EVERY month I feel defeated... Ladies, amiright?

[melsuarez]

I am so tired of the up/down party my body is throwing... I don't know what I need, but maybe knowing it's not just me will help? Please share if you feel the same...

 

Not only does my female body naturally avoid making the muscles happen, therefore using less stored fuel ("ESTROGEN!!!" read like Captain Kirk), but I also get to fight a battle with my will to go on every month when my body decides it needs to keep ALL OF THE WATER and that chocolate is the only way to avoid doing the murders to people.

 

You could say "that is why you shouldn't focus solely on the scale", but yeah, but my body feels giant and my clothes fit tighter and my head wants to cry at ALL available times, so... those are all of the metrics I have been told to use and I can't find one thing to hold onto right now to remind myself of how far I have come and how I am capable of getting to the place I want to be...

 

Mostly because all I can see is a pile of chips and candy bars and buffalo chicken wings... and I want them all in my face...

 

Does anyone feel the same? Has anyone here overcome this pattern? Does anyone want to share?

 

Men, feel free to chime in if you have a similar struggle...

[Kilyra]

 

 

Not only does my female body naturally avoid making the muscles happen, therefore using less stored fuel ("ESTROGEN!!!" read like Captain Kirk), but I also get to fight a battle with my will to go on every month when my body decides it needs to keep ALL OF THE WATER and that chocolate is the only way to avoid doing the murders to people.

 

 

Yep, I go through this too. And, for whatever reason, my bloaty week has decided not to match up with my pill pack, so I'll randomly be thinking things are great, then stalling out on my losses, getting super grumpy, and craving all the things. It gets disheartening to do everything right and see the scale moving the wrong way, but then it's such a relief when the week is done and I rebound nicely as the water weight drops.

 

You are not alone!

 

As for all the foods and stuff, I've started making healthier substitutes that address my craving without doing the damage. Like instead of potato chips, I'll bake some kale chips. Or instead of chocolate, I'll live off of cocoa crack (on low heat, combine equal parts coconut oil to cocoa powder and sweetener to taste - I use stivia. I also add coconut milk to make it creamy and sometimes add blueberries or nuts) for a sugar-free alternative that hits the spot perfectly.

 

Anything I can do to minimize the damage during that week helps

[melsuarez]

I require this "Cocoa Crack" of which you speak, immediately! Is it like a pudding type texture?

[Kilyra]

Ha! Well, there are tons of recipes if you google it, but here's what I do:

 

In a small, stick free pot, on low heat, I combine:

 

Coconut oil (6 table spoons is a good size)

Cocoa powder (6 table spoons. Or however much oil you used, you use equal parts)

 

Once those are melted together, add whatever sweetener you want. I've done it with Stevia, splenda, and xyla in the past. Whatever you use. Add it to taste and let it all cook together over the low heat until the sweetener is fully dissolved.

 

Then, I pour it into an ice cube tray and put it in the freezer so they harden up into little chocolate bites basically. I store it in the freezer because my apartment gets too warm for it to really set well. 

 

ALSO, you can add things after those first three ingredients are blended well. I usually add coconut milk right at the end, which thickens the hell out of it and makes it really creamy. I also add unsweetened coconut flakes for some texture. You can add nuts, berries, vanilla or whatever flavouring extract etc. Possibilities are endless!  It takes very little time to do and not long at all to set either, so it's not a bit, labourous ordeal which is good for me because I hate that sort of thing haha

 

EDIT: Oh yeah, once I did a layer of peanut butter in the ice cube try first and poured this overtop. Sooo good (if you can have peanuts, otherwise almond butter or whatever would be amazing too). Did a layer of smooshed up avocados and vanilla extract with cocoa crack too once, not bad. Once you get cocoa crack down, it can be coating for other things too. I did plain, no sugar added coconut macaroons (egg whites and coconut flakes) with a coating of cocoa crack. This stuff saves me every month, seriously LOL

[Raincloak]

if you go check the Women's Fitness board you'll see this is pretty common, most or all of us suffer like you do. It's very unfun, but nothing to freak about (even though the hormones make you want to flip, I know... that's just your internal chemistry, it doesn't mean the world has gone to hell).

My philosophy is: some things you just gotta roll with. Accept that you're going to feel like shit for a few days and you're going to crave junk food. It's okay to reduce workout intensity and seek to satisfy your cravings in moderate ways. Don't sweat the metrics too hard. Humans are not machines, and especially we females have our own unique rhythms that the calendar does not provide for.

so if chocolate is your thing, it is okay to have SOME chocolate in the least sugary, most chocolatey way you can manage (cacao itself is not bad for you, it's the other stuff in chocolate that is bad for you!) Hot water with cacao and a smidge of honey is one way, or that "crack" posted above if you are not worried about fat. Or just a bar of high grade, bitter dark chocolate. Personally I find that stuff so intense, I don't even want a huge amount of it.

As for the other stuff (like buffalo wings), ask yourself what taste or texture or macro you're craving and think about what else might supply it. For instance, if you long for savory "umami" tastes, try mushrooms, anchovies, roasted tomatoes and suchlike.

caffeine helps too. If you are hankering for chocolate, your body might be wanting something bitter and/or caffeinated, so treat yourself to some tea or coffee. Also seek out warmth (eases crampy muscles) and happy music.

don't panic. The misery always goes away, just as regularly as it shows up. (and count yourself lucky; some women have it a lot worse...)

[Cherry Poppins]

I hear ya sister. Some months are worse than others for me - last week I was a puddle of hormones. I'm talking crying at work and being STARVING alllllll the time. i just try to ride it out, and remember that the weight will settle in a few days, and that it's okay to crawl into bed and cry, because I'll probably feel better in the morning.

[Hardway]

I make this for the wife when she needs a light but satisfying snack.  One marshmellow, dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with graham crackers, its a smore kabob and pretty light

[Teros]

Men, feel free to chime in if you have a similar struggle...

 

Every month?  Yes, for 20+ years...

 

I have to literally purge everything around the house when I start to get that feeling. Yeah, I don't get a 'time', but my ex and I often joked that cravings were as bad every week for me - it was more of a constant.  The worst is when I would start to get on track and she would buy my *favorite* items.  It was... a toxic situation. Hence the 'ex' now.

 

I would say that personally, the first two months are the worst. The first week can be crappy, but after that; there is usually triggers that start happening. Smooth sailing starts to fail after week #2-3, meaning I would be almost back to where I started within a month or so.  It's like starting a car at the bottom of an icy hill.  There's literally no traction and I spin my wheels.  However, after getting over the 1-2 month hump, stronger patterns start to form and it becomes more of a habit to NOT have the junk, than it is a habit to instinctively reach for it.

 

Best bet from my experience is to purge literally all junk for at least a month and ride the wave of tears, anger, frustration, and self-loathing ("why am I such a shithead that I can't stop thinking about f*cking snickers!? I'm pathetic!")  For me, the only way to break the pattern is by forcing myself into a new one where I can't fail.

 

How I can't fail:

 

1) There isn't a single 'cheat' of 'junk' type food in the house.

 

2) I don't socialize much, so I purposely don't 'go out' with people and therefore be put into a tempting last-minute situation.  Oh, Bryan wants to go to Applebees? Well then, I'm f*cked...

 

3) BATCH COOK - life saver.  Once a week, I make all of my food so there is literally no reason to go anywhere that has food.  I'll give this week as an

example:

-I made a dozen eggs' worth of egg salad

-I made 3 pounds of chicken thighs

-Fried up two rolls of ground sausage, with spinach and mushrooms

-In the crockpot, I cooked a package of beef chunks with minced garlic, diced peppers, onions, and beef stock

 

The Plan (with examples):

 

-Monday, I'm late for work and I have nothing to bring. WRONG! I have portioned out ziploc bags filled with raisins and cashews for this emergency. Grab a bag and go.  (You could also obviously make your own trail mix without all the crap in it.)

 

-Tuesday, Larry wants to hang out. No thanks, unless he wants to come to MY house- where I can control the food situation.

 

-Thursday I get home late from work and something frustrating happened. There is a Burger King on the way home - NO, I have the available food above and waiting for me to shove in my face the second I walk in the door.

 

-Friday, I'm bored and want to just munch on something.  Boredom eating.  Oh look, I have sweet potato chips and tunafish already made.

 

-Saturday, I just have that feeling that I NEED to eat something, stronger than boredom eating. I hop on NF and post encouraging things and realize that it was a mental thing and not an actual craving.  or............  check out my Wall of Positivity ( I printed out and made a collage of encouraging things people have said to me on NF. It's the size of a poster.)

 

How exactly can I screw up that badly if I have this all in place?

 

If I don't control my surroundings, it will control me.

 

Got any questions, just send me a PM. Later.

[Noname123]

All good advice here. 

 

I do the same thing, my hormones especially for the last 5 months or so have been absolutely insane (trying different kinds of BC throw your levels all over the place. I've been super happy about something and then so frustrated I cried within the same 5 minutes before, it sucks). 

 

Push through it. When you feel like you're going to murder people if you don't get chocolate my suggestion is that's the best time to try and do something physical. I either binge when I feel that way or go murder some weights (exhaling HARD or growling when lifting really does wonders for the soul when you feel like you could tear people apart). Look through my last challenge if you want to see some insane mood swings and what I did (both failed and succeeded depending on the month). 

[TheGreyJedi-Ranger]

So it took me going on birth control to get my hormones under control to make it so I was able to get a jump start on fitness.

 

I still bloat and such for like a week or so around it, and I still get cravings, but I tend to take one day where I do something nice for myself food wise (usually the worst day) and try to stay on point the rest of the time. I'm getting better about it as I find ways to keep my cravings in check without shooting myself in the foot health wise. It's a learning experience!

 

My hope is that I can establish the healthy habits early and well enough, that in a couple years when I get married and want to have kids I'll be able to go off my BC and not gain a ton of weight because hormones again.

[Noname123]

I make this for the wife when she needs a light but satisfying snack.  One marshmellow, dipped in chocolate, sprinkled with graham crackers, its a smore kabob and pretty light

 

I think it depends on the person if one can stick to a single kabob, then it can be but if they try to premake them, the whole plate would be gone before you know it and I wouldn't consider that a light snack!