In general, I lose weight incrementally (a few tenths of a pound per day) when it's not TOM or around that time, and during/around TOM the scale bounces around between small gains (usually less than a pound), stalls, and very small losses. I always see a bigger loss toward the end of TOM or after it's gone of all the water weight I was retaining during it, but when that loss arrives is variable - primarily, I think, because my menstrual cycle is so wacky. I never know when to expect TOM, and sometimes it stays for a long, long time (last month it was 3 weeks), so sometimes my weight loss seems erratic. But the pattern, for me, is definitely as described above.
I would imagine that you'll very likely see a drop once TOM departs.
As for cravings and things I change... not much. Sometimes I notice that I'm hungrier right before TOM starts, though I often only realize after the fact that it's why I was so hungry and eating toward the top of my calorie range. But, because I always plan to be in my calorie range, and don't go over it unless I've planned to do so for some special occasion, I just push through the hungry days.
Some cycles I get extremely painful cramps (the kind that make me completely non-functional), and when those occur I can't leave my bed/couch/bathtub let alone exercise. But, if I'm functional enough to go to work, then I'm well enough to exercise and so continue to go to the gym. I do also sometimes feel weak right before/at the start of TOM, and on those days I just do the best I can with my workouts even if they end up being a little lighter than normal.
TOM questions, help me out here girls!
