So...i've read things in the past where people say "you might have gained because it was (either) before your TOM or right after."

Which is it?

I need some sanity today, to grasp the fact that I gained four pounds this week. A week where i excercised every single day and ate less calories, and ate healthy. AND drank more water than a fish.

It doesnt make sense that i was losing on the weeks that i wasnt doing anything. Blah.

Help please.

They say different things, because everyone's bodies are different. So both can be true.

I'm a "gain before" person, but I had to figure that out for myself over time.

This little bump in the road could be for many reasons that we just don't understand. Keep on doing the healthy things that you're doing!

You could also give us an example of what you ate each day and how many calories you were going for. Maybe people will have suggestions on how to improve things there

well it could be before or after. People who see a gain around TOM see it because of water retention and some people begin to retain water before TOM and for some people it can last until a little afterward too. Really it's just different for everybody. Personally I don't retain water or get bloated around TOM so I don't see a gain, but like I said everybody is different and some people report up to a 5 lb. difference!

On an aside, if you're working out really hard that can actually show a temporary weight gain. When I first started lifting weights regularly the scale went UP! My trainer said it's because muscles retain water to repair after a workout so the harder you work the more they'll retain.

I usually gain about 5lbs the week before, and hold onto that until my TOM is finished.

Yeah, its very frustrating, but keep it in mind and just keep doing all the healthy stuff.

Ditto to what Wisher and Faerie both said about it being possible to bloat before AND after.
Is it afterwards now and you're concerned because it hasn't gone back down yet? Because if it's before, I would wait until a few days after it's all been said and done to try a weigh-in.
Those numbers being upped can really be discouraging, eh??
But at the same time, there are SO many factors that could be causing temporary weight gain, like high sodium intake (sometimes you don't even realise how much you're taking in with some foods that you wouldn't expect to have such high levels) which could cause bloating and water retention as well, and the water retention Wisher was talking about for muscle reparation, or even simply a bit more muscle gain?
My best advice would be to hide the scale for a few days, continue eating well and exercising and doing everything you would normally... then take a look sometime mid next week and see how things are going.

Hope you can keep your motivation up with discouraging numbers! It looks like you've done AMAZINGLY so far! 33 lbs!! Congratulations! I bet you look GREAT!

i have random eratic peroiods, that through out my weight for often 3 weeks at a time. i know how fustrang it can be. as others have said, try not to focus on the scale at that time, look after yourself, and keep exercising and eating right and in a week or 2 or 3 your weight will show loss, and youll be smiling in no time :-)