PMS and Water Weight

UGGGGHHHHHH.......
 I've been excersising more....increasing the amount of water I've been drinking....eating more potassium... i've run 8 miles the last 3 days and haven't eaten any differently and it appears I've gained weight.  I start my period on Saturday...is it possible the increased weight gain could be from water retention even though I've been really careful??

does anyone know any tricks with food to reduce water retention aside from increased potassium? does eating foods that act as a dieuretic have an adverse affect by dehydrating you?

i'm in the same boat as i type. yesterday i was STARVING and ate all the healthy foods i usually eat but just more. today was a different story. i had a hot chocolate, chocolate muffin, guava pastry, cinnamon roll, bag of chocolate chip cookies and an almond joy chocolate bar all before 1:00 pm. i feel so bloated and disgusting now.. and i'm drinking loads of water but defnitly retaining it because i haven't peed even half of it out! so, you're not alone haha. it sucks.. this weekend i'm gonna be clean!

I eat loads of fresh fruit and veggies - particularly blueberries and asparagus.  Not sure if it's placebo, but they always seem to help me.  But even then, what the body wants, the body gets - and if it's temporary water retention at TTOTM, it's gonna happen for me. 

I've never tried herbal teas or meds like Midol, but I have friends that swear by them.  I prefer not to...and just give over to Mother Nature!

I took an all-natural supplement by Michael's called Water Balance Factors with potassium. You can get them at any store. They are vegetarian kosher (whatever that means). They also have one specifically for cycle time. You can get them at Sprout's or any other whole foods market. I had gained 8 pounds of water in two days when I cut the dosage on my acne medication (it contained a diuretic). When I started taking the supplement, the water was gone after two days.

Usually I just try to keep in mind when my period is about to come and remind myself that gains are most likely from water retention. It's quite strange as I'm usually hungrier before and after my period but my appetite seems to decrease when I'm actually on my period.

As for foods, I'm not really sure if it makes a difference. I seem to retain water anyhow.

It's water weight.  One of the "joys" of being female is that, no matter what we do, we're going to retain water once a month.  On the plus side, once the water goes away, you get to see a nice big drop on the scale. 

OH MY GOD I hate water retention around my period. I get really bad sugar and salt cravings (and I'm talking like I start crying if I don't eat the stuff). I just feel really bloated but I remind myself that it's just water weight.

My advice? Try and cut down on the salt (but for me, that doesn't work), maybe drink a little less water (that actually does help for me), and keep working out because it helps regulate your hormones. Beyond that...if you have any cravings, indulge them, and know that you'll still probably lose weight. I put on between 2-5 pounds in the weekish before my period and lose it all within a week of my period starting.

Basically, it's nothing to worry about  :]

In addition to added water you can also include high-water content foods like vegetables and low sodium soups.