So disheartened and I need some advice. I can't lose.

n_green_l · June 2019

I'm 5 ft 6, weigh 11 stone 7 and age 32.

I'm getting married in September and I hoped to get to 10 stone 7. If I'm 11 stone at my wedding I will be devastated. I started losing a pound a week consistently the last month and got to 11 stone 3. I have been logging everything, weighing everything. I haven't exercised at all.

This week I joined the gym because I want to start adding exercise in an attempt to push the weight loss to 1.5lb to 2lb a week instead of 1lb.

I've done HIIT classes this week (feeling sore now) and I went out for a meal last night. I had steak and chips and an eclair for desert, I also had some wine.

Now I'm 11 stone 7. I'm so upset that a month's work has taken me back to right where I started over a meal.

How can I lose this quickly? I'm so disheartened and it's now dawned on me I'll never get below 11 stone.

Maxematics · June 2019

You can lose weight because you have been for the past month. You did things this week that cause water retention; taking HIIT classes at the gym and eating out for a meal. New exercise routines can cause people to hold onto water weight due to muscle repair and take out food usually is high in sodium which can also cause water retention. If you had more carbs than usual during that meal out, this would also cause water retention.

Scale wise, yes, you are back where you started but fat wise you are not. Weight fluctuates constantly and not even just daily; it can even fluctuate hourly. If you keep doing what you're doing you will see that the water weight will fall off and you'll keep losing. You should not expect to keep losing consistently week to week or even daily. Keep in mind that women also hold water during different parts of their cycle. For some it's during ovulation, for some it's during menstruation, for some it's the days in between, and for some it's a combination.

I know it's easy to feel disheartened; I've been there. Take a deep breath, keep chugging on, and trust the process.

ladyreva78 · June 2019

Chances are it's just water weight from the new exercise (your muscles retain water when you feel sore) and potentially from a higher than usual salt/carb content and/or more food volume than usual (more in transit until your next bowl movement). It can take me up to 7-10 days to lose that water weight again. On top of the exercise and food as culprits for that water weight, depending on where you are in your cycle, you can also retain water due to hormones (the joys of being female). So it can quickly add up to what looks like a humongous gain, but is really just a bump on the scale that will even itself out.

Just for comparaison: to gain 4 lbs over night, you would have had to eat 14'000 kcal over maintenance. I'm sure you didn't do that.

Advice that helped me the most: Compare your weight today not to yesterday or a week ago, but to one month ago (same time in your cycle). That will already take away the hormonal weight variations.

I suggest you get a trendweight app (libra for android, happy scale for iphone or trendweight.com for desktop). Give it enough time, and it'll smooth out those water weight variations for you.

Be kind to yourself and enjoy yourself on your wedding day no matter what weight your are. That number on the scale does not define you as a person.

Best of luck

debtay123 · June 2019

Remember the man that you are marrying LOVES YOU FOR WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE TO HIM___ give yourself a little grace- Even when our bodies don't co-operate with scale weight- you are the same person- don't let the scale RUIN your special day---- I believe that you are losing weight- but even if you don't think time- you have plenty of time even after you are amrried to continue your weight loss journey- Wishing you ALL the best and remember enjoy your special day!!!!!

NovusDies · June 2019

First off read this:

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Losing 2 pounds a week is unhealthy at your weight. You need to stick to 1 pound and whatever you lose you lose. You should not use your wedding as an excuse to abuse yourself and I think it is a bad idea to tell yourself you will be devastated if you don't hit a certain weight by then. Adding stress to your life right now is not helpful.

jennifer_417 · June 2019

A few things:

When you first start a new exercise routine, you can see a temporary stall or even a gain, because your muscles are retaining water to repair themselves.

If you had a restaurant meal, chances are you are a lot of sodium, which can cause a temporary spike.

Unless I misread, you didn't mention if you were counting your calories. I recommend you start there. The absolute only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you burn and the only reason any diet causes weight loss is that it creates a calorie deficit. So plug your stats into MFP and eat whatever you want to equal the number of calories it gives you.

Finally, fluctuating weight is super normal. Weight can vary a whole lot from day to day even if you're doing everything perfectly.

You've got until September. That's plenty of time. Wedding planning is stressful, losing weight is stressful, don't make either any harder than they need to be.

kristingjertsen · June 2019

Stress and cortisol levels make your body hold on to excess weight and your stress shows in your post. May I suggest another way? Instead of high intensity exercise, take long walks in nature. Eat a healthy, whole foods diet and eat fruit instead of sweets. Enjoy your last few weeks as a single woman. Realize that no matter what you weigh on your wedding day, in 40 years you will look at the picture and realize just how beautiful you were and wonder why you were so hard on yourself.

Fuzzipeg · June 2019

I know this will sound easily said try not to stress. I know your day is important because you want to look your very best and your dress to fit perfectly. Your husband to be is marrying you because of everything you have together. You being fit, healthy and relaxed will be all he really wants so you both can share many happy years together.

I know all this will probably have been said before. Wanting to loose what is for many the last stone is hard, its a level where the suggestion is to set to loose .5 of a lb a week. I know you want it done and dusted in good time only weight loss is not linier. You have taken up gym classes, all good, only sudden use of muscles which are unaccustomed to the activity can cause temporary weight gain, tired or used muscles use fluid in the repair and renew cycle. thinking cycle, that always changes ones weight too.

I hope you can, log accurately - weighing foods digitally, exercise if you wish, and know you are and will be very much loved as you are now or if you loose the lbs. You are making the commitment for a life time, Please know a happy day with friends and family does not rest on 14 lbs

staticsplit · June 2019

Go by measurements more than the scale. I've been the same weight since October but I lost a dress size because I've been weight training. I lost fat, gained some muscle, but the scale is the exact same number.

Use a trending app to help even out water weight fluctuations. Count calories, weigh your food. Aim for 1 pound a week rather than 2. Be patient. Keep going, and in three months, you might be surprised at how much better you feel for your wedding.

kshama2001 · June 2019

Like others have said, you are likely retaining water from the new exercise and with your stats you shouldn't be trying to lose more than a pound a week, and frankly, a half pound would be better for someone who is only looking to lose 14 pounds.

That said, there are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

ChasingSweatandTears · June 2019

Maxematics wrote: »

You can lose weight because you have been for the past month. You did things this week that cause water retention; taking HIIT classes at the gym and eating out for a meal. New exercise routines can cause people to hold onto water weight due to muscle repair and take out food usually is high in sodium which can also cause water retention. If you had more carbs than usual during that meal out, this would also cause water retention.

Scale wise, yes, you are back where you started but fat wise you are not. Weight fluctuates constantly and not even just daily; it can even fluctuate hourly. If you keep doing what you're doing you will see that the water weight will fall off and you'll keep losing. You should not expect to keep losing consistently week to week or even daily. Keep in mind that women also hold water during different parts of their cycle. For some it's during ovulation, for some it's during menstruation, for some it's the days in between, and for some it's a combination.

I know it's easy to feel disheartened; I've been there. Take a deep breath, keep chugging on, and trust the process.

100% this.

AnnPT77 · June 2019

Two things:

1. I assume you want to get to a perceived ideal goal weight by your wedding in order to look beautiful. Keep in mind that losing weight too rapidly can interfere with that: Not only might one look haggard and drained rather than vibrant and vivacious, but one can experience thinning hair, brittle nails, and other negative effects. Adding the stress of over-restricting calories on top of the stress of preparing for a wedding can make these a bigger risk.

2. I 100% agree with those saying that your current seeming stall is some kind of water weight effect. Several people have commented on possible reasons for water retention in your story: New exercise, high sodium/carb meal, stress, point in monthly cycle, etc. Water weight isn't fat, so there's no point in worrying about it. It will drop off.

In that regard, a personal story: I lost around 50 pounds in 2015, and have been maintaining at a healthy weight for 3+ years since. Yesterday, I had a super-indulge-y day (something I do occasionally). I probably ate a couple of thousand or more calories over my maintenance level. I fully expect to gain up to about a pound of fat from that (the horror!

Nah, I know how to lose a pound.). The thing is, this morning I weighed almost 3 pounds more than I did yesterday morning, before the indulgence. Two-plus pounds of that is water weight (and temporary extra digestive system contents from extra food volume). I've been through this before. It will be gone in a few days. It's not fat.

Similarly, you didn't lose a month's work in one meal. You may not have eaten over your maintenance calories (zero fat gain), or if you did exceed maintenance, it was pretty minor (way less than a pound of actual gain) based on your description. It's likely that you've delayed reaching goal by a day or two, if that. There's no point in stressing about it, because (A) it's done, and the past is stubborn about changing

, and (B) stress - as others have pointed out - not only burns no extra calories, but can increase water retention. Let it go.

The best answer is to adopt and stick to a healthy routine until your wedding: Sensible, moderate weight loss rate; excellent nutrition; exercise routine that builds strength, reduces stress, and increases your energy level rather than exhausting you; stress reduction strategies of other sorts, too. Those things will help you to be a beautiful, lively, vivacious bride with a glowing complexion, thick and shiny hair, etc.

Best wishes!

So disheartened and I need some advice. I can't lose.

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