PMS, MS and Dieting

OK. This is a cruel joke from above as far as I'm concerned. You're dieting, exercising, basically doing well and the next thing you know you're eating everything in sight for a week and flogging yourself mercilessly for it. When PMS is over it just becomes MS (Menstrual Syndrome). You start to forgo movement for laying on the couch pumped chock full of ibuprofen to watch something that will make you cry and hope like hell that your husband or child doesn't deign to start an argument over something because you know it will turn into a full blown rage. Your pants are tight because your stomach now looks like you are with child. If you're anything like me you retain so much water that your ankles and fingers swell. You may even have to call out of/late to work because it seems someone somewhere has got a voodoo doll of you and they are stabbing said you-doll in the stomach with a mini machete, leaving you no option other than to curl up in the fetal position and beg for mercy.

Ladies, it's really hard to remain positive after having gone through the self-sabotage mentioned above, but it's important to remember that this is a temporary thing. If you blew your diet during PMS/MS, know that it's not the end of the world. Know that you can hop right back on the food wagon and nobody should fault you for your relapse, not even you. I'd even urge you to try exercising once during your monthly visitor's visit, because, truthfully, exercise actually lessens the symptoms. I've always just lain in bed and not moved for hours, but now I've found that both my cramps and frame of mind benefit significantly from exercising.

Be careful not to weigh yourself while in the throes of "the syndrome" because it could lead to even worse eating behavior when you've noticed 4 or 5 more pounds on the scale. Water weight's a bitch.

Well, I'm off to read a few articles online about women who commit heinous crimes during their periods so I can feel better about eating a piece or five of chocolate cake last week. Be strong.