Many people consider PMS weight gain to be one of life’s cruelest jokes. It’s not enough that you feel bad with cramps and nausea but you also get to experience bloating and weight gain, which may cause you to not fit into that little black dress you want to wear or those yoga pants.
The truth is many women gain as much as 5 to 10 pounds during their period. But there are two important things to know here:
There are solutions available and we are going to get to those in just a moment.
Don’t focus on your weight gain! Spend all your time thinking about your weight gain and how terrible it is and how unfair it is and how you can’t do anything about it and the next thing you know you’ll be gaining 15 pounds or 20 pounds during your period or you won’t lose the weight you gain after your period.
This is because what you think about is what you end up getting! Negative thoughts attract negative things and positive thoughts attract positive things.
Instead of spending your time dreading how much weight you are going to gain during your period, start thinking about not gaining weight. Picture yourself not adding extra pounds. Stay positive. Tell yourself that you are going to be successful at not putting on as much weight.
OK, now that you have the right mental attitude, here are four physical things you can do to prevent menstrual weight gain:
Eat Low Glycemic Index Foods
This is a very effective way to prevent menstrual weight gain. Low Glycemic Index foods are carbohydrates that do not release high amounts of blood sugar after you eat them.
In contrast, Moderate and High Glycemic Index foods cause high amounts of blood sugar and as a result can cause you to gain weight for a full 18 hours after you eat them.
So what are some examples of Low Glycemic Index foods that you should be eating? Leafy greens, tomatoes, artichokes, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower and cabbage are all good foods to eat. Consume these foods instead of corn, wheat, potatoes, pastries, candy, chips and pretzels, cookies and other processed foods, which are all High Glycemic Index foods. You should also eat plenty of lean proteins such as chicken, fish and some beef. Changing your diet in this way will help prevent PMS weight gain.
Perform an Intermittent Fast
This is where you eat only two meals a day – breakfast and dinner and you try to extend the time between them so that you don’t eat breakfast until you are hungry. This eating approach works well for diabetics who want to lose weight and for diabetics weight loss can be even harder than for those who experience PMS weight gain. If trying this approach, be sure to eat two balanced meals that contain protein, fat and Low Glycemic Index carbohydrates.
Drink Vegetable Juice
A vegetable juice fast is another way to prevent weight gain during your period. You can use a juicer to create your own or buy carrot juice at a local grocery or health food store. With a vegetable juice fast you will only drink juice and water all day long. The vegetable juice will provide your body with phytonutrients that are needed to prevent metabolic deficiencies that can lead to PMS symptoms like bloating, nausea and weight gain. Remember to drink vegetable juice and not fruit juice as fruit juices contain too much sugar which can cause you to gain weight.
Regularly Take a Period Vitamin
Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are a major cause of weight gain during your period. By taking a Period Vitamin regularly you will prevent those deficiencies from occurring and thus will not gain weight. Look for a period vitamin that is full of beneficial herbs, vitamins and minerals. For example, it should contain all the B vitamins as a B vitamin deficiency has been shown to cause weight gain and water retention.
In summary, remember to stay positive mentally and then use any or all of the four strategies above to stop yourself from gaining unwanted weight during your period.
