Menstrual weight gain & bloat :( depressing.
chloemj23
Posts: 3 Member
Who else here doesn’t lose any weight when on their menstrual? Today has got to be my most insecure day for me. Not only did I gain 10 lbs since the holidays but I’ve been trying to lose those lbs the past 2 weeks. I’ve been eating healthier and sticking to a 1,200 calorie deficit. This morning I decided to weigh myself which I also just got my menstual and this is the heaviest I’ve been. I’ve always been so insecure of myself after I had a baby but it’s making me not even want to step out of the house. My body is easily sensitive to salt (which I was sticking to 1,500mg or less the past two weeks..) but I’m just feeling so unmotivated.
Have I not been losing and holding on to this water weight due to my menstrual symptoms? Does any other ladies on here gain water weight no matter if they eat healthy and exceecise prior and when it’s over? How many lbs are you usually up by and how fast do you lose the water weight?
Have I not been losing and holding on to this water weight due to my menstrual symptoms? Does any other ladies on here gain water weight no matter if they eat healthy and exceecise prior and when it’s over? How many lbs are you usually up by and how fast do you lose the water weight?
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Replies
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I almost always gain water weight, and it usually doesn't come off until a day or two after I'm done. Drinking water doesn't seem to make a difference. Are these 10lbs all you have to lose? Because if you chose too aggressive a deficit you may not be losing as much as you think. MFP won't go lower than 1200 cal for women.6
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Hang in there. I’m also up a few lbs before & during that time of the month. If you stick to what you’ve been doing (eating healthier & at a deficit), the weight should come off. May be not as fast as you’d like but patience and consistency is key! *hugs*2
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Yep, it's very common.
I don't noticeably gain so much as the loss stops for a bit, maybe a week or maybe two (it varies) and then I'll drop several pounds all at once. It can be frustrating but as far as I know there's nothing to do but accept it and move on. If you're tracking your food and exercise accurately and eating at a deficit, your progress will keep moving. This is one of the reasons I weigh daily and track it on a site that will show me my trend AND has an additional line showing my weight 28 days prior to help me account for my period fluctuations.
My holiday water weight gain didn't really go away until this past week, and then my period started. Fun times. It has been a hoot watching my usual stall-drop-stall-drop combined with holiday water going away all at once.0 -
Everyone gains & loses water weight for any number of reasons, sometimes up to 5 lbs or more in a day. The thing to remember is that it isn't fat gain... in fact, if you are consistently eating in a calorie deficit, you are losing fat underneath all the scale noise. And it's not a problem that needs to be solved or dealt with in some way... it's just your body doing it's job(s).
Also be aware that women experience water weight shifts in relation to their cycles differently. Personally, I gain around ovulation and then my weight tends to bottom out as I approach my period. Others gain only before or during their periods. Hopefully, there's none that do both, but I suppose there may be some unfortunate souls out there
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Everyone gains & loses water weight for any number of reasons, sometimes up to 5 lbs or more in a day. The thing to remember is that it isn't fat gain... in fact, if you are consistently eating in a calorie deficit, you are losing fat underneath all the scale noise. And it's not a problem that needs to be solved or dealt with in some way... it's just your body doing it's job(s).
Also be aware that women experience water weight shifts in relation to their cycles differently. Personally, I gain around ovulation and then my weight tends to bottom out as I approach my period. Others gain only before or during their periods. Hopefully, there's none that do both, but I suppose there may be some unfortunate souls out there
I am one of those poor unfortunate souls. The only time I reliably close weight is the 10 days between ovulation and the start of my cycle. It’s always a big whoosh, but I had to learn that I get both, and it just sucks.3 -
If you know you gain weight when you get your period and it upsets you, just don't weigh yourself....?5
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collectingblues wrote: »Everyone gains & loses water weight for any number of reasons, sometimes up to 5 lbs or more in a day. The thing to remember is that it isn't fat gain... in fact, if you are consistently eating in a calorie deficit, you are losing fat underneath all the scale noise. And it's not a problem that needs to be solved or dealt with in some way... it's just your body doing it's job(s).
Also be aware that women experience water weight shifts in relation to their cycles differently. Personally, I gain around ovulation and then my weight tends to bottom out as I approach my period. Others gain only before or during their periods. Hopefully, there's none that do both, but I suppose there may be some unfortunate souls out there
I am one of those poor unfortunate souls. The only time I reliably close weight is the 10 days between ovulation and the start of my cycle. It’s always a big whoosh, but I had to learn that I get both, and it just sucks.
I'm the opposite. I only lose weight between days 3 and 13 of my cycle with the biggest chunk in the beginning (down 3-6 pounds in 2-3 days which then levels to the usual daily fluctuations and slow gradual loss). I gain quite a bit during ovulation, then it drops back down a bit the next day, then go back to slowly gaining continuously all the way to the start of my cycle reaching the highest high on the last day. I may be a special case, though, as I have endometriosis and tend to get intestinal bloating and inflammation around that time which contributes to the weight.0 -
I'm menopausal and don't deal with menstrual weight issues, but the scale does fluctuate wildly for me depending on sodium, carbohydrate intake, amount of sleep, and things like DOMS.
It is dispiriting to see the scale fluctuate, and I went through a very long period of it messing with my head. I started a spread sheet (something I'd done in the past) and went back to using a weight trending app. I'm back in a more comfortable head space because those two things combined let me see past the noise of the scale.
Weight trending apps are free and are really helpful to avoid monthly scale disappointment. Give it time, though, and you'll see that your efforts are paying off! Popular apps are Happy Scale, Libra, and Trendweight.0 -
its called being a woman. it is what it is.
its not a true gain, its only water weight. i almost always have a week, or sometimes 2 with no loss during TOM, then all of a sudden one morning its down several pounds.
gotta learn to relax and trust the science and not worry about normal fluctuations - especially the ones we women have.
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I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.0
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Welcome to being a woman. I'd suggest you just accept it as it's only water and not bodyfat. The only alternative I know if is to take the contraceptive pill in long-term cycle. I do this and only deal with increased water weight about 3times per year. However, I have a pill that has literally no site effects for me, and I'd need to call in sick every month for 2-3 days otherwise. Thus there's a reason for doing this.0
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I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »If you know you gain weight when you get your period and it upsets you, just don't weigh yourself....?
Right, I don't often weigh myself at that time either.
But when I was weighing daily, I compared myself to last month rather than last week. Like many women, I also retain when I ovulate, so ditto for that.0 -
I've found daily weighing and watching my trend to be valuable here. I usually have two noticable bumps in water weight each month. The chart of daily weights below is from October, when I was losing at a decent rate. It's fairly easy to see where ovulation and TOM fell
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I weigh every morning as a daily habit. I just record it in my app once a week. If I record daily weigh ins my graph looks ridiculous. 🤣I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.
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I weigh every morning as a daily habit. I just record it in my app once a week. If I record daily weigh ins my graph looks ridiculous. 🤣I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.
But that 'ridiculous' graph shows you some very insightful trends, if you care to interpret them
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Yeah, I imagine it would. I just don’t care enough to do all that, I guess. I’m pretty chill about it so long as I’m trending down over time. Since I already know what triggers my weight gains, I can just ignore them because I know it’ll even back out because it alwwys has. I can see the benefit in tracking that until you know what triggers your water weight though.
I weigh every morning as a daily habit. I just record it in my app once a week. If I record daily weigh ins my graph looks ridiculous. 🤣I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.
But that 'ridiculous' graph shows you some very insightful trends, if you care to interpret them
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Yeah, I imagine it would. I just don’t care enough to do all that, I guess. I’m pretty chill about it so long as I’m trending down over time. Since I already know what triggers my weight gains, I can just ignore them because I know it’ll even back out because it alwwys has. I can see the benefit in tracking that until you know what triggers your water weight though.
I weigh every morning as a daily habit. I just record it in my app once a week. If I record daily weigh ins my graph looks ridiculous. 🤣I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.
But that 'ridiculous' graph shows you some very insightful trends, if you care to interpret them
Or if you're a data nerd
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I have the same issue when I menstruate. I always gain a few pounds, but they go away within a day or two of my period ending. Hang in there and stick with what you're doing. It will pay off!0
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If the PMS water gain also makes you ache or cramp more, try reducing your sodium overall. I did that back in college and not only did I not bloat as much, my cramps became much more manageable. I found that I liked my food with less salt and have been eating without added salt for over 40 years. Post menopause here now and loving it.1
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Yeah, I imagine it would. I just don’t care enough to do all that, I guess. I’m pretty chill about it so long as I’m trending down over time. Since I already know what triggers my weight gains, I can just ignore them because I know it’ll even back out because it alwwys has. I can see the benefit in tracking that until you know what triggers your water weight though.
I weigh every morning as a daily habit. I just record it in my app once a week. If I record daily weigh ins my graph looks ridiculous. 🤣I only record my weight once a week because the daily fluctuations are so ridiculously all over the place. Even with recording only once a week, my weight is still likely to go up just before my period, even when I *know* I did everything right that week and have definitely lost body fat. I don’t mind carrying some extra water weight around and just remind myself that some fat is definitely gone and there is no reason to angst over it. I normally “lose” at least twice the weekly weight the next week so it evens out. I’m normally more aware of my choices the week before my period too and I feel that lets me remember all the good choices I made when I see that upward bump on my weight log. Remembering all the hard work lets me see those less than ideal results and not care 1%.
Weighing weekly is fine, but it carries the risk of catching yourself on a high day too (and presumably, having to live with the skewed results for another week). Many find that weighing daily actually helps them stress less over time as they become acclimated to the fluctuations. And a weight trending app like Happy Scale can help a person keep their eyes on the actual trend.
But that 'ridiculous' graph shows you some very insightful trends, if you care to interpret them
Or if you're a data nerd
Oh yes! That's my reason for getting on the scale each morning!
TOM (stop week) leads some a bit of waterweight gain for me, but flights, especially more than 3 hours are the killer though! You work out for months, you have a nice 4 pack, you fly on vacation, arrive... and then you're holding onto water for the next 6-8 days 0 -
A few days before the monthlies start, I start to gain weight. It tends to be between 5-10 pounds, and it will slowly start to come down a few days after my monthly starts, and I am back to starting weight about a week after the weight went up. I tend to have 'period' clothing because I go up about 2 sizes or so during that time.1
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i definitely start packing on about 2kilos (4.5lbs) around my period and it takes about a week to come off. I HATE it. but i remind myself its not forever and i definitely lose that once its come and gone. I weigh myself daily, so I do have a fair idea of my upcoming cycle. but i don't let it demoralise me, there's no point. its temporary. not permanent.0
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Yes, like most people who menstruate, I predictably gain about 3 lbs. right before my period, and by the end of it, they’re gone.
Also: PMS/PMDD often saps my confidence, including how I feel about my body (whether I weigh myself or not). I wonder if that could be part of what you’re experiencing too. If you know to expect that, maybe you can plan a few days off the scale and some activities that will lift you up and help take your mind off the negative thoughts.
Last but not least, 10 lbs won’t come off in two weeks. It will more likely take a couple months if you don’t count water weight fluctuations. That’s ok. Be patient with yourself.1 -
Who else here doesn’t lose any weight when on their menstrual? Today has got to be my most insecure day for me. Not only did I gain 10 lbs since the holidays but I’ve been trying to lose those lbs the past 2 weeks. I’ve been eating healthier and sticking to a 1,200 calorie deficit. This morning I decided to weigh myself which I also just got my menstual and this is the heaviest I’ve been. I’ve always been so insecure of myself after I had a baby but it’s making me not even want to step out of the house. My body is easily sensitive to salt (which I was sticking to 1,500mg or less the past two weeks..) but I’m just feeling so unmotivated.
Have I not been losing and holding on to this water weight due to my menstrual symptoms? Does any other ladies on here gain water weight no matter if they eat healthy and exceecise prior and when it’s over? How many lbs are you usually up by and how fast do you lose the water weight?
What you have described is me to a tee. I feel incredibly lazy, sleepy and unmotivated during ovulation until Aunt Flo arrives. I do what you do - reduce salt, still exercise and eat healthy. I will gain an easy 2-5kg (I think thats 5-10lb) during ovulation. I now know this will occur so I stop weighing myself, especially the week before Aunt Flo. I restart weighing myself mid-period because most of the water retention is gone.
Trust me on this - you are doing great. You've got this.
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