Tips To Prevent Period Weight Gain

Have you ever faced weight gain during your periods? Women face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day lives. And one that bugs the most is period weight gain where you face sudden fluctuation in your weight. You can experience various premenstrual syndromes around your periods. It includes symptoms like mood swings, backache, acne, cramps, and even weight gain.

Most women around the world experience weight gain due to PMS. This weight gain usually lasts for around a week or so after your monthly period’s end. 

Unfortunately, despite being an issue that affects most women, there is not much awareness about this topic. So, we will take a look at the causes, symptoms, remedies, and everything else about period weight gain. With this article, you can be well versed about period weight gain. 

Should you Worry about Period Weight Gain?

So, first things first. Should you worry about this sudden weight gain around your periods? Thankfully, the answer is no. There are various scientific explanations for this fluctuation in your weight. Period weight gain is fairly normal and seen in most women. This fluctuation is usually around 1-2 Kgs which comes back to normal within a week after your menstrual cycle ends. 

Causes of Weight Gain during Periods

Around your menstrual cycle, your body goes through many hormonal changes. It mainly involves fluctuations in progesterone and estrogen levels. The level of these hormones increases and decreases during the whole cycle of approximately 28 days. Since it varies the most during your menstrual cycle, it causes symptoms like weight gain. Below, you can learn the possible causes leading to weight gain when you are on your periods:

• Water retention: Due to an increase in progesterone and estrogen hormones levels, your body tends to retain more water. This leads to a bloated stomach that can signify weight gain.
• Irregular exercise: You might leave working out during your periods due to cramps or some other PMS symptom. Unfortunately, this can lead to a feeling of weight gain and can also affect your mood.
• Bloating: Bloating is a common symptom of periods and a bloated stomach can make your clothes a bit tighter.
• Constipation: Due to hormonal changes, your digestive process gets affected. This can lead to constipation issues which can increase your weight.
• Caffeine: Excess caffeine in your body can lead to bloating which can give you a feeling of increased weight.
• Increased appetite: PMS is known to increase food cravings, especially for sweets and salty food. This leads to water retention resulting in temporary weight gain.

Most of the time, your weight increases due to water retention or bloating. Your body may retain water or face bloating issues because of various possible reasons. Thankfully, there are some remedies to help you in the long run for reducing water retention and bloating during periods.

Should you Check your Weight during Periods?

As you know by now, your period weight gain is temporary and will go away once your periods are over. Although, checking weight during this time can affect your confidence and give you anxiety about your weight. Therefore, it’s better to not check your weight during this time to avoid any confusion and unnecessary tension. 

Tips to Reduce Weight Gain Symptoms

There are certain ways to reduce the symptoms of periods including weight gain to a certain extent. Of course, you can’t remove the weight gain altogether. But you can still do a bit to make yourself feel better and help in managing the symptoms. Most of the time it’s just water weight which can be tackled with some easy remedies. Let’s have a look at some of them:

• Healthy snacks: Food cravings during your periods can be quite irresistible. So, you can stock up on healthy snacks that can help in avoiding weight gain due to extra calories. Not only that but these healthy snacks won’t make you feel guilty afterward as well.
• Proper water intake: Having a proper water intake of on average 2-3 liters per day can help in shedding off the extra water that your body is holding. 
• Easy to digest food: During your periods, your digestion can get affected even while eating home-cooked food. Thus, it can result in constipation or other stomach issues. In these cases, it is a better choice to eat easy-to-digest foods to make digestion easier for your body during your periods.
• Magnesium: According to research, magnesium has shown to be effective in reducing water retention, bloating, and other PMS symptoms. Magnesium food sources include leafy greens, nuts, legumes, and others that can be helpful around your periods.
• Vitamin B6: Research has also shown that Vitamin B6 is effective in reducing bloating and water retention. Its food sources include fish, peanuts, soybean, oats, etc.
• Reduce salt intake: Excess salt in the body can make the body hold more water leading to water retention.
• Sleep well: A good night’s sleep can improve your metabolism and help in avoiding the cravings caused by deprivation of sleep.

Long Term Prevention Remedies

You also need to consider some more remedies to prevent period weight gain in the long run. By making the following lifestyle changes, you can effectively control your weight during your periods:

• Complex carbs: Consuming complex carbs with whole grains can help with period cravings which lowers the chances of weight gain.
• Limit salt intake: Salt makes your body hold the excess water. So, reducing your salt intake by avoiding fast food and canned food can help in the long term in avoiding such issues.
• Regular exercise: Exercising regularly can help with bloating issues quite a lot even if it is some light exercise, yoga or just taking a walk. Therefore, it is good to keep some movement during your periods to avoid weight gain. 
• Reduce stress: Excess stress increases your cortisol levels which can worsen your PMS symptoms including bloating. So, try meditating or other ways to reduce stress.
• High fiber: A diet high in fiber and variety can reduce constipation issues. Hence, it helps in avoiding weight gain caused due to constipation.

Try out these tips next time you experience period weight gain and incorporate the remedies in your lifestyle to make that time of the month an easier experience. We are sure you will find these helpful even in easing other symptoms of PMS.

If you found this article informative, make sure to leave your thoughts and queries in the comments below.