I just don't know what to do now :(

Well I have officially been putting forth major effort into my weight loss since Feb. 13th and so far have only lost 9 pounds.  Now i am not that upset because it is really better than nothing I guess I just thought that once I got my act together the weight would just fall off...okay so I wasa little delusional.  I feel like there has been no change in my body at all despite what the scale says.  I think I have finally figured out why!!!  I noticed that me drinking all the water I am supposed to in a day is only leading to me being bloated and feeling so full it makes me ill.  After all this time I don't think my body has adjusted to a consistent water intake.  I don't want to leave myself dehydrated but I need to find a way to get rid of all the extra water my body seems to be holding onto.  I have thought about water pills, but I have used them before and didn't really see any change.  If anyone knows the best way for me to deal with this I would be eternally grateful.  Nothing is worse than working your butt off, losing pounds, but being so bloated with water that it doesn't show and I still feel fat.

How much water are you drinking?

I am drinking about 65 oz. of water on days I don't exercise and about 75-80 oz. on days I do workout.  I have a "smart" water bottle that tells me how much to drink for my height and weight and ensures that I am spacing out my intake so it isn't all at once.

So you've lost 9 lbs in a little over a month? This site only recommends a 1-2 lb/week weight loss your your right on target.  I think 1 lb per week is a more reasonable goal.

If you think you're retaining excess water you probably have too much sodium in your diet.

Drinking that much water shouldn't cause you to retain.  It should flush it out of your system, I think.  Do you have any medical problems that might be causing this?  A friend of mine retains water but she has medical issues that cause it.  There is a recipe on these forums for Sassy water and there is another for the cranberry cocktail that is suppose to flush fliuds.  You might want to try them.  Neither one will hurt you and it might help.

i've only managed to keep off 5 of the lbs i've lost since 2/13. i'm in the same boat as you. whenever i drink as many oz of h2o as i'm supposed to, i just wind up weighing more. i'm gonna try that cranberry cocktail thing soon, and hope that works, 'cause i'm gettin' pissed!

They are right - that is not too much water and shouldn't cause you to retain. I bet your sodium is too high which causes you to retain. We think we don't eat a lot of sodium, but it is in EVERYTHING! Cheese, meat, bread, tuna, peanut butter, cottage cheese, etc. Sooooo....try to keep your sodium under 2300 mg a day. And by the way - 9 pounds in just over a month is amazing and wonderful!!! 5 pounds is great to dalmalama! Keep giving your bodies the water they need, keep your sodium down, up your veggie intake and you will be rewarded!