I know there are a lot of threads about that time of the month and how it affects the scale. Luckily, I think my once a week weigh-ins keep me from seeing that. (The last two months, I've posted losses the week before and during my period. It's always over by my Friday weigh-in. Thank god for birth control!)

I usually suffer the most with the week before TTOM. I'm irritable, tired, have cramps, migraines, etc.

Well, last month, I wasn't exercising regularly. I started an August challenge to exercise every day (30 min. cardio and weight training different muscle groups) with one rest day each week if I needed it.

Boy, I used it today! I came home feeling a little queasy after eating a house salad for lunch. (The office was ordering in, and there were fewer calories in the house salad than what I brought for lunch. So I ordered one.) Actually, I felt really queasy like my husband better leave the room because who knows when the projectile vomiting is going to start.

I laid down in bed and turned on my alarm for 7 p.m., thinking I'd feel better by then and still go to the gym. 7 p.m. came and went. I didn't wake up until 11:55 p.m.! Ugh! Even though I gave myself the rest days for a reason, I'm still upset that I used one this week. I had hoped to make it the whole week without needing it. (If I meet my challenge, I get a new pair of Gap jeans since my size 12s are falling off.)

I know that fatigue and changes to your sleeping patterns are all symptoms of PMS but geez! I only ate my standard breakfast and that house salad all day since I slept through dinner. Who knows how long it's going to take to right my sleeping pattern again. PMS is dragging me down!

Anyone else experience this, especially if you exercise regularly? I usually have more energy and want to go to the gym the actual week of TTOM, but the week before is apparently not going to be easy on my efforts.

It's normal for hormones to go crazy during dieting. Fat cells store oestrogen, and when you burn the fat cells, the oestrogen is released and has a litle party.

As for the sleep, get a strong shot of direct sunlight in the morning, preferably first thing and for an hour (doesn't matter if it's cloudy), and avoid bright light in the evening, especially computers and televisions. This is to do with light stimulating serotonin and suppressing melatonin production; you can look up light therapy and darkness therapy if you're curious. If my sleeping pattern is particularly shot, I will sometimes take a sleeping tablet for up to three nights in a row, or for milder cases, a few capsules of valerian. You certainly don't want to be sleep-deprived if you're prone to migraines.

I've had bad days too with PMS. I love to ski more than anything, and I cannot ski worth a damn with PMS. I am fatigued, my muscles give out alot easier, and I generally just can't do any exercise. And I'm ok with that. My body wants rest. So, it gets it and I don't criticize myself for being nice to my body.

Very nice, mountaingirl! I'm way too hard on myself sometimes. I could take a lesson from you!

Esofia Thanks for all the useful advice! I managed to go back to sleep last night at 2:45 a.m. and woke up at 10:30 a.m., so I hope my sleep schedule will go right back to normal today (as long as I don't nap). I'll definitely check out light therapy and try to wake up early enough to sit out on our front porch for an hour. That sounds like such a relaxing way to start the day!

Ugh, that sucks. I get a bit sleepy, too, though not nearly as bad as this. I hope you feel better!

I hear ya! You're being too hard on yourself. Your body needed that rest.

I hate to tell you this, but my cycle symptoms have gotten worse the older I've gotten (I'm not sure if this is usual or not, though!). Sometimes, I will have a three-day headache where I can't do much more than just lie down (wonder if this is a migraine?). Also, I'll feel SO depressed, as if everything just sucks. Combine all that with cramps, lethargy, and the desire to eat more sweets and . . . yeah, it's not pretty. My husband does not want to be around me during those times (& I can't blame him--LOL!).

So, you are not alone. But like mountaingirl said, I think when we feel tired or unwell, we need to listen to our bodies. More and more, I've been trying to force myself to think like a "naturally" thin person. A naturally thin person would not beat herself up for sleeping more rather than working out if she was tired and didn't feel well, and neither should we.

xxkaleidoscopic Thanks, lady!

lin43 That's good advice. When I was working out with this kind of regularity before, my mom (we were workout buddies) would stress the importance of a rest day once a week, but I hated them. I know that my lazy butt needs solid routine to stay on track, and even that one day break can derail me. Heck, the whole reason I stopped working out every day with Mom was a TWO DAY BREAK after a car accident, while I was waiting for a rental car. Got the rental car two days later and just stopped going to the gym. Of course, that's a totally different story. That's taking a break just to take a break, when in this case my body was screaming that it needed to chillax.

Ha, I don't blame my husband either! He's just happy that I recognize when I'm being hormonal. It took me about 19 years, but I finally got to the point where I recognized that crabby thoughts I was having or moodiness was just from PMS and not from actual feelings about the people around me, lol.

It sounds like you very well may suffer from migraines. They can last up to three days. For me, it means nausea (luckily, I've never thrown up from one - but my mother does frequently), crazy sensitivity to light and noise, and a steady pulsating in my head. When they hit me, I have to turn on the AC, close the curtains, and lay in bed all day. My mom has had a lot of luck with Zomeg. It's a prescription migraine med, and it usually knocks the migraine out for her. Do you drink a lot of caffeine? I cut out all soda (never cared much for any kind of coffee) in May 2010, and I've seen a dramatic decrease in the number of migraines I get. Mostly, they hit around my period now.

I did get back on track today. I felt good when I got up. Ate a salad for lunch, ran some errands with the hubby, and went to the gym for an exceptional workout. Ready to get this week over with! lol

Good for you getting back on track, KatieC87! It seems like you've recognized your past patterns and are taking steps not to repeat the problem issues (like not restarting).

Thanks for the info on migraines. I do feel nauseous during that time, but I've never thrown up. My head definitely pounds. Boy, though, I really hope that I won't have to give up caffeine. I have one cup of coffee in the morning (sometimes two) and two espressos every night, and it would be so difficult to give that up.