Neesha,



It is perfectly normal to crave certain items during that thime of month. To maintain your diet during this time I suggest not to fight your craving but say that you will allow yourself to have 1 candy bar over this week. Split the bar into how many days your cravings usually last then put the candy in a hard to reach spot such as a high cabinet. Putting the item somewhere hard to reach will make it less accessible. Think of this candy bar as your reward for being woman . If you fight the craving you have more of a chance to over indulge.



Also you should never keep the foods that you crave or overeat in your home. For example, puffy Cheetos would not last 10seconds in my house so I never buy them. When your cravings hit during that time of month go out and buy one candy bar- that's it!



One more thing- are you drinking a lot of diet soda? I have read recently that this may be one reason why we overeat or feel hungry all the time. If you drink artificially sweetened beverages your body is expecting the calories to go along with it but gets nothing. This may lead to additional cravings. I'm not sure if there is enough science backing this claim up but soda is bad for you bones anyway so it's worth a try.



Good Luck!

20-30% of your calories should come from fat (with less of 10% from saturated fat), 50-60% from carbohydrates, and about 20% from protein.







Most people are not body builders so they don't need all the extra protein. Your body only needs 1.0g/kg of protein for moderate exercise. If you are doing strenuous or endurance sports that number can go up to 1.7g/kg. A 2000 calorie diet with 20% of the calories from protein would yield 100g of protein. That's enough protein for a 100kg or 220lb man. It is a common misconception that people do not get enough protein. Unless you are a vegetarian I wouldn't worry too much about it. Instead focus on finding a variety of healthy protein sources such as lean cuts of meat, skinless poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, low fat dairy, and nuts. Include protein in each meal.



FYI:

1oz of meat, poultry, or fish= ~7g of protein

3oz of meat, poultry, or fish resembles the size of a deck of cards or the palm of a woman's hand. This = ~21g of protein



As for fats, your best bet it fats that are high in monounsaturated fat such as olive oil, canola oil, avocados, almonds, and walnuts.



Find complex cabohydrates- read the ingredient list, the first few ingredients make up the bulk of the product. You don't want anything with refined carbohydrates. Look for a bread with 3 or more g of fiber per slice and look for a cereal with 5 or more g of fiber per serving. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables focusing on items rich in color (superfoods= spinach broccoli, blueberries).



Remember that the people that truely succeed in weight loss learn to eat a well balanced diet with moderate portions. Once you realize that fasting, eliminating foods or food groups, and all the other crazy diets just lead to yo-yo dieting you will find success.