What Time of the Month?

In the interest of baring all, I realized that it's necessary to also make a note of my progress or lack of progress during that ever-so-loved "time of the month."

I have a weight-loss challenge going with a coworker where the loser pays the winner $20. The challenge is this: we were both around 220 lbs when the bet was made (I was actually closer to 222), and whoever makes it to 200 lbs first (with a photo standing on the scale with the numbers visible) wins the cash. So, because we have this bet going we check in pretty much every morning about what we weigh. I told him that I gained .8 lbs from yesterday and then said "damn you water weight!" since I knew losing 2 lbs overnight probably had a lot to do with retaining water. His response was this, "Just wait till it's that time of the month, probably be up 5 lbs."

That was when it hit me, whether or not he's right is yet to be seen, but for me I think it's more of a mentality when "that time of the month" rolls around for women to believe they're going to get bloated or gain several pounds. I know that it actually does happen, but is it really as severe as most women let on?

Take it from someone who has horrendous cramps and sits with a heating pad during that monthly occasion just to bare the pain: from the time my monthly visitor started (last Friday) to this morning, I am down just over 2 lbs, not up. I haven't yet used my "time of the month" as an excuse to eat everything in sight, avoid exercising completely or wear fat jeans with the top button undone. There are a lot of physical side effects to being a woman with this monthly pain in the ass (more than men will ever truly understand), but there's also a mental component that can be overcome.

I fully expect some women to read this and get upset because they "have the worst cramps in the world," "they always pack on 5 lbs of water weight" or "they can't help it," and that's okay. The only point I'm trying to make is that I'm a woman too, I'm experiencing the exact same thing, and I'm keeping it in check. I'm not going to let this mini curse throw me off track, not this month, not next month and not anytime after that.