How Much Weight Gain Is Normal on Your Period?

Is it that time of the month for you? When your period comes along, it brings tons
of different symptoms and side effects that range from bearable to annoying.
While cravings might seem bearable, symptoms like cramping, headaches, and
fatigue all push you towards the direction of beyond annoyed.
 
Cramping is definitely the most painful symptom, but is it the most annoying? For
some women, they might notice that they gain weight whenever their cycle rolls
around. Are you one of these women? It’s actually quite common for women to
gain weight during their period, but you want the answer to one specific question:
how much weight gain is normal on your period?
 
While you’re on your period, there’s actually a series of reasons as to why you
might be gaining weight. During your period, you might have one of the most
common symptoms – bloating. Bloating is caused by water retention due to
increased progesterone. Also, the fluctuation of hormones like aldosterone cause
water retention. While this is simply water weight, standing on the scale and even
putting on a tight pair of jeans might have you feeling like you’ve gained a decent
amount of weight.
 
Another common reason for why you might be experiencing weight gain during
your period is because of the very hormones that cause your period. As your
hormones fluctuate, they also affect your appetite which is why millions and
millions of women will say that they crave a particular food during their cycle.
Commonly, these tend to be the foods that aren’t necessarily the healthiest.

 
They usually range between sweet and salty foods. While sweets cause their own
problems, salty foods are what cause the most immediate change in your weight.
They might taste delicious at the time, but eating a series of salty foods actually
causes the body to retain more water which leads to your increased weight.
 
These previous two reasons are reasons why water weight plays a role in your
period weight gain, but we’ve yet to pay attention to the most obvious reason.
While we touched on it briefly earlier, your period often leads to cravings. You
might find yourself wanting to binge on burgers and chips. You might be a cake
and cookie eater. It’s easy to enjoy these foods the time, but they’re another
reason why many women might find that they’re gaining weight while on their
period.
 
This also directly links to working out. While we’re on our periods, there are tons
of symptoms that make us feel as if we’re out of commission. Due to this, we
don’t even consider going to the gym. Our eating habits in conjunction with
skipping the gym are what often leads to weight gain.
 
Now that you know why you might be gaining weight during your period, it’s time
to answer your question. How much weight gain is normal while on your period?
Doctors would say between 0 and 5 pounds, especially since most of this is usually
water weight.
 
If you’re gaining more than 5 pounds while on your period, it’s time to head to
your doctor or change your habits. Stay consistent at the gym and stay away from
salty foods! Eating those cravings away might feel great, but once your period
leaves, you’ll be left wondering how to shed those pounds!