So I lost 14 pounds fast and then ended up spending a night in hospital after that

Oof, the tiny-portion pride is such a trap. I weigh daily but only let myself react to the 7-day trend, and I keep a separate “basics” note: fluids, salt, fiber, and whether I’ve actually gone to the bathroom.

When I was barely eating, my weight dropped fast then stalled and even crept up from dehydration and constipation—it scrambled my head. The scale isn’t a scoreboard for how little you can eat. Were you tracking anything besides weight during those six weeks, or just watching the number fall?

Oof, I know that “proud of tiny portions” trap. I lost 22 a couple years ago and got weirdly smug about eating like a bird, then regained it all plus some.

What’s helped me this round is tracking three boring things next to my weight: ounces of water, whether I actually pooped, and one real meal I sat down for. Not calories—just proof I’m not running on fumes.

The no-BM streak is my personal red flag; by day three I’m cranky, headachy, and convinced I’m “not hungry” when I’m actually just empty.

Did anyone around you clock it before you did, or did you keep it pretty private?

Oh honey, the four-day-no-bathroom thing would've sent me running to our little pharmacy for prune juice and an embarrassment aisle walk. What helped me was making my plate visible: I started taking a photo of every real meal/snack, and if the day’s pics were just coffee and a protein shake, I’d treat it like a missed bill—fix it before bed.

Also kept a water bottle with a straw in the car, because small-town errands meant I’d sip without thinking. Did your hospital stay give you any non-scale milestones to watch, like energy or regular bathroom trips?

The constipation was my warning sign too, and I totally missed it until I was doubled over.

Now I track fluids and one “did I actually eat?” box right next to my weight, and I aim for one real meal even if it’s small. Not preaching, just my own guardrail. Did the hospital scare change how you define a “good” day? I’m trying to stop letting the scale be the only vote.

The part I’d track differently is lagging vs leading indicators. The scale was lagging; dry mouth, no BM, and dizziness were live data I kept swiping away.

I now keep a stupidly simple second dashboard: protein floor, water, bowel movements, and whether I feel normal standing up. If two of those go sideways, I stop pretending it’s discipline and treat it as a system fault.

Question for OP: which one showed up first — the headache, the no-BM stretch, or the dizziness? I’m curious what the earliest tell was.

My spreadsheet has a column for “days since BM” and “standing dizziness” after a similar 6-week cliff. My trendline showed the fast drop wasn’t fat: weight fell 4.1 lb in 8 days while my waist barely moved, then rebounded 2.6 lb when I actually ate and hydrated.

The only early warning that mattered was resting HR climbing 6–8 bpm plus zero BMs. I’m not saying ignore the scale, but I now flag 3+ days no BM as a red row. Did your weight rebound after fluids, or was it a straight line down?

that sounds terrifying, and I’m glad you’re okay. I’m in a long plateau too—11 weeks of the same 3 lbs bouncing. The first 15 came off stupid fast, then nothing. What finally helped