my Nutriliving app for smoothies that may help with the cravings.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,912 Member
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    When I do the following, I don't have cravings premenstrually or any other time. :

    1. Get sufficient sleep
    2. Exercise regularly - when I get the happy hormones from exercise, I'm not prone to seeking them from food.
    3. Get sufficient protein in relationship to carbs. I'm not low carb, but reducing carbs and upping protein worked for cravings for me. See also http://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/fuller/understanding-satiety-feeling-full-after-a-meal.html
    4. Eat moderate amounts of fruit. This makes me less interested in higher calorie sweets.
    5. Take a magnesium supplement. This can be especially helpful for women premenstrually.
    6. Save foods like chocolate for after dinner, in small amounts

    When my appetite spikes up premenstrually, I honor it and eat at maintenance for a few days. Most times I add a snack and have a slightly larger dinner, and/or a treat.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Try some magnesium supplements. I honestly very rarely get chocolate cravings.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    I eat the chocolate. Fit it into my calories and as dark as I can handle it so it has more of punch.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Fit it into your daily calorie goal.

    I like chips and pizza, I make them fit, or eat closer to maintenance for a few days.
  • suzyjane1972
    suzyjane1972 Posts: 612 Member
    edited May 2016
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    WifiresGettingFit wrote: »
    My suggestion is put yourself on maintenance for the days you need and allot yourself as much chocolate as you need.

    For me, I had 81 grams of chocolate the other day which was 449 calories. I didn't put myself in maintenance but I just ate less of other stuff because chocolate was what I wanted.

    ^^ sound advice I'm going to take myself
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
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    Word of caution on magnesium supplements, stomach upset is a common side effect. I cant take them.

    I eat more carbs when i have pms- toast. Oatmeal, more bananas etc.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,912 Member
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    Whitezombiegirl wrote: »
    Word of caution on magnesium supplements, stomach upset is a common side effect. I cant take them.

    I eat more carbs when i have pms- toast. Oatmeal, more bananas etc.

    Huh, I've never had a problem with stomach upset from magnesium supplements and I don't even take them with food.

    I'm currently taking Now Foods, Magnesium & Potassium Aspartate and used to take Twinlab, Magnesium Caps, 400 mg (magnesium oxide).
  • joycefarmer68
    joycefarmer68 Posts: 29 Member
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    LOL! Yeah me too! broke down and got some chocolate...& started 2 days later... :wink: Yeah I tend to bloat, also (water weight) feeling blah! Need to get back on track! chocolate and salty chips... :(...Get this 3-5 lbs back off!
  • Rhiana1188
    Rhiana1188 Posts: 67 Member
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    Whitezombiegirl wrote: »
    Word of caution on magnesium supplements, stomach upset is a common side effect. I cant take them.

    I eat more carbs when i have pms- toast. Oatmeal, more bananas etc.

    I have a megnesuim drink mix that I make sometimes. Sometimes it helps with cravings, others it doesn't make a dent. I've also noticed that if I don't break up the dose over the entire day, I'll have extremely and uncomfortably loose bowels...
  • samwiserabbit
    samwiserabbit Posts: 153 Member
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    I absolutely go to maintenance or even over when I "need" to. I know some people like the "if you're going over your calories you must not want to lose weight badly enough" philosophy. I tried that, and this way works way better for me.

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