I’m on my period and was really craving a chocolate since yesterday. Got two from downstairs and feel absolutely pathetic after having it. Feel like I’ll be skipping dinner today. How not to give into cravings on your period?
you have to respect your hormones, the week before your period and the first couple of days of your period is when progesterone is higher which makes us hungrier. I usually do OMAD or 20/4 but extend a bit my IF schedule during this week so I don’t tap out completely out of this lifestyle and feel sane. I have more carbs, fats and sweets here and there during this week. This is something that I’ve only learned recently and I’ve been a woman for 36 years lol. Now that I am respecting my body cues and my hormones I am slowly starting to see my weight go down and my mental health become even more stable because I am not fighting my body anymore
Feeling guilty for having food and then skipping meals because you feel pathetic (your words) or guilty is what leads to disordered eating
Be kind to yourself
Don’t feel guilty. There’s plenty of us who the days of our period, don’t fast. Sometimes it’s not an issue and you can fast like any other day and sometimes your body ask you for certain things and it’s okay to eat them. Feeling guilty for eating food shouldn’t be a mindset to have with fasting. I relate guilt with dieting and all the restrictions that it comes with it. You break your fast today because hormones? It’s okay, you can fast tomorrow. Don’t beat yourself over it.
There is nothing wrong with having chocolate occasionally. There is also nothing wrong with having days where you eat outside of your eating window.
What you need to do is just continue on your normal routine and give yourself grace that no human can be perfect at anything all of the time.
I also crave high fat and sugar the week before and at the start of my period. I switch to 16:8 instead of omad to help. I allow for treat foods within my calorie allowance for those times. And tbh any other day I feel like them. But I have also identified ‘treats’ that are healthier and have them easily available. Like fantastic herbal teas, dried fruit, yogurt and frozen berries. I find raspberry leaf tea really good for that time of the month btw for cramping. obligatory ymmv, check if it’s right for you etc.
I also have hot chocolate with low fat milk , no cream and a touch of cinnamon it is great on a cold day. Much lower in calories than the hot chocolate I used to make and will stop me from making and devouring a chocolate cake.
I now have low sugar sorbet instead of an ice cream treat in the freezer.
Also think about what you can add to a treat to make it more healthy. Chocolate by itself not great, but a drizzle over fresh berries is so yum. Lashings of peanut butter on toast not great, but as part of a satay sauce over baked vege and chicken skewers, lovely and satisfies my craving for the fat and salt in peanut butter.
Girl. You’re gonna skip dinner over a couple of chocolates?? It sounds more like you need to give yourself some grace and actually start listening to your body. When it has a craving that isn’t a big deal. Giving into it is also not a big deal. As long as you make healthy choices most of the time. Skipping dinner aint one of the health choices.
Echoing what everyone else is saying: be kind to yourself. We are all human, no one is perfect 100% of the time! Factor in your hormones each month and maybe find a way to satisfy the cravings in a way that you still feel good about yourself?
I do 🤷🏻♀️ Zero guilt, sometimes gotta give into your body. I always gain 4-5 lbs right before, then lose 6-7 the morning it starts.
This is a lifestyle, not a diet. You need to learn to deal with this stuff, cause it’s always gonna come up…being sick, holidays, celebratory meals, it’s life. Feeling guilt is only messing with you, deal with it and move on, a couple chocolates didn’t move the end goal
I’m following IF as well as Keto (no sugar/carbs)
Try Keto Bark ChocZero. No sugar, best chocolate ever. (And this is coming from someone not a big fan of sugar substitutes) Check it out if you can on Amazon!
You can have sweet things without the guilt!
Listen to your body and give yourself a break. A couple pieces of chocolate isn’t going to undo all your hard work. Consistency, not perfection, is what has given me staying power with IF. Good luck!
Woman here!! Do not feel guilty. do not skip a nutritious dinner because you ate two candies. Do not fast as a punishment. I have the worst cravings around my period and sometimes beat myself up if I eat earlier than I wanted or end up not sticking to my schedule for a day. Then I have to remember my body is doing some incredible things and hormones are a-flowing and sometimes I just need that handful of chips 3 hrs before my window. I’ve found when I just give in a bit and do my best to be easy on myself, it doesn’t cascade into a full blown binge. I am also down 30ish lbs since Nov 2022 taking a step back or two during that time of the month. The fact you are so determined to want to do this is enough. Be kind to yourself!
Be kind to your body, and be kind to your brain. They’ve been working hard, and when you’re on your period, they work extra hard. You had two chocolates—a reasonable, healthy serving! That’s awesome! I’m sure your body and your brain needed that. Pick up your normal routine in a day or two. It won’t set you back.
Don’t skip dinner. Keep the habit of eating when you plan to. Imagine you are talking to your best friend when talking to yourself about these things. We can some times find it easier to be kinder to our loved ones than ourselves
I feel the same way. I’ve broken my fast 2 days in a row now because I’m unwell and have to take strong ibuprofen every 4 hours. Paranoid about taking these on an empty stomach, so have been taking milk and eating cashew nuts outside of my eating window. I’ve been feeling guilty too, which is ridiculous, I know. I also struggle during pre-period week, as it feels like my body is screaming for sweets. Let’s try and be kind to ourselves. X
Well, you’re not alone! A lot of people crave sweets when they’re on their period. One way to try and fight the cravings is to eat smaller meals more often throughout the day. That way you’re not as hungry and you’re less likely to give in to your cravings. You can also try to distract yourself with other activities like reading or watching TV.
The thing I love so, so much about IF is that I don’t have to feel guilty for “cheating” on a “diet”. IF will burn your leftovers anyway. Don’t feel bad. If it would help you, take a short walk/stretch/work off the few calories you ate. Or don’t, because your body is doing big things and two chocolates does not make you a failure. Your body needs nutrients, please do not skip dinner.
Life without chocolate is no life at all imho. I give myself grace to have a little treat every night but I make sure to keep it “little” and respect the serving size. I also freeze all my chocolates so they melt in your mouth longer. You’re fine!! Aunt Flow demands her sweets!! Not like you ate a whole bag. Good job keeping it to just a few! 😄😄😄 You’re doing great!
How would you respond to a friend who told you she did what you did? Learn self-compassion! Within every crisis is an opportunity - look for it and take hold of it. If you can’t find it, then search for the lesson and learn from it.
Treat this as a bump in the road, and not a relapse. It’s OK to analyze your missteps and understand why you didn’t behave consistently with your goal. Also, you can be compassionate towards yourself, but not too forgiving. Treat this as a mistake and not something excusable so that next time you don’t give yourself permission to break from your goal. You are upset at yourself for a reason. A lot of people here are validating your behavior because they are kind. But kindness often doesn’t produce results. It works as long as you maintain high standards for yourself. You’ll look back and see this is a growing opportunity. Get back to your groove!