Beating pms bloating... Help!!!

[gratefuldeb67]

Please anyone who knows,,,, are there safe ways to minimise water retention/bloating during pms that you know of???
Also, I tend to crave salty stuff during these times and I'm sure I am very salt sensitive during pms, and that can only make things worse...
I have a whole week to go before my period comes, and I'm already sure I'm up at least 2 or three pounds just from the shift in the last few days into pms.. This is just torture.
I feel so crappy from it.

Years ago, when I was desperate, I used diuretic pills during the week of pms, and it really helped a lot.. But I wouldn't use them now, because they are pretty bad for your kidneys.

Does anyone know any foods which help to counteract this aspect of pms??
Or what about vitamins or mineral supplements??

I hate feeling this way. It's like someone filled up an inner tube with water inside me!! Not happy!!!

Okay going out to force myself into the pool now to exercise anyway, but honestly, I feel like I could just lay on the couch and not move in any way!! LOL

Thanks in advance!
Have a nice evening all!
Bloaty Debs x

[wosnes]

I do use a small dose of diuretics daily for my CHF. When I'm bloated, though, I find one thing that helps: drink more water.

[gratefuldeb67]

Thanks Wosnes x

[Writer110]

Deb, I am right there with you! In fact, I was going to ask a similar question tonight about how to stay on track with the horrible cravings that come along at this time (mine is for sugar). I'd love to hear any thoughts on how to deal with this! I also get so bloated I feel like I've gained tons of weight, get depressed about it & end up eating too much!

[wosnes]

I think I've read that cucumbers have a diuretic effect. Avoiding processed foods would be good, too.

[bonnieUK]

Please anyone who knows,,,, are there safe ways to minimise water retention/bloating during pms that you know of???

I get this too, there are a few things that help me in order of helpfulness, especially if I think ahead a bit and start doing them before PMS strikes at full force:

* take a herbal water retention remedy containing dandelion as the main ingredient, I take one dose in the morning and one before bed. Edited to add: I think the before bed one is the most important, it usually means I have to get up in the night but I wake up in the morning feeling light & unbloaty

* dandelion tea and/or dandelion root "coffee" are good too.

* take a magnesium and zinc supplement.

* eat lots of green veggies & sweet potatoes, I have no idea if these have any special anti-water retention properties but they do seem to help me feel less bloated.

My accupuncturist also suggested avoiding wheat on PMS days because it is "damp promoting" or something like that.

I also got told to avoid coffee at PMS times... yeah right like that's going to happen I love coffee generally but it is one of my main PMS cravings.

Hope that helps

p.s. Moxie28 above mentioned PMS cravings - we've had threads about it a few times before so if you do a search for PMS something will turn up. My strategies are to eat raw cocoa nibs with raisins for chocolate cravings and allow 1 or maybe 2 "biological S days" which are restricted S days, no sweets or seconds but snacks are allowed (healthy stuff only though like nuts, fruit or wholegrain crackers with nut butter).

[mimi]

I've heard that drinking lemon juice in your water helps with fluid retention also - and starting out your day with a big glassful.

Natural remedies
Countless vitamins, minerals and herbs have been touted as a cure for PMS symptoms. The following remedies have proved to reduce water retention in scientific studies:

* Calcium. Studies show that taking 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium a day may reduce water retention, cramps and other physical symptoms of PMS.
* Magnesium. A dose of 200 mg to 400 mg of magnesium each day has shown some benefit to alleviate bloating.
* Natural diuretics. Some herbs — including dandelion, ginger and juniper — act as a natural diuretic because they make you urinate more. However, natural diuretics have only a modest effect, compared with conventional medications.

Primrose oil and gingko leaf extract also are commonly recommended for premenstrual water retention, but there is little evidence for their effectiveness

The above online information seems to confirm some of the things that bonnieUK mentioned.

Hope some of this helps Debs.

Mimi

[wosnes]

The bloating we experience with PMS is probably greater here (in the Western countries, but especially the U.S) because we eat so many processed foods high in sodium. This is why drinking water helps. It's the principle of osmosis. Once your tissues are holding water, drinking more water moves the sodium/water from an area of higher concentration to an area of lower concentration and then through the kidneys and out of the body.

[gratefuldeb67]

Thank you so much guys!! I found something that helped yesterday as well.
Just plain old exercising.. I didn't feel much like doing anything but when I got to the pool and started doing my water exercises (Water Ranger) I found that I had to stop and get out to go about 4 times in one hour!
LOL

I will definitely try the dandelion tea Bonnie and I think that the sweet potatoes have a high amount of beta carotene and fibre too so that's good for reducing sugar cravings I have heard.. Vitamin B.

Mimi, lemon juice is definitely good. When I did the lemonade diet, for about 4 days one time, the first day I lost 4 lbs of water weight from constantly peeing..

As for the "damp promoting" thing Bonnie, in Chinese Traditional medicine, all ailments are based on an imbalance of elements..
Too much dampness, or dryness, or heat, or cold.. etc.. I'm wondering why wheat would cause more internal dampness, but I will try to limit wheat then as well, and go for other grains. Usually dampness conditions affect the stomach and spleen. The spleen is very involved in our period actually, because it's function is to transform food into blood.

I like cucumbers and actually have been craving them more than chocolate these past few days.. haha, but also spare ribs!! Had some last night and so I'm thru that craving.

Another thing which in the past had a major diuretic effect on me, well actually not sure if it was releasing excess fluid, but it made me pee non stop, was when I tried eating nothing but watermelon for two days, to do a detox.. Oh my God!!! Never had anything make me go so much.
I went about 20 times in one day!!
Of course I didn't want to look at watermelon again for a few days after that.

I think I'll just try to avoid very salty stuff, and add some of these remedies. I have a friend who has a vitamin store here and probably has some dandelion tea, so I'll give that a go..
I love sweet potatoes, so I'll also try to make some kind of plain soup with that.

Thanks everyone!
Have a great weekend!

Debs

[gratefuldeb67]

I also got told to avoid coffee at PMS times... yeah right like that's going to happen I love coffee generally but it is one of my main PMS cravings.
.

Yeah, hahah not happening here!!!
Debs x

[gratefuldeb67]

Deb, I am right there with you! In fact, I was going to ask a similar question tonight about how to stay on track with the horrible cravings that come along at this time (mine is for sugar). I'd love to hear any thoughts on how to deal with this! I also get so bloated I feel like I've gained tons of weight, get depressed about it & end up eating too much!

Hi Moxie, try getting lots of sweet things that are orange... Cantaloupe, sweet potato, papaya, baby carrots.. etc.. these have a lot of beta carotene and vitamin b is supposed to help, along with them actually being sweet and possibly quelling your craving for something sugary..

I heard this somewhere but can't remember where.

Good luck!
Debs

[Writer110]

These are all such great suggestions! Thank you everyone!

Printing now....

[~reneew]

I have had terrible problems with this... especially during my pregnancies. My doctors have advised me...The way to beat fluid retention is by drinking a lot of water. That is probably why you are craving salt also... your body thinks it needs to retain more because it needs more fluids. I can definitely tell when I am not drinking enough water... my rings get tight. Also, the darker your urine, the more you need to be drinking!

[BigE]

A couple of years ago when I was losing a lot of weight (and yet STILL not satisfied!) I told my GYN that I'd been consistently losing five pounds a month, but it bothered me that during the week I was premenstrual I either remained the same weight or gained weight. His advice: one good idea is to avoid salty foods, but mainly: stop weighing yourself when you have PMS. He also told me that there's no medical problem with water retension. I don't mean to downplay your frustration (I've been there myself) but really it was an "ah-ha" moment when he told me that the solution was to not weigh myself. This is why my personal goal right now is to weigh myself monthly rather than weekly.

Again, I don't want to be insensitive to your frustrations, especially because it sounds like you have more severe symptoms than I have. Still, it's something to consider: water retension is a natural bodily function, not an actual medical illness or inherent problem. It's all in the mindset.

[gratefuldeb67]

Oh it's a real physical *problem* for me, not only a mindset, tho being positive *always* helps
I'm not concerned about the weight gain as I know it will go away afterward.
That's not the issue I'm concerned about.
I am just so uncomfortable. Sometimes it's so bad my head feels like it's going to just explode from the additional pressure on my whole system.
At times I get so irritable I snap at the smallest thing.
Really it's pretty awful.
Thanks tho, for the idea of not weighing. I already don't weigh during this time until my period is over.
So far, I think Rene's suggestion has been the best, as since I've been actively drinking more water, it seems to be a bit better, and I have yet to try the dandelion tea.
Debs