I asked on the WW 50’s board… is craving chocolate at PMS a new thing? (I should have waited, because I wasn’t that concise). Got some good replies. Or at least replies that agree with me.
WW 6o’s+ board… the first poster saw the word chocolate and went “Mmmmmm!!!! Dark Chocolate”. I responded… and rest of thread was side tracked on a chocolate tangent and nobody really responded to original thoughts in the post…
Originally posted by D in St Pete: I want to say something regarding the female cycle and food cravings.
My hysterectomy did not take my ovaries. I still have a cycle, I still get bloated and have random acne, and my fuse gets short. But that's it. And because there's no physical "AHA! It's THAT time!" indicator, I rely on those not-easy-to-see clues.
There are no food cravings. There are cravings for solitude, for comfort, and for peace (the "LEAVE ME ALONE I HATE THE WORLD!") kind. But not food. I think that's largely because as it's happening, I'm not aware. I don't think about when my TOM is, because it's not an issue anymore.
It's only when I go into the restroom at work because EVERYONE is getting on my very last nerve, AND I have a random zit, AND my skirt feels uncomfortable in the waist...then I go, "Oh, right....well, it'll be over in a couple of days." I only have the PMS part of the symptoms.
But, I only want chocolate and salty things and really more salty things and red meat than chocolate, when I have PMS and I mean pre-menstral not during, and my cycle is somewhat irregular so I don't always know it is the week of pre-menstral.
I do think chocolate is much more of an emotional soother, than the salty stuff. Also, when I "crave" for lack of a better word, salty things don't HAVE to be junk food for me. (If they are around, which they usually aren't, I'll go for those first.), but I will also eat cheese and crackers, peanut butter and crackers, things like that, if that's what's in the house.
Chocolate has been shown to give you the same feeling you get when you're in love. So, I do believe it is a psychological thing.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4267 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
Yes to both. BUT, I've found that being without for a period of time, I don't miss either one. I used to be a 2 lb bag a week person for M&M's...honestly, I could down one bag in a day...and think nothing of it. But I haven't had an M&M in five years and I don't miss them. I have found substitutes that are healthier for me. And help me meet my goals.
Summer Challenge Goals:
1. Get out of the house and in the pool four days a week. 2. Schedule meals a week at a time. 3. five fruits and vegetables a day, along with water.
Posts: 3445 | Location: Central USA | Registered: March 11, 2004
Mostly, the problem comes in for me when I eat it off plan. For example, a sandwich shop nearby makes the most amazing mocha milk shakes. The are so good with great ingredients.
Once in a while I go there, have a small side salad and a milk shake for lunch. Once every couple of months it works for me.
OTOH, I was teaching today and the student teacher in my room was eating chips from a huge bag of Ruffles. Boy, did I want those. I did not think of it as a craving, tho. It was more like I was Pavlov's dog. I just saw them and wanted them.
I had to make sure they were out of sight and work hard to focus on what I REALLY want. Because I do want the chips. But I want them WAY less than I want to feel happy and proud and in control of myself.
I can't eat stuff I crave just any old time. I have to learn restraint and make a plan to eat it. Just becuase I crave chocalate does not mean I need it NOW! I can plan to have it tomorrow. Cravings are not emergencies- I used to resond to them like 911 calls. That kept 40 pounds of fat on my bod.
Bottom line for me is that if I plan to include certain decadent foods on occasion, I find that my cravings are not too strong for me. Deprivation only to a point.
For me it has to be dark chocolate. Very dark. Like 70% or even 86% cocoa. Every other kind is just junk to me.
Dark chocolate has been marketed to me as "healthier" because of its supposed effects on cholesterol. I used to have that as an excuse, knowing full well my cholesterol didn't need improving and knowing I just wanted to pig out. The good thing is, very dark choc tastes so strong I can't eat very much at one time. But give me tiramisu and I'll total it.
There's some connection between chocolate and endorphins or some similar chemical, but darn, I've forgotten the details...
I guess I needed to keep something I could pamper myself with. I deny myself candy, chips, junk and lots of other things. The chocolate is kind of a safety valve. I don't feel deprived. I just need to make sure I don't eat it every day (sigh).
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
I want to say something regarding the female cycle and food cravings.
My hysterectomy did not take my ovaries. I still have a cycle, I still get bloated and have random acne, and my fuse gets short. But that's it. And because there's no physical "AHA! It's THAT time!" indicator, I rely on those not-easy-to-see clues.
There are no food cravings. There are cravings for solitude, for comfort, and for peace (the "LEAVE ME ALONE I HATE THE WORLD!") kind. But not food. I think that's largely because as it's happening, I'm not aware. I don't think about when my TOM is, because it's not an issue anymore.
It's only when I go into the restroom at work because EVERYONE is getting on my very last nerve, AND I have a random zit, AND my skirt feels uncomfortable in the waist...then I go, "Oh, right....well, it'll be over in a couple of days." I only have the PMS part of the symptoms.
So while I believe that cravings at that time are very true and very real to the person experiencing them, I've come over to Denise's side about why. Chocolate, for example--it's not like you go out into the wilderness and harvest it. You harvest a bean, dry it, roast it, grind it, mix it with cream (which has to come from a domesticated animal) and sugar (which is a product of farming)...it's not a "natural" food. It's darn good, though. And the bitter/sweet/creamy taste of really good chocolate is amazing and FEELS good. But it hasn't been hardcoded into our brains as a food or supplement to seek out, like...salt.
Salt...I'll give on that one. It's required, it's natural, and it's as ancient as preserving food is.
I think that's a lot of why I asked "why" about these things in the initial questions thread. I mean, I GET that chocolate and PMS are wonderful together. But WHY? Why do I seek out specific things that were not eaten regularly by my grandparents (and my mom, who's allergic to cocoa?)? If candy and salty bad-for-you snacks (as opposed to beef jerky, ham, boring crackers, and other salty foods) weren't marketed as solutions to our psychological ills, would we even WANT them? (Yeah, I'd still want chocolate. It FEELS good.)
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
for me, it varies--sometimes, i have a feeling for chocolate, other times, it is something crunchy. i find my tastes are getting pickier. i cannot just eat doritos, i like the real baked blue corn chips--i want to smell and taste the real corn. during my bingeing days, it did not matter. i just wanted to stuff my mouth. as for chocolate, i am with sheri--i want quality stuff. 60% cocoa at least. organic perferably. i have enjoyed some of the flavored ones, like lavender with blueberries, or chai, or espresso.
i do find myself wanting somethings more during the TOM, and i don't know if that is because of marketing or what. there have been times when i lost track of when my cycle was and had a huge urge to have pizza (something i never eat), and then the next day, my TOM arrives. perhaps some evidence that it is related to the cycle? i don't watch much TV so i stay away from food-marketing, but i do watch the food channel for recipe ideas and cooking techniques. like brie, i keep trigger foods out of the house. i want to feel like i have control over choices. i am lucky that dd does not ask me to purchase particular junk foods. so no family pressure.
Goals: 1. Stop thinking like a chronic dieter and start living to inspire. 2. HALT (hungry, anxious, lonely, tired) I will stop and tune in with myself should I experience these things, and respond with something healthy. 3. One word 2008: courage 4. Eat slow and mindfully.
I also think that cravings (for chips, fast food, sweets of all kinds) have been AGGRESSIVELY marketed to me. I've also been sold on using chocolate as a method of coping with stress by companies such as Dove Chocolate. I think Dove Chocolate seriously advertises to women. Very few HEALTHY methods of stress reduction are marketed to me… maybe yoga...
I also think that people on weight loss boards and in real life, market and advertise cravings to each other. I think that we sell each other that a person MUST have chocolate at certain times.
When I was a teenager or in my 20’s (1970‘s and 1980‘s)… Midol and hot water bottles were advertised to me for PMS. I had never heard of food cravings during PMS. I didn’t have them. Never heard of them. Wasn’t a subject of conversation. I don’t remember women friends or coworkers NEEDING chocolate during ANY time of month.
I think that we have all sold each other on coping with chocolate… and companies also market to us. I think that craving marketing affects even my son… and he will occasionally talk about having a “craving” for some fast food.
I didn’t have chocolate cravings to cope with TOM… until the past 4 years… but reading post after post after post after post on the WW boards… about PMS and cravings and chocolate… I can’t pass a display of chocolate chip muffins now and wonder, “Gee… I wonder if I’m having PMS? I might be… Maybe I NEED a muffin?”
And I actually believe that I learned this on the WW (and this board, too). I didn’t learn it at home as a teen. I didn’t start associating PMS and chocolate until I was 45 or 46 or something… It never occured to me before.
Because it tastes really good? I don't know why. I do know though, that while I like both of those things all of the time, I can forego them unless I have PMS. That is the only time I crave them. I also WILL get into my car and drive to get them (mostly the chocolate or sweet thing, more than the salty.) when I have really bad PMS. I also crave red meat, which I am perfectly happy to do without other times, and usually prefer chicken or fish.
Dawn
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You have to set yourself on fire." anonymous
Posts: 4267 | Location: Indianapolis, IN | Registered: March 15, 2004
For me, chocolate is one of the great pleasures of life. I just can't imagine a life without it. However, one thing that's changed since 2003 is that "just any chocolate" doesn't cut it anymore. I want it to be GOOD chocolate. Nearly always dark chocolate. I like Dove because it is so smooth and creamy. Milk chocolate often tastes cheap and over-sugary to me now.
Before I started eating healthy, I never bought bags of chips and chowed down on them until they were gone, but I did love chips and eat them on social occasions. I still do love really good chips (like Terra Yukon Golds) that are not too salty or too greasy and have great potato flavor.
I bought a bag of Terra Red Bliss with Olive Oil and Fine Herbs recently because I hadn't had chips in a while and they were out of Terra Golds. I compared the sodium level with ever other bag of Terra that I could reach before I bought them. This one had BY FAR the lowest sodium...and yet, when I ate my first chip, I almost had to spit it out because it tasted SO SALTY. I ended up giving the rest of the bag away because even a reasonable portion made me swell up with fluid. I'm assuming that some other ingredient (one of the herbs, perhaps?)must have been acting like salt in my body.
While I love chips, I don't see them on the same level as chocolate. I could probably give up chips if I had to, but chocolate (not just chocolate candy but especially chocolate baked goods) would be a real battle.
Rest of Summer Goals: 1. Exercise-Cardio: Min. 2-3 walking or DVD cardio workouts per week. 2. Exercise-Weights/Toning: Min. 1 weight plus 1 toning workout per week. 3. Food: Get those veggie servings back up to where they were! 4. Behavior: Start reducing sweets now that the automatic after-meal response is better.
Posts: 7199 | Location: Rehoboth Beach, DE | Registered: March 12, 2004
There's a biological/physiological reason why chips and chocolate/sweet and salty taste good. Otherwise humanity would eat something else to get their culinary jollies.
When my son was a baby we went to Germany, and I had a problem with the local baby food. It contained both salt and sugar - and our baby foods didn't. So I wavered, and eventually caved in, thinking if X million German babies can thrive on this then we can survive a week. One of the foods I bought was...baby chocolate pudding dessert. You should have seen the baby's face. It was his first taste of chocolate, and he went NUTS over it. That's biology. Too bad he had to wait years before his next taste of the stuff!
My mom loved to cook and bake. I was raised to love sweet stuff (and my mother never touched it - she was on a neverending diet. Oh, those conflicting messages!). My sweet tooth was gone for a few years in between, but the craving for sweets was horrible during my pregnancies - and I grew my babies on cheesecake and tiramisu.
Right now my cravings are pretty moderate. I eat dark chocolate on occasion and like a few biscuits with cheese & a glass of wine for dessert. I know I have to stay away from most things - the taste is still there. A few days ago I wanted to buy chocolate but they were out of my brand so I settled for a tiny candy bar. When I tasted it, I immediately knew why you could eat a boxful and not even notice it. What IS it they put in those things...?
****************** “The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are really good friends.”
I waver, but last night, I decided it was habit and comfort. We ate chips growing up. There were always chips and candy in the house (until I was in my teens). When we got home from school, my brother sat stupified in front of the TV, and I ate. He still sits slack-jawed in front of the television. I still reach for food when I'm bored.
I think the boredom response spilled over into a comfort response. I can still almost TASTE Butterfingers (my dad's favorite candy, and the one that was in the house most often) when I'm lonely, sad, or distressed and wandering the house, looking for something to eat. Something about how it smells and coats the tongue are comforting. It reminds me of feeling safe and secure and loved.
Chips have always been a "sneak" thing, though...so I suspect that even though they were always in the house, I was probably told they were bad, and that I should only have a few. Chips I really WILL eat an entire bag, then hide the bag in the trash, then take out the trash, and put the bag into someone else's can. Or I'd crush up the bag, wrap it in something else, and take it with me in the car, then stop and throw it away in a trash can not near the house. That's normal and healthy!
Like Brie, though, if I don't have them, I don't miss them. When I break that, and eat chips or candy bars, it's harder to NOT eat them the next time, because I remember what they tasted like and the momentary feelings of pleasure. So they aren't in the house. They aren't at my desk. They are not options for me, period.
The last time I had a handful of Doritos, I was disappointed (and that's good!). They were too salty, and felt weird and fatty (not in a good way) on my tongue. Yuck. They didn't taste at all like I remembered. And I don't look at them and think, "Hey, I want those!" Now I look at them and think, "Man, I wish they tasted like they used to. Blech."
Challenge Goals: *10 minutes of unplanned exercise five times a week *Gym time twice a week *Socialize at least once every two weeks.
I don't know! Is there a biological reason we crave sweets and salts? Is it learned?
For me, I just don't keep my trigger foods in the house. I cannot be trusted with potato chips of any kind but do fine with air popped corn or ww pretzles. When I get salt cravings, I plan to have one of those for snack the next day.
The sweet stuff I enjoy very much but usually don't crave like I do salt.
I find that with sweets, the less I have, the less I want it. If I really am feeling the need to for something and didn't plan for it, I'll have some fruit.
Out of our beliefs are born deeds; out of our deeds we form habits; out of our habits grows our character; and on our character we build our destiny.
