Cravings!
 

How do you handle your cravings?

Usually, when I get a sweet-tooth craving, I can douse it with something salty... or sour... like a pickle.

Likewise, if I'm craving something salty, I can eat something sweet - like some strawberries or grapes, & that usually quenches the craving.

But when it's THAT TIME OF MONTH! .... eye-yi-yi!!! :dizzy: Nothing I do seems to stop whatever it is I'm craving. Today, it's chocolate.

Actually, this is the first time I've had a period since May. But of course, I'm peri-menopausal, and I was on the pill until August, when we discovered the blood clots in my lungs, so I stopped the pill immediately. Strangely enough, I'm bleeding like CRAZY today. I wonder if there is any correlation between how much you bleed & how much you crave?

That's pretty frightening about the blood clots. How did you discover them?

I'm not sure about the bleeding/craving correlation, but I'm right there with you today! It's my day 2 which is always the worst. I work from home and I'm struggling to keep myself away from the fridge. Here's what I just had for a TOM snack:

1/2 cup 0% greek yogurt (60)
1/2 cup Whole Foods peanut butter pows cereal (55)
1 small banana (90)
1 tbsp organic chocolate chips (35)
2 drops vanilla stevia (0)

240, woohoo! And it made a whole bowl. Now I just have to stop thinking about what my next concoction will be and try to hold out until dinner...

I handle cravings, mine are always for chocolate, by having a piece of chocolate. Usually a non-fat chocolate frozen yogurt or a skinny cow bar. I just figure in the calories and keep moving. Otherwise I'd just drive myself crazy. I don't plan on giving up all chocolate forever so I just find a way to work it in.

I have also noticed a correlation between a heavy flow and cravings. I always blame it on a rush of hormones. Whether that is scientifically accurate or not, I don't know, but it helps me handle the situation if I feel that there is a physical reason for it.

I was having severe pain in my chest, back & left arm. Also, over a period of a few months, I had some very strange problems breathing! - so one day the pain & the breathing thing got crazy & my husband took me to the E.R. thinking that I might have had a mild heart attack. But it wasn't my heart - it was pulmonary embolii - or "blood clots in the lungs." Doc said I was very lucky to be alive, as 75% of those who find out they have P.E. find out when they're getting an autopsy! :fr:

At any rate, I was in the hospital a few days, in ICU one day, and I've been taking medicine (blood thinners) every day since. Hopefully I will get off this med sometime in February, as the side effects are driving me crazy! (but it IS saving my life, so I can't be too grouchy!!! :D )

Can I say "holy crap" on this site? That's even scarier than I thought.

I'm 35 and I've been on the pill 10 years now. I've been thinking that's an unsafely long time and your story has me thinking even harder. But I've tried the ring and the patch and don't like either one. I've thought of getting a Mirena IUD but I haven't had any children so it's not recommended. (Sorry if this starts any fires, but I think that's a bunch of anti-choice BS.)

Okay - getting way off topic!

I get out of the house and do something that helps remind me why I want to lose weight, like go shopping and try on clothes. If I can't get out of the house (I work at home too) I try to stop what I'm doing and do something that helps remind me that I'm on track and it feels so good, such as sort laundry (that way I'm around my new, smaller clothes that I love) or read a fitness magazine or surf 3FC. Eating doesn't tend to satisfy my cravings, in fact, having a snack makes me just want more.
Pam

Hmmmm.... I've never had children & my OB/GYN said the Mirena IUD would be fine for me (I'm 44). Since the blood clots, I've heard countless stories of near-death experiences from women who got clots (in their lungs, brain, stomach, etc.) while on the pill. The more I learn about it, the more I'm convinced that the pill is not a good thing to take. Esp. for women over 35.

BOT: I've discovered that when I am bleeding heavily, I want chocolate, or sweets. When I don't bleed very much, I crave salt. Also, when I bleed very heavy, I have cramps. When I bleed very light, I have headaches. I wish somebody would do a major study on this kind of stuff!

i usually am awfull for cravings, the only way i could stop it, is by not giving myself the option. I dont have bad food i crave in the house, my boyf has to suffer that, and i only take food to uni with me, and never have enough time to stop anywhere for lunch, so usually eat on the go anyway. I think having such a busy life, even when im having a day off i like to be amazingly busy, gives me less time to crave.
my problem is saying no when its infront of me.

Hey Beach Patrol,

Since you're taking those blood thinners, be sure to check with your doc if the bleeding seems to go on too long... :eek:

About the cravings. Sometimes I can substitute, like you do, with other foods. And it helps to have the really bad foods NOT in the house, so that I can't just walk to a cupboard and blow everything! ;) (Not that one slip-up is blowing it, of course--it just sometimes seems that way.)

I'm usually not the kind who can have "just one" of anything that's a trigger for me... so sometimes I just tough it out and substitute as best I can. For example, hot dutch cocoa with a lowfat or low cal whitener or 1% milk will sometimes take care of some cravings. Or a counted-out number of crackers with some lowfat cottage cheese and tabasco sauce! The zing helps me get past the mouth thing... Just some ideas.

Jay

Yes'mm!! Keeping a close eye on everything. I just wanna get OVER this already... and have some energy so I can exercise again! I soooo miss exercising! But when I'm not at work, I'm pretty busy sleeping... :^:

I'm pretty good about not having the "bad foods" in the house. Sometimes it's hard because my husband loves everything bad! - but now he's in the position that he really needs to lose about 30 pounds himself, so he's OK with not buying the bad foods to begin with! For Halloween, I bought candy that neither of us likes (NO chocolate!) - mostly bubblegum & gummy spiders, etc. So we weren't tempted to go crazy eating what was left over. I've decided to do that for every Halloween from now on.

My favorite "bad treat" (that really isn't bad!) is a sugar-free jello chocolate pudding pack. Those are SO creamy & yummy! - I've also discovered an ice-cream treat (100 calories) but dang if I can remember the name of it! Of course, my main goal is to avoid sugary treats like the plague... but during "this time of month" I just want it ALL... so bad! Dagnabit! :^: But fortunately, TODAY is way better than yesterday. And here's hoping that tomorrow is even better!

I handle my cravings by swallowing my entire refrigerator. The combination of plastic, metal, and sharp ends keeps my appetite at bay for days...

Seriously?

When I get cravings, I will either eat a small bit of the thing I'm craving, or I will find something similar. If I'm craving salty and crunchy, I'll eat pretzels or Baked Lays. Or maybe vegetables with french onion dip. If I'm craving sweet, I'll eat fruit. I've recently gotten into dark chocolate covered prunes... really! They're good! Or maybe I'll make myself some vanilla hazelnut coffee, put skim milk in it, and then Cool Whip on top.

Sometimes, I will just drink water and exercise, in hopes that I can get my mind off craving bad food. Other times, I just plop down on the couch and watch TV. If there is something good on TV, I might get sucked in and forget that I have cravings at all. :)

Jay, I like your crackers with cottage cheese and tobasco sauce idea! I'm going to have to try that!

If I have a patient who wants a mirena but hasn't had a kid, I'll put one in. It is actually indicated for women who have PMS and PMDD. Might be worth looking into.

I beat cravings by giving in to them as soon as I get them that way I keep it moderate. If I dont I will binge later.


after reading this.. I am seriously considering getting my tubes tied, even though last year my S.O. had testicular cancer so one is removed and after aggressive chemo its unlikely (not impossible but unlikely) he can conceive anyways. Wish he would get a count done but hes scared of the results :)

Diet Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa is great for those chocolate TOM cravings! It also contains 30% of your DV of calcium. I keep some at my desk just in case the cravings hit :)

Ummmmm..... hot cocoa! Thanks for the tip! ;)

My weakness is chocolate or just sweet. To help this I found Creme Savers Sugar Free candies. My favorite is the chocolate & Caramel flavor. It's so good. I also tried the SF Lifesavers Butter Toffee. Ooo and the Crystal Light SF Lemonade. None of these go over 10 calories for one piece. I always keep them on hand in case of an emergency.

I just find it interesting that our time of month brings on so many cravings. It's weird. I mean, I can understand why we have cramps (the muscle contracting to shed the lining of the uterus) or headaches or even mood swings.... but CRAVINGS? The whole process boggles my mind, but I do understand that women are hormonally driven machines, and when the hormones are higher or lower than they need to be, everything gets all outta whack!

The day that I posted this thread, I was craving chocolate so bad, I literally went a bit over edge eating little pieces here & there. But yesterday I was "back to normal" & today, I couldn't care less if I ever saw chocolate again.

See? Weird! :dizzy: :D

Another weird thing about PMS & TOM cravings is the cultural aspect. I lived in the Middle East for a while and the women there didn't know what the **** I was talking about when I said I craved chocolate before my period. They said they didn't have any unusual cravings - just fatigue and cramps and so forth.

I try to remember that when I have a craving. How much of it is learned? I wonder if I have cravings all month, but normally I brush them off, whereas around the TOM I feel like I have an excuse to indulge.

Maybe that's true about the cravings, but I often feel *ravenous* in the days before I get my period. I can't seem to eat enough to feel satisfied at all--at least not without going over my maintenance calories. It's a drag!

I have one - there was a little cramping for the first couple days...but it has been fine ever since. I haven't had kids either...:)

Can beat it for convenience as there is nothing to remember. I hardly have a period any more, either.

I usually get the strangest cravings. One month I wanted Barbeque chicken pizza and strawberry pie. Then another time it was apple pie that I was hungry for. But I almost always crave chocolate. So I keep a lot of 100 calorie packs of different cookies and stuff around. That way I can have my chocolate without eating too many calories. I also love the 100 calorie packs of the chocolate hostess cupcakes, they are amazing!

Sorry I'm hijacking this thread - but it's good to hear that it's working for you. I guess things have changed since I last investigated this topic a few years ago. Then, all I kept hearing was that it was only for women who had already had kids. I'm glad that's changed!

I always crave sweet and salty things during that time of the month, I fight my salty craving by snacking on homemade popcorn, and to satisfy my sweet craving I will eat a piece of fruit. I have the strangest cravings; last month I was craving fried squid and I do not even eat squid. I also munch like crazy, especially on almonds. That time of the month drives me crazy with all of the eating and cravings.:(

littlelady25, :wel3fc:

And CONGRATULATIONS on your weight loss!! :cp: :cp: :cp: :cheer2: :cheer2:

Jay

Sorry if this is off-topic, I just wanted to say:

You CAN get an IUD if you haven't had kids, the issue is breaching the cervix for the first time. It's easier if you'd had kids and it HURTS (OWWWWWWWWWWWWW) to get it put in, but you CAN do it. I've got one and I've never had kids. Never intend to, either, obviously.

As for on-topic: I haven't had cravings since I completely cut out sugar and flour. I guess that's how I handle them...just avoid them from the start.