Do you Gain or Lose Weight during your Period?

In every woman's life, there's a special week every month, reserved for all the possible things to go wrong. We feel angry, sad and depressed. We want to claw out the eyes of anyone who messes with us. We want to either gobble up an entire cake or throw up even the tiniest bit that we eat. Yes, it's that time of the month!

Our period! Another very annoying experience that many women have is the weight gain during their period. However, there are also those women who lose weight during their period. So what is it exactly? Do we gain or lose weight during our period? And what is the reason for this gain or loss of weight? Let's find out in this story.

The menstrual cycle brings with it a rage of hormones. That is a well-known fact. These hormones, apart from affecting our physical self, also have an effect on our psychological and emotional self. In the few days preceding our period, our body tends to begin retaining an excess amount of water. 

This water manifests itself into a weight gain of anywhere between 1 to 5 pounds. This may be different for different women, depending on their body constitution and lifestyle. Hence, women have a tendency to feel 'bloated' during their period. This is nothing but water retention, which is a very normal phenomenon during your period.

If you want to prevent excess water retention, you must ensure that you drink enough water (about 2 liters daily), especially during this time. Your body will not retain the water, but throw it out. Also, PMS makes us crave carbs and salt like it's going out of fashion. And the result is seen when our pants fit us today and refuse to fit us the next day. So, stay away from excess carbs even though you think you cannot. Think about the bloated feeling and you'll realize how unhealthy it is.

As mentioned above, just before we start our period, the body begins to undergo some changes due to the hormones acting up. Water retention is a very prominent process that most women go through. During ovulation, what happens is, the body is readying itself for a possible pregnancy by retaining water so that the body can take care of itself.

But when the ovary fails to get fertilized, the egg needs to be discharged (by way of our period) and with it, so does the extra weight (in the form of water) that our body has gained.

Hence, it is seen that when you gain weight before your period, due to water retention, you most probably lose it within the first two days of your period. However, you must pay close attention to what your dietary intake is, what kind of lifestyle you have and also your exercise regime.

Don't get worked up over the loss of between 2 to 5 pounds during your period. It's just the water that your body has retained. If you lose more than what is characteristic of you, then consult your physician.

Gaining or losing weight during your period is totally dependent on the woman's body structure, diet and also how much she exercises. So don't worry about a fluctuation in your weight, unless it is very abnormal. If you think it is more or less than usual (find this out by weighing yourself before and after your period for a few months), consult a doctor.