PMS: Tell it Like It Is. Your cravings, Babe (Part 1)

[Marlene]

Wow, am I the only one without PMS?

I have never noticed cravings of any sort, but then I don't get mood swings, cramps, etc.

Maybe I should pay more attention, let you know in a bout 2 1/2 weeks.

Now if this were a thread about cravings during pregnancy..............................

No, I never got PMS either. And I started going through menopause at 41 so it's definately no longer a worry. I did notice a slight increase in my desire for salt during that time though. Although I've always been in favour of salty stuff so maybe it had nothing to do with that time of the month pregnancy? Soy sauce - on everything!

[maggiethecat]

McChef: My brother's followup: Why don't men get Mad Cow Disease?

They can't. They're pigs.

Ladies: You know how, if you work with a bunch of women closely for some time, you all start cycling together?

I'd be interested in the calendars of female eGullet regulars!

Edited February 23, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[malarkey]

Toooooo Much information

TMI in a thread by and for women?! tsk tsk on your whisk Simon.

Day 24 cravings: FRENCH FRIES nothing is so good as french fries at that time, bacon cheeseburgers, carbs & fat, pretty much. Really don't crave sweets that much. Only rarely. And if I do it would be in the form of fried dough, aka donuts. there's a small gelateria by my house that makes killer donuts (krispy kreme ain't got nothin' on these) mmm they make ones that have lemon peel in the glaze... mmmm

[pariah_kerry]

Cravings: dark, bitter chocolate; seared red meat; bulgoki

[maggiethecat]

Toooooo Much information

TMI in a thread by and for women?! tsk tsk on your whisk Simon.

Day 24 cravings: FRENCH FRIES nothing is so good as french fries at that time, bacon cheeseburgers, carbs & fat, pretty much. Really don't crave sweets that much. Only rarely. And if I do it would be in the form of fried dough, aka donuts. there's a small gelateria by my house that makes killer donuts (krispy kreme ain't got nothin' on these) mmm they make ones that have lemon peel in the glaze... mmmm

Ah, how could I have forgotten doughnuts? Plain glazed in quantity.

Tisk tisk, indeed!

[CathyL]

I'd be interested in the calendars of female eGullet regulars!

Let's do that via PM, okay? Otherwise the boys may start tracking the tone of our posts.

[nerissa]

Ladies: You know how, if you work with a bunch of women closely for some time, you all start cycling together?

I'd be interested in the calendars of female eGullet regulars!

Shizbang, Maggie-- I was wondering the exact same thing, as being physically around other women's phermons makes us gals cycle at the same time. In college, either my gal pals and I were on the same week or one week apart so there was a constant red tide

And french fries, salt and vinegar chips, red wine, bittersweet chocolate, red wine,

Now-currently cycling, am obsessed with Japanese rice crackers with bits of seaweed. The other night had a sushi fest by myself...hmmm..protein, salt, and wasabi.

[elyse]

I've never had it either, really, and always called it PMS for pre, present, and post. I have bizarre cravings all the time anyway. An ex used to tell me that when I became pregnant, I'd have to send out for emergency salads and fish and things at 3am. Do we have a pregnancy cravings thread?

I heard a while ago, that men have similar cycles that run at six weeks, which I always suspected, so was happy to hear corroboration. I wonder if they cycle with their friends...?

Cathy, men can do Kegel as well. Hard to get them to admit to it....

[lamb]

Ladies: You know how, if you work with a bunch of women closely for some time, you all start cycling together?

TRUE! Harvard Medical School should do (if they haven't already) some kind of study on that phenom.

Red wine for me - more so that usual.

[Simon Majumdar]

I am going to start a "food that gets you through shaving every day" thread for the blokes

How dýa like them apples StellaB?

S

[LaurieA-B]

TRUE! Harvard Medical School should do (if they haven't already) some kind of study on that phenom.

True? Read what Cecil says. Straight Dope

[Lady T]

Pleasant to know somebody's paying attention, anyhow.

For me, it's triple-creme cheese. Brie, Camembert...you name it, I'll set it on a piece of good fresh bread, drink a nice round red with it, and eat grapes.

(Peeling the grapes is nice, depending on how cute the peeler is...I sometimes experience major raging horniness at or just before That Time. Been quite a while since I actually yowled at the moon or rubbed up on lampposts, but, umm, you get the general idea. )

[maggiethecat]

I sometimes experience major raging horniness at or just before That Time.  Been quite a while since I actually yowled at the moon or rubbed up on lampposts, but, umm, you get the general idea.  )

But knowing you, dear Lady T, that yowling is perfectly phrased, perfectly on-key and resonant enough to reach the last row of the balcony!

Yes. I have noted the phenom you mention.

[Miss J]

Salt.

However, I've learned the hard way that giving into my salt cravings makes me feel awful (bloated, thirsty, etc), and I've only one other thing that does the trick. However, if Mr J's not in the immediate vicinity, I just go for the pretzels.

[kitwilliams]

I'm in the red meat category as well, either in burger form (WITH bacon, avocado and cheese) or the simplest steak with no adornment except perhaps a very large pat of salted butter melting on top and down the sides and over the edge of the plate.....

and I do have to have some chocolate which is odd because since I'm around it all the time I am not prone to eating it. But during that time of the month, there is absolutely no talking me out of it.

[elyse]

I sometimes experience major raging horniness at or just before That Time.  Been quite a while since I actually yowled at the moon or rubbed up on lampposts, but, umm, you get the general idea.  )

Yeah, I forgot about that. Sex.

[monkeymay]

Seared red meat, red wine, all things salty/crunchy, chocolate, sex and a handful of Vicodin. Not necessarily in that order either.

Thank you Maggie for bringing this up as I prepare to gather my supplies now...

[KatieLoeb]

Fellow Sister Sufferers of the Lunar Cycle:

Ah - what an interesting and amusing thread! I am right there with you on most of this stuff. I've found my red meat cravings tend to be Post-MS, as I think my body is craving iron.

The cure for ALL THAT AILS YOU when suffering from PMS is Chocolate Covered Pretzels! Sweet, salty and crunchy all at once! Nothing could possibly be better.

I don't usually get the ferocious mood swings (although have occasionally been caught baying at the moon ) I did have the unfortunate experience of having this problem induced by some medication I was given after a surgical procedure. Lupron can make you utterly insane. I was completely out of control. I was lashing out for NO reason and there was NO telling what could set me off. One minute I was weeping at sappy commercials on TV and the next minute I was Xena Warrior Princess ripping out your lungs and handing them to you on a platter. Good grief! Imagine me looking at you sweetly and saying "Mood swings? [Voice goes to gutteral demonic growl and increases in volumel] "WHAT MOOD SWINGS!!!" It was like having an out of body experience - I could see it happening but was powerless to prevent it . I wouldn't wish this on my worst female enemy. Truly. Thankfully my doctor was kind enough to prescribe something to "balance me out". I always say there's nothing a good physician and well trained pharmacist can't solve between them!

Comfort food is a wonderful thing at this time as well. Big honking bowls of mashed potatoes, ice cream, pudding, etc. And barring that, a couple of shots of Cognac are always a good thing...

Edited February 24, 2003 by KatieLoeb (log)

[CathyL]

The cure for ALL THAT AILS YOU when suffering from PMS is Chocolate Covered Pretzels!  Sweet, salty and crunchy all at once!  Nothing could possibly be better.

YES!! With a side of steak tartare.

I'm trying to remember the place in Philly where my MIL used to buy us chocolate-covered pretzels....Cherrydale Farms! Nice thick coating of gooey milk chocolate.

[maggiethecat]

One minute I was weeping at sappy commercials on TV and the next minute I was Xena Warrior Princess ripping out your lungs and handing them to you on a platter.

I had better get those curtains hemmed and up fast! Please tell me you don't live just outside Chicago. And mashed potatoes. Yes!

How could I forget a nice dish of mashtees? My slovenly and fast emergency method is : Nuke a couple of nice sized bakers for about five minutes, or until done. (Actually, make that large bakers.)

Peel without burning yourself too badly. Place in nice wide bowl. Add butter to taste...like eight tablespoons. Salt and pepper. Big handful of the best cheese you possess.

Mash roughly with a fork. In the Clutches of PMS Carb Fury, I can leave lumps the size of charcoal briquettes.

Pour half cup of heavy cream over all. Give it a stir. Nuke it for about ten seconds. Fast forward to the end of "Notorious", where Cary Grant finally realizes he's been a fool all along. Watch him carry Ingrid Bergman down that staircase.

Sob. Eat. Sob. Eat.

Hey, don't worry about the carbs. Xena mode is next day. Get those boots on and kick butt.

Edited February 24, 2003 by maggiethecat (log)

[KatieLoeb]

I'm trying to remember the place in Philly where my MIL used to buy us chocolate-covered pretzels....Cherrydale Farms!  Nice thick coating of gooey milk chocolate.

Cathy:

I tried to look up Cherrydale Farms for my next fix. It seems the candy company is located in Allentown, PA but the only other info I got back on Google was about fundraising using their candies and products. Need to find a local retail outlet before the next lunar cycle is over

[suzilightning]

hot cocoa and white cheddar popcorn

[jeunefilleparis]

cheeeeeeseeburgers and fries, the rarer the better, that and oysters and ohh chocolate , no , really just anything salty

I ve eaten capers outta the jar plan with a fork! they are so nice and canned artichokes.

[Xanthippe]

The cure for ALL THAT AILS YOU when suffering from PMS is Chocolate Covered Pretzels!  Sweet, salty and crunchy all at once!  Nothing could possibly be better.

Even better if the pretzels (pretzel nuggets, to be precise) are peanut butter-filled before being drenched in chocolate!! Usually, my nut of choice for pairing with chocolate is the filbert; when I'm experiencing hormonal "misalignment," only the peanut/peanut butter will do.

I'm gonna make Maggie's PMS Carb Fury Antidote this very evening, but I'll scrub the spuds really well so I won't have to peel 'em -- too much work, and besides, think of the fiber!! And I might use creme fraiche rather than heavy cream. I'll see how I feel at that point.

As for "Notorious," I'm in too delicate a state to go there tonight, but it's one of my favorites. That staircase scene. Gripping the edge of *anything* to ease the tension while I swoon over Cary Grant, the likes of whom we'll never, ever see again.

SIGH . . .

[CathyL]

Katie, I'll ask my mom-in-law - it's been a while. She has a store on Jewelers' Row, and I recall Cherrydale Farms had a retail outlet within walking distance, but it may be long gone.