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Please Help - 8lbs to go 11 weeks until my wedding!

sophieperry779
sophieperry779 Posts: 4
edited January 17 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

Really need some advice I am desperate to lose 8lbs in 11 weeks for my wedding to make my total weight loss 2 stone. I am new to MFP I lost 20lbs doing weight watchers. Now that i am at a healthy BMI and have started exercising I can't see to lose anymore weight and feel hungry all the time on WW. I am exercising 4/5 times a week I do the 30 day shred 3/4 times a week and do 1x 60min Gillian Michaels DVD.

I will do anything to lose this last 8lbs by my wedding and also any advise on how to tone up my back and arms would be greatly appreciated I DO NOT want massive muscles just toned looking arms and back.

Please Help!

Thanks,
Sophie

Replies

  • jbruced
    jbruced Posts: 210 Member
    First, relax and be calm. Stress and anxiety release cortisol which promotes weight maintenance if not weight gain.
    I worked a lot of weddings and 8 lbs will not ruin your day. Make sure your final fitting is close to your wedding
    so the dress fits properly at whatever weight/size you are at that time. A properly fitted dress looks great regardless
    of size or weight.
    Secondly if you are hungry all the time you need to increase your food intake. Too little makes it harder to lose weight
    Especially when there is not a lot left to lose.
    Third, I'm guessing you are wearing a strapless dress. If you don't weat this style often now is the time to start so you
    get used to it and comfortable with it. Proper fit is essential. There are some construction details that can help
    and there are litlle adhesive pads that help hold the dress up in place. It looks so awkward when a bride is constantly
    reaching near her armpits and pulling the dress up to keep her boobs covered either because literally the dress
    is sliding down or she feels like it is. This is a day where the bride should float around a room with poise and grace
    Rather than looking like a stubby winged chicken. I know the last bit of that sentence is harsh but Ihave seen it way
    too many times. A brides dress that does slide down also makes the guest uncomfortable as well when they feel
    they are seeing more than they should.
  • evileen99
    evileen99 Posts: 1,564 Member
    You need to lift heavy weights if you want to "tone up." You won't get big giant muscles; women don't have enough testosterone to get giant muscles without the help of anabolic steroids, and you'd be mighty lucky to add even 1/2 pound of muscle in 11 weeks. It's not an easy or quick change to make.
  • sophieperry779
    sophieperry779 Posts: 4
    Thanks for the advice it is a strapless dress and thats a good idea getting used to wearing strapless clothing becasue I don't wear strapless tops/dresses often and feel a bit concious about it.
  • sophieperry779
    sophieperry779 Posts: 4
    Is it better to lift a heavier weight say 5 times than it is to lift a smaller weight 20 times? I have a set of dumbbells and use the lightest ones during the fitness DVDs I do would it be better to struggle and do potentially less reps of a move with the heavier dumbbells? Also can you recommend any exercises with dumbbells that I can do in addition to these workouts? Thanks
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    Unless your fiance gave you a weight limit to get married, or you are printing your "weight loss" ticker onto your dress, I don't see why you would need to lose 8 pounds before your wedding. However, here is what lifting heavy for 8 weeks did for me:

    2+months+progress.png

    PS: Same weight, both pictures
  • stephanj
    stephanj Posts: 898 Member
    What the above posters said. Plus, if you are hungry all the time, that is my red flag that you could stand to up your protein and watch your carbs. I was on WW for awhile and all that free fruit is just a hige carb-fest, it ups my appetite like crazy, Try a few days monitoring your carbs and keeping them at around 100g, and get your protein up to 1g/lb of goal weight. See what happens.
  • dibbsgraham
    dibbsgraham Posts: 2 Member
    Wow! Congratulations!
    On losing the pounds- You can do it! Make sure You're doing it for the right reason, but you totaly can!
    Ive hard really great sucess cutting back on the carbs and eating mostly scrambled eggs in the evening. I dont reccomend it long term,
    but for a week it can be great for you! I follwed a stricter no carbs, soup or salad and a protien at lunch with moslty scrambled egg dinners for about 10 days and lost 5-6 pounds. Felt great! Dont forget to fill up on water before you eat, so you wont be tempted to think your still hungry when all you are is thirsty! :) Happy Wedding!
  • sophieperry779
    sophieperry779 Posts: 4
    OMG mavd what did you do in that 8 weeks to get those results?! Looks like I am focusing on the wrong goal of losing the 8lbs when I should be focusing on an inch loss goal i think from being at ww it was all about weight loss not inch loss I've had in my head if I lose another 8lbs I will look better in my dress.
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    OMG mavd what did you do in that 8 weeks to get those results?! Looks like I am focusing on the wrong goal of losing the 8lbs when I should be focusing on an inch loss goal i think from being at ww it was all about weight loss not inch loss I've had in my head if I lose another 8lbs I will look better in my dress.

    That was from following the exercise plan in the book called "New Rules of Lifting for Women", eating 2000-2200 calories a day, and making sure to get around 120 grams of protein everyday. I lost about 3 inches of my waist during that time, and a lot from my hips and thighs as well.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    OMG mavd what did you do in that 8 weeks to get those results?! Looks like I am focusing on the wrong goal of losing the 8lbs when I should be focusing on an inch loss goal i think from being at ww it was all about weight loss not inch loss I've had in my head if I lose another 8lbs I will look better in my dress.

    Ditto. You look awesome!
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    Per her picture, she did NROLFW (New Rules of Lifting for Women) which is a book to help women begin lifting. All the moves are detailed (with pictures!!) right there in the book, and he provides a schedule where you switch up the routines. I did it for a few weeks, and really liked it. I'd keep doing it, but I just do too much already (dance, swim, and run) but I do still use many of the exercises when I do my weight-lifting days.

    PS, I got my copy of NROLFW from the local library. Try that first, then try a used book store. No need to pay full price for a new book when it's been out for a few years! I'm a bridesmaid right now, so I know your money's probably pretty tight! Good luck and CONGRATULATIONS! :drinker:
  • NJL13500
    NJL13500 Posts: 433 Member
    OMG mavd what did you do in that 8 weeks to get those results?! Looks like I am focusing on the wrong goal of losing the 8lbs when I should be focusing on an inch loss goal i think from being at ww it was all about weight loss not inch loss I've had in my head if I lose another 8lbs I will look better in my dress.

    That was from following the exercise plan in the book called "New Rules of Lifting for Women", eating 2000-2200 calories a day, and making sure to get around 120 grams of protein everyday. I lost about 3 inches of my waist during that time, and a lot from my hips and thighs as well.

    This is an amazing transformation! I am going back and forth with whether or not to start NROL4W. You sure are making me think that I should. I have been doing heavy lifting, but want more structure. Well done! I have a wedding coming up in July and I'm looking to get extra definition by then.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    I have a suggestion, don't weigh yourself until after your honeymoon.

    Focusing on a number will lead to the wrong kind of thinking and to less helpful habits. Start the lifestyle you are going to continue for the rest of your life today, whether that means heavy weightlifting or taking up a sport or event or whatever your goal is. Eat enough calories to fuel yourself, with a modest deficit if you want to lose inches.

    Best wishes.
  • jld0411
    jld0411 Posts: 29 Member
    You're hungry all the time - how much water are you drinking? Hunger and thirst are often confused. If you're exercising that much, you should probably be drinking AT LEAST 120 oz of water per day. The 8 cups per day is a horrific myth that desperately needs to be dispelled.

    If you're water intake is good, then you probably do need more calories. If I'm understanding your workout routine correctly, you probably need between 1500 and 1700 calories per day and lots of protein. Check out Live the Life - they have a wonderful meal plan that is meant for people who engage in intense workouts.

    If your food intake is sufficient, try switching up your workout routine. The body is an amazing machine that will adapt to what you give it in a VERY short period of time, usually a couple of weeks. You have to constantly change what you're doing to avoid the dreaded plateau. Increase your weights, change your cardio, mix it up! And what another poster said is absolutely true: women cannot gain the kind of muscle men do without steroids - our bodies simply aren't built that way. You'll tone, but you WILL NOT bulk up.
This discussion has been closed.

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