[FL_Chickie]

Hey all, I have a question.

I noticed this week (and realized that I did it last month too) that a couple of days before my period I got hit with a nasty case of PMS, and it triggered some hard cravings -- I ended up at the store buying cheese sticks, spaghetti, and to top it off, brownies for dessert. I've been pretty good lately, but just *needed* some fatty stuff that day. I was over my goals for calories that day (yep, box of fried cheese sticks will do that) but back on plan the next. My question is, do you find yourself craving more food / different food / unhealthy food before / during your cycles, and how do you handle it? I'm not sure saying, "Well, shoot, screw it, I want this!" was the best way to do it, but I did get back on track the next day, so I'm not beating myself up. I'm just trying to get an idea of how I can better handle it next time without feeling like a raging monster for not giving in to the body's "gimme food!" urges.

[Yogini]

Well, I had that PMS experience myself just yesterday!

I got cravings for oven fries in the evening and was feeling very grumpy about not allowing myself to have them.

So, I made a juice (carrot/beet/celery/ginger) and had that...the craving for a salty/starchy snack was still there and so I had some fat-free rice crackers instead. Calorie wise, I think I ate nearly as much as I would have if I had the oven fries, but I still view it as progress because I didn't beat myself up about feeling crappy and give in to eathing a "naughty" food and avoided eating fat in general

[aphil]

I have the SAME thing every month. I am STARVING and get really bad cravings, and I feel like a bottomless pit for about 4 days-a couple days before my period until about the second day of it. Like clockwork. When I know it is coming, my strategy is to eat smaller meals and snacks, but more often, and to do whatever I can to keep busy-sewing, cleaning the bathtub...whatever can eat up time for that few days.

[andreaphilip3]

hi guys i get that too. just wanted to toss a few suggestions out there:

for chocolate: 1 mini reeses(not snack size but the baby size) is under 60 cals and that helps me. also, kisses could work the same

fries: the oreida fast food fries are decently portioned and not too bad in fat or cals

cheese sticks: i found a recipe to do at home w part skim sticks: coat them in bread crumbs and spray w pam and bake them

[kykaree]

I make sure I eat my full food allowance leading up to that time of the month, lots of fruit and vegetables, it's a lot harder to binge on bad stuff if your full of good stuff. I just accept a certain level of sweets craving, and mitigate the damage by either eating small amounts of the real thing, like a small individually wrapped square of dark chocolate, or a small kit kat (English/Oz chocolate biscuity wafery thing) or fake it with a diet chocolate mousse. I do fine PMS and during period a challenge, I have found exercising a lot helps, even if I don't want to because I feel crampy, I feel so much better afterwards.