Hi, everyone, just felt like whining for a bit.

I'm PMS'ing like crazy - TOM is due any day now. Because I'm in perimenopause (48 years old now) my hormones are whackier than they've ever been, and everything is less predictable, and I PMS way worse than I ever used to, including water weight gain. I mean it gets ridiculous sometimes, between the water weight and the breakouts of the skin. It's like my teenage years in reverse, LOL.

So yesterday I was hungrier than usual. I always am for 2-3 days before TOM. I'm guessing alot of you ladies are nodding your heads in empathy with this, because I know it happens to a lot of us. (And, Jason, if you are reading this, sorry for the TMI female information in the post.)

I stayed within my 25 carbs per day allowance, and ate roughly 1,500 calories (more than I usually eat, but I was hungry) which I figure to be my basic metabolic rate (so I shouldn't gain weight eating that, although I probably won't lose weight either.)

Doesn't sound too bad so far, right? Only one of the snacks I allowed myself was sunflower seeds in the shell because I was craving salty. Sunflower seeds in moderate amounts aren't very high in net carbs or calories, so I allowed myself that indulgence because if I didn't, it would have been potato chips and candy bars. I figure you have to give in a little sometimes, when it's PMS time.

Today I woke up with puffy slits for eyes and swollen fingers and all the other signs of excessive water retention. Most likely due to PMS and the salt from the sunflower seeds.

But I weighed 168.6 on the scale this morning and my heart sank.

I know how silly that is. I got some ketostix a few days ago and have been measuring my ketones about five times a day, from when I get up to just before bedtime, and I am always in ketosis. I range from small to moderate. So I know my body is burning fat. And I'm keeping my calories pretty low too, so unless my metabolism is totally malfunctioning, I should be burning some of my own body's fat along with the fat from my diet.

So I'm telling myself, don't worry, it's obviously water weight and you will hopefully get a whoosh in a week or so, and obviously you are still burning fat so you are doing things right....

Maybe it's just because I'm PMSing and when I do, I'm not in the best or most optimistic mood. But today I'm letting the scale get me down, and I do know how silly that is. I mean maybe in a week I will laugh at myself, and deep down I know there is nothing to worry about, but I still feel a bit discouraged today.

Well, I have to be patient. Water weight fluctuations are going to happen, especially to someone like me whose hormones are bouncing off the walls due to the change of life.

Anyway thought I'd share this because I figure, this is the place to talk honestly about the struggles along the way and the triumphs along the way as we diet.

I feel your pain and totally sympathize. Of course I have no advice to give you, other than to wait it out and not to let the hormones and water retention win. Our bodies will do what they do, and all we can do is stick to plan and wait it out. So much easier said than done, I know that well! I'm in the same place right now, just waiting for TOM to start so I can get this part of the cycle over with.

I hate wishing away time, but I find myself doing it a lot with my diet these days. I hope the scale starts behaving better for both of us soon.

Wish my scale read 168.5 wanna trade scales?

Thanks so much, Caroline and Honey. Honey, you made me laugh

Okay, I'll stop being so whiny. I'm just PMSing and I get this way when I'm PMS'ing. The water weight will go away in a week or two, I'm sure.

We'll all reach our goals, we just have to stick to the WOE and we will be fine! You're right, all we can do is stay on plan, and our bodies will do what they want to do.

Thanks for letting me whine some.

I could lie and say I never read your post...lol. Who's Tom? Just kidding...perhaps I'll post some "guy" issues someday to make you feel better...lol.

All I can do is offer a hug! I am in the same situation this week, and today is my last day of Induction (I've decided to move on to Owl since my goal weight isn't that far away now) -- and I was hoping to slide by with at least one extra pound lost by today, but the water retention monster got me and I'm The Same. LOL It will all be just a memory in a week or so. Be happy!

so sorry Lori! I know it can be discouraging to have the water weight gain but with your puffiness of your eyes and such..yes it is water weight. Drink, drink, drink your water and add in some tea if you can to help diurese that water off. But, it will probably take TOM to actually get here before it goes away as you know Next week will be a better week for you!

Aww, Lori. If it's any consolation, I'm stuck like glue at 140. It's almost comical....it's like just inches from the finish line, my body got stubborn and balked....and is just sitting there and not moving...and just looking at me, playing stupid.

And what I can't figure out is that I'm also consistently in ketosis...so why the total freeze here? I even have days where I feel thinner and am sure it will show on the scale....but nope, it won't budge.

I keep asking it, WHAT? Did I eat something you didn't like? Did I miscalculate something? Was it that little sprinkle of plain cocoa I put in my coffee for a treat? For crying out loud...it was just a sprinkle!

It just looks at me and rolls its eyes...like "duh, you figure it out...since you think you're such an expert on this diet".

Aggravating. I'm trying to psych it out and pretend I don't care. I go, "fine, just sit there. I'm perfectly happy at this weight...so I don't even care...and I'm just ignoring you."

We're just having this stand-off....with me pretending I don't care every morning when I step on the scale.

deena

Thank you so much, Jason, Firefly, Leslie and Deena - you guys made me feel so much better! Well, our bodies sure can be frustrating sometimes. But it's okay, it will all work out in the end. Trying to drink lots of water today with a small squirt of lemon juice (half a teaspoon in each glass) and hoping my body will like that.

Deena, you made me laugh with your description of your body being stubborn and your conversation with your body. Our bodies just dig in sometimes and won't move for a little while. But eventually they do lose, if we keep going.

Hey Lori!

Did I tell you I have a younger sister named Lori? I actually have 3 younger sisters (plus 3 younger brothers, one of whom recently died) but she was the one who followed me around when I was a teen and collected all my empty cologne bottles and make-up compacts, etc. It was so cute. She's 8 years younger than me....and in fact, has always maintained that child-like quality she had as a child. She has that wide-eyed, "REALLY?" thing going on.

Another thing is that her youngest son (of 3) really looks like and reminds me of my son who died...it's amazing how, as he's grown, he's looking more and more like him....so I have a special place in my heart for her youngest, of course. I want to adopt him, in fact. But I've made do with adopting my little cat...who I consider to be the daughter I never had.

I've always been a "make do" kinda person.....and see getting something as better than getting nothing, even if it's not exactly what I want. You seem to have that quality too....in fact, many of the folks on this Atkins forum do also....which I really like. It's probably what makes us stick to Atkins in the first place...willing to trade in some former previous items and habits in order to get what we want.....and no whining about it, I've noticed. Always making the best of the situation, looking on the bright side....and being grateful that it works and it's not a constant struggle with being hungry.

I don't see much complaining here on the Atkins forum and I really like that.
Maybe this makes me sound like a (the B word ) but I truly just can't understand, most of the time, when I read where people are struggling, constantly going off plan, going on binges, etc....but just will NOT give up certain items. To me, it's like at some point, you have to go "this isn't working so let me investigate and try something different. Not to mention, this sure isn't gonna work long-term for me". Think outside the box, KWIM? You MAY just have to give up certain items but it just might be totally worth it....can't hurt to try, that's for sure.

To be honest, I really AM okay at 140 lbs....and think I look fine. I think what bugs me is that I feel I know this diet so well and have become stymied here, just inches from goal. I'm suddenly faced with this big puzzle...even though I usually like puzzles...though the one I had to spend 3 to 4 years solving when I could not get Atkins to work this time at first...was beyond frustrating. This current puzzle isn't nearly as frustrating....but it does have me flummoxed. I'm wondering just how many calories I need at this weight.....and am thinking of trying one of those sites like Fitday, etc...just to check how many calories I should be eating.....not exact...but what general ballpark I should be in. I figure I need less calories at a lower weight now....but also know it's not good to go too low. I know that with the added fat, most of what I eat should have plenty of calories.....I'm just not sure if I eat enough total food....due to my appetite being so much more controlled in ketosis. Do you know if any of the sites that calculate your caloric needs are free?

Thanks, deena

Fitday is free...I had to use it to log my food consumption and activities for a university course. Big thing I think is innaccurate is the amount of calories it says you burn at rest...

Hi Lori,

I love that your sign-off is about patience, patience, patience (reminds me of my own "PROGRESS, not Perfection). It sounds like you need a little of your own advice (which is hard, because I suspect you are like me -- more generous to others than you are to yourself).

It also sounds like maybe you've put the stress up too high. Maybe a few days away from the scale and the ketostix would be good for you. The scale will catch up with you, you know you're eating low enough carb to be in ketosis. Maybe just focus on getting few a few days with less stress?

Hang in there!

Thanks, everyone!

It's cool you have a younger sister named Lori, Deena! I'm the baby of the family, my brother and sister are 8 and 9 years older than I am! It feels awfully funny to say I'm the baby of the family when I'm pushing 50, LOL.

I had a whoosh of my water weight going away yesterday (boy I feel like I spent all day in the latrine!) and I got up this morning and was 165.8. So it was pretty much just water weight. I'm still not back to my 164.0 low that I got to, but I was dehydrated when I was at that weight I think so I needed to gain a few pounds back of water weight. I'm comfortable today and not all puffy in my face and fingers and feet so I think I'm about where I ought to be as far as hydration levels go.

Thanks for letting me whine everyone! I will try to remember this for my next cycle and not worry too much when I get puffy. I just seem to notice it more when I'm dieting.

P.S. Sarah, are you living in Paris now? I lived in the Netherlands when I was a teenager because my father was stationed at a NATO base there in Brunssum. It was the coolest experience for me and I hope to go back someday maybe!

Hey Lori,

It's okay to whine! Darn, when I was nearing perimenopause, I was such a moody person with my hormones all over the place! I'm so glad I'm in full menopause now, it's so much better compared to peri.

Glad you lost water weight, I know what it feels like to visit the "bowl" every hour on the hour, LOL!

Anyway, just wanted say hello...

Hang in there okay? It does get better!

Toby

Thank you so much, Toby! I do hope that once I get past the change of life, it will be a bit better. I really have done some PMS'ing these last few years, and my cycle is just so unpredictable. One thing I'm grateful for is that I haven't had hot flashes (yet). I am careful to take a soy supplement to try to keep the peri symptoms under control so maybe that's why I haven't had hot flashes. It's not great for my thyroid to take the soy, but I just feel I need to get through this peri and I can't take hormones because of the endometriosis so I sort of picked the less of two evils I guess, LOL.

My husband just wrote and said that they are predicting another really huge snowstorm for this area around the 27th - argh! I was hoping no more big snowstorms this season but I guess that's how the cookie crumbles. Or how the Atkins bar crumbles, LOL, gotta be Atkins here.