"Time of the Month"

PolkadotH
PolkadotH Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The dreaded time of the month is approaching once again and I roughly put on about 4lb in water weight. Depressing much?
Just wondering how you wonderful ladies deal with it? Do you not weigh that week or do you carry on as normal?
Also I'm going on the pill next week which means weight gain but will my water weight decrease?

Replies

  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
    It's not fat, it's a normal fluctuation.

    I deal with it because it doesn't matter. Oh no, a number no one but me sees has gone up by 4 and will go right back down in 3-5 days. Who cares? Now, if it were actual weight gain, it would be upsetting, but it's not.
  • zaftigal
    zaftigal Posts: 6
    EXERCISE.
    Exercise can make your period shorter, you just have to push through the extra pain. I did it and I had less cramps and my period was only 3 1/2 days long! And as for the water weight you can take a water pill occasionally during that week if it really bothers you. I just pushed through and stayed away from the scale.
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    I weigh in regardless of what week of the month it is. I'm on the pill and it doesn't seem to stop water retention, if I get it I get it, sometimes I don't.
  • CaseyBee
    CaseyBee Posts: 163 Member
    Before starting the pill, I never weighed myself before TOTM, because I KNEW it would be higher, and I didn't want an unfair, bloated number burned into my brain that, really, wasn't real. It wasn't worth it to me to beat myself up about a higher number when, three days later, it would be back to normal anyway, KWIM?

    Also, going on the pill doesn't mean automatic weight gain, it affects everyone differently. I never gained any extra weight, and between clearer skin, zero PMS (bloating, moodiness etc) and a definite "start day" to know about beforehand, well, I LOVE my pill. :)
  • fitforlife34
    fitforlife34 Posts: 331 Member
    Believe me, I put on bloat all the time as well (even when not around the time of the month. lol) i've gotten on the mirena, and it's been the best birth control so far. It doesn't cause weight gain or bloating.
  • KasondraAllen
    KasondraAllen Posts: 18
    AGREE!!! Exercise has helped with my time of the month tremendously! It is definitely worth pushing through a work out during that time. And I also am notorious for taking the menstrual meds if that is what you want to call them, pamprin, etc. I HATE feeling bloated!
  • shelbynicole32
    shelbynicole32 Posts: 179 Member
    I dont weigh in that week. I might step on the scale to see how it looks, but I dont take that week to heart. I do my normal routine and eat the same, I just wait until the next week for my offical weigh in.
  • Sb65513n
    Sb65513n Posts: 131 Member
    I hide my scale.
  • StarvingDiva
    StarvingDiva Posts: 1,107 Member
    I always gain around 5 lbs so I still weigh, I still do everything else I'm suppose too and tell myself repeatedly it will go away.
  • PolkadotH
    PolkadotH Posts: 15 Member
    Thanks guys! Going to definitely try the whole exercising through it rather than feeling bloated and sorry for myself haha.
  • littlebuddy84
    littlebuddy84 Posts: 995 Member
    I don't weigh myself at all till the following week when everything is back to normal.
  • kay4489
    kay4489 Posts: 36
    i usually gain between two to five pounds during my TOM and it starts about a week before and doesn't go away until a few days after. talk about depressing! i do weigh during that time, just to make sure that i'm not gaining more than those five pounds because then i know it's not entirely my TOM's fault. but i also don't get discouraged when i see an ugly number on the scale because i know why it's happening. as for the pill, i'm not sure if it will decrease ur water weight. i highly doubt it. but don't get discouraged at all when u gain during this time. if anything, don't weigh until a few days after!
  • TamaBunny
    TamaBunny Posts: 14 Member
    I'm not weighing this week because of it, but also because I'm trying to go back to twice weekly weigh in maximum (the daily weighing was too addictive!).

    I get super hungry the two or three days before I start so I know to just not beat myself up about it. If I can't handle my C25K then I'll do some Wii Fit or some cleaning on top of walking to and from work as I know I feel more lethargic for about ten days.

    I'm stopping the pill though (Yasmin) as since being on it it's made me a different person, PMS, tiredness, the works. I'm hoping this may help with the weight loss in the coming months =)

    Each person is different though, I found for me each month was different too. Some months my weight would fluctuate before and during and some months it'd just go straight down.
  • breezymom81
    breezymom81 Posts: 499 Member
    I drink more water- work out- and I only weigh once a month cause I hate that lying SOB on the bathroom floor!!!!

    Also the pill does not have to mean weight gain it can but you can coutner act it- frequently it will change hormons- therefore cravings- more calories = weight !
  • mrshickey
    mrshickey Posts: 239
    i wouldnt worry, its not real weight is it? just water. ive put on 7 pounds some months b4 tom, and dropped it just as quickly as it came. i think this lifestyle change is hard enough to fathom without worrying about things that aren't really in our control. just another 'perk' of being female lol
  • MargotAllen
    MargotAllen Posts: 63
    I can't work out on my heavy flow days. I'm too scared a mess will happen. How do you ladies who work out on those days deal with that?
  • Steph7x
    Steph7x Posts: 115 Member
    I weighed had a 1.2lb of extra fluid and its gone back down in 3days(Since time of month began), it is upsetting but its mother nature..and it does go back after a few days :) Oh and to answer i do log it, if it falls on my Weigh in day.
  • thiscanbedone
    thiscanbedone Posts: 73 Member
    I can't work out on my heavy flow days. I'm too scared a mess will happen. How do you ladies who work out on those days deal with that?
    I have the same question. Also I get mild cramps and a general feeling of uneasiness. How do you all do it?
  • breezymom81
    breezymom81 Posts: 499 Member
    I can't work out on my heavy flow days. I'm too scared a mess will happen. How do you ladies who work out on those days deal with that?
    I have the same question. Also I get mild cramps and a general feeling of uneasiness. How do you all do it?

    Get long- or overnight pads and a tampon- change right before and after a work out- wear dark clothes and maybe stay close to home!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    TOM is like a giant moment of inertia, preventing me from getting moving. If I get past the initial hump, the workout goes fine and actually helps with the symptoms better than any midol.

    That being said, if I want to take a day off or eat a little extra during that time I don't stress about it. Even if its a couple days, it won't really offset the rest of the month unless you go on some sort of crazy binge streak.
  • aftergypsies
    aftergypsies Posts: 248 Member
    I usually weight myself anyway and just take the results with a grain of salt. I also tend not to eat as much because my periods are painful and for the first day or two I can barely do anything. =( I will work out towards the end if it's possible. Usually I can't work out at all for the 5 days it lasts.
  • rcharlee
    rcharlee Posts: 182 Member
    My cycle only lasted 2.5 days this month, so I weighed like normal just to see how much water I retain. I retained 4lbs, which fell off over 5 days. Now I'm lighter then I was going into it.
  • Daizy426
    Daizy426 Posts: 37 Member
    Thanks for reminding me of the reason I'm up 4lb this week. I've been fretting for a few days now!! I forgot it was that time. I hadn't really noticed any weight gain before (my tracker says 10 lost but I lost 20 before I got here) so I was not happy!! But I'm hoping it goes away in a few days. I think maybe I just didn't take it as seriously at the 10-15lb loss as I do now, that's why I didn't notice, lol.
  • sablake427
    sablake427 Posts: 8 Member
    I second all the votes for exercising through, but I also have found that extra water and extra protein the day before really helps with the pain. Long time ago I realized I crazed egg heavy dishes at that time. . . took a lot longer to figure out it was the protein that helped.
    I once did a 7 week hiking/canoeing trip--ate lots of fiber, solid protein, tons of water, and was getting lots of exercise--I didn't notice my period at all.
    Play with what you crave and figure out what your body is asking for. Oh and I historically skip the scale that week--not sure how I'll handle it now that I've read all the thoughts.
  • jesspi68
    jesspi68 Posts: 292
    Thanks for reminding me of the reason I'm up 4lb this week. I've been fretting for a few days now!! I forgot it was that time. I hadn't really noticed any weight gain before (my tracker says 10 lost but I lost 20 before I got here) so I was not happy!! But I'm hoping it goes away in a few days. I think maybe I just didn't take it as seriously at the 10-15lb loss as I do now, that's why I didn't notice, lol.

    Thank goodness I found this topic, I was twitching out about my weigh in this week, but it looks like almost everyone retains some amount of weight during. Phew!! I was only up about two pounds so hopefully in a couple days I will be lighter than last weeks weigh in.
  • cari4jc1
    cari4jc1 Posts: 233
    I actually posted a topic yesterday about the whole water weight thing making me mad. I was frustrated because I didn't understand why I was gaining all this water weight. Well this morning my "monthly gift" arrived. I immediately sighed in relief knowing it was because of my TOM and not because I'm doing something else wrong. I know that next week the number on the scale will go back down and probably dramatically because of the water weight going away plus anything that I actually did lose this week.

    So don't sweat it. I still weigh in, but I don't take the number seriously during TOM because I know it isn't accurate. It's almost kinda funny to weigh everyday just to see how crazily TOM affects the weight, but only do that if you won't get discouraged.

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