Weight gain during your period is never a fun thing to deal with. Life’s schedule of special events wants you to look your very best and can’t reschedule because you won’t fit into that little black dress.

Or the bloating in your stomach makes it far too uncomfortable for you to fit into your spandex body suit that usually slims you down. It’s not fair!

When you go through your average 5 to 10 pounds weight gain during your menstrual period, you might be wondering is it normal to gain weight before your period or how much weight can you gain on your period.

Don’t ask the last question – how much weight can you gain on your period because what happens is that your mind will keep searching for an answer to the question – and then you’ll notice situations will arise where that amount of weight you gain keeps going up and up and up. It could rise to 20 pounds if your mind is very active!

What you think about is what you end up having happen to you. It’s the theory that is mentioned on The Secret – what you think about is what you get in life.

Here are 5 different ways to prevent menstrual weight gain:

1. Use Psychology

If you don’t put a cap on the PMS weight gain, it could end up being greater than 25 pounds because your mind is trying to be creative so you can reward its creativity! this means you have to use your mind to your advantage, not to your disadvantage. Do you know how some people don’t ever get sick in the winter?

They don’t even fathom the possibility that they will get sick. Likewise, you must train your mind to put a cap on the amount of average weight gain during your menstrual period. Stop asking what is the max weight gain during your period and stop asking others, “Do you gain weight when you’re on your period?”

When you ask them this, you are unknowingly comparing yourself to others to see if you are like them. If they say they have a 25 pound weight gain during their period, then you will now have expanded the realm of possibility for yourself to gain more weight. Asking others about their weight gain is not the way to avoid PMS weight gain.

2. To Prevent PMS Weight Gain, Eat Low Glycemic Index Foods

Low Glycemic Index foods are carbohydrates that do not release high amounts of blood sugar after you eat them. Moderate and high Glycemic index foods do release high amounts of blood sugar – and these are foods that will cause you to gain weight for the next 18 hours after you eat them. Low glycemic index foods include plenty of non-starchy veggies such as ones that will go in salads – leafy greens, tomatoes, artichokes, green beans, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, and cabbage. It doesn’t mean you eat only these low glycemic index foods but that you eat them instead of high glycemic index potatoes, corn, wheat, cakes, candies, cookies, pretzels, and pizza. Eat a balanced diet with protein foods (animal meats, poultry or fish), low glycemic index carbs and a few fruits. This is how to avoid PMS weight gain.

3. Do an Intermittent Fast During Your Period

An intermittent fast is one where you don’t eat breakfast until you are hungry. You extend the amount of time in between dinner and your breakfast and then eat only two meals a day. This works well for diabetics to lose weight – and diabetics are the ones who find weight loss more difficult than those with PMS weight gain – and it will work for you, too. When you do eat those two meals, make sure they are balanced with protein, fat and low glycemic index carbohydrates.

4. Avoid Gaining Weight On Your Period with Vegetable Juices

You could opt for a vegetable juice fast. You could even buy the carrot juice at the health food store if you don’t have a juicer. A juice fast means you drink juice and water all day long. The vegetables are what your body craves as they are loaded full of phytonutrients that will fill in the metabolic gaps of what your body may be missing that is contributing to weight gain during your period. So do try it. Just remember that the only mistake is having juices that are primarily fruit juices instead of veggie juices. There is too much sugar in the fruit juices and this can cause weight gain but vegetable juices – even carrot juice – won’t do this.

5. Take A Period Vitamin

Gaining weight on your period stops when you take a Period Vitamin. This is a vitamin-mineral combination that also includes herbs. All ingredients in the period vitamin work together to create a well working body during your period – and during the rest of the month as well. For example, a period vitamin will contain all the B vitamins so that your body has no reason to gain weight due to a B vitamin deficiency that causes the weight gain or fluid gain.It’s easy to take it; just slip it in your mouth at the end of a meal.

You can learn how to prevent menstrual weight gain and do it with these five methods. Get started today. Commit to a change.