20-Somethings - Weight Loss + Periods

How do you handle THAT time of the month in your weight loss plan?

It sure is frustrating for me! I have absolutely ZERO motivation to work out, crave all the worst foods, feel depressed and cranky, and retain water. None of which is too conducive to healthy weight loss!

I've resisted all the cravings, which I'm proud of, but I jumped a full inch and a half in my waist measurement between today and two days ago with no change in diet or exercise. That's some crazy water retention right there.

How do you get through it? Do you allow yourself cheat days? Refuse to measure/weigh? Lie in bed all day or force yourself to the gym? I'd love to hear some war stories because ladies, I'm hurtin!

On those days, I normally whine to my bf and he encourages me to get up and go to the gym and somehow it makes me do it. I usually don't go on my heaviest days cause....well its just a messy proposition if you ask me. However, on the cravings side of things I usually want ice cream. Sadly, ice cream for me is a trigger food and if I eat it I will not only eat what I crave but also just random bad snacking and I think of the long term effects which can stretch weeks for me.

Also, as a side note to everything what has helped me alot is getting on the pill. It has made my periods so much more manageable and liveable. I used to get those periods where I would literally feel like I was going to die from blood loss and would just feel extremely dehydrated from the fluid loss. I would also lay in bed and cry because the cramps and aches were so bad. If you have extremely bad periods see if there is anything from your obgyn that you can do about it, because it could help with the things your explaining.

I won't lie to you, basically it sucks rocks. I put on three pounds of water weight EVERY month...like clockwork...starting a whole WEEK out from my period, and two days before I could eat a whole freakin' house. I usually eat an extra snack both of those two days...but that is it...one extra snack, usually at night when I can't take it anymore...and I make sure it is a snack I can live with after the craziness is over -- like a big bowl of air popped popcorn or a giant salad -- because it is not just being hungry, it is the munchies so it needs to be something I can munch on for a while. I do force myself to exercise, but I will admit that for about three days, two days before and the first day of, I often tone down the HIIT cardio and replace it with Steady State because that is what I can handle...but I do move my body so that I do not just wallow in my bed thinking about chocolate. :)

And while I was losing weight, I always loved the fact that three days or so after my period started, I would suddenly drop some crazy amount of weight...five pounds in one day once. That part was fun. Now I just can't wait until the scale reads my maintenance level again and the three pounds of water goes away.

Sometimes, I'll catch myself eating craaaazy stuff before I realise, 'Oh, it's that TOM!'

It certainly doesn't make it okay though. The two things that have helped my cravings and cramps and laziness during the week of terror are gentle exercise and the pill. I'll be curled up on the couch and I'll tell myself to go for a walk and it helps light cramps and pains, and it's pretty hard to raid the cupboard while you are walking around the block. But if I'm really hurting, the only thing for it is to curl up with a hot water bottle :)

And the pill... it's nice to know exactly when the beast is rearing its head, nice to prepare. And occasionally it's nice to skip a period :D

The best part of it is after its all gone approx. 2 days after you drop the TOM weight and then some Even though during it i gain about 3 pounds and stay depressed and scared that i might not lose it this month after its gone!

I would always undo all 3 weeks of work, in 1 week. I hated it. It was just 1 crazy roller coaster ride. This month wasn't to bad and I can only say I fully believe its been through prayer. I have asked for God's blessing in my weight loss efforts. My bad cravings at TOM were pretty much nill

Well, right now I'm handling my period by eating my weight in junk food every couple hours. It's kind of awful. So far I've only gained half a pound but I have 5 days left!

This is definitely the absolute hardest time to think about weight loss for me. I get crazy with craving sweet then salty all day long. It is insane.

I have extreme cramps that normally cause me to stay in bed the entire first two days of my cycle with a heating pad and a whole bottle of Motrin. I have found though that doing some cardio at a high intensity gives me major relief from the pain. I don't know if it's because it's getting the muscles warm and moving but it really makes a huge difference when I force myself to do 30 mins of cardio. Also tons of water and a little OJ helps with cramping.

I pretty much give in to my cravings because in reality it's a few days once a month and when I try to resist the cravings I just get even more cranky lol!!

Oh my goodness- I'm on mine and I feel your pain it's horrible- I crave really bad foods greasy cheeseburgers and sweets and desserts like I have no motivation and I jsut want to lay in bed and and not move unless it's ot put something in my mouth..lol

I get horrible cramps adn cravings! and awfuly emotional especially when I know I can't cave into my temptations! tongiht i wanted nothing more then to go to burger king get a whopper and one of those hersy's pie... and I restisted- but it's crazy I actually starting tasting in and fanatasizing abotu it eating it... crazy huh! I have my emergency relief foods ready I get sugar free jello pudding cups they are only 60 cals and 0 grams of sugar.. and I also have special K bars only 90 cals and taste super sweet they remind me of rice crispie treats. I allow my self once of those a day while on my period but ONLY if it's with in my calorie range if it will make me go over the nI won't let myself and I don't "work it in" to my calories I must eat a normal days worth of healthy full meals get all my veggies and fruits in first.. then I have some left over at the end of the day I'll have a pudding cup or special K bar. but it's hard to only eat one.. I could seriously eat like 4 of those pudding cups..lol and I used to before my diet- but I know the self control will pay off in the end!

Yeah, I still have like a day left of mine. NOT FUN! I think I'm up like 3-4lbs since before I started. Ugh, I hate Aunt Flo so much! I eat so much sweets and salty stuff!

I want to eat bad stuff three or four days before my cycle and usually I do but w/moderation. Two days before my weight goes up. I up my water and keep on exercising. I have noticed that my cramps are almost 0 now that I run.

I go to the gym, no matter what. It honestly helps me work through the frustration and helps to loosen up crappy feelings.

The cravings... most of the time I just have to willpower through them. Though, I have a few months decided to eat some chocolate. It didn't end up hurting me in the end, as long as I could control how much.

As far as weighing, I end up usually understanding that I won't lose weight that week or I may even gain a little. So I weigh in at my WW meeting, but I take the weigh in with a grain of salt as I know the next week I'm usually back down and then some.

Well, I made it through the tough time! lol. It didn't go too badly--I get terrible cramps so I didn't work out until the last (lightest) day of my period. And instead of eating the chocolate I was craving, I treated myself to a nice home pedicure. It was a nice treat and very low-calorie. lol.

Now I am back on the bandwagon and feeling like a million bucks! Good luck to all you ladies at your time of the month!

Well, right now I'm handling my period by eating my weight in junk food every couple hours.

That literally made me laugh out loud! That is great...honesty is the best, isn't it?

I pretty much give in to my cravings because in reality it's a few days once a month and when I try to resist the cravings I just get even more cranky lol!!

Me too. I usually never crave chocolate (could live without it) but for a few days there it's ALL I can think about. I usually end up letting myself have one double chocolate donut and that petty much gets rid of it.

That and just pure unadulterated urges to eat eat eat! Not even sweet or salty stuff, just FOOD.

~CGH~

Its weird, I crave the weirdest thing ever, when its my TOM , that is beef jerky! I'm not even a huge fan of red meat, but love jerky. I also find I eat a lot less when its my TOM, even though you would never know that by looking at my scale- I'm 3-4 lbs more than usual.

I exercise every day of my period except for the WORST day (Usually the first day).

During my TOM I allow myself my ONE and only Off-plan meal.

STAY AWAY FROM THE SCALE AT ALL COSTS!!!

Oh my, I just realized an hour ago I was PMSing lol.. I was wondering why I wasn't hungry, and felt like breaking things haha.

Urgh. I have a real issue with eating salt (I hate the taste) in my everyday life, so my weight fluctuates like crazy. And not 3-4lb crazy, like 10-12lb crazy during my TOM.

Thankfully I don't work, because for the first few dats nothing fits. Not my wedding rings, shoes, nothing. I stay in pajamas and sleep through it.

Posts like these make me so glad that I'm on the bc regulated four periods a year plan. Though before that I can't say my period ever made me crave things - in fact, it was usually pretty much the opposite. I had such painful periods that it killed my hunger totally - I'd go for three or four days on about 600 calories a day.

So I can definitely agree with the periods suck mentality, I've just never had the cravings with them...but when I get sick and the doc ups my steriod dosage...watch out!

Oh my, I just realized an hour ago I was PMSing lol.. I was wondering why I wasn't hungry, and felt like breaking things haha.

you would think that the fact that we have periods EVERY MONTH would allow us to catch on that it's PMS. But nope, every single month I find myself continually surprised when I finally figure out -- oh, it's PMS. In fact, pretty much every month my boyfriend knows when I have PMS before I do!!!

I swear I won't say ANYTHING different or act different, but all of a sudden he'll look at me and say "oh great, it's that time isn't it". and I yell an emphatic "NO!!!" but then look at the calendar and realize he's right. I exclaim, "how did you know???" and he says "it's the inflection in your voice". LOL.

~CGH~

you would think that the fact that we have periods EVERY MONTH would allow us to catch on that it's PMS. But nope, every single month I find myself continually surprised when I finally figure out -- oh, it's PMS.

Exactly. It dawns on me after about four hours of people what is wrond you're perky today or the guys at works why are you so mean today? And I am like what are you all talking about.

I just started today and I am in dire need of a chocolate cake donut and pillow top mattress and nickelodeon. But I can't I am work so whatever.

I find that when I go to the gym it eases the cramps a bit so I am going wheel in all 196 pounds of me in after work. It is so hard to stay on freakin track.