weight loss correlating to a woman's cycle

(I did a quick search in the forums and didn't see if this had been previously discussed.)

I've been following my weight loss progress and noticed a pattern that correlates to my monthly cycle. It seems that I loose most of my weight right after my period has finished. I know some of this is to be expected, but my losses usually total to 5 to 6 pounds by the time I'm through "settling" to my new weight.

Any one else notice a similar pattern? I'm not complaining, just being observant.

yes.  the woosh is fun, eh?

especially after going up other weeks ~ i was surprised to observe i go up 8 - 12 lbs each totm.  it doesn't start coming off until day 3 and takes a few days to finish dropping plus some.

also mid-month, i go up like 4 - 8 lbs or so and that hangs on for 5 - 7 days...

even when i don't over-eat a bite!

i was going to start a thread asking the ladies if they weigh themselves during their cycle

You should do it V-lady. That would be interesting. Plus, the guys can track when not to mess with us on the boards. ;-p

i have noticed the same thing. i usually gain a pound or two or maintain before, then drop some after. it's natural though...i think

Hi there.  There is no way I want to weigh myself during that totm.  I can gain 5 lbs overnight then.  I go by how I feel when I weigh myself.  If I know I am bloated and puffy I know not to get on the scale.  When it has passed is when I get back on the scale.  It amazes me how much water I can retain. 

i am pre-menstrual right now (sorry if that's TMI) so i'm staying FAR AWAY from salt to avoid gain. i don't wanna be discouraged and "fall off the wagon" and reach for some rice cream!

I have noticed this also. I think it is a result of retaining water before and during (while still actually losing weight). Once the water weight is gone, the actual weight lost over that week shows up.

Good to know I'm not the only one to follow this pattern (not that I really thought I was really alone.) I agree, Librarygirl, I think it does have something to do with water gain that gets lost once all is over and done.

I weigh myself every day, cycle or not. Rarely do I go up before or during, just loose when done. And I stay far, far away from salt. In fact, I up my water intake because usually, when ovulating, I'm ravenous but don't want to give in to the hunger. And during my period I have no appitite at all.

God bless water, it has saved me so many times. Plus, because I'm pee'ing alot, it's practically an exercise just walking to the bathroom and back. ;)

I've definitely noticed this pattern also.  I usually weigh every day, and have seen myself go up/down as much as 4 pounds overnight.

Hey, any good ways to fight the munchies during this time without reverting to plain water (blah!). I feel the munchies coming on and want to be prepared to fight them.

i started my P this AM (i am a TMI queen, sorry!) and i'm still at the same exact weight. i watched my sodium yesterday and drank tons of water. i am going to weigh myself every AM as usual, this should be interesting. :]

I've also been know to gain as much as 8lbs the week before, due to bloat, and by the third day, I'm usually down 10 or 11. It's really nice, even though when the 8 lbs come on, it's kind of depressing, it makes you feel really good when it's over with :0)

I always gain about 5 pounds about a week before. The first month of trying to loose weight I freaked out since I haven't cheated at all and couldn't figure out what was going on. Then I lost the 5 pounds plus 2 more that I had really lost in that time in two days and it clicked.

Now I know what it is but I can't keep myself away form the scale anyway, I wish I could!

And you know what sucks? It always happens right before I'm going to hit a major goal.

I can rarely lose more than one pound the week of pre-menstrual, no matter what I do. The week of, I can gain/lose 1-3 lbs overnight. The week after, I can show a loss of 4-5 lbs. The next week, I usually gain a little (maybe half a pound) of that back. It's so damn frustrating!! Especially to see gains when you've been being very good with diet and exercise coupled with the natural inclination to want to eat every sweet and salty snack in a 2 miles radius! As long as my general trendline is going down, I don't sweat it anymore (well, not much!).

Here's a good story. I joined TOPS (Taking Off Pounds Sensibly) several years ago. There were about 20 people in the group, with 18 of them being over 50. In TOPS, you get rewards if you lose 6 weeks in a row. I never could do it because of my stupid period. When we went around the table and announced if we gained or lost for the week, I always wanted to scream "I'M THE ONLY PERSON IN THE ROOM WHO GETS A FREAKING PERIOD!!! CUT ME A BREAK!!!".

Thank you for this post it's nice to know I'm not alone.  I was feeling a little bit crazy