Menstrual Cycle Sabotage to Weight Loss???

CaRmenSandieGo0
CaRmenSandieGo0 Posts: 18
edited September 29 in Health and Weight Loss
OK...here is the REAL True Hollywood Story.

Senario1 : Girl on diet...does well for the first 2 weeks of the month. Cycle comes around....girl eats EVERYTHING in sight!! All of her weight loss efforts (along with fatigue, sore breasts, water weight gain, and CRAVINGSSS....) go down the drain.

Senario 2: Girl recognizes pattern...and does research. No one can help, no one can relate..

Replies

  • allehp
    allehp Posts: 96
    I can relate! I turn into a food monster when I get my period, plus I bloat so badly I look like I gained 20 pounds over night. I hate it. No idea what to do about it though. :(
  • breskittle
    breskittle Posts: 75 Member
    I am both girl #1 and girl #2! Right now actually! lol!
    The only help I can offer is to learn that self control. Only you can help yourself.
    Have things you want or crave. But in moderation.
    That is my big issue. I am working on that self control.
    Every time (ok,almost everytime! ) I want to eat my whole kitchen, I put on my work out clothes and do a video or go for a walk.
  • MTriplettBaker
    MTriplettBaker Posts: 7 Member
    i can certainly relate. i go thru same. And you right , no help no remedies. I do suggest to add another day of excercise duringthat time and wear a work out suit. It has helped.
  • Mahlissa
    Mahlissa Posts: 128
    I can relate, I can go up 6lbs :( and I look like a blowfish.
  • Dabbles
    Dabbles Posts: 367
    Been there done that. My days leading up, and the first day or two of is usually pretty rough. I try to keep myself occupied as much as possible so I won't think about those cravings. And water water water! I'll eat something sweet and healthy like Greek yogurt with vanilla splenda and strawberries. I just tried to keep my mind off of it and it really seemed to help get me past the dreadful times.
  • skinnyhopes
    skinnyhopes Posts: 402 Member
    Totally gril 1
  • penny39
    penny39 Posts: 266 Member
    I can definitely can relate, going through that right now!
  • mem1086
    mem1086 Posts: 136 Member
    I can relate!! Except I notice my "sabotage" the week prior to my cycle. So that would be happening right about NOW! It's frustrating, but stick to your calories. If you crave crunch - try baby carrots, sweet - try Jello temptations, salty - pickles seem to work plus you get the crunch. Remember, satisfy the cravings, but in moderation!
  • CarlaRG
    CarlaRG Posts: 264
    Water is essential...and I've started taking flaxseed-primrose supplements and that totally helps with the sore breast.
  • Ginger1384
    Ginger1384 Posts: 42
    I can so relate. And I want cookies. And wouldn't you know this time, a friend of mine from up north brought down these amazing chocolate chip cookies from a bakery close to her house. 2 DOZENS!!!! Stupid menstrual cycle.
  • lolathompson
    lolathompson Posts: 70 Member
    Up your water intake before and make sure you are taking vitamins daily. I take niacin too that week. I usually gain 4-5 lbs. But if I keep my calories tight during it usually come back off.
  • MaitreyeeMAYHEM
    MaitreyeeMAYHEM Posts: 559 Member
    Bloating gets me discouraged and makes me wanna work out more. I hate it, I don't loose weight and I'm always hungry. I snack and stick to small meals but it does make me feel hella fat.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    It's not sabotage - don't be so hard on your body for doing what it is designed to do!
    It's really common to have increased appetite or water-weight gain during a part of your monthly cycle, don't stress about it, you will be back on track in a few days. I've started increasing my cals by 50/100 day during my "hungry week" and this has helped me eat a little more but still stay in control.
    Good luck with finding what works for you.
  • zonah
    zonah Posts: 216 Member
    Water is essential...and I've started taking flaxseed-primrose supplements and that totally helps with the sore breast.


    I swear by the primrose for pms and during. I've used flaxseed oil for depression and it helps too. Great combo! I also don't any coffee around that time, drink lots of water eat more low fat protien and fruits and veggies. I cant totally relate to this. Hope you are feeling better soon.
  • MaitreyeeMAYHEM
    MaitreyeeMAYHEM Posts: 559 Member
    Drinking tons of water helps u loose weight right?
  • Erica1965
    Erica1965 Posts: 36
    I can totally relate to this as well. I get so hungry before and during my T.O.M. It sucks. I always go over my calories for at least a few days.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Drink Water water and more water! I just finished mine(restarted my birth control pack this morning.. thank goodness!) and while I had one bad night( I crave fried foods and the only thing I wanted was cheese curds with ranch from culver's), and wanted to eat everything in sight, for the most part I kept it under control..

    I weighed myself this morning and I was back to the weight I was last thursday.. so that proves it was just water weight. Hopefully by next thursday it goes down even more!
  • poesch77
    poesch77 Posts: 1,005 Member
    I can soooo relate...on BCP and the whole 3 wks before TOM I am bloated, hungry and scale is up or not moving! Then week of period scale is down and not hungry!! Weird! Such is lfe and being a woman!
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
    the problem i seem to have isn't so much eating too much, it's not eating enough! even the smell of food for the first 2-3 days will make me sick. after that, the next 2-3 days i'll crave foods with no flavor (mostly taco bell). even drinking water the first few days will make me sick, i can't keep anything down!
  • sunkisses
    sunkisses Posts: 2,365 Member
    It sucks but you'll figure out your way around it. Been there, sis.
  • kassandra1717
    kassandra1717 Posts: 82 Member
    Im experiencing this RIGHT now! I ate 1800 cals today :(. Burned 4800 cals last week to just gain 2 pounds instead of losing a pound. So frustrated. I wonder if there are menstrual pms pills out their to help with these symtoms.
  • CaRmenSandieGo0
    CaRmenSandieGo0 Posts: 18
    There just has to be another way!!
    I have been researching Progesterone CREAMS...and they are said to cause some relief because all of the symptoms that we get is because of the increase in ESTROGEN...
    Its not only the food cravings, its also the insomnia..then hypersomnia (sleeping way to much), fatigue.

    I'll keep you ladies posted, with articles.
  • CaRmenSandieGo0
    CaRmenSandieGo0 Posts: 18
    You're body looks BOSS tho...you look good.
  • shellybsn
    shellybsn Posts: 57 Member
    Totally understand----but since it's not changing anytime soon, I guess I'll have to work with it. Sigh.
  • kklindsey
    kklindsey Posts: 382 Member
    okay, this has been deal forEVER! I have no idea if this will work for you but this is what has worked for me. I went to protein every single time I eat, even if it is just a 40 calorie smoked beef snack stick. I push protein and go light on carbs all the time.

    Last month I sailed through pms and even though the bloating made the scale go up as soon as my period was over it all came off. I lost 9lbs last month. But it was my first month of being back on track for eating. This month I am still 4 days away from my period and I am still pushing protein. I ate badly during the 4th of July weekend and gained 3.6 pounds overnight and have spent this week taking it back off but before I applied the protein trick I would have been adding another 3 or 4lbs to that gain due to eating everything but the chair legs.
    When I switched to the protein all the time it was like someone flipped a switch and I barely even notice the pms. I still get grumpy but I have no problem with wanting to eat.
  • icerose137
    icerose137 Posts: 318 Member
    I despise TOM. I never had the weight gain or out of control appetite, just the extreme cramps, debilititating migraines, and fatigue associated with severe anemia and other similar problems. I have kicked TOM out of my house and it is not welcome back. Eventually it'll be gone for good, but for now I have to settle for depo shots to keep it away. Didn't help that I tore a chunk out of my uteris during my last pregnancy so the monster TOM turned into the demon TOM.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    okay, this has been deal forEVER! I have no idea if this will work for you but this is what has worked for me. I went to protein every single time I eat, even if it is just a 40 calorie smoked beef snack stick. I push protein and go light on carbs all the time.

    Last month I sailed through pms and even though the bloating made the scale go up as soon as my period was over it all came off. I lost 9lbs last month. But it was my first month of being back on track for eating. This month I am still 4 days away from my period and I am still pushing protein. I ate badly during the 4th of July weekend and gained 3.6 pounds overnight and have spent this week taking it back off but before I applied the protein trick I would have been adding another 3 or 4lbs to that gain due to eating everything but the chair legs.
    When I switched to the protein all the time it was like someone flipped a switch and I barely even notice the pms. I still get grumpy but I have no problem with wanting to eat.

    This is a great idea. I forgot about this one (because I try to eat a little protein with all my meals/snacks now, not just during that TOM). And it does help reduce that hungry all day long feeling.
  • atsteele
    atsteele Posts: 1,358 Member
    It's not sabotage - don't be so hard on your body for doing what it is designed to do!
    It's really common to have increased appetite or water-weight gain during a part of your monthly cycle, don't stress about it, you will be back on track in a few days. I've started increasing my cals by 50/100 day during my "hungry week" and this has helped me eat a little more but still stay in control.
    Good luck with finding what works for you.

    Ive read that your metabolism increases from the time of ovulation until you get your period. How much it actually increases probably varies from woman to woman but I think allowing yourself a few extra calories during that time is an excellent idea. Otherwise you feel like you're starving yourself... I know that feeling!!
  • jerseygirlnva
    jerseygirlnva Posts: 7
    I can relate to this as well too. I normal pig out the week before my period on salty and sweet things. I have learned to keep the house stock with "good" things to eat for those times. One thing that I really love is the coco dusted almonds, they have enough sweet to them to cure any craving I have. Plus another thing I do is make sure I workout extra those days I know I am eating over my max calories. I normally will do an extra 2 miles of running on those days, to make up for the crap I might consume later in the day. Unfortunately it is a visious cycle and I am not sure there is anyway to stop unless the men could take over once in a while. LOL!! :flowerforyou:
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