To ask how to stop being a pig?!

[Stressedafff]

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Im trying to lose weight, currently revoltingly heavy and the biggest I’ve ever been. Gained off the Mirena coil

I am losing weight normally until I get to ovulation and the luteal phase where I cannot stop eating. I can’t stop eating junk, I want sweets, carbs and all the bad food and the past month I’ve found myself losing and gaining the same 8lbs over again.

I do fasting and OMAD, and need to stick within the realms of this as it really is the only thing that works.

Does anyone have any advice how to stop craving and eating bad food/reducing appetite during my fertile window and luteal phase of my cycle?

Im desperate to get this weight off

You're making excuses. Eat less and move more. Unless you take responsibility, you're doomed.

Did you not read the bit of my post in which I said I am fasting and doing OMAD?

I have one meal a day.

The question wasn’t to make excuses it was to find a way to stop cravings during this particular time of the month.

Hahahaha @Habreathmint has solved the problem of obesity. Such rare wisdom.

Anyway. In the real world, have you still got the coil in?

You can't stop the cravings. I'm currently on a low calorie diet and have recently lost a stone which is the best I've done since pre DC (oldest is 12)

My answer to the cravings is 'do something else' it's all about distraction. Put the washing away, clean the bathroom, go for a walk, anything that doesn't involve eating! It really works.

No the coil was removed in May, I’ve lost 2 stone but it just catches me this time of the month, it’s doing my head in

@TokyoSushi thats an idea! You’ve done well losing the weight, it’s so hard isn’t it x

My rips are: I go for walks 1hour+ to stay away from the snacks. Make sure you don't take money or the shops might tempt you in! Make sure to drink loads of water or herbal teas between 2 to 3 liters. Don't buy junk food if you can avoid it! I also prepare healthy snacks in advance and keep them in the fridge for example snacks made with nuts and dried fruit, lentil soup, hummus... Whatever you like that is healthy and can store for a few days. If I'm having a sweet craving in the evening options hot chocolate helps.

My tips that should read!

It's so hard, but by doing something else the weight comes off, and your house is immaculate, what's not to like?!

Totally agree, you can't stop the cravings! Be prepared for them!

Wow. Where has this sacred higher knowledge been hidden all this time?

🙄

I don’t know your age but I follow Dr Mindy Pelz on You Tube. She talks about fasting for your cycle and age.
I agree - I can eat very little until after I’ve ovulated. Then the closer I get to my period the more starving I get.
She doesn’t recommend hard fasting for peri-menopausal women after day 21.
OMAD every day may be too much. I tend to do 18:6 and some 24s.
But just before my period God I’m ravenous. I know this now and just do shorter fasts then.

Stop referring to yourself in such horrible terms.

Be too busy to eat
Drink more water than normal
Eat apples for snacks

I would suggest altering your calorie intake over your cycle so that you eat more some weeks than others and/or change the way that you eat during that phase of your cycle so that you eat more regularly - less chance to get starving hungry (and therefore more likely to binge on unhealthy foods).

Low carbing helps, because the premise is that you don't have to restrict how much you eat. So, on the luteal phase days you can fill up with Greek yogurt, cheese, eggs, meat whatever, plus loads of vegetables...you can load your coffee with double cream, it's still OK.

But also, you will probably find that your food cravings reduce considerably (I do still get hungrier before my period when I'm low carbing and definitely snack more, but it's not that all consuming desire to ram the bread or chocolate in my gob RIGHT NOW)

I find the distraction that PP have suggested helps - find something to do with hands. I started crochet!
Pin point the times it's hardest during the day and plan for that. Have access to low fat snacks already prepared.
Freeze chocolate-a frozen curly wurly will take longer to eat and might satisfy a craving.

Drink cold water, it'll fill you up. Also it's good for you. Winner winner chicken dinner.

(I have the same problem though I get periods where I just want to eat the entire contents of the fridge. )

I've lost 1.5st so far on SW and it's getting easier. At first my old habits were there and I'd crave the biscuits and chocolate a lot. Now, a couple of months later I don't crave them the same and I can have a small bar of chocolate in my syns and not want 4. It took will power (which I don't have a lot of) to power through a tough month but then got easier.
Good luck.

Hello! I had this problem too. Here’s my tricks ( I have lost 4 stone and now have a healthy bmi). Eating a lot protein is really important to fill me up and stop the urge to binge, I make sure I eat a minimum of 100g of protein each day. I also made sure I was in a calorie deficit every day (1200-1400 max per day). I tracked every calorie I ate in my fitness pal (before I ate it) and weighed everything out. Soon stopped me binging when I put the calories in the app and realised how bad it was. Instead of sweets, I would have a drink that I enjoy - cup of tea, can of Diet Coke, apple & blackcurrant squash. Arla protein yoghurts are a great snack - 20g of protein and they really fill me up. I also completely cut out alcohol whilst I was losing the weight. Not only is it full of calories, but always made me binge the next day. Started drinking in moderation now - I avoid cocktails / wine which are full of calories - sticking to spirits / low calorie mixers. Hope that helps, good luck x

Just to let you know an 8lb weight change through my cycle woukd be absolutely normal for and would happen every month. The women I know who work out say the same. Its caused by water weight and water retention as hormones change through your cycle.
I exercise a lot and am extremely fit with low body fat percentage and this still happens to me.

I think rather than gaining and losing 8lb a month its more likely that you have stalled and the calories you consume over the month even out to no weight change. It's best if you weigh yourself at the same points in your menstrual cycle. Rather than compare to what you weighed last week look at what you weighed last months on day x of your cycle.

If your overall weight is not changing in any direction monthly you need to reevaluate your whole diet and find more calories to cut.

Brush your teeth which will put you off minty snacks 🤣🤣🤣

I have a ton of advice to give but instead just want to sympathise with how bloody hard losing weight is

It's taken me around 8 weeks to lose about half a stone. And I've been hungry a lot of that time... Eating salads, exercising, etc ad nauseam.

Not sure it's actually bloody worth it to be honest

Don't think one meal a day is sustainable in terms of nutrition or weight loss. It's just going to put your body in a weird pattern of constantly craving sugar and fat.

There’s something called “Mio water enhancer” that I use @Stressedafff- you just squeeze a few drops into a bottle of water (or into your glass of water) and it sweetens the water.
You can get it on Amazon or maybe at your local store.
It might help you with your cravings, I don’t know, but it really helps me drink water.
I usually drink the Sweet Tea flavour, but they have a wide variety of flavours.

You can't stop the cravings. You need to increase your willpower. You need to get to a point where you want to lose the weight more than you want the few minutes pleasure of putting something in your mouth, chewing it and swallowing it.

Don't keep snacks or things you binge on in the house. If you have to go out and buy them that gives you time to regain control.

Eating 1 meal a day is the wrong thing to do imo. You are less able to resist temptation if you're hungry. Switch to 4 or 5 small meals with more protein evenly spaced throughout the day. Reduce processed food and 'bad' carbs (the type that make you more hungry and lead to cravings. For me that was things like white bread )

Drink enough water. When you feel hungry/cravings have a glass or two of water. I used to think I was hungry when I was actually thirsty and quite a few people have said similar.

Track your carbs and calories. I have a magnetic whiteboard on my fridge and have what I can consume per day (50g carbs and 1800 calories) then I track it and have the total right there on the fridge staring at me.

I also weigh myself daily because it helps keep me focused and keeping a record going back months is really motivating to look back at.

And finally a photo of me at my fattest is my phone screen picture.

I've lost 9 stone 3 pounds since February. Got nearly twice that left to lose unfortunately. So I really do understand how hard it is but I promise you that with the right mindset and some adjustments you absolutely can do it. If I can anyone can! I've battled disordered eating, emotional binging and self loathing and dad dieted myself into super morbid obesity over 30 odd years.

You can do this. You can take control. I 100% believe that. 💐