Periods (women only)

How much of a weight gain do you gain during your period?

I am on mine, and am about 5 pounds heavier :( I amlways freak out a little every month that it wont go away afterwards. I usually gain it like a little less than a week beforehand.

What is normal? How much do other women gain, if anything? Thanks for sharing, (Sorry to any guys reading this!)

Yeah I gain close to 5 lbs. too. Damn being a woman! But it's all water retention, not fat, so don't worry! It will go away after you're done. :)

3-5 lbs on average....  I've found that if I increase water and reduce sodium it counteracts this a bit, but ultimately it should even back out.

I must gain around 2 pounds, which then goes again a few days after I finish. I get really bloated though :(

I gained about 2-3lbs.  Retained a ton of water and very bloated as well.  Mine just ended however.  It's slowly coming back down.  Finally at where I was at when it started. 

I didn't drink enough water as well.  Try to drink plenty of water would probably help. 

I hate the bloating part. I bloat so much that i cant even fit into some of my regular clothes when i have my period! Being a woman is tough! I wonder if you burn calories while on your period?? hmm....

Its perfectly normal and natural to gain a few pounds at that time due to the lovely water retention.  Drinking water, cutting down on sodium a few days BEFORE you know it's coming can help with teh bloat and also to make cravings a bit less harsh.  The cravings tend to be the diet killers ;)

I also found that taking a good multi-B complex vitamin everyday seems to help manage the hormones as well. 

Ugh, about 2-3 pounds here too.  Doesn't help that I usually crave salty snacks around that time too, and I'm not always disciplined about avoiding them.

for me its the CHOCOLATE!!! I seriously get out of control with chocolate before and during my period!

ABSOLUTELY AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES do I ever weight myself during my period!!!!!  I can't afford the discouragement even if it is normal! 

Well today (Monday) is my normal once weekly weigh in day and guess what came this morning?  Ya, the period...  I took a chance and weighed, and luckily no gain. (but no loss either), so I will wait til after cycle ends to "really weigh" and see if any progress made this past week.

I always take a couple water pills a day or two before it actually hits and I did a moderate workout yesterday too.  For some reason, I always feel thinner when I'm on my cycle. (it's wierd).  And I do take a super B-Complex daily too, so maybe that helps with the bloating and water retention.

I have been on a 3-month birth control cycle for about a year now. I have to admit, I was weary at first of side effects, but after not having to see that (even natural) weight gain has helped me pinpoint exactly what i'm doing wrong in dieting. It has helped me see exactly what it is I should be looking to improve in my diet, and without the misleading water weight that would confuse me. I know a lot of people think you gain a lot of weight on these things, but honestly, I'd rather have 2 pounds than 1 week of wearing..well.. you know...

<3 <3 Christi

I read it can be anywhere from 2-10 pounds. I would freak if it was 10, hah.

I gain 0... but I also can't LOSE any weight in the week leading up to my period or during. The week after, my weight drops by 2 or 3 pounds, so apparently the dieting keeps working. ROFL

When I wasn't dieting, my weight didn't really move either, but my waist increased by enough that I had to wear "fat pants." Same goes now. I think my cycle is advertised by my week of great big sweat pants.

And I always gain somewhere from 3-5 pounds --- but usually towards the end of the week it has retreated back to "pre-period" weight and within a few more days I see it drop the additional pound that I expect from my diet/exercise program.

But it is discouraging, even when you know that is the cause. And of course it does not help that every girl feels icky during that time too. Just cut yourself a little slack and take it one day at a time.

I'm in the midst of it and am afraid to weigh myself right now.  I figure I'll give it a couple of days when I feel the bloat go away.  I was so pumped up on my weight loss progress last week and today I feel so blah about it - like it will never work.  Damn hormones!  I'm sure it will turn itself around in a couple of days.