hey y'all!!

So let me begin by saying that my "friend" only comes once in a while...maybe 7 times a year...and before you think "must be nice!!!" it sucks and is extremely painful...I was diagnosed with Endometriosis a few years ago and I have had a few surgeries but it just keeps returning. The last few days i have had a HUGE appetite, and tonight I went all out at Red Lobster, so now comes the depression and beating myself up...a few days ago I weighed in at 255.2....and today I weighed in at 259!!! I am freaking out...is this because of my period??? or because I have been binging for 3 days???? I really dont want to fall off the wagon!!! I have been losing 2 lbs a week since beginning my weightloss Jan 1st....please help!! I need some encouragement!!! thanks

It honestly is probably a combination of both. Instead of bearing yourself up over it. Make a fresh start!

Every body is different so I couldn't tell you if your weight gain is due to TOM. I personally don't gain any weight, I've been tracking for 4 months now and I haven't seen any gain. You may be different, however if you aren't eating well and your diet has a ton more sodium than it's used to (eating out!) then it could just be a normal, non-TOM increase.

Just get back on track and it'll be gone in no time.

Weight gain with TOM is typical.

How old are you?

Are you keeping track of your cycles? Been there with the female issues, need more info!

I can see a 4 lb increase with approaching TOM, as long as I drink plenty of water it tends to flush out pretty quickly. I also see a 3-5 lb quick drop during ovulation. Bodies are weird, until you figure yours out.

I used to get periods even more infrequently than you do , like maybe twice a year. Now I get them so regular they come during the same three hour period every month on the same day. Have your doctors discussed if your periods coming infrequently are due to your weight? Your weight gain is most likely a combination of weight gain, tom, and water retention from sodium, hopefully the smallest amount is from real weight gain but even if all 4lbs is, you can relose that in a couple weeks

Yup. It can definitely be because of TOM, but like you- sometimes it's hard for me to determine if it is simply biological, or from eating a bit more...freely. My body craves silly things around TOM. It's quite demanding, really.

I carry 3-4 extra pounds during my TOM. Every month, never fails.

Considering I crave red meat and salty things I always gain a couple pounds with TOM. When it's over I just drink a ton of water and flush myself out.

Just remember, TOM isn't an excuse to binge. You have to really listen to your cravings to determine if your body really needs it or if you're saying "it's ok because it's TOM!"

Did u consume 3500 cals For each additional pound if not chances are u r retaining water from bad eating and Tom. This last time I was up almost 4 lbs and didn't give in to temptation to have gained. I usually drop back down within the first 3 days and even see a loss by the end. I never have a loss during, just get back to what u were doing before

That sucks to hear about your issues. I'd agree that it is probably a combination of both as well as water weight from what you've been eating. Don't stress, just get back on plan and keep going until TOM is over. Also, drink a bit of extra water, not too much though!

nicole- I also cant tell you if its TOM or a result of a few days of bad eating. I can tell you that I started this run at weight loss on March 8th. Had a couple of good days, then I fell off the wagon and almost a week of some pretty bad days. I shot up 5 lbs from that week. But within 5 days of being very on plan I was back down to my low before the binder. I'm assuming some weight is water retention, some weight is food still churning in my gut because when I eat clean and healthy things, eh hem, 'go through' me better and my stomach flattens a bit and I see quick markedly fast weight loss. I think its just a matter of my system purging the gunk from my g.i. track. And hopefully a little bit is weight loss from eating so well and exercising. But I'm guessing that could only account for part.

So get back on track now. You can do this! You'll see those pounds, regardless of their cause, melt away pretty fast.