Losing weight and menstrual cramps

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augustremulous
augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
On Thursday I began a new effort to lose weight, and jumped right into logging my food and limiting my caloric intake. The quality of my food hasn't changed at all - just the timing and portions.

Today, I have menstrual cramps for the first time in years. I have always been proud of the fact that I have a healthy, painless period. I attributed it to mostly luck, but also maybe the fact that I eat a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and never consume dairy with hormones. Sometimes I have a smidgen of something at the beginning of my period, but 200 mg of ibuprofen is enough to knock it out.

Today, I have bad cramps - for the first time in years! Along with really bad bloating, which is also rare for me.

Anyone else have an experience with this or any idea what could be causing this?



Replies

  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
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    ps I just put my diary to public. I overate a lot on Saturday, but it's pretty normal considering it was two days before my period and I did a lot of exercise that day. What I ate that day is not too different than what i eat in a normal month.
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
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    Low magnesium can cause cramps to be worse. Mine have always been severe. To the point that I could not function for a day when I was younger. Now I've gotten tuned into my body to the point that I know a few hours before they come on that I should start taking the Ibuprofen. For me it is 800mg every 4 hours for 24 hours to avoid living in H E double hockey sticks for a day.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    I don't think changes so recently should have caused you issues, maybe if it had been a few weeks and your body had adjusted to changes. Sometimes I have them, sometimes not so much (as long as I stay on my pills) it just seems to be luck of the draw as to how my body feels like torturing me. This month it was food cravings, last month it was back ache and sporadic cramps. Our bodies are jerks.
  • augustremulous
    augustremulous Posts: 378 Member
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    thanks! Hey, I just remembered that I started taking a multivitamin last week and I usually don't take a multi vitamin. I heard that calcium "competes" with magnesium and sometimes calcium supplements reduce our absorption of magnesium. Though I doubt it would happen that quickly :)
  • lisa9805
    lisa9805 Posts: 303 Member
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    I was wondering about this today. this month is horribly crampy and i have been losing weight and following the program for over a month now.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    Not sure about that, I do know calcium interferes with thyroid meds and iron absorption. Usually the OTC supplements take awhile to get into your system in a noticeable amount (if used properly) to be able to notice significant changes.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I have had the opposite...as I have lost weight (72# in all), my cramps have gotten MUCH better each month.
  • lisa9805
    lisa9805 Posts: 303 Member
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    last yr I was told i had a cyst. i am not sure if its causing the pain but its mainly on the right side. I thought being on the pill was supposed to help cysts?
  • awsb06
    awsb06 Posts: 9 Member
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    augustremulous wrote: »
    On Thursday I began a new effort to lose weight, and jumped right into logging my food and limiting my caloric intake. The quality of my food hasn't changed at all - just the timing and portions.

    Today, I have menstrual cramps for the first time in years. I have always been proud of the fact that I have a healthy, painless period. I attributed it to mostly luck, but also maybe the fact that I eat a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and never consume dairy with hormones. Sometimes I have a smidgen of something at the beginning of my period, but 200 mg of ibuprofen is enough to knock it out.

    Today, I have bad cramps - for the first time in years! Along with really bad bloating, which is also rare for me.

    Anyone else have an experience with this or any idea what could be causing this?



    So glad you asked this! I'm a little over a month in (& things are going well), but I experienced the same thing this time.

    I normally have mild discomfort/cramping the first day or two. (Nothing Advil can't manage.) But this time, wowza! I was miserable! Major back pain ALL day long day one, that Advil, heating pad, stretches...nothing helped. Then the cramping that got so intense that night, it woke me up (& kept me up for a couple hours) in the middle of the night. Day two has been more back to my norm but I couldn't help but wonder the same thing as you... If the weight loss could have contributed to the change??

    Thankfully, I go for my annual physical later this month so I plan to check in with my doctor about this then.
  • crispaholicshaz
    crispaholicshaz Posts: 79 Member
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    lisa9805 wrote: »
    last yr I was told i had a cyst. i am not sure if its causing the pain but its mainly on the right side. I thought being on the pill was supposed to help cysts?

    I think it depends on the kind of cyst.. i had a dermoid cyst 6yrs ago which had to be removed, along with my right ovary, but now have a simple cyst which needs no treatment.. i am not on the pill but have the implant in my arm now.. I am lucky not to have any pain with either.. i have found my periods got worse as i have aged.. ive lost over a stone in the 72days i have been on here, The annoying thing for me is water retention & bloating.
  • thatshistorical
    thatshistorical Posts: 93 Member
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    Age also has a lot to do with changes in pain. I found that my PMDD is getting worse as I get older, things really got bad after I turned 30. Higher fat also messes with your hormones, especially estrogen. I didn't start getting hot flashes with my period or at night until I was at my heaviest weight. Since I'm down almost 20lbs from there I haven't had as many. As far as working out goes, whoever said it helps cramps was a dirty liar. Mine are worse when I move, but I also have endo. I have noticed it has gotten about 50% better as I've worked out regularly and lost weight, with the occasional bedridden half week rather than every week. No more narcotics and muscle relaxers though! Now it's only Advil. YAYYY.
  • ngolden3320
    ngolden3320 Posts: 360 Member
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    I have noticed before I was getting healthier that over the last year about every other month or so I would get horrible cramps. I never really had cramps, even in the younger years. I think it is just getting older.

  • WinterSkies
    WinterSkies Posts: 940 Member
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    I think it's all hormones in the end. I've had a lot of different experiences. Highschool, I didn't suffer much. University (gained a bunch of weight, went on birth control), had 1-2 days of cramping each month that were fairly painful, though I've never been one to take painkillers for them. Had my first baby, and the cramps returned, but were diminished. Had my second baby and have lost 35lb, and I barely have any cramps now. Maybe just a few twinges on the first day. I eat a pretty standard North American diet, and while I certainly eat better now than I used to, it's the amount of food that has varied mostly, not the type (so I don't really see the OP's possible link between hormone free dairy and cramping).

    Thankfully, for me exercise has always helped. Whether I actually felt less pain or was just distracted from it is another matter entirely, but I didn't really care :smile:

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