That time of the month...an excuse or legitimate?

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  • ickleprincess
    ickleprincess Posts: 5 Member
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    Hey I have PCOS and a hormone in balance so my periods are horrendous! I feel fatigued too. I know all DR's say it and you want to slap them but your weight does effect them! Its a vicious circle for me, PCOS makes it difficult to lose weight but being overweight worsens the periods.

    I lost a couple of stone two years ago and my periods got less painful and more tolerable. (tolerable to me maybe not to others lol)

    I've put weight back on and they have gone back to painful. I want to lay on the sofa moan and eat chocolate however I took some advice off a personal trainer (female) who has the same condition.

    I take buscopan (which I find amazing) and ibuprofen and then I exercise! Something I would have said no to initially but I gave it a go, nothing too vigorous but get on the bike and do twenty mins at a moderate pace, this definitely has reduced my pain and I drink double my normal water intake to reduce my retention and boating.

    I know how hard it is to even consider moving but if you can try a bit of exercise it really does help!
  • WannabeStressFree
    WannabeStressFree Posts: 340 Member
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    I used to let go and eat a ton and feel so lethargic and achy.

    Once I started eating a highly nutritious diet and sleeping better, as well as exercising, the symptoms and cravings are mostly gone. It's amazing onsidering I was the queen of sugar cravings.
    I believe cravings happen because our bodies are lacking in nutrients.
    So I recommend to take it easy in this time and eat well. If you can muster energy, exercise always helps, though I believe once our lifestyles are healthier, energy levels go up. It's happened to me and I still can't believe it.
    good luck!
  • toronto_j
    toronto_j Posts: 206 Member
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    Periods are not a disability so unless there's a serious problem such as fibroids, let's stop treating it as such. I've found I get massive cravings for meat and feel a little less energetic but I stick to my workout. I used to have wicked cramps until I discovered naproxen/Aleve...only thing that works.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    My hysterectomy is one of the best thing I ever did.

    My mother says the same thing. I went for a D&C and they had me confused with a hysterectomy...Unfortunately, the hysterectomy patient had penicillin for their post op antibiotic, so I had to set them straight :(

    Even though it is just Tylenol, I find that Midol helps more than anything else I have tried, I assume because of the antidiuretic, the cramps are horrible and all, but it is the bloating that makes me barely able to walk.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    I have found that pushing through exercise during my period helps relieve cramps and pain. I don't take nearly as much ibuprophen for cramps as I used to. I can be sitting in my recliner, feeling yucky and thinking I don't want to workout, but if I just get up and go for my run, or do my weight workout, within a few minutes of starting I'm not even aware of any cramps, and I feel a thousand times better when I'm done. :bigsmile:

    As far as cravings and eating during that time - those have lessened as well. Probably partly due to learning new habits, such as measuring out a portion of potato chips and putting the bag away rather than sitting down with the entire bag and eating as much as I want. :tongue:

    Good snacks
    - portion out a zip lock bag of raw almonds and toss in a few chocolate chips
    - a few pita chips and some crunchy veggies (baby carrots, sugar snap peas, red bell pepper slices) with hummus
    - stir a spoonful of Nutella into a half cup of plain Greek yogurt
    - dip sliced apples in peanut butter (or half peanut butter and half Nutella!)

    These are decent snacks with a bit of the salty/sweet/chocolately flavors you might be wanting - helps satisfy the cravings.

    Just make sure you ignore the scale during that time - I always go up as much as 5lbs during the week, but I know it's just temporary, it's not fat gain, and it will drop back off again in a few days.

    all of this and just a sidenote: I found that the more I have lost, the less severe my period and pms symptoms have been. Just push through it. Swim, walk, yoga on the real bad crampy days. Your body will reward you by feeling a lot better after you have worked out. THat is a promise
  • 33Freya
    33Freya Posts: 468 Member
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    I have found that going anyway helps the cramps etc. get some cardio- you'll feel better for it. Now If I could just stop gaining. 3-5lbs around that time...
  • margannmks
    margannmks Posts: 424 Member
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    [quo
    Menopause never looked so appealing as when you're shedding your insides.
    [/quote] Im 53 still having those visits too, i think everyone will be the last then here we go again, my mom says aunt doris was still having them in her 60's yea great! But im supposedly not losing my bones and drying up so im suppose to be happy, well i aint feeling the love today, Went to boot camp tonite but bowed out of zumba, just wasnt feeling the "shake what your mama gave ya". Oh i also ate 4 pb2 balls covered in chocolate.
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
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    Men might not want to keep reading if they are squeamish! So it is almost my time of the month and I get extremely painful cramps and other side effects. Usually I am so fatigued that I truly cannot get the energy to do almost anything, especially exercising. Do you guys (girls!) work out on your period? If you do, how do you deal with cramps / fatigue? I also have a bad habit of overeating on my period. Again it's the same old "I can do whatever I want because this is living hell and my insides are being ripped apart" excuse.

    Any advice for not falling off the bandwagon for a week every month?

    If I have cramps, I skip my workout. I only get cramps for 1-2 days of my cycle though and the other days I'm perfectly fine, so it's never a big deal if I skip a day or two. Our bodies need rest anyway. I work out based on how I feel: whether it's pain from cramps or fatigue and dizziness because I only got 1 hour of sleep the night before (not that uncommon because I'm a law student), if I'm truly feeling horrible, I won't work out. Simple as that. I refuse to make myself sick.

    I do try to eat healthy during that week though, even if it's just eating at maintenance on the crampy days. Sometimes I do overeat a little on one or two days of my cycle, but I just make up for it the next day (or the next few days). No big deal! I don't use my cycle as an excuse to be be a sloth and pig out, but I don't believe in "powering though the pain" to the point of making myself sick either. I believe in a happy medium. I do what I can to stay healthy and in shape but if I don't feel good, I don't feel good; I just give myself some extra rest. :smile:
  • PrettyPearl88
    PrettyPearl88 Posts: 368 Member
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    Periods are not a disability so unless there's a serious problem such as fibroids, let's stop treating it as such. I've found I get massive cravings for meat and feel a little less energetic but I stick to my workout. I used to have wicked cramps until I discovered naproxen/Aleve...only thing that works.

    Naproxen/Aleve has been my lifesaver too! It's seriously prevented me from losing jobs and failing my classes! Lol! Praise God for that stuff, I swear! :laugh:
  • redheadmommy
    redheadmommy Posts: 908 Member
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    Since when it is a crime to skip a day or two from working out? Our bodies need rest anyway. I do not feel super energetic either, and i do not like to do really hard- core excersice on the first 2 days. No biggie, I do it on the 3rd or the 4th day.
    I started p90x3 almost 3 weeks ago, which is 90 day program with workouts every single day. I deliberately scheduled my start the way that my period always will fall on transition week. Transition week are the easiest an mainly contain just stretching/ yoga no brutal strength training or over the board cardio.
  • ProudMom2Jade
    ProudMom2Jade Posts: 18 Member
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    My period has never affected my energy level that I've noticed. Do you take a multivitamin? I've noticed that when I don't eat wheat I don't have the crazy cravings. PMS I have been known to eat crazy amounts of sweets and that makes me sluggish.

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