Question for Ladies (time of month)

I try very hard to honor whatever emotional state I'm in, and meet that need. But not to change the overall plan.

Physical activity is a healthier way to deal with the sensitivity, bloating, and irritability I get just before that time of month. It usually isn't real strenuous stuff... it's walking, yoga, just getting out and moving. It really helps the mind & body connection to get some moderate exercise in.

As for chocolate... well hell ya! So I make sure to pack myself one of the better brand protein bars for snack. A Luna or Cliff bar is pretty tasty, and fits pretty well in my diet. But whatever I pick, whether it's a protein bar, chocolate chip cookies, or Ben & Jerry's, gets logged just like any other day.

As for sweet, or crispy, or whatever... a lot of those can be met with either hard-to-fit choices (potato chips, oversized brownie) or the same textures can be found in easier-to-fit choices (carrot sticks with some light ranch dip, a Rice Crispie treat).

I've also found as I've upped the protein in my diet, reduced (not eliminated!) carbs, and found healthier eating habits my food cravings overall have subsided quite a bit.

I find that if I give into my cravings I immediately feel disappointment in myself for such a temporal pleasure as a candy bar. Not to mention sugar can actually cause more mood swing and depression (at least in me) I have PMDD. Basically extreme PMS and I've spent a lot of time changing my diet and observing how certain foods effect me.
If you're craving sweet though one of my go to literally maybe once a month because I know I'll prob feel grumpy shortly after is Nutella on a banana or gf bread
Best of luck!

My go to lately has been full fat Greek yogurt with cocoa nibs and cocoa powder. If the sweet factor is really there then I add a half a banana. Had that recently for a dessert since I was craving something sweet, needed extra protein, and had calories to use up.

I do meals from the comfort food diet cookbook your favorite comfort food made healthy I get what I want without compromising my diet

Oh man I need my fixes too. I get SUPER moody which ups the snacking, and plus like you I crave salty sweet crunchy all at once. I don't even wanna tell you what crap I eat... this time, it was popcorn with dark chocolate chips and parmesan. I also crave peanut butter a lot, so I try to find healthy ways of eating it: in oatmeal with fruit, on top of yogurt (with fruit, and cheerios for crunch), on rice cakes. One day more than half my calories came from peanut butter... I also crave donuts with my coffee, but I have those rarely. When I do it's a treat and it hits my PMS-y craving spot so well.

Stay hydrated. Give into cravings but try to "volumize" the food, and eat veggies/fruits before reaching for something more indulgent (sometimes it's just plain hunger). Let yourself go back to maintenance for a few days. And if you go over, up the exercise to make up the difference. I find that going on longish walks helps also to keep my mind off food as well as to keep bloating down.

Cravings usually come from some need; for example, chocolate provides magnesium, which apparently the menstruating body needs. Your BMR supposedly increases as well, hence the need for more calories. It's not a bad thing to give into these cravings; your body really does benefit from listening to its insatiable need for ice cream topped with potato chips. Um... at least, that's what I tell myself...

There are some healthy cookie and brownie recipes in the vegan section. You can't eat a whole pan, of course, but livestrong.com has a nice vegan sweet potato brownie recipe that is pretty good. You can make a pan of brownies, and freeze brownies in singles or doubles so that you're not too awfully tempted to eat them all. lol

Also, I occasionally just grab a mini snickers bar or whatever and get it over with. Make sure you drink a cup or two of water afterwards and the craving will be gone.

If I'm craving I eat at maintenance and ignore my macros.

I make 'healthy brownies'. Mildly sweet with a rich dark chocolate flavor. 140 cals per serve and sorts out that craving without breaking the daily calorie goal.

Recipe Brownies: 3 very ripe (medium to large) bananas mashed with a fork. Mix in 1/2 cup almond butter and 2 tbsp of Cacao. I use a muffin tray and make 8 serves. Bake for 20-25 mins. The sweetness comes from the bananas, so the sweeter they are the better the result. Tip: do not over cook. They become awfully dry. When cooked perfectly they are moist.

Recipe ice cream: exactly as per brownies but start with frozen bananas. Blend in a small food processor to make soft serve.

PS. I have found cutting out processed sugar completely reduces cravings down to something I hardly notice. Food with added sugar tastes sickly to me now.