do you notice that your bloating goes away?? And how long before TOM do you find you get bloated?? I have my Labor Day goal that I'm working so hard to get to - and I believe that TOM will be coming in that very week (starting around the 4th - ending around the 9th)!!!! So, I'm a little nervous that the scales will not be friendly during that time, and I won't be able to "offcially" reach my goal (it's my first mini goal and being able to reach it would be a HUGE boost of confidence for me) - so I'm thinking of delaying my weigh-in for that week until after TOM leaves (is that cheating? ) Anyway - I just wanted to know what kind of patterns you've noticed with your TOM as far as your weight fluctuation?

I notice the scales not looking great a few days beforehand and for me that weight starts dropping off literally within HOURS of onset of TOM. But it's probalby different for everyone I'd think.
Good luck!

I bloat twice a month. During ovulation and right before TOM. The TOM bloating usually goes away a few days after I start. Not right away, like some, but it doesn't hang around til the end, either. If you think it will stress you out...I'd put off weighing until it's over. Eventually you'll start to be a lot more aware of how TOM affects you and you won't have to guess.

Good luck on meeting that goal!

For me when my period starts I normally get uncontrollably hungry about 2-3 days prior and that's when I know it's on it's way! Tom just came and went last week. It started on Monday and I made a concious effort to resist the urge to overeat and I did farely well. I also tried drinking plenty of water to flush out water retention. When I weighed in on Friday I did gain 1 pound but was not too concerned since I knew I had done everything I could to avoid a gain. I'll tell you this Friday if I posted a loss or not one week after the end of Tom-I've been doing good so let's hope!

I also bloat during ovulation and right before TOM. During TOM it starts about 3 days before and last one or two days afterwards. My doctor gave me some water pills that help some. I get so annoyed with it all. Two weeks out of the month I have to deal with these false readings on the scale.

I'd love to be able to answer this but I have no idea. I'm rubbish - I don't keep track so don't know when to expect TOM or what. I was bloated etc all of last week and thought it was TOM but it wasn't as I'm still waiting

I'll get bloated 2-3 days before TOM, and then I stay bloated until TOM is over...I hate it! It's usually a good 3 lbs or so that drop off as soon as TOM is over. Ahhh, to be a woman.

I haven't tracked it closely enough to know exactly when, but i know that just before I may not show a loss and after I will usually show a nice one. As far as weighing, I weigh-in once a week, but if it's TOM or I have eaten a lot of salt or had a splurge and expect not to show a loss, I'll sometimes skip a week. It's not cheating, I'm just being nice to myself and not getting upset over something that doesn't matter in the long run. There's no rules as to when or how often you weigh, or even if you weigh at all, for that matter!

Wow, I could have written the original post. This is my first mini-goal as well and TOM should arrive on the 3rd. I didn't even think about that when I was making the goal or I think I would have picked a different date.

Hopefully I'll get there anyway but it does kinda suck.