8lbs in 10 days- HOW can I keep that off?

[erebus]

This may seem a bit weird in that one would think I'd be rejoicing as my weight loss but the reality is, I'd feel 'safer' if it'd been 5 lbs. And yes, I know there's only 3 lbs difference between what I'd planned for and have, and 3 lbs in the Grand Diet Scheme is nothing but these are very early, psychologically sensitive days!

I know that IF I weighed tomorrow morning I'd be more again, what with water intake and hormonal fluctuations. It's almost as if because it's 'so' much, I will feel demoralising disappointment next Friday morning's weigh in as The Plan was to lose 2-3 lbs a week in the first 2 or 3 weeks, thus:

Start 13 stone on a Tuesday
1st weigh-in 4 days later (Friday): perhaps 12st 12
2nd weigh in (Fri,today, 10 days 'in') 12st 9

I have been very disciplined- perhaps too much so- maybe to the point where I'm not re-educating myself towards what will have to be my diet for the rest of my life. For instance, I have drunk Slimfast meal replacement drinks instead of lunch 3 times over the past 10 days. I feel I may be overdoing it and an over-done diet never leads to sustainable weight loss, does it?

Yet I can't bring myself to just eat a bit more - instead I may find myself snacking, not necessarily 'unhealthily'- I've never done the 'whole packet of biscuits because I've eaten one' thing but an extra apple here, small cube of cheese there and I know from experience, that would halt my weight-loss dead in its tracks. It's a very fine line for me!

Sorry for those struggling to make any headway, you must be thinking 'sod off, Erebus. Oh for that sort of weight loss!' but to me personally, I feel I may have messed up! Which feels like a huge waste of intense will-power. And another nail in the coffin of the next attempt!

Fwiw, in my actual experience, I can't be doing with calorie counting. I don't have time and know that for me it leads to an unsustainable obsession that once quit, leads to weight gain. I am currently largely avoiding the 'beige foods' except for porridge for breakfast. Can't face egg that early!

Sorry for my silly moan, just needed to get it off my chest!

If you continue to diet you will keep it off (make sure you exercise though) but you MAY not have any weight loss next week, and thats ok. Need to look at average per week.

I lost 7lbs in the first 2 weeks and then lost 2lb a week there after for weeks and weeks - stuck to 1200 calories. If you are eating less than this then try to eat a bit more. If you don't want to count then plan to have the apple or cheese. But plan one and eat it and enjoy it.

So rejoice in the loss but don't overthink it too much.

You are absolutely correct. A couple of hours later, I realise I am over-thinking it! I guess I just have to prepare myself to seeing next Friday's weight loss as 'hey, I've lost x total in the 17 days I've been on this diet'!

Thanks for replying to my moan!

13 stone to 12 stone 9 is 5 pounds?

Hahaha Joby good spot! Well then erebus no need to worry [smille]!!!

Sorry, Joby- I don't quite understand what you mean.

My OP states I have lost 8lbs, not the 5 that I feel would have been more sustainable as long-term weight loss. I am 12 st 6lbs as of this morning's weigh in, an 8lb loss from my start of 13 stone, 10 odd days ago.

My list of weigh-ins and weights was The Plan, not the reality, which is a rather faster weight loss. Perhaps my "2nd weigh-in (Fri, today)" mislead you. What I meant is that is what I would have felt more psychologically comfortable with today's measured loss had it been 5lbs overall, not 8.

erebus you did a typo then as it does say above that you were 12 stone 9 pounds on friday!

No, sorry to be pedantic, and I readily can see where I have been misread but what I said was:

"... It's almost as if because it's 'so' much, I will feel demoralising disappointment next Friday morning's weigh in as The Plan was to lose 2-3 lbs a week in the first 2 or 3 weeks, thus:

Start 13 stone on a Tuesday
1st weigh-in 4 days later (Friday): perhaps 12st 12
2nd weigh in (Fri,today, 10 days 'in') 12st 9..."

Meaning I'd planned on losing that. That's why I put 'perhaps' for the first weigh in. I'd know exactly what it was, wouldn't I? The tenure of my post is that my diet hasn't gone 'To Plan'. I lost too much in one go!

ah ok! but i guess thats what comes off long posts, hard to see!

And predictably when I weighed this morning, I was 12st 6lbs, still, 4 days later!

I'm not unduly perturbed as I suspected that initial loss was 'too much'. I have sort of 2 weigh-in days: Tuesday which is the anniversary of starting 2 weeks ago and Friday, which is the one I record. I imagine I will dispense with Tuesdays in a week or two, anyway.

I am obsessed and weigh myself every day. For me my weight fluctuates over a week by as much as 3lbs. If I weighed myself weekly it might look like I'd not lost but actually the trend might still be down - eg on Monday the first week the weight might the best of the few days on either side, on Monday the second week the weight might be the worst of the few days of every side. And even though I have been doing this for 6 months, can't predict before I stand on scales what it will say!

If you are weighing once a week and you don't loose, can be a good idea to weigh again a few days later for this reason.

8lbs in 2 weeks sounds about right for the start of a diet.

Yes, I feel 8lbs is OK, and fortunately I'd set myself up psychologically for the 'discovery' I hadn't lost 'more'.

I guess you've been on a diet for a long enough time, a 'failure to lose' one day doesn't set you up for disaster!? You know that that loss will become apparent in a day or so.