Women need to be especially careful with weigh-ins in the days before their periods, as this is prime time for water retention. For a discussion on how to lose water weight, check out this post…
Although most women know when water retention has peaked, they may not realize that their bodies may be retaining water even before they see it in the legs and feet.
Due to the hormonal changes that occur during the menstrual cycle, I recommend a “No Weigh-In Zone” for menstruating women for the 10 days before the period. You should avoid even looking at a scale until the day after your period ends.
Three Suggestions for Women Who Have Weight Gain Before Their Period
- You should be especially suspicious of fluctuations in weight no matter when the weight is taken, as it is sometimes difficult to determine when hormones are causing water retention in women.
- Always discard single day fluctuations of 2-4 pounds; dismiss it as nothing more than water retention.
- For those who have iPhones, I highly advise that you get an application called “True Weight” in order to prevent misinterpreting single weigh-ins as accurate representations of how well your program is working. This application provides a “weighted average”, which throws out the big fluctuations as anomalies.