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PMS carb cravings

elpgal

Veteran

So, I have done the usual things - thyroid checkups, bloodwork, exercise, upping protein, magnesium supplementation, ruled out menopause etc. I also saw a MD-naturopath but found it a little woo-woo (she basically laid various vials on various parts of my bodywork see what my body was telling her!).

I figured I would check with you all to see if you had any advice for me.

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22 replies

Latest reply was from elpgal

taylor

Veteran

Well , it’s been a long time, but I remember carb cravings, and salty carbs to boot. I also remember searching the house far and wide for something / anything chocolate.
I don’t have a solution to this ...I had no control as I recall.
This too shall pass...I promise!

elpgal

Veteran

This is all new and somewhat alarming!

taylor

Veteran

Oh, you haven’t experienced this carb craving before? I just took it for granted that we women ALL went through this....my girlfriends and I used to joke about it.:)
Jokes aside , if this is something unfamiliar to you , I could see why you would be alarmed. It sounds normal to me.
I had just about every single PMS symptom and just about zero menopausal symptoms, go figure

rachylou

Veteran

This is sorta apropos nothing... but I’m type 1 diabetic, right, and during the PMS run-up, I seem to become highly insulin resistant. Which means I FEEL hungry... sugar in the blood stream, but can’t get into the cells. Of course everything is out of whack with me, but perhaps even when you’re not diabetic the same thing happens on a minor scale. I know it happens to other diabetics.

In case you’re wondering what I do to increase insulin sensitivity... I lift weights. Cardio does nothing for me...

Toban

Veteran

The book Roar by Dr Stacy Sims is a great one on describing how our menstrual cycle is tied to energy levels and how menopause impacts our nutritional needs. Lots of concrete recommendations that deal with optimizing your nutrition for various cycle and life stages. Highly recommend.

Liz

Veteran

Like Taylor, I found carb cravings totally par for the course, but I can see that if you haven't experienced it before it would seem very strange. I did find that all my PMS symptoms intensified as I entered perimenopause.

kkards

Veteran

i also found that i craved carbs more when i was not getting enough sleep and/or when i was feeling more stress.....

elpgal

Veteran

Yep, totally new. My typical symptoms have been bloating, tiredness and assorted aches and pains but now I am maniacally hungry for rice based stuff. It is somewhat distracting to be hungry again after eating. It’s been going on for the last three months which is why I brought it up with my doc. And I am not a carb restricter or on any type of diet. Mom started developing menopause symptoms in their mid-thirties so I am a bit worried.

Thank you for all the suggestions. I’ll try to implement them between consuming bowls of cereal

Runcarla

Veteran

Having a bit of protein at breakfast solves carb cravings - and most hunger issues - for me. My favourite is a poached egg on half a toasted English muffin. If I'm in a hurry, I'll do a slice of cheese on a half bagel.

Anonymous

Got my DD to try the Good Bean dried chickpeas with cinnamon to snack on. Healthy alternative and satisfies her cravings.

http://www.thegoodbean.com/goo.....ea-snacks/

For whatever reason, cinnamon on anything helped my PMS cravings when I was younger and I snack on these flavored chickpeas after a workout or usually in the afternoon when I feel my energy plummet.

Anonymous

Almost didn't click on this - too close to home Carb and sugar cravings were all there for me too - and I had a hard time resisting. These were two things I was never particularly passionate about either. I also hounded my doctor, naturopath etc over possible ( in my mind, anyways) thyroid issues...because why else would I be gaining weight like a truck driver? As Taylor said, this too shall pass.

elpgal

Veteran

Ha..yes! I am convinced something is wrong. My usual though process goes like this B12, thyroid, gluten, dairy....but I am guessing this is normal *sigh*.

I am going to be trying some of these suggestions. Have cinnamon pills on order

Runcarla

Veteran

I've heard about cinnamon helping with carbs/hunger and used to sprinkle some in my coffee (and cream) when I worked and got stress related munchies.

Though I have a 'hectic' sweet tooth (like Angie!) my body 'works' best with some fat vs carbs. I consume a lot of dairy. Ice cream, cheese cake, Creme brûlée, etc. 10% cream in my coffee. Wheat based carbs give me awful gastric upset, enough that I think twice about consuming them anytime later than lunch. Rice, spuds, carby veg are okay. I don't follow any specific diet plan, and eat 3 small meals plus 2 snacks - but nothing after 8 pm (again due to gastric issues).

Jules

Veteran

When I’m not getting enough protein I am hungry all the time and before I figured this out I would reach for carbs out of habit/ease. And then be hungry again, sometimes desperately so, in short order.
Perhaps try adding nuts, avocados (not protein but a satiating fat), cottage cheese (I love it with granola and fruit), those Greek yogurts with dark chocolate, nuts etc - tasty carbs with ample protein. I make delicious cookies that are a bit lower in sugar but have dark chocolate, nuts and seeds - caloric but delicious and satisfying enough I only need one.

elpgal

Veteran

Carla, wheat and dairy bother me but not all the time. I am not sure why. I started a food log last week so when I have monitored long enough, I’ll see if there are any trends with respect to what time I consume them.

anne

Veteran

Can I just chime in to suggest that anyone who has issues with wheat - please ask to be checked for coeliac disease? I have it, and I had NO visible issues with wheat prior to diagnosis. My daughter was the same. There's a lot of undiagnosed coeliacs out there and just eating "a bit of wheat" is dangerous for us". So if we can have coliac disease and have no outward signs. how much greater the chance if you do have issues. And please ask for a blood test BEFORE you cut out wheat. Otherwise your results will be skewed.

As for your situation with the carb cravings elpgirl, I just wanted to share something. Over the last 5 days, for reasons that were not at all health related, I ate 140g (dry weight) of oatmeal everyday (ie 2 large bowls), made with a small amount of milk, and not that much else (2-3 eggs a day, a few sardines in oil, a little pumpkin, a tin of baked beans and one of tomatoes), and very little salt and sugar. Before I started, I was overeating heaps, but I found that after the first day, my hunger and cravings cut down a lot and I lost 2 kilos (which I grant is probably temporary) Like you, I'm PM at the moment, and I'm actually thinking that if I feel out of control at eating at that time of the month again, I might just try a day or 2 of lots of porridge and not much else again - it seemed to help.

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Keeping a small but steady amount of complex carbs in your system might help. At each meal and mid morning mid afternoon and I don’t know about at night.

anne

Veteran

My porridge thing pretty much did that with the complex carbs

LAR101

For a variety of family health reasons,
I turned to a gut healing diet. It was more than paleo. I think I accidentally tripped into a keto-like diet: high healthy fat , low carb diet.

While on the diet for a couple of months, it seemed like my body ‘righted’ itself. It took some time, A week or two maybe but then the constant cravings disappeared, slept much better, memory improved possibly due to better sleep, more energy, felt stronger, seemed to think more clearly and I lost 15 pounds. It felt like I lost the weight without trying since I wasn’t fighting with myself ... as long I was eating this strict limited range of foods.

Paleo didn’t do it. It was surprising how sensitive I seemed to be to carbs; I really had to restrict sugar/carbs in all its forms : many kinds fruit, and breads, and hidden sugars. I think I personally don’t process sugars well anymore due to genetics. Both grandmothers had type 2 diabetes when it was not common.

It was good to have something that worked for me. I simply had no idea what to do.

These ideas are coming out of lines of thinking from functional medicine or integrative medicine.

There is a lot of information (books and websites) available now. They address different issues: heart health, autoimmunity, inflammation, gut microbiome - leaky gut, gluten and lectin sensitivity, AIP, women’s health - PCOS, adrenal fatigue, thyroid- Hashimoto’s etc. I don’t offhand have a good women’s health book to recommend but if you start looking, you find a world of info.

elpgal

Veteran

Lots of wonderful suggestions here. I am saving this thread to come back to later.

LAR101, that is one of the reasons I was attracted to the idea of integrative/functional medicine doctor. The one I saw wanted to do muscle testing and I just wasn't convinced. I'll have to find someone who can help me with the diet bit.

Anonymous

Normal for me at that time of month too! There's probably a good biological reason-I guess How about using cheats-like riced cauli instead of rice and spiral carrots instead of pasta?

elpgal

Veteran

Not running a victory lap yet but a combination of cinnamon pills and a bottle of kombucha and snacking on spiced chickpeas seems to be helping! DH warns me that cinnamon pills have a risk of liver damage, so I am taking only half the prescribed quantity and may drop it next time.

I’ll try this over the next few months and see if the pattern holds.

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