Hi all fellow 8 weekers! I am just coming to the end of week 2 and I am so frustrated and disappointed. I lost 8lbs my first week and I was over the moon, not to mention motivated to keep going. I have followed the diet to the letter and since Monday I have not lost a single ounce! I weighed myself yesterday to see that I was still where I was on Monday and it ruined my day and made me extremely tearful. I am now scared of the scales!
Fortunately I have a very supportive hubby who has suggested that this weekend we will have our main meals at lunchtime so that I have more time to burn off the calories. That’s not so feasible during the week though. I know weight loss slows down further into the diet but no loss after 5 days on 800 calories?! Really? I am so hungry but I wouldn’t mind if I was losing weight. I feel this week has been a waste of time and I may as well not have bothered!
Feeling extremely sorry for myself! 😔

Hi Smudgymum, please don’t despair!! Lots of people have these strange plateaus, particularly in the second week, then suddenly a few pounds has disappeared!! Remember some of the fat is disappearing from you internal organs so it won’t be visible to you. Did you measure your waist at the start because often the results show faster on the tape measure than they do on the scales.

As you already know, on 800 calories you HAVE to lose weight! It’s a law of physics!

Are you making sure you have enough fat in your diet to keep you feeling full?

Are you drinking 2 to 3 litres of water a day and keeping your carbs below 50g a day?

It’s worth double checking.

Chin up as that weight WILL come off! 🙂

Thank you for your encouragement! 😀

it is frustrating but also remember us women get a raw deal. hormonal fluctuations can make us hold water too but that doesn’t mean that you haven’t lost fat today just not showing on the scales yet. Don’t let a bad day/week stop you think ahead. I don’t want to think how many times I have found myself thinking…. if only I’d stuck to my diet I’d have lost loads by now -when looking back and wishing I had 🙁

Hi Smudgeymum,
It’s the week two blues! Probably the most common question posted on the forums. Weight loss stalls, feeling emotional or angry, sometimes feeling quite tired, it seems to all be a part of that second week. Your body is undergoing some huge changes by now. It’s moving from burning carbs for fuel, which is easy, to burning fat which is harder for it.
As the others have said, hang in there and you will see results. While you are waiting for the scales to move have a think about what changes you notice in yourself that show things are happening. Are your clothes looser, do you get less puffed on exertion, sleep better, have more energy?
Isn’t your husband lovely to support you like that? What a gem 🙂
Read through some of the other posts on weight loss and you’ll see how others coped with this stage. Stay in touch on the forum and let us know your progress. You’ll get plenty of advice and encouragement here.

Thanks Cherrianne for your lovely words. 👍🏻

I am concerned that you have been feeling hungry. Because we have had no hunger whatsoever on this diet. Are you eating enough protein and fat? You can actually swop to full fat dairy on this diet. That will keep you fuller.

I do think the weight loss slows down when you are losing just fat. This is the stage you are probably at. I am sure that you didn’t imagine you would lose more than half a stone every week. So you knew the second week and beyond would be slower. First of all don’t worry until you have followed it for at least a week and had no loss at all, without knowing why. Keep a food diary so that you can review your intake at the end of each week if you need to. You could do this via photos, it doesn’t have to be written. Make sure that you continue with portion control to keep the carbs down as low as possible. Drink plenty of water, that sometimes makes a big difference. Think about the drinks you are having, do they fit in with the no sugar, few carb criteria? Are you eating enough low carb veg alongside your protein and fats? They will give bulk and will also help you feel full. Try adding a serving of home made vegetable soup starter plus a sugarfree jelly pudding to both lunch and dinner. These would help you feel fuller for longer. We are having the odd extra soup portion or 40g of berries plus 25g of 10% fat Turkish yogurt occasionally if we are getting hungry late afternoon or late evening. That does seem to help.

I do hope some of these ideas are chiming with your experience. Losing 8lbs is a great weight loss even if you spread it over 2 weeks. Wouldn’t you have been thrilled if you had known you were going to lose that before you started? Give your body a chance to catch up and focus your energy in enjoying your meals and not feeling hungry.

Hi smudgeymum,
I lost 5 kilos in 10 days, then only 1 on the following 7 days, so I know how you feel. And during that week weight kept going up and down, it didn’t make any sense to me. I’ve decided to only weigh myself once a week, plus measure waist and hips/stomach. Something will be going down!
I too get hungry some days. We’re all different, so don’t despair. I’ve never been on a diet in my life or been off booze for so long- it’s hard. My mouth is craving even when my stomach is full 🙁
I read somewhere that you lose a lot of water the first week. Plus at various points the fat comes off/out of organs which can do funny things, like raise your blood sugar. We’ll get there in the end.