Advice appreciated

mcrubino

Hello MFP friends, I am pretty new to MFP but I have been on this diet and working out for some time now and I feel like I'm just at a standstill. Not only that, I'm working out harder now and eating better now and I GAINED 5 pounds. I have to lose at least those 5 in order to fit into my wedding gown at the end of March and preferably a couple more so I can breathe easily on my big day.

I have been eating at my goal, drinking tons of water and staying away from junk foods. I have also been doing pilates and intervals on the treadmill. I do feel more muscle tone but certainly this wouldn't account for 5lbs of weight gain?

Even more frustrating is that my fiance who is also trying to get in shape and has the simple goal of losing 2 lbs to get under 300 has also come to a standstill. He is not all about counting calories and is even more frustrated that if he eats what he wants he doesn't gain anything, but he doesn't lose when he does right.

I know this sounds like a lot of whining, I am just at my wit's end and for me failure is not an option because no matter what I still have to get that dress on in 5 weeks and I need to be able to breathe. Further, I am not willing to let him give up on his health. Any ideas are appreciated.

khall86790

How long exactly have you been dieting? And some more information on the diet too would be usefull e.g. calories per day/low carb, etc. What is a typical meal plan for you for the day? It could be you are eating the wrong foods.
However, it could also be if you are exercising and drinking a lot of water that the scales will adjust in a week or so accordingly, I have heard people find they gain before they lose particularly when it comes to muscle toning exercises.
How often do you use the treadmill and for how long? Maybe you need to up your exercise a little?

mcrubino

I did a total overhaul of my diet about a year ago, dropping added sugars, gluten, most dairy, and starchy vegetables. That diet was neccesary for me for health reasons and between that and the job I had which required me to walk and climb stairs for 7 hours a day I lost 20lbs. I have now gained 10 of that back, not being in that job anymore and having added some foods back in. I now eat several small meals a day, 3 meals with 2 snacks at least. And I have been working out for about a month now. I do 30 minute pilates exercises several times a week and then at least 3 times a week I do treadmill for about 30 minutes, walking at 3.5mph for 2 minutes then running at 9-10mph for 1 minute, back and forth. I also do arm exercises when I go to the gym and if I have extra time, a few minutes on the bike.

mamasmaltz3

If it were me I would up my calories a bit and switch out the Pilates for a more high intensity workout. Look up HIIT workouts on YouTube. I completed Supreme 90 which is a 90 day workout program. Of course you don't have 90 days but you could get some good results if you follow a strict eating plan and workout hard these next five weeks. And by strict I don't mean starve yourself. If you are going to workout hard you need to fuel your body. I mean eat high protein, low sodium and stay away from too many treats It is on Amazon for like $10. It comes with 10 different workouts ranging from 30-45 minutes. The Cardio Challenge and Tabata Inferno workouts are worth the $10. They are challenging but make you feel awesome when you are done.

sallyaj

I took a look at your diary. If it were me and I wanted to drop that 5 quickly, I'd reduce my carbs to under 100 a day (mostly green veggies) and increase my fat + protein. You'd see immediate results.

gatorginger

up your calories by 100 more a day and you might be surprised, sometimes eating too little keeps you from losing

wildchild06241

I was losing slowly and then upped my protien to 35% and wham..... lost 2.25 pounds this week! Definately recommend lowering carbs to up protien.

jzammetti

I agree that 1200 or fewer calories a day will not help you meet your goals - especially when you are working out so much. You need to eat more.

Also, if you are finding that you have sore muscles, the weight gain is likely water (muscles retain water when they are worked hard to help reapir them). I have gained over 5 pounds after a really serious workout but the weight went away as the soreness abated.

jlapey

I'm not a huge advocate of fad diets or restricting certain foods. I believe all things in moderation and good exercise practices. BUT if you're in a pinch to drop weight quickly, try Dr. Ian's Fat Smash Diet. I lost 6 pounds in the first 9 days. It's not easy, you can't have a lot of stuff, but you can eat veggies to your heart's content. No alcohol, no coffee, no dairy, no meat... Anyway, that's the first 9 days, after that you can add in certain things for the next phase and then others in the 3rd phase. The 4th phase is a new lifestyle of eating healthy. The idea is to break you of bad eating habits.

I strongly recommend that you eat the appropriate amount of calories for you body size regardless of which 'diet' you decide to follow. You'll need to figure out your TDEE and subtract 20% to lose weight. Go to fat2fitradio.com for calculators.

Congratulations on getting engaged, I hope the wedding is beautiful and flawless and that you and your guy are very comfortable and happy.

SmileyC68

Try the 5:2 fasting as it really works and is a healthy pound a week weight loss :-)

mcrubino

What is the 5:2 fast?