Ladies: Does this happen to you too?

Hello!

I'm at wits end. Again. Like clockwork... you know, each month...

I exercise, eat right and get in the groove of feeling great. Then, PMS... right into actual "period" week. It is so depressing. It feels as though it "undoes" all my efforts on so many levels. I wake up 4-5 pounds heavier, and that simply holds for the week before and then during my period. I know this is natural, and no cause for alarm... it's just that it holds for SO LONG that it feels like all my efforts are for naught when (by the 7th day) I'm still seeing all that extra water/bloat weight on the scale!

I just want to know if I'm alone in this, or if this is what happens for any of you out there? Do the numbers on your scale go up and hold as long as they do for me? What do you do to keep your spirits up?

Thanks so much for your time!

I gain about 5 pounds but I lose it the minute my period starts. Meh, don't worry, it goes again so :) You aren't undoing anything.

hey

the pre-period depress is very very COMMON! I have that every single month....like a week before the thingy,i crave for sweet things....i normally don;t strict myself too much during this period coz i know its just the normal body reaction. Once ur period starts,the feeling will be gone and u;ll be fine again.

DOn;t worry!

I know the feelin,  I go about about 4 pounds, and my stomach gets soft.  Its so discouraging.  I usually write it in the comments section of my weight log though,  so I know to just ignore those peeks,  since its natural.    It does suck that we gotta be fater 25% of the year though!

I used to see the weight fluctuations at TTOM, but ever since I started watching my sodium intake and drinking enough water every day, I don't see any weight fluctuations at all... even when I'm getting or on my period. I also make sure to drink extra water when that time comes around.

isn't it wonderful being a woman??

*rolling eyes*

I take pamprin the week I start PMSing (feeling all bloaty, headache, cravings, and oh ya BITCHY) it really seems to help.  I keep my water intake up, and try to watch my sodium levels even more during that week too.  At night I will indulge in a 40g dark chocolate bar with a glass of red wine -- it's my little love myself ritual.  Very decadent, feels like you're totally cheating, but no scale remorse the next day  \:D/ woo hoo!

that TOTALLY happens to me when my period is about to come,

what i do is, if i know my period is about to come, i just don't even  bother weighing myself for that week, because i know seeing such a high number is going to put my spirits down, even though i know it's just PMS.

yes, yes, yes.  That is where I am right now.  My period was heading into town and my rational brain took a vacation.  Cravings hits, and I went on a carb binge. Which of course made the bloating even worse than it already was.  I definitely need to do more of the suggestions mentioned (drink lots of water and watch salt intake) and see how that works.  Isn't calcium supposed to help the symptoms as well (1200mg)?  I've been really inconsistent with my vitamins so may be a good motivation to be more diligent.

Okay, all that to say, yes, I'm a victim of the monthly torture. Ugh.

If you think your body is messed up wait until menopause starts.  I think you just get use to your body working on a schedule every month and then menopause sneaks up on you.  One month you have your period the weight goes down and then you don't get your period (for 4 months now) and the weight just does not go down.  And it is harder to keep it even where it is. 

If someone has any miracles for this, it would be nice to hear about it.  It can be very depressing and detremental to trying to lose weight.

Oh my missy, you are not alone!!! My problem isn't the bloat, but the eating!!! I just CAN NOT get enough salty, fried, bad for you food!

But I only allow myself one day of this horrible eating, gain a pound or two, and then work my ass off to get it off!

We are women, we are strong, if God didn't think we could handle our periods he wouldn't have given them to us! :)

The best advice I can give though is to just DOWN the water!! That always helps me keep the bloat mostly down, but rest assured my friend, YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

OMG!  At 55 I have long since gone through the menopause thing and fortunately with no ill effects, not even hot flashes....BUT now I'm gaining wgt that I cant even blame on my period or hormone fluctuations.   My numbers just dont make sense... Please help me walk through this:  I've gained 3 lbs this week and cant figure it out.

Ok, we know 1 lb = 3500 calories so 3 lbs = 10, 500

Activity accounts for appx        ;       &n bsp;        ;     = 15,000 burned off

My total caloric intake for the week was    =   6,760

Net calories      & nbsp;      &nbs p;       & nbsp;      &nbs p;       & nbsp;      &nbs p;    =    8,240

So if I only ended up with 8,240 net calories, how could I have gained 3 lbs which would mean 10,500 calories over what I burned off?  I was more than 4,000 calories under my weekly allotment....Starvation mode?  I cant imagine eating amy more than I am now....HELP!!!!!!!

jem599, you are not alone this is exactly what I am going thru.  It makes no sence.  All I know is I really do not want all the weight I have just struggled with over the past 5 years to come back on.

Anyone.  Help.

I find it helps to track my period so I can try to anticipate the cravings, occasional binge, lack of motivation around exercising, bloat and weight gain and adjust accordingly. And, most importantly, know that the number on the scale is a tool for weight loss, not an indicator of my mood that day. (Having said that I'm high as a kite when I'm losing and sad when I'm gaining and plateauing.) I'm right where you are now. And that's why as much as I understand the advantages of weighing myself every day, it's good to keep my eye on the big picture of how much I've lost this month, since I started. Also, I know I'll want chocolate, chips, booze and crap and so I try hard to stick to my exercise program, eat healthy and forgive the lapses.

yes u are in by no means alone.. i am 23 and i have never watched my weight (even after having my daughter)   i have recently had to start because i noticed many changes in my body that i wasnt happy with.. so i stepped on the scale and saw that instead of the 152 i had become use to i was at 158. I almost lost it.  I read some posts and i felt better about it because i realized that i wasnt alone.. so hopefully next week i can say yes ladies im now 150 or 151.

Ahhhh messam to be 23 and be able to lose 7-8 lbs in a week!  I've been struggling with the same 10-11 lbs since 1/2...4 entire weeks of watching every morsel and hours and hours in the gym...I'm hating the reality of how it's so much more difficult to lose wgt as I get older....pre-menopause I rarely had any bloating issues but suffered terribly with cramps...could lose wgt in the blink of an eye...now I stuggle with every lb....Not gonna give up even though it's frustrating beyond belief...LOL isn't it bad enough that I'm getting more and more "laugh' lines and my boobs are approaching bellybutton zone?!

jem599 i wish i was able to lose 7-8 lbs a week... i have been struggling with the same 5 lbs for a while now... so no such luck... just been losing inches... that the only up side

No, you are not alone, it is miserable. I gain about a bazillion pounds when I PMS and have trouble controlling the binging. During the week of my period it usually comes right off.

There are a couple tricks I know of, but they are not fail-safe, especially during the deepest throes of insanity:

1. Water bloat: Drink lots of water. It seems counter-intuitive, but it's not the water that bloats you, it's the salt. Lots of water will help flush out the salt.

2. Water bloat: Lower your salt intake for a few days (ha, yeah, I'm funny, this SO doesn't work when I'm PMSing).

3. Eating crap: SERIOUSLY front-load throughout the morning and early afternoon on bulky foods like vegetables, fruit and high-protein snacks. It reduces the mid-day snack freakout by quite a bit.

For example, after breakfast today, but before lunch I had:
1 pint blackberries
1/2 cup of cottage cheese
3 egg whites
1/2 c. sugar snap peas
1 tangerine
3 oz cake of tofu with soy sauce and scallions (acquired taste, I suppose).
It is now 4:00 and though I am PMSing, and I do not feel the urge to hit the snack cabinet and, of course, I required only a very light lunch (1 70 cal. boca burger, another protein bomb)! Such a relief.  This afternoon I kept ripping through the fruit and veggies.

Of course, all this fiber does not help the gas issue at all. Blech.

I can relate! I have endometriosis and for some reason those of us that have endo become really REALLY bloated. As soon as I ovulate I am BLOATED. I am like this for approx. 2 weeks... sometimes longer! Not to mention that fact that I am in peri-menopause. I have always been regular. Now I am going sometimes as long a 45 days with no period... ugh! (Which means that I am bloated / crampy / crabby longer). Don't let it get you down! :)