I deal with water retention by consistently eating a low sodium diet, 1500mg of sodium a day or less. In this way I basically don't retain water at all.

You know you're not really gaining weight, be compassionate with yourself but also realize sometimes your'e just thinking crazy at the moment, treat your negative weight gain thoughts like a not very interesting radio program playing in the background of your day.

I have focus trouble too and somehow always manage to get to my workout late which makes my lunch late & so forth. I just drop all cardio and continue my resistence training as before, or even take 2-3 days off exercising entirely. When I return to my routine I am rested and pretty much always make some serious gains because I rested when I needed to and worked hard when I was able to. You should lean on your friends/family to help you stay focused and motivated. Your fitness goals are important to you so ask others to help you in your weak moments, that's what makes communities so awesome, helping each other.

Don't feel too frustrated, if your body was ill you would rest and care for it. This is just a time where your body may have other priorities besides exercise, like if your leg was broken you might alter your activity level. You and your body are a team, you're not enemeis, you're working together towards a common goal, so trust and care for each other, it helps.

Wow! Jade_Blade, thanks for that. That was most insightful x

Well said, Diana!

Michelle, for me it is all about coming to peace. And letting my mind completely rest for about 2 days every month is a big part of it!

My body stores water, my belly gets a bit round and sometimes my pain threshold lowers (depending on other factors, too). But my life and my income are not depending on my appearance and daily fitness level - so why stress myself, when my body needs carbs or a little break?

Of course every woman is different and the range between having no problems at all and being in pain and unable to stand up and walk is pretty big. So I'm glad I have just some minor problems during this one week.

You KNOW the water will go away again and you KNOW your motivation is just taking a break. Of course you can experiment with your sodium intake to reduce water retention, but what I mean in general: If it's okay for you and your goals, maybe you can try to relax a bit and not demand the usual high standards of yourself during that time. What about finding something else that you can do instead that makes you feel good/better and is neglected at other busy times?

All very good points hur1coco. I guess I can be a bit of a stress head and we all know what that does to the waistline!! Thank you for your wisdom x

I've always been a sucker for carbs, especially during this time. Worst of all at nighttime! Now I mostly try to avoid indulging, and to make myself feel better I'll whine to my husband that I need a snack . Eventually he tells me to eat something, and I feel as if I have permission to cheat lol it's so not worth it though, I definitely see the damage to my results when I give in.

Well I, for one, really dont care about the science behind "why" I have mood swings and/or cravings. It is what it is and throwing fancy words at the existence of this foul creature doesn't make it any less foul! I am not big on birth control (or prescription drugs, for that matter) since I dont believe pharmaceuticals are meant for our body.

So I dont take a pill or have a device or patch which could potentially alleviate many symptoms and/or skip the cycle altogether.

However, to contradict my convictions on rx drugs, days 1 and 2 have me in so much agony and pain that I have to combine naproxen sodium, ibuprofen, and a muscle relaxer or anti inflammatory to cope. Of course, OTC NSAIDS hurt your stomach so I have to choose the lesser of two evils: doubled over in pain from cramps or nauseated by the drugs controlling said cramps?

Ok Im done ranting now.