Dear Women of MFP

neandermagnon

Very helpful post.

I have a question, the weight gain from TOM, the water weight that is; how long does it stay? Like a day or two? Or like a week?

I did not lose any weight even after 15 days of workout and diet, so I presumed I was doing something wrong and got pretty depressed about everything. Within the next 3 days it was TOM time. And only after a week or more (about 9 days), I am seeing I have reduced some more weight. Is it because of the workout or because of TOM going away for the month?

How long it stays really depends on the person. Maybe a few days, but some women seem to retain water for a week or two.

the weight loss was probably a combintion of fat loss and water loss. think of it this way, in the first 15 days you were slowly losing fat, but also gaining water, so your weight stayed the same even though you'd lost some fat. then after your TOM, all the water weight went away, while you carried on losing fat at the same rate, but lost water at the same time, so you saw a big drop on the scale

don't give the scale so much importance, and don't stress about day to day changes... it's better for most women to just weigh yourself once a week, in the same circumstances (e.g. first thing in the morning before breakfast after using the bathroom) and to look for a long term trend. If you see a gain or don't see a loss the one week you have TOM, understand that it's just TOM and stick with the plan. If you're seeing a general trend of weight loss over time, that's what you want, and ignore any odd weeks that show a sudden unexpected gain (whether TOM weeks or not, could be you ate too much sodium the day before, or all sorts). Also monitor other changes like inch measurements, how your clothes fit and what you look like in the mirror... these are more reliable than the scale for telling you if your body composition is moving in the right direction

myofibril

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

UsedToBeHusky

This one should be stickied!

kelly101386

But can we trust something that bleeds but doesn't die?

Nope

kitka82

This thread made me feel faint... yet I've read every post. Too funny.

likitisplit

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

No. A lot of women are *shocked* that they gain !6 pounds! and bemoan their lack of food control all over the board until they start their period and it goes away.

Given that you need to be 18 to be on this board, you should be used to having a period enough to mention it in passing "Crappy run, but I was cramping" and let it go. That's typically enough to get a few "Yay for getting out there!" comments which should be sufficient support for all but drama queens.

onedayatatime12

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

No. A lot of women are *shocked* that they gain !6 pounds! and bemoan their lack of food control all over the board until they start their period and it goes away.

Given that you need to be 18 to be on this board, you should be used to having a period enough to mention it in passing "Crappy run, but I was cramping" and let it go. That's typically enough to get a few "Yay for getting out there!" comments which should be sufficient support for all but drama queens.

LOL I'm 18, and I have irregular cycles- and I had a late start (14 and a half or so). Not like I still know when the TOM's gonna hit. It's every five weeks or a skip for a while.

DebbieLyn63

Very helpful post.

I have a question, the weight gain from TOM, the water weight that is; how long does it stay? Like a day or two? Or like a week?

I did not lose any weight even after 15 days of workout and diet, so I presumed I was doing something wrong and got pretty depressed about everything. Within the next 3 days it was TOM time. And only after a week or more (about 9 days), I am seeing I have reduced some more weight. Is it because of the workout or because of TOM going away for the month?

How long it stays really depends on the person. Maybe a few days, but some women seem to retain water for a week or two.

the weight loss was probably a combintion of fat loss and water loss. think of it this way, in the first 15 days you were slowly losing fat, but also gaining water, so your weight stayed the same even though you'd lost some fat. then after your TOM, all the water weight went away, while you carried on losing fat at the same rate, but lost water at the same time, so you saw a big drop on the scale

don't give the scale so much importance, and don't stress about day to day changes... it's better for most women to just weigh yourself once a week, in the same circumstances (e.g. first thing in the morning before breakfast after using the bathroom) and to look for a long term trend. If you see a gain or don't see a loss the one week you have TOM, understand that it's just TOM and stick with the plan. If you're seeing a general trend of weight loss over time, that's what you want, and ignore any odd weeks that show a sudden unexpected gain (whether TOM weeks or not, could be you ate too much sodium the day before, or all sorts). Also monitor other changes like inch measurements, how your clothes fit and what you look like in the mirror... these are more reliable than the scale for telling you if your body composition is moving in the right direction

What a nice, and helpful response. Perhaps we should hire you to respond to all the TOM threads to save the sanity of those who get so stressed out and upset over them. :drinker:

DebbieLyn63

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

You may just be the smartest man in the world! You just figured out the secret to understanding women.

Car_vajal

[/quote]Perhaps we could ask for a button next to the "post reply" button that says "are you hormonal?" and if you click yes, it sends your message into the far reaches of Internet Never Never Land, where nobody needs to see it and you don't get embarrassed by it later.
[/quote]


HA, nail on the head.

iWillGetCrowSomeday

-picture omitted out of courtesy-

shark in my pants.

:laugh: I am almost crying from laughter. How have I never seen this before? You are awesome. :flowerforyou:

silvergurl518

i can haz chocolate and life jacket to protect me from da sharkz?

nilbogger

You can exercise during your menses, but you cannot wash your hair, put up preserves or lie with your husband... so, like, you have to do it standing up.

likitisplit

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

No. A lot of women are *shocked* that they gain !6 pounds! and bemoan their lack of food control all over the board until they start their period and it goes away.

Given that you need to be 18 to be on this board, you should be used to having a period enough to mention it in passing "Crappy run, but I was cramping" and let it go. That's typically enough to get a few "Yay for getting out there!" comments which should be sufficient support for all but drama queens.

LOL I'm 18, and I have irregular cycles- and I had a late start (14 and a half or so). Not like I still know when the TOM's gonna hit. It's every five weeks or a skip for a while.

I started when I was 16 and it didn't completely straighten out until I was in my 20s. A lot of my friends in high school were on the pill in order to make themselves more regular.

likitisplit

Very helpful post.

I have a question, the weight gain from TOM, the water weight that is; how long does it stay? Like a day or two? Or like a week?

I did not lose any weight even after 15 days of workout and diet, so I presumed I was doing something wrong and got pretty depressed about everything. Within the next 3 days it was TOM time. And only after a week or more (about 9 days), I am seeing I have reduced some more weight. Is it because of the workout or because of TOM going away for the month?

How long it stays really depends on the person. Maybe a few days, but some women seem to retain water for a week or two.

the weight loss was probably a combintion of fat loss and water loss. think of it this way, in the first 15 days you were slowly losing fat, but also gaining water, so your weight stayed the same even though you'd lost some fat. then after your TOM, all the water weight went away, while you carried on losing fat at the same rate, but lost water at the same time, so you saw a big drop on the scale

don't give the scale so much importance, and don't stress about day to day changes... it's better for most women to just weigh yourself once a week, in the same circumstances (e.g. first thing in the morning before breakfast after using the bathroom) and to look for a long term trend. If you see a gain or don't see a loss the one week you have TOM, understand that it's just TOM and stick with the plan. If you're seeing a general trend of weight loss over time, that's what you want, and ignore any odd weeks that show a sudden unexpected gain (whether TOM weeks or not, could be you ate too much sodium the day before, or all sorts). Also monitor other changes like inch measurements, how your clothes fit and what you look like in the mirror... these are more reliable than the scale for telling you if your body composition is moving in the right direction

What a nice, and helpful response. Perhaps we should hire you to respond to all the TOM threads to save the sanity of those who get so stressed out and upset over them. :drinker:

While we're at it, we could hire neandermagon to respond to anything "primal" or "paleo"

DebbieLyn63

You can exercise during your menses, but you cannot wash your hair, put up preserves or lie with your husband... so, like, you have to do it standing up.

Not even standing up- Send her to the tent!

I believe the rule is that she must sit outside the city gates during this time and yell "unclean" to anyone who comes near. Altho I may be confusing it a bit with the leprosy law. Eh, they are pretty much the same condition.

Trechechus

Oh great. Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" is forever damaged for me . . .

Oh, and, oooooo, icky, girl parts!

This. I look forward to Shark Week every year. Thanks for taking that away from me. :grumble:

MyChocolateDiet

I think those menstruation threads are more about looking for camaraderie or emotional support than "answers" in reality.

A bit like "Hey sisters, you will understand me on this one. The boys won't understand. Can we talk about having the painters in and how crap it is? And what about that bloating? Damn, that sucks. It will go away right? Can I get some love here?"

I'm fairly dumb but even I have figured out that lots of times women don't really want solutions but rather someone to listen and share their emotions with while they work through them...

No. A lot of women are *shocked* that they gain !6 pounds! and bemoan their lack of food control all over the board until they start their period and it goes away.

Given that you need to be 18 to be on this board, you should be used to having a period enough to mention it in passing "Crappy run, but I was cramping" and let it go. That's typically enough to get a few "Yay for getting out there!" comments which should be sufficient support for all but drama queens.

LOL I'm 18, and I have irregular cycles- and I had a late start (14 and a half or so). Not like I still know when the TOM's gonna hit. It's every five weeks or a skip for a while.

I started when I was 16 and it didn't completely straighten out until I was in my 20s. A lot of my friends in high school were on the pill in order to make themselves more regular.

Yeah I remember that. That's what our mom's told us to tell everyone. Didn't know anyone actually beleived it?

MyChocolateDiet

BTW I have a food diary entry of the extra cals burned during that time per Jillian. I tried using it to eat back my cals for ONE MONTH and it was an epic fail because I didn't lose. But it's there in case anyone else wants to try to replicate my failed experiment. It's listed under "TOM" and it burns 300 calories in 1440 minutes.

ETA It may be in the exercise journal. Who remembers anymore. For me TOM is combined with poor memory...what happens in TOM stays in TOM.

UsedToBeHusky

I started when I was 16 and it didn't completely straighten out until I was in my 20s. A lot of my friends in high school were on the pill in order to make themselves more regular.

Yeah I remember that. That's what our mom's told us to tell everyone. Didn't know anyone actually beleived it?

You know, it's funny. I was totally sexually active in high school (yeah, I didn't care what people thought then and I don't really now). My mom knew and not once EVER did she try to put me on birth control.

FYI... I was not a teen mom! YAY CONDOMS!