Everything TTOM

I have a few questions regarding TTOM.  Here goes:

First, I get cravings for chocolate, carbs, etc.  Any hints on how to tune these down?

Second, I get a little bloated... and I'm not talking just water retention, but it feels like I am actually fatter.  Any way to minimize this?

Third, a few weeks before, I gain a bit of weight, which I have heard is normal.  Anyone know exactly when you start retaining this water-weight, and how I should take it into account when I weigh in?

hmm, for the cravings, there is plenty of ways to reduce them, the ones i can recall are: exercsie, eating a diet rich in soy and tofu, lot's of magnesium...try googling pms or something like that, also i bought once a tiny brochure at safeway for 1$ and it was like 15 tiny pages about this....maybe they still have it, but i think google will give you plenty of answers. but also, i think you can't reduce them completely and if you have chocolate two days before your period nothing bad will happen. i figure.

bloated feeling - normal. no way to get around it. at least not for me. there is one thing that does the trick - wearing shaping tights, they make me feel slimmer when i feel fatter before period, not so good for summer though...

personaly i gain like 2 lbs just before my period, but then it comes off, so typicaly my lowest weight of the month is on 4th day of the cycle, so maybe you can compare those to see your actual loss. i've heard the water retention, as well as other pms syndromes may start as early as two weeks before your period but those are some extreme cases, more typically one week, but i think visible maybe 5-4 days before period...

that's the answres i can give, but i'm no expert!

I get cravings too. Not neccesarily for carbs, but chocolate, yes. I get very bloated and have digestive problems, and it more or less feels like my uterus is making knots around itself. I gain up to 3 lbs before and then I loose that during the first couple of days.

Suffering.....

Thanks guys!  If nothing else, that helps me compare to others, so that I can deal with it myself.  I hate periods....

Yeah I get these terrible cravings for carbs, salty crunchy foods, sweets and pretty much everything thats bad for me...and i need abnormal amounts to feel satisfied.

arrrrrrrrgh thats how i feel right now. i just ripped through breakfast, lunch and snacks, and have 200 cals left for the day.  whatever, i'm making margaritas and BBQ'n anyway!