FEMALES ONLY.

between 2 - 6lbs!

usually about 2 pounds.

i woud suggest that you cut your sodium intake though. by the looks of it you are going over 2500 everyday, sometimes by quite a lot. this is most likely causing you to retain extra water.

TOM, which is what we call it here, is the devil for me. 1st time, I gained 3-4lbs. I thought alot of good this is, looses 8lbs for the month and gain half back for TOM. 2nd month, I upped my water intake, and kept my sodium as low as possible. I didn't loose that week, but I didn't either. Come third month I swore I would never weigh in that week again. I gained 4lbs back, and kept sodium low and water high. All and all, what I have found though, is what I put on that week, comes right back off easy the next week. Don't be upset, it's part of being a lady!!

you should cut out white sugar, white flour and high fructose corn syrup. eat more lean protein. I've lost 76 lbs since October. This website is great but it does not give you a food plan which I think is so important. you need to know what you should be eating, how much and how often. if you want to know more about how to eat the food you love and lose weight, check out www.myfoodlovers.com. you can email me and check out my food diary as well. christine

SODIUM is the culprit most likely..I peeked in your diary and you are consuming a lot of sodium. Yes try more water and add a few slices of cucumber, a slice or 2 of fresh ginger and a sqeeze if lemon. If you drink your water at room temp. it doesn't take as long to release your fluid (pee) :laugh:

I agree with most of the previous entries. Sodium, white sugar and flour are big culprits to weight loss. Try cutting out these items for a while and I bet you will see a difference in time. The website is great, but it doesn't give us food plan ideas which is important. We need to remember that all foods are ok in moderation, and that portions are essential. Don't give up!!

2-4 lbs.... I've learned to just stay away from the scale during this time. I'll even put off my weekly weigh in until a week later.

I can put on anywhere between 1-3lbs, but I find that I lose all of it providing I still do all the right things and don't give in to the sweet cravings. I've finally found a routine that seems to be working for me consistently each month - maybe it will help you.

When I notice that I am "looking" for something extra when ordinarily I can live within my calories fairly easily with exercise (or at least maintain the same amount of calories consumed each day :-} ), I have trained myself to go look at my yearly planner where I record my dates and weights, and sure enough I am at Day 21.

Then I give myself permission to have "something extra" when needed for the rest of the week until my cycle starts - I've found that for me there was no point in trying to fight nature and be a hero, as that is what brings me unstuck month after month (year after year!) and I never get anywhere.

But it's at this point that I have to be really honest with myself about whether it's REALLY related to TOM or whether I am bored, looking for comfort, trying to avoid a difficulty with my current work project, or am just plain being naughty and rebellious - if it's not Day 21 or later, then I have to stick to my calories and exercise plan - that's when I have to re-commit myself to my goals and make a conscious choice about what I *really* want to look and feel like, and what sort of life I want to live - and so that's usually a great time for me to grab a drink of water and get back to work or go for a run. But if the rebellious part of me says "to hell with this!" then I have some food ...

But I've made a deal with myself where the foods are concerned - they have to be from my "good foods" list only, and ONLY in moderation - *and* I still have to log it for calories (with saying this, I didn't bother logging this month due to injury and inability to exercise and so it's probably all gone out the window, so the scales might not be so kind this month - guess we'll see next Friday!).

Day 2 and 3 usually knocks me for six and I can barely get enough energy to move out of bed, but I am noticing that with better food choices that suit my body (food intolerances to dairy, gluten, sugar and caffeine) even this is sooooo much better over the months.

At about Day 7-10, depending on the types of foods I've been eating, I'm all back to normal - if I've managed to eat properly then I do well on the scales. If I've continued to exercise then I do even better. But if I give in to either eating too much of the wrong types of foods and / or not exercising, then I not only take longer to recover and get back to normal, but I also pay the price the following weigh-in.

I try to keep to the same weigh-in day, but I also weigh myself on Day 1 of my cycle each month and write it in my yearly planner so that I have an accurate reading of when I am supposedly at my "heaviest", and providing the number keeps coming down from month to month, then I figure that I'm on the right track. Plus seeing the numbers right there on my yearly planner reminds me of how well I am doing, it averages out the "gain" and this gives me the incentive to try to be as good as I can be during this difficult time - logging in to MFP has certainly helped keep me on track with this and as a result, this whole process is sooooooo much easier than it was - it also helps to set (or re-set) my resolve too.

I guess I've chosen to work with my body rather than try to beat it into submission and because of this my body is being more kind to me in how it gets through the cycle and my day to day living - and at the end of the day, for me it's all about lifestyle - I just have to keep asking myself "How bad do I want this?" and work out if this is something that I can live with as part of my lifestyle - and in being kinder to myself like this, I am developing more nurturing habits that get me results I want that are lasting, making me feel more empowered in myself.

Understand this process has helped me a great deal, and so I hope it helps you too - it's certainly worth a thought though.

Kind Regards,

Joy.

:flowerforyou:

Ok ladies... Sorry for the tmi, but I need to know. How much do you normally retain during that 'time of month'? I am 3 days into my time and weighed in cuz today is my normal day to do so... last week I weighed the same as the week before, adn this week i have gained 2 pounds! I am sooo upset right now because I feel like I have done all of this for nothing. I am five weeks in and desperately seeking an answer as to why i dont seem to be losing anything from week to week. I eat my calories, I exercise each morning, I drink all the water I am required to drink plus some. Please give me some input, because I am so upset about this!!!

When I used to have times of the month, I would gain anything from 2-5lb, but it would always fall off again once that week was over.

Totally natural to retain in that time so please don't get discouraged. Do you write your weight and measurements down, if so, put a star next to the weeks that is your time of the month and watch a pattern emerge. That way you won't get despondent next time.