fitmama23 Posted July 21, 2012 Share Posted July 21, 2012 Maybe some women don't experience this but it's like as soon as ovulation hits, my healthy choices and paleo diet for the last few weeks want to fly out the window! Pizza sounds awesome right now. :-0 Do you eat any differently during the last two weeks of your cycle? I can do SO WELL before that time but I notice an immediate and sharp difference in the foods I start thinking during and after I ovulate. Like the last thing I want is more chicken and sweet potato. Thoughts, ideas, recipes?! This is the time that messes me up every month... Link to comment
Andrea D. Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 I'm the same way...no matter how clean my diet is I still get cravings during that time. I've learned to recognize when it is happening and have to just muscle through it (although it has taken many years of diligence to accomplish this!). I will say the cleaner my diet is the easier it is to not go off the rails. Link to comment
Megan Claydon Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 oh yes this happens to me every month! My cravings seem to take over. My steely self-discipline begins to crumble at every turn. I will given anyone with a bread product within eyesight the stink eye! Not good manners at all! To avoid diving head first into a gluten filled sugar bomb I will increase my fat or carb intake to help keep me satiated. Here are some of the things that worked for me: Spoonful of nut butter Sweet potato with butter and cinnamon Pumpkin or butternut squash soups Have a larabar Spoonful of coconut butter Extra serving or 2 of fruit Even though it is ideal to generally limit these food options while on the w30 (especially if you are trying to lean out) these are FAR BETTER OPTIONS than caving to a pizza craving! So be kind to your body and understand that it is ok to have a little extra during this week. It can help keep you sane Link to comment
Karen Posted July 22, 2012 Share Posted July 22, 2012 It's not just you! The female body is actually hard-wired like this! If you think about it, the whole purpose of a woman's cycle is to get pregnant - either preparation for (pre-ovulation), ready for (ovulation), and implantation/pregnancy (post-ovulation). When you get your period, it's because your body sensed it wasn't pregnant and is ready to start all over again. Between ovulation and your period, though, the body is hard-wired to assume it's pregnant... Progesterone is dominant during this period, and was even named as such (progesterone = pro-gestation). As a result, progesterone helps your body prepare for pregnancy. It stimulates you to eat more so there are more nutrients for an embryo (thus the binges), makes you more hungry for quick energy to support all the changes that are about to happen (thus carb cravings), and slows the GI tract so it can absorb more nutrients and fluids (thus constipation and bloating). It can even suppresses the immune system so your body won't attack the embryo! It's not just you & a lack of willpower - it's nature doing it's thing. Don't beat yourself up about it - it's hard to fight how the brain is hard-wired. However, Megan's tips are very good at giving the body it needs without resorting to pizza, bread, or kettle-cooked potato chips (my personal weakness) during that time. Link to comment
fitmama23 Posted July 23, 2012 Author Share Posted July 23, 2012 Oh my gosh, that makes me feel so much better! It's crazy...like a switch flips and I no longer am this healthy woman that I know myself to be! Last night I did NOT want to cook anything here so I had a ceasar salad with chicken from McAllisters...had some cheese and a couple croutons but I thought it was a better choice than pizza! (Not doing a whole 30 by the way...actuallly looking to gain a few lbs of muscle.) Today at b-day party, I skipped the cake and gluten free brownies and was proud of myself! :> I am trying reallly hard to do no chocolate/cocoa and little or no refined sugar this month to see if it helps with the fibrocystic breast pain. I've been helping myself to some almond flour muffins I made with pumpkin, banana, and a few other things. Hopefully this will only get easier as I weed out more of the gluten and sugar and stick with real whole foods. Extra fat and protein definitely help and some more carbs. One day at a time right? Link to comment
Andrea D. Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 Frozen cherries with a drizzle of coconut butter does the trick for me usually and sometimes even sliced turkey and pecan halves... Link to comment
Megan Claydon Posted July 23, 2012 Share Posted July 23, 2012 um ok frozen cherries and coconut butter sounds AMAZING! thanks for the idea! Link to comment
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