What do you do to avoid binging at that time of the month?

You could figure out your maintenance calories, and eat to that until it passes. You won't lose, but you won't gain either. Some people also find they benefit from diet breaks.

I just try to eat at maintenance. Feels like loads because I've been eating at a deficit.

Here are a few that I use:

1. Planning your eating for the rest of the day: choose deliberate snacks that you look forward to. You'll know exactly when you can have them and they'll satisfy your craving.
2. Drink: Water, diet soda, crystal light. Anything non-caloric.
3. Chew gum: It's a stop-gap measure that lasts anywhere between 15-45 minutes for me. Long enough to line up a healthy snack or get past bagels or doughnuts.
4. Stay busy: Work, exercise, draw, whatever. Keep your mind off food.
5. Call out your impulses to munch: Assess whether you're really hungry or just bored, tired, stressed, etc. Call them what they are helps to recognize your coping through eating.

Same - I get hungry the week before my period. I eat at maintenance and drink a lot of water.

I'm past that, but here are my thoughts:
I ate more. I knew my metabolism was higher, so I allowed myself more food.
I tried to eat what I craved, because if I didn't I wouldn't feel satisfied. Dark Chocolate usually did the trick.
I knew that when my period finally came, I would have no appetite at all for a few days, and I did NOT force myself to "eat all my calories" when that happened. And it all worked out fine, I ate more, then I ate less. Then I ate like normal.

I usually try and eat at maintenance for a couple of days and eat more carbs than normal, I found trying to stay at a deficit and my usual macro split doesn't satiate me and I end up all out bingeing if I don't give myself a bit of leeway.

I bought a bag of dark chocolate with raspberries from Costco. I opened it and got out my trusty food scale. Weighed and measured 1 oz portions and put them in snack baggies and then loaded them all back in the original bag. Now I can grab a pre-portioned amount and satisfy my sweet tooth without the temptation of eating extra and it is easy to log. For me I find that the more that I prepare the more I stay on plan. You are doing great work, keep it up!

1- make sure you’re getting enough protein to stay satiated.
2- I plan on eating a couple squares of Lindt 85% dark chocolate the days leading up to my period, and the days that I’m ovulating. It satisfies the chocolate craving, but there isn’t enough sugar in it to trigger more eating.

I tend to eat closer to maintenance for a day or two, I am STARVING 1-2 days before my time of month... trying to stick to my normal deficit usually ends with me eating way too much chocolate/junk

Sojo15 wrote: »

Since it is my TOM now, I can absolutely say that this was the reason I was so hungry. Really good advice everyone, thank you. I also lost more weight on the scale now that the witch arrived. Is it that water weight that people talk about.... my scale was almost still when I started three weeks ago, but I did lose 4.5 lbs, yay!

I always inch up a bit the week before I start and then it all comes off once I do.

Me right now!!! I’m eating “maintenance” I can tell I’m still losing but the scale doesn’t show it. I lose 5-6lb overnight at the end of my period last month ( my first month on myfitnesspal) so I’m hoping for the same thing to happen this month. And it should since I followed my diet and have no loss while I’m on my period due to water retention

I get really hungry a day or 2 beforehand and eat almost nothing most of the week unless i force myself to eat the minimum 1200 ( i usually eat 1500) and then for 2 days after i eat at maintenance. I know its triggering when i want to eat cake frosting that has been chilling in the fridge lol