help,..TOM is on the way and I'M CRAVING

[hawk]

I am sick of turkey and beef and chicken and I do not know what I am craving. I have been perusing the recipie site here . Everything looks so complicated. I get these feelings like I want to climb the walls and am so hyper. I think I need a straight jacket and a padded room until it wears off which will be in about 2 or three days.
This is my only problem time. It's hard to talk about because it is embarrassing but it is such a problem for me. I cleaned out my pantry and nothing looks good. There is nothing at home here off plan. If I go out and eat something off plan I will just get a headache. My husband is working a late shift and temptation is lurking. If he were here , he would solve it by making something.
What do you all do when you get like this? I can't be the only one. It stinks having hormones. I know my sugar is low because I am having trouble thinking and have corrected my spelling a few times here. My old self would bake a pie. I don't even want to go there. Galaen says that perimenopause is like morning sickness. I never thought of it but here I would tend to agree. I love meat and it looks gaggy in the freezer.
I need intervention.:eek: :eek: :eek:

[Nean]

Don't know if this fits with your program, but 2 TBSP powdered baking cocoa & splenda, mix with 1/2 cup(ish) plain yogurt until pudding texture. Add 2TBSP almond or peanut butter if you like. I find a shake of chili powder intensifies the chocolate taste. (I count yogurt as 4 carbs per cup)

[laughingW]

Yikes. I'm kind of new here - what's your program like, normally? What kind & how much carbs?

If your craving is the true mental "jonesing for a hit", it could be brain chemicals (which the Eades don't talk about much except serotonin). Just before a woman's TOM, both serotonin and beta-endorphin drop. Those are the two that really respond to carbs (and chocolate).

If it were me "in extremis" I would actually, gasp, have some fruit or winter squash like Delicata. Or premade pumpkin muffins from the freezer which you made ahead just for this (I know, not funny). Strawberries and whipped cream can raise beta-endorphin. must learn this piece of it then. Craving is not good. I don't have the drop any more because I learned how to raise the baseline so much that when TOM comes, the dip doesn't send me to the hungry horrors.

Also exercise to the point of an exercise high will do it sometimes. Good sex too.

This information courtesy of DesMaisons' work on nutrition and brain chemistry. (Her book is "Potatoes not Prozac" and no it doesn't mean eat tons of potatoes and yes it can be done with controlled carbs - to a point though, she doesn't endorse classic super low carb like Atkins. The Eades and she recommend each others' work. )

[hawk]

I'm allergic to half the food in this country. THe strawberries and cream sound good, so does the plain yogurt made into chocolate pudding. The chocolate kills the chesticles though , so I steer clear of it.It also gives me headaches.
My husband called and suggested I go out to Wally world and get my favorite protien bar and eat a couple. I don't ussually do that either because of the chocolate and most of them give me headaches.
They were out of my brand EAS carb control. ( no headaches from them)They did have a new slim fast version that said ... part of a lo carb diet. I read the back.. 21 carbs-1 gram protien(LO CARB??)liars.
I ended up at the grocery store and shopped around. I have to read every label. I bought mushrooms and shredded monterey jack and ground sirlion. I came home and squished some garlic,chopped some onions and mushrooms and sauted them with olive oil and basil. Then I added a serving of sirlion and browned it and covered it with cheese and avacado slices. I can't even eat a whole serving. It ought to stave off the cravings for a while. I'm just hoping it will take effect soon and kill this feeling.
Next time I'll go for the strawberries and cream.Maybe I'll whip it up in a blender with the yogurt and make strawberry pudding.

Thank you.. a freind in need is a friend indeed. I do 20-30 carbs a day at the most.

[laughingW]

Honestly, my sympathies.. quick carbs and animal sat fats are key. Your cheese and burger is great

blueberries and whipped cream is good too

pumpkin pie & whipped cream - you could have an almond crust and eggy pie for minimal carbs. I like to make tartlets ahead of time.

[hawk]

I need to do something. I try hard to plan ahead. I just didn't plan for this. It's not always this bad. I feel like Donald duck when he gets all flustered and runs through a wall and leaves a duck shaped impression of himself.

[laughingW]

perfect image. you got me laughing

[LisaS]

Don't know if this fits with your program, but 2 TBSP powdered baking cocoa & splenda, mix with 1/2 cup(ish) plain yogurt until pudding texture. Add 2TBSP almond or peanut butter if you like. I find a shake of chili powder intensifies the chocolate taste. (I count yogurt as 4 carbs per cup)

oh ... my ... goodness
I was wanting something chocolate last night and did this with about 1/4C Greek yogurt, some splenda & about 1.5 tsp cocoa powder. no nut butters.
WOW! was it delicious. Like ice cream almost.
Next time I'm going for berries.

[Gaelen]

I am sick of turkey and beef and chicken and I do not know what I am craving. I have been perusing the recipie site here . Everything looks so complicated.

Hawk, when meat and fish don't do it for me, that's when I take aim at eggplant parmesan (Mitra's Eggplant Melanzane), or palek paneer (curried spinach with fried cheese cubes), or some spaghetti squash tossed with olive oil, cheese, some diced tomato and maybe some pesto or shredded cheese.

Eggplant parmesan doesn't have to be a big production...take a single long-ways slice of an eggplant, and fry it up on each side until golden. Layer on some shredded cheese, mushrooms, fresh cut up tomatoes, pesto sauce if you've got it, even a bit of marinara (although I like mine less tomato sauce-y, and more with cut up tomatoes.) Stick it under the broiler. Viola--eggplant parmesan for one.

Curried spinach with fried cheese is also easy. If you've got a small box of frozen spinach, or a cup of frozen spinach from bagged frozen spinach, and some cheese you can cube to 'fry' and some curry powder that you like, you can have it ready in five minutes...just the time it takes to saute the spinach and curry in butter or olive oil, stir in the cheese and let the cubes start to brown.

Hope the cravings have passed.

[hawk]

Gaelen, Thank you, I'm taking Gus to the vet to get his 2nd rabies shot and more heartguard. The eggplant stuff looks like something to try. I will stop at the store on my way home and take a wack at it.
I can not believe that meat would ever seem gaggy to me. Maybe I'm just sick of my own cooking. I need it a little warmer weather for grilling. I've become allergic to sea food (sulfites? or something) So that leaves out some of my favorite foods. Next week I'll probably wonder how in the world I felt this way .

[dragons4Mama]

To satisyfy a sweet craving w/ less fat, I like coco powder and stevia mixed in to ricotta cheese. Add some shredded coconut (unsweetened). Or the ricotta cheese mixed w/ frozen rasperries (my fav) or other... strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mixed berries...

I love hot chocolate. Mix some coco powder into sweetened protein powder (what I have in my cupboard is Jay Robb's Whey protein vanilla - has 24 g protein per scoop, sweetened w/ stevia 3.5 g carbs, or you could use unsweetened protein powder and add your sweetener of choice). Mix 1/2 to 1 tsp of cocoa powder in to protein powder (try to get it pretty evenly mixed w/ no lumps of cocoa), add water, stir, let it sit a bit so lumps go away. Add a dollop of heavy cream (1 - 2 Tbs) Drink room temp or warm up on the stove or in the microwave. To avoid the protein coagulating, heat for 1 min on 50 - 60 % power, stir, repeat.

If you want something salty, sometimes the crunch is hard to get. You can make your own baked cheese crackers w/ some shredded parmesan cheese, about a Tablespoon or so spread in a circle. Bake 350 ish until the cheese shreds are melted together. Use baker's parchment on the cookie sheet. Will be crunchy when they cool. Salty, crunchy, and no carbs!

Win

[hawk]

Win, these are some great ideas. I'm sure I'm not the only one here with the plague, Thank you for posting these. How long have you been doing protien power? It's good to meet you.