Ladies Only: Period weight

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LittleChipin
LittleChipin Posts: 102 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I have a question, I started my TOM a few days ago and I just weighed myself today and I've lost about a pound this week, but my question is, is that from the blood loss and not actual weight? Or is it legit weight lost since I am still drinking plenty of water and my food intake has been on track?

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  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If it is related to your period, it's far more likely to be water weight than blood loss. I typically see a steep drop in my weight the day or two after my period begins (offsetting the weight I gain the week before due to water).

    Ultimately, it's probably a bit of each -- some actual weight loss, some water. But it's the long term trend that matters. If you're truly interested in better understanding it, I recommend downloading an app like Happy Scale or Libra. It will let you log your weight each day and after a few months, you'll have a collection of data to help you understand how your cycle impacts your weight.
  • mikinnajo
    mikinnajo Posts: 2 Member
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    Lucky you!! I always gain weight around that time, because of the water weight. I lose it pretty much immediatly as soon as it's over though.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    About a week before my period my weight will be "stuck", or I'll even go up a lb or two. Then by the second or third day of my period, whoosh. I'll lose the water plus whatever actual fat loss will show up as well, so I'll be down 2-3 lbs easy. I second the suggestion to watch the trend. Some women retain water during ovulation, others just before their period, others still during their period. After a few cycles you'll see when you tend to retain water, appx how much, and when it comes off. Hopefully that will prevent you from getting frustrated that you're "doing everything right but the scale won't budge" :)

    Another helpful suggestion I've seen is to compare your weight not to last week's weigh in, but rather to last month's. That should hopefully smooth out the TOM fluctuations!
  • LittleChipin
    LittleChipin Posts: 102 Member
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    I was up about 2 pounds right before and at the beginning of my time at around 142.6 and today I weigh 139.6, when lately I've been at 141.8, so I think it's water retention lost and actual weight loss? Either way I logged it in my weight loss app since it's the lowest I've seen in awhile!
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    LittleChipin wrote: »
    So I have a question, I started my TOM a few days ago and I just weighed myself today and I've lost about a pound this week, but my question is, is that from the blood loss and not actual weight? Or is it legit weight lost since I am still drinking plenty of water and my food intake has been on track?

    I would record it and wait and see how your weight is next week.
    If you have been on track with your calorie deficit of course you could have lost 1 lb of fat.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    It's normal to puff up a bit with water weight before you start. The actual blood loss is minimal (even if it doesn't seem like it!) so my vote is on water retention followed by shed.
  • motiv8td18
    motiv8td18 Posts: 14 Member
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    For those of us new at this and still hung up on numbers (me!) if my weekly weight date falls on or around the day I begin my period should I wait to weigh until I am over it?

    I just began this journey last weekend and am weighing weekly because I know my weight fluctuates daily, and I want to get the best weight trend possible. Thanks!!
  • WickAndArtoo
    WickAndArtoo Posts: 773 Member
    edited February 2017
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    @motiv8td18 totally understandable to want to skip the weigh ins, but if I were you I would still weigh myself, don't take it to heart and makes sure to get the data from a few months worth of TOM weigh ins that way you can see the trend and understand it better... so that you can keep on a schedule but also not freak if the scale says weird things.

    I find consistency and routine to be very motivating and helpful for staying on track, so for me if I skip a weigh in I am more likely to lose steam but if for you personally it's harder to stay motivated after seeing a weird number than if you change routine then it could be good to skip the weigh in.
  • goalsforever03
    goalsforever03 Posts: 60 Member
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    I always gain about 5 pounds during my period and lose it when I am done . I am anemic so not sure if it's related ..
  • clags301
    clags301 Posts: 69 Member
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    Water weight - I gain 3-5 week before and lost week of/ after.
  • SapioEnigmate
    SapioEnigmate Posts: 15 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I track my weight (almost) daily. It has been absolutely fascinating to see the monthly trends. I always gain about 5 lbs the week before and it comes off a couple days into my period. So definitely water weight.

    I do tend to crave salty carbs more than usual the week before, so I'm sure that has something to do with it. :smile:
  • Dee_D33
    Dee_D33 Posts: 106 Member
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    Contrary to what it might look like, you don't lose a lot of blood. A few ounces at most. It's certainly not enough to make a 1lb difference. I don't even bother weighing or measuring myself from the day before I start to the end. I start off really bloated and about 2lbs heavier then it slowly decreases over the next week or so. I just make sure I stay under my calorie goal despite how crappy I feel, and that's even with the extra chocolate and wine. ;)
  • jamacianredhair
    jamacianredhair Posts: 230 Member
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    mikinnajo wrote: »
    Lucky you!! I always gain weight around that time, because of the water weight. I lose it pretty much immediatly as soon as it's over though.

    Same here, I'm usually up anywhere from 5 - 10 lbs. :(
  • catgerm
    catgerm Posts: 44 Member
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    I weigh daily too. My overall trend is my weight won't budge while I'm pmsing, then once my period starts, it will drop.

    It is nice to see the trends of a daily weigh in, but it can get discouraging not seeing the numbers move after a few weeks.
  • DietVanillaCoke
    DietVanillaCoke Posts: 259 Member
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    I take magnesium around T.O.M as I was bloating and holding onto 5-10lbs of water weight and it would take a week to sort itself out. It's all fine now.
  • clags301
    clags301 Posts: 69 Member
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    DietVanillaCoke wrote: »
    I take magnesium around T.O.M as I was bloating and holding onto 5-10lbs of water weight and it would take a week to sort itself out. It's all fine now.

    Same ⬆️
    Magnesium has pretty much eliminated my horrible peri-menopausal pms symptoms and 3 week/month bloat.
  • cbelc2
    cbelc2 Posts: 762 Member
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    From someone who experienced 460 periods, it happened every time. I always figured there was a physiological reason for the bloat and moodiness. Be grateful for your estrogen! It's so much harder to lose weight in menopauseland.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    catgerm wrote: »
    I weigh daily too. My overall trend is my weight won't budge while I'm pmsing, then once my period starts, it will drop.

    It is nice to see the trends of a daily weigh in, but it can get discouraging not seeing the numbers move after a few weeks.

    For me the biggest benefit of daily weighing is seeing and understanding the trends. Weight is a data point. The better we understand our personal data, the better we can plan and the LESS frustrated we need to be. Even post-menopausal, I KNOW that my weight fluctuates in 2-3 week cycles. It's become a game for me to guess what the weight will be before I weigh in the morning. I see a new low only a couple times per month. I just stick with my plan and keep going, even now in maintenance. Those numbers are information about your body, but not measure of your self-worth. They are a measure of your weight loss success only on a longer term basis. But if you don't weigh daily, it's really hard to learn those patterns. If I weigh even once a week, I would miss most of my "low" days, and it takes longer to see the downward trend.

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