Many of you might remember that I have menstrual issues and choose to fast every cycle to alleviate the pain of my monster claw like cramps. Where raw foods has helped some I am also using herbs and such to balance my hormones it is seeming slow to change so I keep up with my fasting.

Now on another side I have also had some issues with an eating disorder and have found myself slipping a bit... back into some old binge eating habits and upon speaking to my Sponsor she suggests my wanting to eat more is because of my regular fasting... maybe setting up a need to eat more... she has never liked my fasting... but i assure her that this isn't really apart of the eating disorder as much as it is just my desire to not be in pain... amongst other benefits.

I have always been careful to ease my way back into eating upon finishing the fast and have usually seemed fine after although the first day back I always am a little resentful of having to eat... but equally i have resented that first day of my period because I have to fast...even though I do enjoy the pureness and clarity a fast often brings.

Is there any science behind this? Do you think my craving for food is because of my regular fasting???

I'd really appreciate any input.

love laugh and dream

Hey, ok magnesium is one of the best supplements you can take for menstrual pains. It is partially the calcium that causes this, magnesium helps relax muscles and blood vessels. The best magnesium sources are the acidified versions which have shown to be better absorbed such as magnesium malate/citrate. Magnesium oil is also good.

Prostaglandins are the other part as they cause contractions, you can use prostaglandin inhibitors such as nettle leaf powder.

About your other question im no professional, although i come from a mild eating disorder background, id say fasting isnt healthy as it can cause some to binge.

Hi luvyuu. I'm new here so excuse me if I seem ignorant. Are you vegan? Have you ever tried this medicinal tea...bancha tea with a few drops of shoyu, and a bit of umeboshi plum? It is very medicinal for menstrual cramps. I master cleansed twice this year and I think that is what triggered a bit of weight gain. That is my only experience. If you battle an ED, it only seems logical that maintaining a balanced steadiness toward food is the way to go. Remember the whole pros and cons idea? Fasting has it's pros but it is hard on our bodies too. Perhaps a happy medium would be all raw, or all smoothies, or raw all day and a nice bowl of rice(magnesium) or oatmeal for dinner? Hope you start to lick those cramps, they are an awful affliction.

februarygirl

I also get monster cramps. They have got better by about 50% since I practiced the buteyko technique which is connected to how you breath. Strange though it may sound this has helped me more than the multitude of healthsupplements, herbs, diet changes, fasting etc. that I tried before.
And I did try magnesium for quite a long time.
For mild eating disorder I would recommend EFT more than anything else because I used it for a lot of anxiety / emotional issues/past trauma and found it quite miraculous and eating disorder is the type of thing it works well with...
About the fasting I dont know. Do you get the same thing happening if you dont fast? I would imagine it isnt so much because of the fasting but could it be because of some underlying emotional issue that hasnt yet been fully addressed, or a reaction to stress?

Cramps ~ hot water bottle magic. There are some really great herbal teas out there too but heat was always my top remedy. Hot water bottle, heating pad, hot bath, hot tea.

What magnesium were you using merry this is pretty important as the majority of magnesium supplements are oxide/hydroxide which is poorly absorbed, caustic and neutralizes stomach acid.

I've tried so many different things to easy my cramps and so far things work temporarily but never fully and never really dealing with the deep rooted issues... I have started on a regimen of herbs to balance the hormones and hopefully over time this should help... being totally raw for a while i started having them every 2 months and that was nice... but i started steaming some veggies and having some squashes baked and now i'm back to about once a month people may say that's normal but at heavy cramps and 8 days of bleeding i'd rather be not normal... i suppose maybe i should go back to full raw... but being winter time and all i've sort of been enjoying the heated food...

so Fasting...ok i should call it feasting (most of the time)... has been the best thing for the cramps... and i'm very protective of them...the fasts not the cramps... I'm starting to think that I get hungry right before i start... and so it is a time that is dangerous for me as a binge eater... I think I've always been that way even before the Eating disorder flourished... maybe my body needs some hard and fast nutrients... or comfort... before it's going into it's cleaning time..... or maybe my mind my body knows i'm getting ready to fast and it's stocking up... could be either I suppose... Maybe I need to meditate and pray over it and some universal answer will let me know what's what!!!

Thank you all for your suggestions... and Merry thanks for the reminder of EFT
February girl... I am vegan...

love laugh and dream

Like i say the two main factors in menstrual pain are calcium and prostaglandins so do try the above if you haven't. I have seen it help so many.

What has helped me the most to dispel almost all of my premenstrual discomforts as well as menstrual cramps is a combination of Evening Primrose oil, and magnesium citrate. I have stopped taking calcium supplements a long time ago...

No bloating, pain, and very little symptoms, if at all.

what is the best way to take these calcium... prostaglandins... magnesium citrate... Evening primrose oil... frankly i'm tired of taking pills and such... My herbalist says the hormone balancing stuff I will have to take forever... but isn't there just a way to bring it all into balance and keep it in balance?????

So I'm in my period feasting now and I have been feeling pretty good... like I don't want to eat ever again... I get so stressed out about food... With my digestive troubles and food allergies and all the things that I can't eat that will make me sick... but then i miss eating so many things... I wished today that i could just allow myself to be fat and eat whatever I want... but then I feel like crap... and now in recovery i have to worry about what triggers me or keeping to my meal plan... not eating too much ... not eating too little...it's no wonder I have an eating disorder.

thank you foryour wisdom I really appreciate you all!

You wont need to take teh hormone balancing supplements for ever, your herbalist doesnt sound very clued up. Heres an article i did on hormonal imbalances - [vegankingdom.co.uk] The liver is key so bitter herbs as explained in the article are the best tool.

Dont take calcium that is what partially causes the pain. Just take magnesium citrate with meals, it will come with directions on the bottle.

luvyuu, I sympathize with you. Though I dont feel I have an eating disorder, I too am sick of obsessing about food. What to eat, when to eat, what not to eat, how to prepare it, soak it or not, fast, feast, cleanse, aghhhhhhh! I too would like to be able to eat for the fuel that I need to live and feel well. I hope to get to that point sooner rather than later. I have often thought raw is the coolest way because if I feel hungry, I just have an apple, or a salad, or a smoothie. Why cant it be that way for 24 hours of every day? Just eat a raw fruit or veg when I need fuel. For some reason it doesnt translate that way in real life.

februarygirl

This is like starting anything new, you have to think about it quite consistently before it becomes habit. The "obsession" wears off after a while, when you find what works for you and it becomes part of your every day life rather than something you are actively "doing".