Really need some advice/nice words :(

timmins91 · April 2016

Hi all.

I've been back on the diet wagon for a couple of months now. Last year I lost 2 stone within 3 months, and then gained a bit of it back.

I'm doing 1200 calories a day but am going to Slimming World meetings on a Thursday purely to get weighed to give myself a bit more pressure, and I'm getting married in less than 2 months.

I'm finding it so much harder this time to lose, and this week I'm about to give up. I weigh myself every morning as it's the only way to keep my motivation up, and last Tuesday (I had to weigh two days early) I lost 1lb on the previous week.

From Tuesday-Friday I somehow managed to lose 3lbs. My weight has stayed the same since Friday meaning I should have had a 3lbs loss this week at weigh-in, but I've just gone to weigh myself and literally since 5pm yesterday I've gained 1.5lbs. How is this possible?!

I've been extra strict this week, had no treats, counted every calorie and done no more or less exercise than usual. I know I'm still looking at a 1.5lbs loss since last week, but my motivation has just vanished into thin air. I was SO SO SO pleased with my 3lbs as I've got such a short amount of time until the wedding and every pound counts. I've even had the flu this week and I've found it really hard eating anything from feeling nauseous constantly.

Can someone please tell me this is ok or tell me how I can shift this mystery 1.5lbs by 5pm?! I can't stop crying!

holly_roman · April 2016

Hi, well your initial 3lbs was definitely water weight. You did NOT gain 1.5lbs in one day. Weight is not linear..you will not lose every single day you step on the scale. If you go through and read some of the daily weight ppl (those who step on the scale everyday) you will notice a trend. they will say one day lost 2lbs next day gained 1.5lbs. That is because day to day your body does strange things. Blood shifts, water shifts, you bloat, or a million other reasons. This is no reason to freak out. If weighing yourself every single day is going to cause a meltdown maybe you need to do it once a week. Weighing at the end of the day is not always your best bet. the most accurate weight is first thing in the morning after you use the potty. By 5pm you have consumed all or most of your calories so you have lots of food in you at this point not to mention water. Try first thing in the morning. Make sure the setting is the same..IE no clothes, same spot, already went potty, etc.
And again don't freak out because of a gain a day later, that does not mean you gained in one day. that would be virtually impossible while eating at 1200 cals. Another thing you might want to consider is making sure you are eating the cals you are supposed to be eating. Very few ppl are restricted to 1200 so unless you fall into that small category or you have too aggressive of goals you should probably be eating more.
Take a deep breath, you are doing fine, Good Luck. I am sure you will look fantastic at the wedding.

sllm1 · April 2016

Never weigh at 5pm. Only mornings in the same clothes, after you use the restroom. You eat and drink during the day, so your weight is definitely supposed to be higher at 5pm.

LazSommer · April 2016

Go to the bathroom.

laur357 · April 2016

I'm really sorry you're stressed, and congrats on your upcoming wedding (which I think might be adding more stress). Your weight changes are completely ok.

Your body's weight fluctuates daily and even hourly depending on your levels of hydration, hormones, water retention, inflammation, time of the month, and if you used the bathroom recently. Scales might also not be calibrated the same, so you weigh in a little different on each one.

My own weight is always two pounds heavier at night than in the morning. Sometimes more. Unless you're looking at the weight on your scale with regular frequency for a long period of time, you're going to see (possibly scary) fluctuations. If you're accurately adhering to your calorie goals, that does not mean you haven't actually lost weight.

HealthierRayne · April 2016

it really could be as simple as you haven't pooped since dinner last night yet... I know that sounds gross but if you eat, you'll weigh more, you drink water you weigh more, that time of the month? probably going to weigh more.

I remember back about 10 years ago, going to Weight Watchers and the line for the bathroom would be so long before the meeting. All the members were trying to pee/poop out the last gram of "weight" so they would have a better loss.

I agree with holly_roman, weight loss is not linear, our bodies fluctuate, that's why people recommend weighing in every week - you have a better idea of a true loss/gain than if you weighed in every day.

don't be too hard on yourself, you are headed in the right direction.

timmins91 · April 2016

Thanks so much to you all, it's helped me. It's just so frustrating and I've got my final dress fitting in 4 weeks so I think that is making me more stressed!

Thanks again x

JButlerEagle · April 2016

I find it's helpful to have more than one metric. I have a body fat reading on my scale so I track that weekly. I also take waist and hip measurements about every two weeks. Sometimes when the pounds aren't budging... I still see progress in the other measurements. Keep going girl -- you can do this!

ninerbuff · April 2016

While it's great that you're trying to look your best for your day, don't let your weight be the focus of it. I've gone through this with clientele every year and when it gets closer, the fear of not losing every week stresses them out.
Weight loss ISN'T linear and what someone does one week, won't net the same results every time. Not to mention that getting stressed out just adds to the issue.
Your body will do what it's going to do. If you're CONSISTENT, weight loss will be too. Don't fudge on the weekends. That usually is the demise of most people. Good luck.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

100df · April 2016

I assume the wedding is going to happen whether you drop or gain weight. Pressuring yourself might work but it could make you an upright bride focused on how you look instead of the joyous occasion happening. There's lots of fun to be had around a wedding. While I completely understand wanting to be as thin (I did but wasnt as thin as I wanted to be) as possible on that day, if you are at your highest weight of your whole life, you still are doing something wonderful - committing to spend the rest of your life with someone you love. 22 years later when looking at the video and pictures, I see how much fun was had by all. Not what I weighed.

If it were me, I would concentrate on eating within your calorie goal and tell the scale to kitten off. Ignore the numbers. The scale with catch up with your body if you are eating at a deficit. You lost 2 stones before so you know you and your body can do it.

If you don't use a trend weight app it can be helpful to see the trends. Libra and Happy Scale are good ones.

Good luck and have lots of fun with the wedding stuff. It is a unique special time for both of you.

bfin69 · April 2016

I actually disagree with those saying weigh once per week - it's better to see the fluctuations. Imagine if you weigh in once per week and just happen to hit a 'heavy' day (if I weighed in for this week only today, I'd see a weight 1.5 pounds heavier than I would have yesterday). That would easily be very discouraging. Your daily weight will fluctuate due to normal body cycles - and more so if you are exercising. When you work your muscles there is some water retention involved as they recover and that will cause you to weigh more the next day. How much more varies with the intensity of your workout, how much you sweat, etc. In addition, all the factors others mentioned are also correct - monthly bloating, bathroom regularity, etc. So, with this in mind you should weigh every day (and yes, in the exact same clothes or lack of clothes first thing after going to the bathroom each morning), and be prepared for fluctuations. If you enter your weight every day into the app, then you can look at the graph and over time - say a week or two weeks or even longer you will see the 'trend' of your graph. If you've been eating well and exercising the graph may jump up and down, but the ups aren't quite as high and the downs will start to drop as the overall graph begins to go down. As long as I've eaten properly, I only pay attention to the lowest points - i.e. is my lowest point this week lower than last week's lowest point. Just remember you cannot gain a pound of fat (an excess 3500 calories!) in a day, but you can gain 2 pounds of temporary water weight or waste in that time. So, relax, do what you know is good for your body, and over time you'll do great! Good luck and congratulations on your wedding!

icemom011 · April 2016

I know how it feels, I've been working on getting under 200,but it just won't happen. Ilost 20 lbs in the last 2 months, but I'm tethering just over 200 and it won't go down. Then i gained actually 2 lbs, and i didn't think i was doing anything wrong, but... I started to think same thing. Why am i even bothering, I'm just bound to stay overweight, no matter how hard i try. I also have a lifetime of battling extra fat. Lose a bunch, then gain all that and some extra to go with it. That's how i ended up where iam today. But rhen i said to myself, it took you 20 years to gain all that, there's no magic and overnight solutions to get back in shape. Commit to what your goals are, and don't let set backs derail you. It's doable.

scolaris · April 2016

This is why I cringe at wedding weight loss threads. It's just ONE day. A party day. Get your dress tailored to fit the body in which you currently reside, enjoy your damn party and then get cracking on a lasting lifestyle overhaul if you're not satisfied with what you've got currently going on. Enough of the drama and scale weepies. Really. This is a happy occasion.

ashliedelgado · April 2016

I'm an everyday weigher - it helped me lose 70lbs, and now that we're having a baby, it will help me keep my weight gain in check. I used Libra to track my trends so that's the number I pay attention to, not the number on the scale.

For example, Tuesday, I weighed in at 191.2. Wednesday, 192.4. This morning, back to 191.4, so my trend wasn't even affected. If weighing every day is going to cause you to freak, don't do it. But, if you like data, try one of the many apps that track and graph the trend so that you see how a little bump one day isn't going to change anything in the grand scheme.

And always weigh at the same time, under the same conditions. If you're going to go with 5pm, make sure you're wearing the same clothes. I weigh first thing in the morning after using the restroom, naked coz mama don't play, before I workout. I don't count weights at the doctors office, though I do try and wear the same type of clothes each time.

willworkoutforwine · April 2016

My weight fluctuates A LOT from day to day. I weigh myself once a week, first thing in the AM (after going to the bathroom), with no clothes on. That's the number I go with but sometimes I won't see a loss one week after sticking to my plan very strictly and the next I'll lose 2.5-3lbs. I've learned to look at what I've lost over time and month to month rather than week to week, although I still can't keep myself off the scale every week.

My advice is to do the best you can to stick to your daily calorie goal and weigh yourself less often. If you know you're only eating 1200 calories a day, the results will come! You can do it!

capaul42 · April 2016

Once, just for the heck of it, plus I may have been bored; I weighed myself every 2 hrs for an entire day. You would not believe the fluctuations lol. This is why I don't obsess over a gain (I weigh daily), because I've seen just how much it fluctuates in breif periods of time. One set was 6.3lbs different. So don't let it freak you out too much.

jbee27 · April 2016

scolaris wrote: »

This is why I cringe at wedding weight loss threads. It's just ONE day. A party day. Get your dress tailored to fit the body in which you currently reside, enjoy your damn party and then get cracking on a lasting lifestyle overhaul if you're not satisfied with what you've got currently going on. Enough of the drama and scale weepies. Really. This is a happy occasion.

Agreed!!! This is the best response on this thread. I've been to many many weddings in the last few years, and EVERY bride has looked fantastic, regardless of weight/shape/size. We are there to celebrate you and your spouse, and have a great time celebrating the two of you!

Really need some advice/nice words :(

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