I feel ABSOLUTELY <b>NO</b> need to eat! Now a day ago, I felt the intense urge to eat every carby thing in the house, every meaty thing in the house, oh might as well admit, I wanted to eat EVERYTHING I could get my hands on! Thank goodness I had tonsilitis to keep me from eating too many bad things ( I had my milkshake moment of weakness though). I felt this insane urge to gobble everything for 2 weeks prior to my TOM. Nobody here, or my doctor has given me any reason why I experience these cravings. I'm talking these are fanatical, pregnant woman feeding frenzie cravings, I feel like I need to tie myself to the bed sometimes to keep away from my hubbies pecan sandies cookies(he has taken to hiding them somewhere in the house, bless him).

It seems that I don't even start my TOM until my body has reached some unknown degree of caloric/carb/who knows intake(I am never regular, and I envy women who can nail to the day and almost the time when they are going to start, with me its always a surprise ), because instantly when I start, all the desire to eat goes with it. I swear I must gain 10 pounds every month from this, even on LC. I certainly haven't been able to lose anything. Is there a scientific explanation....or something I am missing that I can take for this? I already take a good multi vitamin, calcium, B-6, Flax seed oil, ect. ARG!!!! *cries*

maybe we should start a TOM section in this forum lol....

*sigh*

Well SiZzLE, we're in the same boat! I was craving salty and sweet. Not to mention my migraine that shows up around the time TOM does. I think a thread on this would be very appropriate. Anybody else?

BTW, sorry to hear about your Tonsillitis. Are you feeling better?

Must be all that penicillin lol, they gave me enough to kill a horse A migrain at that TOM? OUCH! On top of everything else, you have to deal with migrains....you have to get shots?

Cravings can be caused by the hormone fluctuations during your monthly cycle. Dr. Atkins recommends 500-1000 mg. of L-Glutamine when cravings hit or 3 times a day before meals. I've tried this before and it does seem to help. Sizzle...hope your throat feels better.

For me, some months are much better than others, but I have no idea why. I should start keeping track of what suppliments I'm taking when. My problem is that I end up forgetting, often for a week or two.

One thing I've heard is that you use up a lot more magnesium during the last two weeks of your cycle compared to your first, so some extra mg isn't a bad idea, though it's probably already in your calcium suppliment.

(Chocolate is relatively high in magnesium. Coincidence?)

Okay, this diet or maybe going off of it has Totally made me out of wack!! TOM was regular for the first few months, then a couple of weeks ago I kept thinking it was going to start, I was having intense cravings for all these foods... still am in fact.

Anyways.. I am about a week late it still hasn't come. This has Never happenned before and me and my boyfriend were pretty scared. I took a (pregnancy) test and it turned up negative, also I am back on the diet, but I still feel like something is wrong with me!!! And I wish I would just 'start' and STOP wanting to eat all the time!!!

Help!!!!

After months of not having one, I finally had my period. Gosh did I regret ever getting it back. It had been about three weeks since I started the Atkins diet that instigated my period. I have had for about a month now when I decided to take Magnesium and Calcium supplements...my period ended as mysteriously as it began....

I do know that in the Atkins newer version of the book, if I can remember correctly, it mentioned that weight loss would not resume until after you TOM.

What I did during those weeks was consistently drinking my normal intake of water, continued to exercise, and I did give in to some of my cravings like cookies--I believe that we are only human and must adapt some of the food that is not good for us around our WOE. Once in a while is okay however continuously eating them is not. Know what I mean?

After my TOM, I have continued to lose weight at a snail's pace.

Good luck!!

Thanks for the reply.. I would welcome anyone elses experiences with this. I have never had an irregular period before and am starting to think something is wrong with me!!
( I took Another test yesterday to be sure) lol

ANyways, this whole thing is just kindof stressing me out. I guess maybe big changes in diet can affect the whole thing??

Hi ...

I was always very regular, but with extreme cramps. Since I started with Atkins, I am even more regular and from the 4th month on LC, the flow isn't so heavy any more and NO more cramps. I still can't believe it. :-)))

Unfortunately cravings to eat everything in sight still is a problem, as is water retention.


Rey

almost two weeks late, but it finally came!! Now I can stop eating all this bad food!!

Whew! A big sigh of relief for you? Glad things are on track again. I imagine that a drastic change in diet can effect your TOM, just as too much exercise and dieting causes some women athletes to cease menstruating.

I notice at my TOM that it almost seems my body needs to reach a certain threshold of "junk" foods before I will finally start. I know I am going to start in a few days when the cravings become almost uncontrollable, and I give in and eat some carbs. AFter that magic number of carbs is reached, BAM! I start and all cravings go away. Weird.

I started my TOM on the 3rd of April and ended on the 11th, now all of the sudden Bam! here it is again, started yesterday! That is only a week after ending! I too have had intense cravings which I really havent given too much into, other than eating the whip cream straight out of the can! THANK GOD that is relativly low in carbs! I also noticed that even though I am sticking between 20-25 carbs strictly a day and walking that my weight actually went up 3lbs since last week! HELP!!!

I am wondering if this has anything to do with birth control shot. I had the first one last month and I am suppose to go again in May to get the second one. I have heard a lot of people complain saying that it blew them up, is it possible that it is hindering my weight loss? I wish I could change to a non-hormone type of birth control, but while losing weight my only option seems to be condoms which neither me or my husband can stand using.

Does anyone have any suggestions or comments???? PLEASE!
I also feel like this shot has turned me in to the mad woman from hell at times grrrrrrr-leave me alone!!! LOL

I never took the Shot, but I did have the Norplant implants in my arm for a while a long time ago. Talk about "SuperB*tch"! I gained weight, was angry/weepy/manic all the time, periods were weird too. I had them taken out. Then I went and got an IUD, but then my periods lasted about 2 weeks, really heavy, then stopped and started back up a week and a half later. I ended up getting the IUD taken out because I got Pelvic Inflamatory Disease from it. I don't have much luck with ANY type of Birth Control, so I don't use any, but my hubby is "fixed" so I need not worry now.

I don't reccomend the shot or implants to people, but some women like the no-hassle-ness of them. They just effected my health too much, not to mention my sanity lol.

My Toms have finaly started settleing down now after two months of atkins. The first two were ugggggggggggg and very heavy... THought i was goign to croak... But now they are back to normal YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH... Still have cramps but that has always been a normal for me all my life of Toms.. With the exceptions after I had each kid for a while then back to the cramping again.. I do know that without the chocolate and caffeene that they are some better ....


Tammy