I think I’ve said
that I keep my bathroom scale not in my bathroom but under my bed, and I check
my weight regularly…every other day. Yes, I am quite obsessed. So I noticed a
trend when approaching my monthlies (you know what I man right?) my weight
usually shots up by 2-3kg. Until I realized what I am about to share, I used to
get so despondent and push myself extra hard in my work out regime – many times
cutting my eating really drastically (not healthy). As I approached my last
monthly cycle I noticed an almost overnight increase from 113kg to 114.8kg!
Yes! Now you know why I was depressed. Then I set out a beautiful new dress to
wear to work, and it was far too snug – also evidence of ‘the dreaded spread’.
This was more disturbing as I was just coming off my Jumpstart 2014 program and
had lost one whole kilogram (approximately 2.2lbs)! So I got to thinking, it
was not obviously because of too much food, or for want of vigorous exercise….what
had changed then? Then it hit me…my monthlies, Aunty Flo’ was on her way for a
visit. But does it matter? At my age
should I experience significant change because of Aunty Flo’? What I saw when I
checked the web (I always seem to be checking the web, right? – Well it informs
me! J) made so much sense to me,
encouraged me and made me feel better that I said that no matter how exposing
the topic was to me personally (after all my monthlies is my own business isn’t
it?), I would blog about it. Maybe someone would be encouraged too, and learn
as I have the sensible steps to take to regain lost grounds, regain equilibrium
and minimize the impacts of Aunty Flo’.
So what is it about
Aunty Flo’ or our monthlies that makes us put on weight?
First off, weight
gain during and around your monthlies is a symptom of PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome),
which is something some (not all) women suffer from. So, those of us who gain
weight are not going mad – it’s not all in our minds. Some women have been
known to gain as much as 3kg (about 6lbs), and it is largely due to water
retention, bloating, some overeating due to cravings and fall in magnesium
levels (according to my trusty WebMD).
So that is the ‘why’,
and while it’s all well and good I am more interested in knowing what do I do?
Should I ride it out? Hold my breath until Aunty Flo’ goes and wait in trepidation
for her next visit? Or is there something I can do to help myself?
Personally losing weight
is really difficult for me, so riding it out is not an option I would take. I
cannot leave it to chance that I my bloated tissues will come back to normal
after my monthlies (although that is what happened in this instance – the day
after Aunty Flo’ left I was back to 113.2kg – yippee!). You especially cannot
leave it to chance if the reason for the weight gain is over eating – I don’t
think Aunty Flo’ will take the consequences of overeating along with her when
she leaves, I think it will pile on and compromise every effort to DROP IT. But
then, that’s just little me thinking.
So what to do if you
fall victim to what I have called the ‘monthly increase’:
Exercise:
This one was quite hard for me, because when that time comes I really do not
feel like working out (most times I DO NOT – in the spirit of honesty and all
that). But I hear it helps with the reducing bloating, curbing appitite (when I
saw this, I was like ‘you serious???’) and giving you a feeling of wellbeing.
The good thing though is that it does not have to be vigorous or strenuous
exercise – stretching helps, as well as moderately paced walks and swimming
(not sure if swimming is an option ‘during’ but I will give it a go ‘before’ –
if you get my drift).
Reduce Salt Intake: Excessive salt can lead to water
retention which could lead to the monthly increase. So cutting down on salt,
processed foods that contain salt and a lot of sodium should help reduce the
extent of water retention. I already limit the amount of salt I put in my food
so this is a bit easy for me (kind of). Instead of salt, I use spices like
onion powder (is that a spice?), garlic, turmeric etc. Then I have trained my
palette to adjust to less than regularly salted foods.
Tea: As usual I swear by my teas - they have been my constant help for years - and I recommend a good hot cup whenever Aunty Flo' is visiting. I think it also helps with cravings and overeating plus keeps me hydrated enough to deal with dear ol' aunty - but when I say tea, I mean teas of the herbal variety - no milk!
Some people will say
medication like The Pill will help, but frankly I don’t know about that, so I
cannot comment on that. But I think that for me, the main thing is not to allow
Aunty Flo’ destabilize you from the healthy lifestyle you are working hard to
establish. Don’t let her knock you off your rhythm (too much) to the point that
you lose traction and have to re-crank your engine month on month – that’s just
too exhausting and could cause even the most committed to derail.
I am sure there are
some old mom’s remedies for the monthly increase but for the life of me I
cannot seem to find any, nor do any of my friends know of any. So I’d really
like to hear from you, do you experience weight gain because of the monthlies?
How do you combat it? Feel free to comment or send me an email using the widget
on the right.
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Thank you for this post! I used to think I was the only one! Mint is good! Someone also told me taking apple cider is good too. Will definitely be glued to this site to learn more about this. I get really bloated and my tummy gets twice the size. Hugs
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