I have been doing IF for 3 weeks and have noticed my bloating going down. But now, I am days away from my period and my sweet cravings have started again and there’s literally nothing I can do to control them.
I get really bad periods. A lot of pms, vomiting, and pains.
So during my eating windows I have been eating chocolate these past couple of days.
Any advice on how to control it? Or should I just let my body run it’s course and start once I am on my period? Because this only happens 5-6 days before my period, not during it!
I full on eat what I want during period cravings. I fast as much as I can, but I don’t deny the cravings during my period. I find that if I try to ignore it, I always cave, then I BINGE. So for me, having that candy bar or a small bag of chips, or a can of coke, or a bowl of ice cream is better than having 4 candy bars or a whole large bag of chips, or a 2liter of coke, or a quart of ice cream.
I’ve found that IF works great for me because it’s so flexible. It’s not “I can’t have that food.” it’s “I can’t have that food until 3pm.” Usually by the time my window opens, I’ve forgotten all about the piece of cheesecake and I’m fine. Any diet plan that’s too rigid always backfires for me.
Also, if you’re craving salt, I’m not above just getting a small amount of the coarse salt I have and nibbling on a few pieces. Why intake the calories when all I really want is the salt. You have to be mindful of how much you’re nibbling if you do that, and make sure you’re not over doing it because too much can make you ill. I find that usually 2-3 small rocks knock it out for me.
Have a period stash of sweets (if you can keep yourself from going after it mid cycle). 100 calorie pop chips, jerky, candy or icecream in the freezer. Plan it out but take care to choose foods that you know will satisfy you but also be better than grabbing junk food from a gas station or fast food.
I’ve found fruits help curb some sweets cravings. When that doesn’t work, I make a chocolate peanut butter banana protein smoothie. These two things usually will stop be from eating a whole box of chocolate. Worse comes to worse, if after all that fails, buy one candy bar to get it out of the way and make sure you don’t buy an excess amount!
I buy Ghirardelli dark choco melting wafers, and eat them two at a time when I have sweets cravings. There are 16 in a serving, so even if I go back several times throughout the day, it’s not a big deal. I also usually pair them with a dab of pb, if I want something more.