Females Only! hunger during period?

The only supplement I take is iron around the WTOTM, seems to help me a huge amount and I get mahoooosive sugar cravings the couple of days before

jipsybird wrote: »

I usually get extra hungry within a week before my period. Usually chocolate. I love dark chocolate! However, I understand that the chocolate cravings come from a need for more magnesium, which can be satisfied with squash or peanuts. I will usually allow myself some indulgence, but it takes some willpower to stop once I've started!

This - craving chocolate often means our bodies anticipate needing magnesium. Magnesium is known to alleviate cramps and contractions (hence why hospitals sometimes inject a heart attack patient with Mg). Also chocolate is delicious.

I do keep a bar of dark chocolate 70-85% cacao on hand, but I find while this satisfies for the taste, it does not satisfy the ravenous craving for CARB SUGAR CHOCOLATE OMG SO HUNGRY that comes every 28 days. For that I try to get a banana or almonds (also has Mg) or just go get some So Delicious coconut milk chocolate ice cream. It doesn't really have Mg but it has some fiber, is low in calories, has chocolate, and tastes sweet so it satisfies for a while and is less likely to put me way over.

Sometimes the hunger gets so bad that I can't think about anything else. So I just eat, even if it means every 2 hours I end up eating. And I stop caring how much the calories are that day because I find that the week after, everything settles down and it's easy to eat under the calorie goal. So it evens out, as long as I don't let that one feast derail everything afterward.

Also, yoga helps. And I take a magnesium supplement sometimes; this helps with cramps, sleep and bathroom regularity.

Lately I've been munching on Valley Popcorn. I found it at my local grocery store and its REALLY good (I would eat it even if I wasn't dieting) 1 cup is only 35 calories so you can feel like you are eating more while not going over your calorie limit

Yeeeep. Usually for just a day or two before it starts. Last night, I went to my OrangeTheory class, and ended up at the burger shop next to it. Double cheeseburger and an oreo milkshake (no fries... watching my calories and all that). It was delicious and just what I wanted, and I ate all of it with no regrets. Today, back to it with no milkshakes or double cheeseburgers, but I'm sure I'll have something sweet later on.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Why did we open a period hunger thread from July 2013?

Because we were hungry?

I usually eat at maintenance (or close to it) during PMS. I see absolutely no harm in eating at maintenance for a few days. There is zero reason I have to be in a deficit every single day of the month. Now, that's not to say that I'll eat extra food I don't want just to get up to maintenance, but I find that giving myself "permission" to have maintenance days actually results in fewer days where I go over maintenance (as evidenced by the fact that I only ate over maintenance twice over the holidays and the bigger surplus was only 500 calories).

The week before I binge on everything sweet fatty and unhealthy I just crave junk! Then sit guilt ridden after but I find it really hard to not eat junk! Any ideas how to stop this let me know haha xx

TanyaHooton wrote: »

jipsybird wrote: »

Also, yoga helps. And I take a magnesium supplement sometimes; this helps with cramps, sleep and bathroom regularity.

Yoga helps, yes, as does the magnesium. If it's really bad I eat a banana dipped in Nutella. I also have a magnesium spray that I (try to remember to) spray on every evening - it helps me sleep and most of the time it helps alleviate the cravings and the headache.
I do sometimes just give in, like you do - like this morning. I ate 4 leftover home made Swedish meatballs... AND my regular lunch of 2 slices of toast with peanut butter and honey.... I haven't even looked at my calorie count, as I know it will make me all wilty and sad, so I'm just going to enjoy the calories today and hopefully work it off tomorrow...
It's all about balance, I think.

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Why did we open a period hunger thread from July 2013?

I think sometimes someone googles something (you know, uses Google or Bing to search all the interwebz), finds a thread on that topic, and responds to it without noticing it's from 2013.

Day before... Insatiable hunger...I could eat a horse, and the saddle and the cowboy and the rope and the steer...And then ask for pudding.
Oh and I have NEVER EVER EVER CRAVED CELERY

Sugars. I crave stuff like cookies and brownies. I HATE them the rest of the month.. But for a day or 3 during that time, I crave them. I cant council on whether or not you should allow cheat days during this time as I have just started this journey.. However, if you forbid the junk all the time, you WILL cheat and over do it. You shouldnt go crazy with it and definitely still consider your calorie intake, but say you are eating 2000 calories in lean meats and veggies and whole grains for 3 weeks then your period hits.. What if you ate 1500 calories in healthy foods and 500 in snacky foods? Or heck, 2000 in McD's.. some guy lost weight doing that to prove that its not WHAT you eat but how many calories you take in. He said a calorie is a calorie. I dont know how much I buy into this, but hell, Ive seen petite little princess scarf big macs with no ill effect so maybe their is some truth to it? Dont consume MORE just consume DIFFERENT.