Star Weeks...

[nattycat]

Hello ladies (and gents, but you might wanna sit this one out)

I have a question regarding your weigh ins and star weeks - had two! yes two in the past two weeks.

I'm so fed up, bloated, cranky, in pain and most of all i have caved to the sugar demon a few times - 2 packs of sweeties in the car, half a sundae with a friend and a muffin last night!

I came off the pill a while ago purely to let my body have some sort of cycle of normality and i've been like clockwork - but suddenly had two painful periods. I'm 10000% not pregnant.
Also suffering with bad bad acne, which is so unlike me - my complexion is normally super duper clear!

My first star week i was -.05
then my week after i lost 2lbs
Fully expecting that to be back on tomorrow!

So back to what i was trying to say:
1) has this happened to you?
2) how do you combat the cravings?
3) what are your normal losses like at totm?

I'm sure this has been asked 3948948 million times. But i appreciate any input! x

 

[Gwella]

I'm still not quite clear on when exactly star week is - the week you have PMT? The week including the day you start, or what?

1) I've not been on the pill, but it can take a while for your cycle to sort itself out after you stop - and also you're having proper periods again, rather than just 'withdrawal bleeds', so things might be different such as the acne. Also bear in mind that a 4% change in your body weight (well done!) will quite likely affect your cycle. I have PCOS and tiny changes in weight make a big difference to whether I skip or whatever. It's all to do with insulin and testosterone and oestrogen and that annoying bunch of hormones. Also, some alternative health people say that as you 'detox', bad stuff comes out through your skin as acne. I know a lot of doctors don't agree, but might be worth bearing in mind, especially if you're having more water - perhaps your body is 'purging' some rubbish!

2) Re cravings - this week I definitely noticed I was wanting chocolate more. I even saved up syns for some on Sunday, and then the barmaid in the pub gave me fullfat coke by mistake, and I didn't realise til I'd drunk half a pint - so bye bye chocolate syns . I've got hold of some chocolate hifi bars and some Mullerlight chocolate pots (not sure how many syns yet), and some sugarfree jelly pots (0.5 syns per pot). So I suggest stocking up with sweet things that aren't too syn-ful and keep counting - even if you go a bit over your allowance, think how much worse it would be if you had all the other stuff you could've had. And just try to go with sheer bloody-mindedness - keep telling yourself that as you lose weight your body will sort itself out, and things like these cravings won't happen so much, and you'll be able to deal with ttotm so much easier. Finally, having lots of water and fruit will help you feel healthier and like you're looking after yourself at a time when you need it.

3) I was really worried I'd gain this week as I have PMT but I had lost 2lb (but I was really good). Don't know if it'll catch up next week when I actually came on (it's my first month).

Good luck! Remember that looking after yourself means balance and being kind to yourself - both by having some little treats and by thinking about your wellbeing long term.