How many lbs gained during period

To offset the weight gain during PMS or the second half of your cycle, increase exercise and focus on consuming healthy, nutrient-rich foods. If you experience irregular periods and weight gain, there may be cause for concern. It affects one in 10 women of child bearing age. In obese women with PCOS, losing weight may help regulate their menstrual cycles.

Weight gain can cause irregular cycles. For most women, weight gain during menstruation is only temporary. Maintaining an overall healthy lifestyle and diet will keep those extra fluctuating pounds from becoming permanent. Skip to main content Skip to footer. ZeroPoint Foods. Success Stories. Digital Medical research has identified around symptoms that people may experience in the days leading up to a period.

Food cravings, increased hunger, water retention , and swelling are premenstrual symptoms that may make a person feel like they are gaining weight. People may notice changes in their appetite throughout their menstrual cycle.

For some, these changes may lead to concerns over weight gain. Changes in appetite tend to occur at distinct stages of the menstrual cycle called the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Previous studies have shown that females eat more calories during the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.

A study found that females tend to eat more protein during the luteal phase of menstruation. Females also report increased food cravings, particularly for sweets, chocolate, and salty foods. Not all studies show that food cravings result in an increased number of calories consumed and an increase in weight. However, people who do consume more calories as a result of their cravings may experience some weight gain.

People may experience increased water and salt retention around the time of their period. This is due to an increase in the hormone progesterone.

Progesterone activates the hormone aldosterone, which causes the kidneys to retain water and salt. Water retention can lead to bloating and swelling, particularly in the abdomen, arms, and legs. This can give the appearance of weight gain. However, water retention does not always signify weight gain. A study investigated water retention in females who complained of swelling during their period. Circumference measurements taken throughout the study indicated that the participants did have significant swelling in the following areas:.

Many people experience both physical and psychological symptoms during a period. Symptoms may include:. The type, severity, and duration of symptoms will vary from person to person. Additionally, some people may experience a combination of symptoms, while others may not experience any at all. Premenstrual symptoms tend to start a few days before bleeding, or menstruation, and stop once menstruation occurs.

Medical providers can diagnose people with premenstrual syndrome PMS if:. And this is where things start to get especially cruel. The things that are most likely to make your body retain water which, combined with those hormones, causes the momentary weight gain are the very things PMS makes you crave — salt, sugar, and caffeine. PMS makes you tired, so you're less likely to work out and more likely to drink extra coffee.

It also makes you uncomfortable and irritable, and may make you crave snacky foods with lots of salt or extra sweet things between meals or for dessert. Those foods aren't great for you, but you'd have to eat a lot of them to actually put on fat just before your period.

Some of it may also be mental. Like, you haven't actually put on any weight but you look in the mirror and just feel a bit bigger. Sometimes a bit of that weight might also be caused by the fact that you may not be having, ahem, regular bowel movements. Another fun thing progesterone does is affect your intestinal motility, and slow things down in that area. Dweck said, and that can result in bloating or just an overall feeling of heftiness.

It really is. But if this is something that really bothers you and drives you insane each month, know that it's driving a ton of other people insane too. You're absolutely not alone. The best thing you can do for yourself is stay off the scale, and wear clothes that make you feel hot and comfy. Dweck also suggests tracking it with an anticipatory calendar or period tracker. That way, you can know when the weight is coming, know that the weight isn't actually real fat you're putting on, and maybe take some measures to be mindful of how much salt, sugar, and caffeine you're putting in your body.

It could be that you dramatically cut back on those three things and still see the uptick.