TOM madness

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Elana) said:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones 🙁

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

Thanks for reading.
Elana

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! :o)

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ignoramus22762 said:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

--
Michelle Levin
http://www.mindspring.com/~lunachick

I have only 3 flaws. My first flaw is thinking that I only have 3 flaws.

Luna said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Ignoramus22762 said:

Try eating more of what you are allowed, during the day.

i

That probably won't help, because in my experience this type of eating has
nothing to do with hunger.

Hear Hear.
During tom I allow myself to eat a bit of what I've been craving. It's
the taste I am after, most of all. I can go weeks and weeks without
even being aware of chocolate's existence, but during TOM the urge is
like no other. So it's not even a "forbidden fruit, then I binge"
experience. I don't binge, I just want a few squares of exactly the
kind of chocolate I want, and bada bing, craving gone.

I've tried to ignore the cravings before by simply eating "an extra
helping of chicken and salad". But my body does know the difference
between chicken and a square of chocolate, even though I try to fool it
;-)

Doesn't affect my weight loss.
FWIW I am not strictly low-carbing anymore, although most of my food is
low in carbs. I'm very much on the "eat less, exercise more" plan.

Quoted message said:

TOM madness
From: [email hidden] (Elana)

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones 🙁

I just went through my hellish three days. It sucks. Of all the bodily
systems that were affected when I went low-carb, the reproductive system seems
to have been affected least.

Quoted message said:

I had a great last week, not overeating, exercising, and most
importantly, resisting the tempting food at a family bday party.
However, here comes this week, and in 3 days I've had a huge piece of
grandma's leftover cake, 1/4 of waffle cake, 1 chocolate candy, and
one dark chocolate bar (~3.3 oz). Not to mention finishing off almost
1/2 gallon of full-fat milk and about 1/2 lb of hulled sunflower
seeds. I ate all of this mostly at night, while watching the Olympics
in prime time. This is all in addition to the food I consumed during
the day. Aside from huge carb count, I also easily doubled my
calories for these 3 days. My only positive thought during this time
is that I continued to exercise, with about 60 minutes of various
cardio each day.

Oh, yeah. I've attacked this beast from a different angle, which may or may
not work for you but might warrant a try. I buy several bars of the darkest
chocolate I can find right before TOM. And I don't kick myself for eating
them, but that's all the "bad stuff" I have in the house. I don't know if you
have the option of purging your house of other stuff, but if you do, it
wouldn't be the worst idea. Probably you're craving something in the
chocolate.

Quoted message said:

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

If you can, go for a walk around the block first. If you still want the
chocolate when you get back, have the chocolate, because that means it's
important.

Quoted message said:

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...

The day after my heavy day, I force myself back into good eating habits,
because I figure the worst is over and I no longer have an excuse. If you fall
off for a few days, you have not lost control and you are not a failure. You
are reacting to hormones you can't control and therefore can't be blamed for.
The important thing is to get back on the WOE as soon as you can.

Hang in there. You can master this, but if you still need some dark chocolate
each month, it's not a personal failing or anything.

Daria
166/under 145/under 145
sugar-free since 2/1/04
low-carb since 2/17/04

Luna,

I used a fake cigarette to take care of the hand-mouth reflexes after I
quit: http://www.quitsmoking.com/ezquit/index.htm. A cut straw or
stirrer might give the same satisfaction. The only other thing that
worked for me was baby carrots; of course, they're out. Good luck.

Luna said:

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! :o)

Luna <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I hear ya!! I have had the same pattern recently, except for me it isn't
TOM, it's quitting smoking. I made a resolution yesterday not to eat in
the recliner in front of the tv, but so far, not so good. I ate way too
many pistachios last night. But at least I managed to stay away from the
chocolates. *sigh* Tonight is my going out night, so I won't be home to
eat, so I'm going to use tonight as a springboard for change. Tomorrow
night my new strategy will be chewing sugarless gum and drinking ice water
so I can munch on the ice. I'll keep the group posted on whether or not it
helps, if you promise to share any sucessful strategies you come up with
too! :o)

Hi, Michelle!
Unfortunately, I don't have any strategies right now. I slipped
again last night 🙁. I'm trying not to fret over it too much, because
I know these cravings will pass. The most frustrating part of this is
that I know very well that in these few days I'm undoing everything
I've worked so hard for in the past week, and yet I couldn't care
less.
I would think that the best strategy is to take the mind off of
food. That's why evenings are the most difficult. I'm home, tired,
fridge is right there. I hope to be in control today. If I come up
with something that works, I'll definitely let you know.

Elana

[email hidden] (DG511) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Oh, yeah. I've attacked this beast from a different angle, which may or may
not work for you but might warrant a try. I buy several bars of the darkest
chocolate I can find right before TOM. And I don't kick myself for eating
them, but that's all the "bad stuff" I have in the house. I don't know if you
have the option of purging your house of other stuff, but if you do, it
wouldn't be the worst idea. Probably you're craving something in the
chocolate.

Hi, Daria!
My house is not carb-free because my hubby is not LC. For the rest
of the month its not so bad. During tom cravings are psychological.
I'm definitely not hungry. But I feel kinda down, and insecure, and
afraid, and sugar is my fix. If I try to resist it, I'm starting to
feel deprived, etc. It's probably the serotonin levels that I'm
after.

Quoted message said:

The day after my heavy day, I force myself back into good eating habits,
because I figure the worst is over and I no longer have an excuse. If you fall
off for a few days, you have not lost control and you are not a failure. You
are reacting to hormones you can't control and therefore can't be blamed for.
The important thing is to get back on the WOE as soon as you can.

You're very right about this. It usually takes me about a week to
get back to LC. The first few days I have cravings, and then for
several days I have trouble giving up the freedom that I allowed
myself during TOM. Eventually, I calm down, though, and go back to
usual LC.

Quoted message said:

Hang in there. You can master this, but if you still need some dark chocolate
each month, it's not a personal failing or anything.

Thank you for support. Today is day 4 of the craze, and it is a bit
easier.

Elana

Crafting Mom <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It's the taste I am after, most of all.

I'm definitely not after the taste, but after the freedom. It's like
I want to manifest the power to do what I want (and eat what I want).
The funny thing is, I am not hungry, and don't want to eat. But I
will eat a whole bar of chocolate just to prove to myself that I can.
This desire to prove myself usually goes away when my mood returns to
normal. Hopefully it's going to be soon.

Elana

Elana said:

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...
It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones 🙁

<snip>

Quoted message said:

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve
to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

I have recently gone through the same thing: loss of impulse control,
complete boo-hoo meltdown at the drop of a hat, and feelings of rising
hysteria[1]. For me it was because I let my carb count get out of
control - & that plays dinah with my emotions. Yes, I was coming up to
my period, and I do have crabby tendencies[2] at that time, but *this*
time it was like the volume was turned up to eleven. Once I'm
hysterical, I eat for comfort. And I'm comforted by the lovely sound of
the crunching of salty, floury snacks. And so this cycle just feeds[3]
itself.

As a cure I have gone back to the induction list of foods. Sadly, I so
far have not limited my carbs to only 20 a day, but even at 40 I'm
definitely biding by the "if it ain't on the list, don't eat it" rule.

It took a few days, but what a relief to have my impulse control back.
I'm also relieved not to be throwing myself on my husband's chest and
boo-hooing my little eyes out[4] every ten minutes.

For me it is like ciggies: some foods I just can't flirt with.

So, what I'm trying to say, in a long round-about way, is that it may be
some of the particular foods you are eating that are contributing to the
emotional rollercoaster experience. Sugar and/or wheat are just bad for
me, even if one square inch of matrimonial square has only 43 cals, 2
grams fat & 7 grams carbs[5].[6]

April.

[1] - adrenalin rush to me feels like "white" in the tummy behind the
belly button, hysteria feels like "sparklies" in the chest behind the
breast bone.
[2] - okay, "my-way-or-the-highway" tendencies
[3] - ha ha
[4] - if you think I'm happy about this, you should see him 🙂
[5] - the lure of low-fat is amazing - now that I am trying to pay
attention to the calories I eat, things without a great deal of fat look
like a bargain. Not always the case.[7]
[6] - Yes, I can eat just one square inch of matrimonial square - the
first day.
[7] - *Man* I hate counting calories - hate it hate it hate it. A Lot.

--
"Things that try to look like things often do look more like things than
things. Well known fact." Esmerelda Weatherwax. (Pratchett 1988)

Perhaps during your TOM you are feeling much more emotionally
vulnerable, and so if you tend toward emotional eating whatsoever,
this is a high risk time for you.

I made peace with my TOM. I feel much more emotional during my TOM but
I also discovered there is a tremendous place of power and creativity
there. If ever I am going to write and paint prolifically (like, all
day and night long) then it is during my TOM that this happens.

Perhaps you could find another outlet for this TOM energy, aside from
food.

Am I the only one who actually finds TOMs are much easier since going
LC?

I seem to have had the TOM issue handled.

First off, for my own TOM I find, more than ever, I need protein and
fat. I try even harder not to carb out too much, because this is the
time of month my blood sugar is most likely to be unstable. I don't
let myself get hungry. I eat mostly protein foods during the TOM. I
find myself snacking on sliced hard salami (you have to count the
carbs though; some is cured with sugar) which also has enough fat to
keep me going. I also find myself eating more beef, and more dark
leafy greens (probably for the iron).

So far, I find that I don't experience huge cravings. I eat the
Scharffen-Berger 83% stuff, but there's only so much I can eat.

Hi Elana,
Have you tried taking any B-Complex vitamins earlier in the day?
If you are getting depressed later on they may help you. Don't take they too
late in the day or you may have trouble getting to sleep. Like not after
3p.m. or so until you see how they affect you.
You could also try 5-HTP to get a serotonin lift.
jo
nj
"Elana" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hello,

I'm here to whine and went a little bit...

It's approaching TOM for me and I feel those hormones 🙁

During these 3 days I would wake up in the morning full of resolve

Quoted message said:

to break this vicious binging. I would do great during the day, but
towards the evening I would feel more and more depressed and would
reach for the fridge to make me feel better.

It is now 12 noon, and I'm planning to make another attempt at being
good. I'm scared of the evening, though, and of losing control, and
of feeling like a failure...