Strategy for TTOM

teddy16410

teddy16410

Cathlete
Hello all you wise people out there! I am always so impressed by the knowledge base available here and I could use your advise.
I am 43, in full perimenopause and have severe 8-12 pound weight gain for 12 days pre- during- post my cycle.
I eat clean, avoid the white/processed stuff and do the water (up to 1 gallon every day).
My question.... I tend to be a cardio freak anyway but have noticed that since doing Cathe 3 months now my time of the month weight gain is worse than ever. Should I consider reducing my 4-5 x per work 1 hour cardios during this time? Is there some medical reasoning for this???? Just really frustrating having 1/3 of my month spent in BLOAT. I dont do sodas or salt etc.... the eating/drinking thing really is 95% clean. I also do strength 3-4 splits a week plus Spin 2x.
Any ideas or suggestion?
Thanks for your time!!!
Traci
 
Sorry Teddy I have now strategy to offer but I feel your pain. As soon as I start ovulating (more info than anyone wants I'm sure!) I can not get enough to eat. I don't know what triggers this but it takes every ounce of self control I have to keep the pantry closed. I hope someone else will be able to help you.

Michelle
 
Michelle-
Thank you for your kind response! I did a search on this topic and did find lots of posts to support the "caffeine causes major bloat during this time." So far thats all I found so I am going to switch to decaf after my wake up cup and see if that helps.
Lets hope to hear from others who go thru these odd struggles.
Traci
 
Hi Traci,

Well, I don't really know what is going on here either....I am 46 and also peri-menopausal, and I do gain and bloat some around TTOM, but maybe 4-5 pounds. I do find that the heavier I lift, the more weight I carry for a couple days, and I do think it is due to the muscles retaining water to heal themselves. However, I also find that the more water I drink, the less I bloat so it sounds like the opposite of you. By the day I "start", my weight is back to normal.

I'm sure some of your bloat is hormone-related, but maybe your body is trying to tell you to cut back a bit. Personally, I can work out harder and longer during TTOM...go figure. But maybe your body is holding on to water and calories during this time because it feels it is using up so much for the workouts.

I guess I would try a different routine.....maybe a total-body endurance once a week, an upper and lower strength once a week, with your cardio separating these days. I would try to do more steady-state cardio with maybe only one shorter, intense cardio thrown in there...because you are working out a lot and I should think your metabolism would be losing a lot of bloat through sweat and urine just from your heart working so well! Oh, and sleep! You really need it....good, restful, and uninterrupted. The more I get real sleep, the less I bloat and the better my body works. Again, something about them hormones....but you would think we would be waifs in the morning from those night sweats, huh??

Well, these are just ideas and thoughts, but I feel for ya because I wouldn't want that bloat hanging on either!!

Julie
 
Julie-
Thank you! What great ideas for a new strategy w/ workouts. YES I do actually increase my workout intensity during this week of month and I could indeed be pushing my body at a time it just needs to relax a bit. I'm going to revise next months rotation accordingly!
As far as the sleep factor- has always been a big issue for me. I sleep as little as 6 hours a night, my body just wakes up and has since I was a kid. I do try and take a power nap in afternoon but I know that naps aren't nearly as beneficial as the 8 hours our bodies need to repair. I kept a "sleep / food" journal a couple of months ago and there was a direct correlation between my weight loss and sleep hours.
Hopefully once I get my Hormones stable (going the natural way) I will be able to sleep more soundly.
You are a gem for taking time to write and I appreciate it!
Traci
 
Traci,
You are more than welcome, and please let me know if whatever strategies you try become effective. I am always trying little tidbits I learn from around here; sometimes they work and sometimes not, but I learn something from each one.

Julie
 
Julie-
Since we're sharing tidbits... One thing I did notice that I did differently the last 3 weeks that could be causing me bigger challenges, I switched off of Lite Soy Milk back to regular skim milk. I only use 1-2 cups a day in protein shakes but I think I'll go back to the Soy Lite and see if I can get bloat down.
Traci
 
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