I don't fight it and EAT - because nowadays as a paleo eater my cravings are far more tame than what they used to be on SAD. On SAD it used to be chips, cookies, cake, ice cream etc. at that time of the month. But now its Sardines, steak, pate and carrots which I crave. I do gain about 2 pounds around that time, purely to increased food intake but it dissipates after and never sticks around.

So if you stick to 100% paleo choices, just eat! And drink plenty of fluids too.

I eat (real food). I figure my body's hungry for a reason.

COCONUT BUTTER!!! ALMOND BUTTER + RAW HONEY!!! DARK CHOCOLATE!!!! BERRIES + CREAM!!! BACON!!!! bacon....bacon....bacon...

...more bacon.

i ususally eat normally and then at one point during the day i have a craving for one of these sweet things and i choose accordingly.

I have some go-to foods for PMS, but I find my PMS is actually quite mild these days.

Pork rinds, 100% dark chocolate, homemade coconut bark, a pound or so of bacon, or just lots and lots of water or club soda. Maybe a bigass bowl of salad greens with tabasco sauce and diced dry salami.

Or any combination of the above.

(I also knit like a fiend while listening to Dark Shadows with my headphones on but that's not strictly Paleo, strictly speaking.)

Nutrient dense foods, like beef and anything with coconut oil or coconut butter...

If I'm genuinely hungry, I eat! If I have the munchies...I eat. If I want to....I eat! Some months I turn into a garbage disposal the week before my period. Nothing in the house is safe, but we don't keep junk/SAD foods in the house much, so nothing truly terrible is eaten. I put on water weight around that time, as I always have. No real weight/fat gain ever occurs from the kitchen raids, so I don't let it bother me.

I'm not a female, but I love Melissa's blog over at theclothesthatmakethegirl (weird for a guy to read this blog? yes, but she does a great job). Anyway, she often discusses "hormone poisoning," so a search of her blog might be helpful. Here's one posted recently: http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com/2011/09/05/spicy-almond-butter/

You ladies are great, but I thank God I'm a guy.

For me, it is more about cravings and munchies than actual hunger. I've found that VLC helps with cravings and it also keeps me from feeling bloated. If I give in to snacking, I make sure to stick with lower carb foods like nuts, as they seem to do minimal damage even though they are fairly high in calories.

It's funny, but this is my second menstrual cycle (off the pill) while paleo, and I've had insane cravings for large bowls of steamed veggies and roasted chicken thighs. I've also easily polished off 100+g of 85% dark chocolate these past couple days.

I also can't stop thinking about slow-roasted winter squash with cinnamon and almond butter. Mmmm. I'll have some of that tomorrow, most likely. It's sweet, delicious, and high-volume so I can stuff myself with minimal damage.

However, the real random thing is that I just somehow just managed to decimate half a jar of pickles. I mean, I like pickles as much as the next guy, but a half a jar? Yikes. No idea where that one came from, but ouch, that one's going to hurt later. >.<

Something salty and sugary like bacon and a big sticky mango is pretty good, the salt actually helps with cramps and water retention too (contrary to 'popular' belief). I have greatly reduced the pain and mood side of things with an agnus castus (chaste berry) tincture taken from ovulation until period starts.

i forgot to mention another delicious sweet thing i made if you need sweets...and you include dairy

melt 2 or 3 tbsp of coconut butter with a square (or 1 row of pieces) of 85% or darker dark chocolate...once they are warm mix them until well incorporated and chocolates fully melted then add like 1/4 a cup of organic, good quality PLAIN kefir and pour it into the mixture while its still warmish..mix until it gets thick and fluffy and it tastes like chocolate mousse but it is SO much better and actually kind of healthy :]

Woman's caloric requirements increase up to 25% for a few days each month. The hunger is natural and satisfying it will keep you healthy. Listen to your body and it will tell you what it needs.

For me - if it happens, it foesn't always. It's usually hearty meals like curries, stews, casseroles etc. something nearly but with lots of veg. Oh and of course, who could forget chocolate??? I have 70 & 85% and a few squares usually does the trick. And then a bit of magnesium before bed :-)

Although I've been about 70% Paleo since early summer and 90% Paleo for about 6 weeks now, I still have a lot of insulin related problems. I'm definitely still a sugar burner and not a fat burner yet, so I try not to give in to the munchies. I'll eat more Paleo foods if I'm really hungry, but I still try to keep my carbs in the 50-75 grams a day range and not snack at all -- just three meals eaten when hungry.

one madolin, 2 sweet potatoes, one cast iron skillet, EVOO and salt

Need I say more?

Favorite pms food: 1 cup frozen blueberries with 1-2 Tbsp cream poured on top. The cream freezes on the blueberries, and it's as good as ice cream, I swear!

I need the crunch, so I tend to eat a lot of carrots, but I'll also dunk squares of 85% chocolate in coconut oil. That's very filling.

I envy all of you. I still crave a cheeseburger with a side of chocolate cake and pizza for dessert lol I dont let myself have these things, I just go through a half a jar of coconut butter, which is expensive but its sooooo worth it!

On those days, b/c that time of the month really does require more calories (the process uses calories & you need more iron, obviously), I eat until I'm satisfied... and I don't gain weight b/c I'm still exercising. If I have cravings, I work with those... if it's sweet, I'll have fruit, if that doesnt work, half an ounce of dark choco chocolate chips. If it's salt, lots of air popped popcorn w/tons of butter & salt. Sure, not paleo, but that's my "salt craving" food! LOL And there are times I crave fat, and well, on this diet... duh! LOL So in short, I eat until I no longer feel hungry b/c the foods I'm eating for the most part (the non craving foods) are healthy & tend to be not as calorie dense. That's what works for me!

Coconut milk and banana smoothies with cocoa powder. Sweet potatoes and butter. Kale chips. Calves' liver smothered in carmelized onions. Olives. Raw fish. avocado. Fruit. Mountains of eggs. Actually, as I write this I realize it's pretty much the same foods I regularly eat now. I just get more powerful, unshakeable cravings for them and eat more than I usually do. I do daydream about non-paleo foods a bit, but those desires are fleeting.

It's little bit embarassing.. Sliced cold organic butter with raw honey or just a tiny bit of demerara.

just made a fantastic mug cake- a mashed banana, a tablespoon of almond butter, an egg and cinnamon, with a few squares of 100% chocolate mixed in. absolute heaven.

I EAT! Fuck the guilty feelings, I listen to my body. A good option is making a posset (double cream, raw honey and either lemon or berries) the fat keeps me satiated and it's not like devouring a bag of doritios :)

I am on the autoimmune version of the Paleo diet so I have to be really careful about cheats. These are my 'better' bads.

I tend to freak out on Applegate Chicken and Maple breakfast sausages (as in I eat the whole $6 box) or I go for sweet potato fries baked in the oven. If I must have something sweet and I'm making it I'll bake gluten free cookies and/or cupcakes (use the Almond Flour Cookbook mostly, or I use Bob's Redmill gluten free mixes). If I'm not in the mood to cook but must indulge I hit the gluten free isle and scoop up a box of gluten/dairy free cookies. Some are better than others. I have tried numberous types of non-dairy ice creams and have yet to find any that are worth recommending. The coconut version is kind of weird and sour, and the almond chocolate tastes bizarly like raspberry. Soy ice creams are no-nos cuz they mess up your hormones.

PS - If you're making baked goods use ghee! It is insanely good and doesn't have the proteins that make lactards like me suffer. It is bizaro world where I can eat dairy without a Lactaid or stuffed up nose. And it tastes like manna from heaven. That's what I was told by the others who tried my ghee stuffed treats. Never use vegetable oil. That stuff is all randcid and deoderized. Bluhg.

So glad I found this page. Before I discovered Paleo, I was always hungry and having cravings. Then, the first month of paleo-ish, I noticed a general reduction in my appetite and I reveled in the freedom of not spending all my daytime hours eating! Month two, and it's been much the same -- low appetite all the time until suddenly my cycle came around and this time I am HUNGRY. I thought I was doing something horribly wrong until I thought to look up if menstruation might affect hunger . . . Thanks ya'll! I'm'a go have another steak.

I notice this, too. my overall symptoms are definitely less since I started Paleo, but my munchies is the one thing that i'm not noticing a reduction.

i dip a lot in melted dark chocolate. chocolate COVERED bacon. chocolate covered nuts. chocolate covered banana.

freeze black raspberries, and then make into a smoothie with a banana and some cocoa powder.

i commented a few times above.

Lettuce, cucumbers, carrot sticks, peppers, kale, sauerkraut...I just fill my stomach up with veggies to the point where I literally feel gross and bloated and then the junk food is much less appealing. All for very little caloric damage. I eat it all with huge amounts of mustard (which has a very strong taste that clashes horribly with sugar, so it helps reduce the Nutella cravings).

I'm near the end of my cycle and just scarfed a half pound of really fatty barbecue brisket. Hit the spot!

I was wondering the same thing.

It's my first menstruation on Paleo (I always munch a quite, some days before). It's 1 a.m. here and I ate an hour ago, in a space of an hour: 3 slices of lactose-free cheese (two of them: goat cheese); a tomato; a very small apple; half a kiwi; a small carrot; 4 olives; plenty of water; some very small cookies I made out of grated coconut and mass gainer (protein/ whey); handful of pumpkin seeds (previously soaked - I avoid this anyway); and a small cup (coffee cup) of hot chocolate (sugar-free, made out of cocoa powder, water and just a little of milk). I did my best to avoid sugary things this late... (and at 10 p.m. I had had a lactose-free cup of milk already). I started my day with only three big meals but then that got ruined by the end of the night; so much for Paleo spaced meals during PMS; glad to see I'm not alone here and feel some support ... :)!