PMS cravings?

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Fit4_Life
Fit4_Life Posts: 828 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone besides me, seems to eat more than other days when they're "pms-ing" ? Anyone know why we have these cravings during this time?

Thanks for responding~

Lori

Replies

  • ohwhataday
    ohwhataday Posts: 1,398 Member
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    YES! oh god, yes! I want to eat whatever the hell I want on those days.. and that's how I feel. And I pretty much want everything!
  • xHelloQuincyx
    xHelloQuincyx Posts: 884 Member
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    i feel like i eat more during pms because i feel crappy and i seriously cant (wont) deal with sticking to my diet so much. unfortunatly i dont know the real reason as to why we get cravings. i would like to know tho!
  • Tabby1980
    Tabby1980 Posts: 75 Member
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    I don't know why but I've heard dried dates are a really good chocolate substitute because they contain some of the same chemicals as chocolate - or failing that go for a really dark chocolate and just have a tiny bit :)
  • ShannaB83185
    ShannaB83185 Posts: 441 Member
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    I have been *****ing about this for the past 3 days!! Wednesday and yesterday I was starving and wanted to eat everything in site! This is my first month on MFP while TOM is visiting so it has been pure torture. Now I at least know what to expect next month and the following months! Oh and don't even bother weighing yourself if it's your weigh in day! I gained a couple pounds!
  • Sj20fame
    Sj20fame Posts: 205 Member
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    Not sure why these cravings come during those times, but I know I no longer give in to them, work hard and move past it! =D good luck to ya!
  • mnerfariousl
    mnerfariousl Posts: 41 Member
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    it aint u alone...im holding back the urge to eat a burger and my weight in chocolate...i read somewhere that its because of hormone changes...seems logical lol
  • tristahenry
    tristahenry Posts: 175
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    My question is how to beat those cravings down. I give in every single time!!
  • loriannmartin
    loriannmartin Posts: 209 Member
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    dopamine is the feel good chemical in your brain.... chocolate and salty things for me during pms time....
  • kslindner
    kslindner Posts: 107
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    I was EXTREMELY bad this time when I was PMS-ing... I'm a vegetarian and gave into my damn craving for a McDonald's Quarter Poonder w/Cheese, Large Fries & Large Coke. Ugh. I felt SOOOOO guilty. Not only cuz it's extremely fattening, but also because I ate meat. :(
  • iamahealthychick
    iamahealthychick Posts: 207 Member
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    I, too, want to eat everything in sight and no one is safe being between me and chocolate! I ate all day the other day but made sure I was still within my calories (yep, had to go exercise to make that happen but it still happened!). The last 2 days have seen me eat 4 mini chocolate bars one day and 3 yesterday. I managed to not have the chocolate until after dinner by drinking a ton of water. I did weigh in today and actually lost ! (prob for the first time ever...)
  • Kimdbro
    Kimdbro Posts: 922 Member
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    I just discovered Kellogg's Fruit Crisps... they are 100 calories and taste like POP TARTS! I find that drinking ridiculous amounts of water and making sure I get more sleep than usual also helps dispell the pms cravings... As for why we get them, I read that it could have to do with the body's need to replentish more iron lost during menstration. Craving sugar or carbs like pasta is usually indicative that the body is experiencing a blood sugar drop, which some women's bodies become more responsive to insulin during this time of the month. Chocolate cravings are supposed to have something to do with the dopamine and serotonin levels, presumably the craving is the body's way of reaching out for mood enhancement we so desperately need! lol. Also chocolate aids in iron or magnesium deficiency. Personally, I think I must require super amounts of sustinence during this time, because I cannot seem to get enough food into my body when I'm PMS-ing... some probably has to do with the 'comfort' of eating as well.

    Kim
  • nalia08
    nalia08 Posts: 252
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    Well, I've gone through the same thing!!! I gave in though....had french fries and a fried fish sandwich last night.....
  • cheshirechic
    cheshirechic Posts: 489 Member
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    I'm an absolute monster and want to eat everything. I found a good way to get over chocolate cravings-- I add a tablespoon of cocoa powder to my overnight oats. I'm sure you could do this with oatmeal, too.

    BUT...if I'm craving something else (SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR), then I'm screwed. This month, I was on vacation when I was PMSsing, and I ate half a BUCKET of caramel kettle corn. FML.
  • Jill_newimprovedversion
    Jill_newimprovedversion Posts: 988 Member
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    Not that this is always the answer, but if you indulge, try to not eat everything in sight- and undo all the good progress you make each month.
    TOM is a brutal bully- and you need to defeat his pull on you....

    However, BEFORE you give into any craving, log and DO the exercise- and UNDO the damage. You probably won't lose, but you won't gain either.

    REALLY focus on UPPING your water intake before TOM hits, and during.
    THAT has helped me tremendously.
    BTW, I'm now menopausal........and I was under the *stupid* impression that once TOM died, I wouldn't have to deal w/ this anymore.
    TOM apparently never really dies..........UGH.........
  • Afrikangirl
    Afrikangirl Posts: 54 Member
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    The biological reason you want to eat more is because your cycle actually demands extra calories from your body. In anticipation of the excess calorie burning....your body cranks up the cravings to store some energy for the menstrual cycle. Women can burn an estimated 200 to 500 extra calories. This is why extreme weight loss or physical stress can stop menstruation....the body is conserving energy.
  • SaraSweetheart
    SaraSweetheart Posts: 34 Member
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    Afrikan girl is right... your period is more metabolically demanding. Call me crazy, but I learned in class that women are actually "smarter" on their periods... they are more focussed and work more efficiently. (I still bloat like mad though... I need to lay off the salt.) So take advantage of your period and enjoy the benefits of working out with a clearer mind. Also, PMS is something of a myth... there's no clear, clinical definition with finite symtoms, and many physicians disagree about what constitutes PMS or if it's real at all. There's no solid clinical evidence for PMS... I think it's a placebo affect thing. I do bloat like mad though. Enjoy eating 200-500 extra calories on a day you have your period. Just try to limit salt intake, and remember to work out too!
  • vanessaclarkgbr
    vanessaclarkgbr Posts: 765 Member
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    Thanks Kim, your comments re iron and magnesium make a lot of sense to me, I crave chocolate like there is no tomorrow. I always love chocolate but just cannot resist (or I obsess for hours) at tom. Whenever I try and give blood I'm borderline anaemic - so I'll try some extra iron once a month and see how it goes :-)
  • StaceKaiman
    StaceKaiman Posts: 49
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    Oh boy I am fighting the salt monster right now, whenever I get my period all I want is salt and lots of it. I am trying really hard to not give in and have been successful for the last 2 days hope I can keep it up. I have to say though despite the 3 litres of water I have consumed today which has helped in the cravings department I am still feeling really bloated and the scale wasn't as nice to me this morning as it had been last week, I should have just skipped my weigh in.

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