Oh bum.

Walk, at least when you get home.

No sorry, I was eating 2000 pretty much exactly for a while. Everything was logged from the fruit squash I was drinking to the sugar I put in a cup of tea!

So how long has it been since you reduced your intake? Sometimes you need to give it a few weeks to see results.

If you suspect you have PCOS and/or other insulin related issues, it's definitely worth getting that checked out with a doctor. PCOS can definitely make weight loss a challenge, but it's not impossible. You might want to check out some of the group forums on here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/search?utf8=✓&phrase=pcos (I'm not sure how active they are). Some people with PCOS find that reducing their carb intake can help.

As frustrating as it is, and as much as you want to lose weight for your holiday, I would try not to resort to any "kick start" measures. If it was me, I'd make a doctor's appointment to see if it is PCOS, and possibly ask for a referral to a dietician. Not sure what your height is, but at your age and weight, you should definitely be losing on 1860 calories.

As far as exercise goes, I would try and do at least some, even if it's just a 20 minute walk each day. Apart from a zillion other benefits, exercise is supposed to have a positive effect on insulin resistance.

The problem that you're going to have is that you need actual time to see if things are working...make adjustments, etc. You can't really just say, Oh...going on holiday so I think I'll diet now. Slow, healthy, and safe weight loss takes time and that fat loss is easily masked by natural body weight fluctuations in the short run. This is why it can take a good 3-4 weeks just to see if anything is happening at all.

Think about it for a second. The average person can have natural body weight fluctuations of 2-5 Lbs day to day...so if you've set your goal to lose 1 Lb per week...or even 2 Lbs per week...but you weigh in on a "heavy" day with your 100% natural and normal weight fluctuations being on the high end of things...well, that 1 or 2 Lbs is probably not going to show up...you might even show a gain on a scale. Weight (fat) loss is all about a general trend over a much longer period of time.

It would also help you immensely to get on track if you had goals other than going on holiday and wanting to lose weight simply for that purpose. I understand that reasoning, believe me...but really, I've never found stuff like that to be enough motivation to get off my *kitten* and actually do something about it.

It's fine to have a mini goal, and can definitely help when you've got a long way to go. I'm not sure how much you can lose in that time, but let's say you don't have any underlying hormonal issues, then 2 lbs a week would be very reasonable, plus maybe a few initial pounds of water weight in your first week or so. So 8-10 lbs would not be a crazy goal. Obviously, if there is PCOS or something else underlying, then it may not happen, but cross that bridge when you get to it.

Your wedding goal also sounds very reasonable. I don't know if you will get into a 14 in a year, but it's definitely possible, and you can definitely lose a good deal in that time. I lost my last 55 ish lbs in 11 months, and lost about 4-5 dress sizes in that time. Baring in mind that it goes slower the closer you get to goal, and you would still have a little way to go at that point, I think you could definitely get to a 14, or close to it.

Re exercise, my recommendation (others differ!) would be to gradually incorporate some strength training, as well as cardio. From what you've said, it sounds like you're sedentary at the moment, so it's a good idea to start slow. Definitely ask the doctor when you see them if it's ok to start exercising seriously. In the meantime, start with walking, to gradually build up your fitness. You don't have to exercise at all to lose weight - diet really is the most important thing, but exercise will help you to hold on to lean mass as you lose weight, as well as give you cardiovascular fitness, improve your mood (and consequently motivation!), lets you eat a bit more, and ultimately should make you look "better" than if you don't exercise. (That is obviously subjective, but most people find they are happier with their results when they exercise).

Key to maintaining lean mass, (and getting a "better" look) is some kind of resistance training. That can be bodyweight exercises, including yoga or pilates, and it can be weight lifting. Some people will say to lose the weight first and then work on your muscles, but this is counter-productive - while you're losing weight, you're not so much trying to build muscle, as trying to hold onto what you've got already. If you lose a load of weight without any resistance training, you will lose some muscle along with the fat, and it's a lot harder to build muscle than it is to hold onto what you have.

If you haven't one any strength training before, it can be a bit intimidating as there's so much info out there. Check out Stronglifts, Starting Strength and the New Rules of Lifting For Women (that last one is a book). Most effective will be lifting as heavy as you can, for lower reps (so not endless reps with very liht dumbbells). Also, google bodyweight exercises, as there is a lot you can do just with your body.

Check out these group forums for lots of tips:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/788-women-strength-training
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/4618-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/10067-eat-train-progress-

With strength training, you may not see the number on the scale drop as rapidly, (because your muscles will retain water as you work them, and also because you won't be dropping muscle weight - which is a good thing!) but you should see more dramatic changes in the shape and size of your body (so make sure you take measurements!)

If at some point you can get a gym membership to a gym where they have free weights, then it's a good idea to get some advice, or maybe even a session with a persona trainer to go through lifting form. You can also learn a ton looking at youtube videos.

If all of that sounds too crazy at first, look into the bodyweight exercises and other forms of resistance training. Any weight bearing activity will be a good start.

Now, some will say don't bother with cardio, and a lot of people are very successful just with strength training. Personally, I love to do some cardio because it's great for overall fitness, great for your mood, and gives you some more calories to work with. If you're doing a significant amount of cardio, then make sure you log that and eat back at least a good proportion of calories. The MFP exercise database can overestimate calorie burn, so some people don't like to eat them all back, but if you never eat exercise calories back, you could end up with too large of a calorie deficit which won't help in the long run.

Regarding food, my biggest advice would be not to make changes that are too drastic. Start by just logging what you eat now, have a good look at your diary and see if you need to make changes, and what changes would be easy to make. Don't cut out all the foods you like. Barring any adjustments you might need to make for medical reasons, you can lose weight while still eating food you enjoy. I haven't cut anything out, still eat butter, chocolate, cheese, bread, bacon etc. I have gradually tweaked my diet so that I eat more vegetables, lean meat, fish etc, but I just focused on calories to start with. There are some very helpful links to read in here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read Basically though, don't make changes that you aren't going to be able to sustain. Step away from the cabbage!

I don't eat chocolate

my intake has been reduced the past two weeks. I've gone from chocolate to quinoa!

Time is going to be a big factor, not eating chocolate for 2 weeks will not be showing on the scale for you yet. for me, I was logging and exercising for over a month before I saw the scale start to drop, and I know this happens with a lot of people. Be honest with everything you eat and do, and always try to do a little more. You've got an exercise bike, jump on it for 10 minutes a day to start. There's no point going overboard with diet or exercise because for most that isn't sustainable. I started by logging everything, then making an effort to get my calories under my allocated intake, THEN started adding in small bits of exercise. At first it was 10-20 minutes on the cross trainer 3x a week, then I upped the time, then I started adding in my wii fitness programmes on top, and started doing it all every day, including some basic weight stuff. By doing it slowly I have made it achievable and more importantly sustainable for myself.

Good luck on your journey, my best piece of advice is stick with it, be honest with your logging and do it everyday, not every day for a week, or two, or even a month or two. The weight went on over the long haul, and it will come off that way too if you're going about it right. They say it takes 21 days to form a behavioural habit - if the first habit you form is logging your food, once you've conquered that, make the next habit moving a little more. Look into getting something like a hrm or fitbit to help keep you motivated (I love using my hrm to workout because it makes me go just that little bit harder or longer being able too see the calorie burn!)