Looking for advice and knowlege please.

I retain insane amounts of water for usually 10 out of the 30 days of the month, which has improved significantly since I started taking a birth control pill to regulate hormones. ,10 days is Waaaaaay to long to retain water, and when I say that, I mean up to 8 pounds of water. Not cool. It starts a few short hours after I wake up, and continues throughout the day. By mid afternoon, I look pregnant because of how much water I am carrying, at the worst part is that it's ALL in my midsection. The worst and most noticeable place to carry it.

This is where I am confused;

- I drink 3L of water a day so I am not dehydrated
- I consume the least amount of sodium possible (I get my salt from food, I don't add salt or use spices or sauces with sodium)
- I exercise & sweat a lot while doing so. One would think that would help, but it doesn't seem to.

I never had this problem a few years ago. Whatever weight I did gain from that wonderful womanly gift would be very minimal and I would barely notice it in my clothes. Now, it's come to the point where it's more irritating than anything. I am seeking suggestions on what I can do different to help this, or even better, prevent it althought I don't forsee that happening. Also, I want to be educated on this. I understand WHY I retain water during that week, but I do not understand why I retain so much of it.

It was so bad at one point where I did take Lasix and I lost 8 pounds of water overnight, however that is not something I would like to take for 10 days straight for obvious health reasons. I also tried to take Dandelion Root, which did help, but after taking it for around the 10 day mark, I got terrible pains in my kidneys. I immediatly stopped.

Are there certain foods that I am eating that are triggering excess water? My diet consists of;
Oats, Eggs + Egg Whites, Rice, Yams, Fish, Broccoli, Almonds/Natty PB/Avocado, Cottage Cheese ... very basic. I drink around 3-5 glasses of green tea, maybe 1 cup of black coffee, and usually 2 or 3 times per week I will have a mini can of diet pepsi.


Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated!