Hi everyone! This is my second time doing this diet (first time I only lasted 3 weeks ;( ) But I’m on day 4 and I have went from 89.9kg to 91.9kg in 1 day! Is it normal for weight to fluctuate so much in 1 day? As within day 1-3 I lost 1kg (2lbs). Just freaking out as I’ve been so good and not cheated at all and sticking to exactly 800 with a walk each day that burns 300 cals.

Scales are a really bad way to measure progress. Far better to use a tape measure to measure progress.

1. We are advised to drink 2 liters of water a day, each liter of water weights 1kg. – So depending on where you are on the water in /water out cycle your weight will fluctuate by up to 2kg.

2. Your weight includes the weight of food in your digestive tract. If you had 800cals of cheese that weighs a lot less than 800 calories of celery.

Insulin does does not only control how our bodies respond to the sugar levels in our diet. – High levels of insulin block the action of other hormones including growth hormone. – Its growth hormone that helps you retain strong bones and build muscle in response to exercise. So over time as you keep your insulin levels low your body will be able to catch up with any repairs it needs, but stronger bones weigh more than frail ones as well as more muscle increasing weight.

So take lots of measurements, not just waist and hips, but arms and legs, and use those to monitor progress rather than putting all your focus on the readings on the scales.

This is day 14 for me. I lost 8lb in the first week and none in the second week. I count, weigh and measure all my foods and log everything on an App. I’ve been just under 800 cals for 14 days. Feeling really downhearted that all this effort has not paid off this week. I weigh several times a week as Dr Mosely recommends and nothing has come off. Gutted. I will take measurements now as suggested as I did not do this at the start. I’m wondering though if my body has gone into starvation mode, even though he says in the book this does not happen 🙁

Has anyone else had this experience? If so what happened? Did you keep up the diet and start losing again?

Thanks,

Hi

Your body needs to store water when you eat a high carb diet to help it process the carbs. As soon as you cut out the carbs your body releases that stored water. Hence the dramatic weight loss in the first week. You will not continue to loose weight at that rate beyond that point.

You will go through periods of no loss on the scale, and then a sudden drop. No one knows why it happens in this order (you will find lots of articles about the whoosh effect, which claim its because our bodies use a little fat from a lot of cells replacing the fat with water, and when the cells are finally empty of fat the water is released so you have a whoosh and a sudden weight drop. – These theories come from a researcher who proposed this idea as an answer for why so many people see weight loss go in steps, and the idea has circulated around the internet, but research shows its not true.)

If you keep your carb intake down low enough so that you are in ketosis you will not put your body into starvation mode. Starvation mode happens when you are eating enough carbs to raise insulin levels so your body can not access your fat stores as an alternative fuel source. The body only adapts to starvation mode if it continues for a few weeks. I would strongly recommend watching podcasts by Dr Fung, and Dr Bikman who are both excellent at presenting information on how our bodies do not measure calories, but respond to the mixture of carb, protein and fat in our diet to help you understand the process.. – I would recommend going to the Take a look at this thread which is where people post links to articles and podcasts they find informative. Go back to about Jan 2018 and start working forward from there. The reason for suggesting you work like that is back in early 2018 people were starting to get the information out about how insulin works to ensure fat storage. Then over time they have produced additional pod casts which add more details, if you were to start with the last posts and work backwards in time it would be like watching the episodes of a tv series in reverse order.

Don’t panic Grace … it is disheartening when there is no measurable progress, but be assured your body is doing what it needs to and you will soon see further downward movement on the scales.

Right now, your body is adjusting. It’s had a shock because you have changed the regime it had become accustomed to. Most everyone who walks this path, has also experienced the frustration if stalls like you describe. I certainly had this experience, but went on to get to target weight …. you will too.

It is frustrating when you know you are doing everything you can, but don’t see the expected results. Please do stick with it though. The pounds will start to fall again.

Meanwhile, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate and do a quick check on your daily carb intake, just in case it’s a bit on the high side.

Best wishes going forward ..

Hi, As Sunny and the others said don’t worry, my pattern over 7 weeks has been 6, 5, 3, 0, 5, 0, 2! Sometimes I get disheartened and then it seems to go with a rush. Hang on in there, this does work

Thank you everyone for kind words of encouragement – I will stick with it!

Hello, me again – another question!

I’ve looked at some of the recipes on the sample menus on this site and also calculated the calories for them and some the recipes in the book – his calorie counts are often about 50 more than I calculate – over a week with 2 meals a day that 700 additional calories. Specifically I calculated the caprice salad as an example. I think he is underestimating the calories in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Am I making some great error here, or just being extra fussy at calorie counting? Tbsp is a tablespoon right? 15ml? Thank you.

This is a discussion that pops up from time to time and the consensus seems to be that the recipes in the book underestimate the values.

Some people choose to stick religiously to the letter of the book and successfully achieve and others choose to either adjust the amounts given in the books, or – like me – do their own thing, creating their own dishes, menus and meal plans. There is no right or wrong/black or white. Do what feels right for you and I’m confident that you will get to where you want to be.

If you decide to go your own way, remember to keep an eye on the daily carb intake. It is the carbs more than the calories you need to watch out for.