I was so excited last Friday. I had been down to 197 for a few days. Solid.

Then came TOM... I was shocked when the scale read 204.2! What?! That's impossible. I counted every calorie over the weekend, I went swimming, I even pased up on two opportunities to eat CAKE... I almost cried.

So, I spent all of Monday and Tuesday drinking gallons of water and taking my Aleve (for cramps) and today the scale read 200. I'm still not where I was last week but it's a start. This is the first time I've been trying to lose weight and actually stepped on the scale during TOM so I'm not sure what my normal gain of bloat is.

Do any of you ladies experience this? Please tell me yes, so I can save my sanity and just ride it out until next week.

_______________________________





One for every 5 pounds GONE!

*raises hand* Yep, mine came this morning and I'm bloated like nobody's business, lol. Thankfully, it arrived after my 3 mile run this morning. I'm up two lbs. I just love being a woman.

Don't sweat the scale during TOM. It will do crazy things. I actually lost some weight today when TOM started, but my weight was bouncing up and down the same pound for two weeks prior. So each woman's body will be affected differently.

Stay on plan, forget the scale. It's a very fickle thing and will not always show your hard effort and progress accurately. =)

I typically go up 3-5 pounds during TOM, and feel bloated. It comes back off quickly, usually after the first couple of days for me even if TOM lasts longer.

Yes, I was down to 139 for 5 days when my TOM started last week and got up to 143 without doing anything different. I'm back down to 140. Stinks, doesn't it?

Me too!! Mine came a couple of days ago which means that my weigh in day came and went because I refuse to get weighed when tom comes...it just puts me in a mood even though I know my weight will be back down the following week

Weight gain during TOM... does it happen to me?

EVERY.SINGLE.MONTH. WITHOUT. FAIL!
Since I was like... oh, 11 years old.

For me, the trick is to expect it. I know, that no matter WHAT I EAT (or don't eat!) I am STILL going to have that monthly "gain" on the scale. But I ALSO KNOW that during TOM, the scale gain is not TRUE FAT GAIN and therefore I can deal with it. I don't LIKE IT, but I can deal with it. I just keep on plugging away, doing what I'm doing (calorie counting) and I know that in a few days the scale will go back to it's normal calculations and STOP TAUNTING ME with a few pounds of water weight.

Stay cool, and don't let it shake ya, baby!!!!

Ohhh I just love the TOM! Not really...lol

I can go up AT LEAST five lbs during that time. My problem was that before I started dieting I never weighed myself-so I never noticed the difference on the scale. So the first time I weighed in during my TOM I freaked out too!! No worries though-just stick with it and it will even itself out.

Same here! I can go anywhere from 3-7lbs! I no longer weigh myself during TOM, it just makes me super upset, even though I KNOW what it is...seeing the number makes me feel like a failure, even when I've done everything right.

Just not worth the stress, so now I view TOM as a "break from the scale"...nothing more.

Oh yeah! Every month. Mine is coming next week and I always gain weight, bloat and crave food like crazy. I get a huge appetite for junk that I can't seem to satisfy. I often end up standing in the kitchen eating PB and Jam right out of the jar I really gotta quit that... natural PB and no sugar jam or not it's still horribly fattening.

Thank heavens I'm not alone! I was seriously concidering buying some water pills or whatever those things are. I guess I'll just relax and know that women all over the world are shaking their fists at the scale while TOM is in town.

Ugh, the dreaded TOM gain. I try my best to avoid the scale (save on weigh-in days) during my period, just because it gets kind of depressing. I usually gain about 2-3 pounds the day before TOM starts, but lose it two or so days in. The only nice thing about it is that the woosh of weight loss is such a relief!

Smaller scale, but yes, I get that too. It's fun to watch the weight suddenly drop off more rapidly when it stops.

Yah I gain so much during my TOM. My weight usually goes up 5-8lbs. It's awful. I know it's not true weight gain but I feel bloated and the whole works. Cramps from heck too. Does anyone else have a problem with diarrhea or headaches or anything?

Oh yeah. Cramps, diarrhea, headaches, backaches... & have mercy, mood swings from hades!

I have also noticed (after 40+ years of having periods, you do tend to notice patterns!!) that if I am cramping really bad, I'll have a heavier period. If I have more headache & less cramps, I'll have a lighter period. Also, if I am more crampy/less headachey, I crave chocolate/sweets...but more headahcey & less crampy, I want SALT. Being a woman can be so dadgum WEIRD.