strange (sorry guys)

I do lose weight right when I start, so does my mom. I have always thought it was strange as well, but it happens every month. I have never really gotten stuck or gained weight after, so I am not sure what would cause that. I am sure your body is trying to store up and replenish itself in some way. I just make sure I drink plenty of water during TOM and that seems to help. Also, even though I feel like crap during that time I make sure I still do my workouts. It always makes me feel better afterwards.

An afterthought....I know you said you are watching your sodium intake at that time, are you by any chance eating anything different during that time that could make you bloat? I know I get intense cravings during TOM and really have to watch myself so I don't over do it.

OMGoodness!!!

I thought it was just me! I have this same problem and didn't know what the heck was going on. :mad: I trying the same things you are ~ but no sucess. It is very hard for me to drop pounds any other time except my TOM!

Hopefully someone will give us some insight!

Not that I would (obviously) have any experience with this, but a couple thoughts that may (or may not) apply.

1) Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. How much does blood weigh? Think about how much liquid volume you lose those first few days and your body's natural inclination to replace / hold onto it.

2) AFTER your TOM your body needs to recover from the blood volume reduction. Along with that are natural adjustments in nutrient levels, enzymes, etc. If your nutritional intake is deficient in any way your body may react in a protective fashion making it more difficult to lose weight or even just maintain. Think of how your body reacts to a diet that is severely protein deficient: after the first week it clings to every calorie because it perceives starvation.

Make sense? Or should I have kept my thoughts to myself? My two cents worth and quite possibly not worth that.

i am sure there is a number somewhere, but i heard when i was younger that the amount of blood lost on average is actually very low. however, hormones can probably play a factor into the volume of other things retained, such as actual water.

Not that I would (obviously) have any experience with this, but a couple thoughts that may (or may not) apply.

1) Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. How much does blood weigh? Think about how much liquid volume you lose those first few days and your body's natural inclination to replace / hold onto it.

2) AFTER your TOM your body needs to recover from the blood volume reduction. Along with that are natural adjustments in nutrient levels, enzymes, etc. If your nutritional intake is deficient in any way your body may react in a protective fashion making it more difficult to lose weight or even just maintain. Think of how your body reacts to a diet that is severely protein deficient: after the first week it clings to every calorie because it perceives starvation.

Make sense? Or should I have kept my thoughts to myself? My two cents worth and quite possibly not worth that.

first of all i gotta give u props for posting on this!!! i dont think i have ever seen a guy post on these before... and second it does make sense when i think about it.. thanks for another view... to me it helps to think of it that way so thanks you have at least helped me with seeing things differently and now maybe i can do something to "fix" this problem lol

just because i don't want misinformation spread. i am posting again!

i just looked it up, and i was correct, you lose about 3 tbsp of blood PER period. i don't know the volume in weight, but let me tell you...it won't be a lot!

Not that I would (obviously) have any experience with this, but a couple thoughts that may (or may not) apply.

1) Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. How much does blood weigh? Think about how much liquid volume you lose those first few days and your body's natural inclination to replace / hold onto it.

2) AFTER your TOM your body needs to recover from the blood volume reduction. Along with that are natural adjustments in nutrient levels, enzymes, etc. If your nutritional intake is deficient in any way your body may react in a protective fashion making it more difficult to lose weight or even just maintain. Think of how your body reacts to a diet that is severely protein deficient: after the first week it clings to every calorie because it perceives starvation.

Make sense? Or should I have kept my thoughts to myself? My two cents worth and quite possibly not worth that.

first of all i gotta give u props for posting on this!!! i dont think i have ever seen a guy post on these before... and second it does make sense when i think about it.. thanks for another view... to me it helps to think of it that way so thanks you have at least helped me with seeing things differently and now maybe i can do something to "fix" this problem lol

just because i don't want misinformation spread. i am posting again!

i just looked it up, and i was correct, you lose about 3 tbsp of blood PER period. i don't know the volume in weight, but let me tell you...it won't be a lot!

There is a lot of water loss along with the blood amount...........I know I have to lose way more than 3 tbsp when I do have one because they are Extremely Heavy, very painful (blood clots the size of my fist) and very long.......... I usually have major relief afterwards.......

Not that I would (obviously) have any experience with this, but a couple thoughts that may (or may not) apply.

1) Water weighs about 8 pounds per gallon. How much does blood weigh? Think about how much liquid volume you lose those first few days and your body's natural inclination to replace / hold onto it.

2) AFTER your TOM your body needs to recover from the blood volume reduction. Along with that are natural adjustments in nutrient levels, enzymes, etc. If your nutritional intake is deficient in any way your body may react in a protective fashion making it more difficult to lose weight or even just maintain. Think of how your body reacts to a diet that is severely protein deficient: after the first week it clings to every calorie because it perceives starvation.

Make sense? Or should I have kept my thoughts to myself? My two cents worth and quite possibly not worth that.

first of all i gotta give u props for posting on this!!! i dont think i have ever seen a guy post on these before... and second it does make sense when i think about it.. thanks for another view... to me it helps to think of it that way so thanks you have at least helped me with seeing things differently and now maybe i can do something to "fix" this problem lol

just because i don't want misinformation spread. i am posting again!

i just looked it up, and i was correct, you lose about 3 tbsp of blood PER period. i don't know the volume in weight, but let me tell you...it won't be a lot!

There is a lot of water loss along with the blood amount...........I know I have to lose way more than 3 tbsp when I do have one because they are Extremely Heavy, very painful (blood clots the size of my fist) and very long.......... I usually have major relief afterwards.......

well yeah, there are other fluids involved, but the blood amount is small. and there are hormonal issues. but i just gotta say, the volume of fluids does not equal like 10 lbs or anything!

Yes, because of hormonal fluctuations, us women can retain up to 15 pounds fluid prior to starting TOM and then it goes away as our cycle continues............ I never gain less than 8 pounds during my pre-TOM times and upwards most times of 10-12 pounds.

I don't consume excess sodium either, I eat very naturally the majority of the time. Today I am sodium is borderline high, but yesterday I didn't even consume 1000 mg of sodium. My doctor has told me to up my sodium usage so I don't get leg cramps, but I can't seem to get it but so high unless I eat out a lot..............

I read some where a while ago that if a woman is diabetic or insulin resistant, she will retain more "water weight" than the average woman...............

That means women with PCOS, will retain more pounds of water weight then the average woman. And, that would be me and many other women..............

I know I have to lose way more than 3 tbsp when I do have one because they are Extremely Heavy, very painful (blood clots the size of my fist) and very long

This is certainly not the norm. What was posted previously is more equal to the norm. A few tablespoons of blood is shed during menstruation each month. This certainly doesn't equal several pounds of weight loss. Even though there is some minor tissue loss along with blood. What will cause additional weight loss is increased calories that a woman's body naturally burns during menstruation. The uterus is a large muscle and it contracting to expel the contents burns on average 200-300 more calories each day during menstruation than other days of the cycle. If you're still eating your same number of calories, you're possibly just increasing your caloric deficit that week and would equal a greater loss during your cycle week. The body recovers from this "period" by retaining water and salts (even if you limit them)... obviously, the more body fat you have, the more water (in pounds) you will retain.

If you're having blood clots as large as a fist during menstruation, or you are soaking a common maxi-pad in less than an hour, you should seek the advice of your physician.

Source: I'm an RN. :flowerforyou:

I know I have to lose way more than 3 tbsp when I do have one because they are Extremely Heavy, very painful (blood clots the size of my fist) and very long

This is certainly not the norm. What was posted previously is more equal to the norm. A few tablespoons of blood is shed during menstruation each month. This certainly doesn't equal several pounds of weight loss. Even though there is some minor tissue loss along with blood. What will cause additional weight loss is increased calories that a woman's body naturally burns during menstruation. The uterus is a large muscle and it contracting to expel the contents burns on average 200-300 more calories each day during menstruation than other days of the cycle. If you're still eating your same number of calories, you're possibly just increasing your caloric deficit that week and would equal a greater loss during your cycle week. The body recovers from this "period" by retaining water and salts (even if you limit them)... obviously, the more body fat you have, the more water (in pounds) you will retain.

If you're having blood clots as large as a fist during menstruation, or you are soaking a common maxi-pad in less than an hour, you should seek the advice of your physician.

Source: I'm an RN. :flowerforyou:

thank you for posting this!!!