Feeling dismayed. I lost 11 lbs in the first 2 weeks but haven’t lost anything for about 10 days now and actually put a pound on! I mostly stick to my 800 but probably reached 1000 calories last Saturday and Sunday. But I am eating so much less than I normally do! I’ve been on a couple of 13 mile cycle rides this week. And I’ve got loads of weight to lose – about 3.5/4 stone in total so it’s not as if I’m close to the ideal weight! I was hoping I might have lost a couple of stone by the end of the 8 weeks but don’t seem to be on course for that now! 🙁 Any helpful words from someone who has had a similar experience but who can confirm that it did shift soon after would be REALLY welcome!!! Just need a bit of hope!

10lbs in 3 weeks is still pretty good, so don’t feel bad. Are you drinking enough water? Also I have found that cutting the carbs is more important than keeping calories to 800, reading the book again can help as you might be eating more carbs than you realise.

I am down to my target weight, lost just under 2 stone in total over a period of about 5 months. I am maintaining quite easily by avoiding the simple carbs – no bread, flour, sugar, only occasional potatoes, and not worrying too much about calories.

Best of luck, I am sure you will see a move in the scales soon

Thanks for the reply, Norfolkgal! (I am a former Norfolk gal!). I’m not really eating any carbs. Banana pancake for breakfast (from the BSD cook book), usually soup for lunch, then fish/chicken and loads of green veg for dinner. Sometimes a 5:2 chilli. I sometimes have berries (blueberries and strawberries) but not loads. And a spoon of greek yoghurt. A few almonds here or there. So, it’s definitely not carbs. I’m not very good about drinking lots of water so I will try to up the amount. Maybe it will flush some more pounds out of my system! It sounds like you didn’t need to lose as much as me but 2 stone is a great amount to shift! Well done!

My advice would be not to compare your weight loss to others. You have lost an incredible amount of weight in three weeks doing BSD. Sometimes you will notice that even thought the scales don’t move, your clothes feel a lot looser and the fat will be disappearing. Drink lots and lots of water and keep positive. This way of eating really does work.

Well said Cathy. I totally agree – tried on some trousers this morning which were really too tight a few weeks ago, my weight has remained stable at 9st 7lb, but my legs must have slimmed down as they fit much better today!

If it’s any help I lost 8lbs in my first 10 days and then nothing at all for the next 12 days. But I kept going with encouragement from the great people on this forum and managed to lose a total of 3st – I was aiming for 2st. OK, it took 2 rounds of BSD800, but I think I actually lost about 26 lbs in the first 8 weeks, during which time I plateaued twice. I am now on maintenance and holding nicely.

I know how you feel but please don’t be discouraged, it will happen. You cannot fail to lose weight if you stick with it. You may be losing inches atm too.😜

Thank you so much for all of your kind replies! Very helpful indeed! I’ve just been to the gym and had a swim aswell. I found my routine much easier today and did 10 mins extra so the weight I have lost already has made a difference in that respect. I haven’t been able to go for a couple of weeks although, I have been cycling with my son.
Theodora – it’s so heartening to hear that you plateaued a couple of times but came out of it. I must be on a very tedious plateau! I just didn’t expect a plateau so soon, especially when it’s seriously reduced calories and only for 8 weeks! I didn’t measure myself and, I think, just from sight, I stomach looks smaller. Could be wishful thinking!! My face is thinner. Never seems to go from anywhere useful!
I will keep plugging away…

If I can just add my comments – if you are a regular gym bunny (or if you drink less than 2/3 litres a day) you definitely will need to up your water intake. When you work out especially weights or cardio, your body retains fluid to repair your muscles – it sounds counter intuitive but the way to stop retaining fluid is to drink water. Weird I know but this happened to me and as soon as I increased my intake I was away again.

I’m sure you will get a visit from the whoosh fairy very soon

Drink loads!!

Thanks, topcac! I would never describe myself as a gym bunny! Twice a week max for 25mins max plus occasionally a swim! But, I suspect I am not drinking enough water. I am really terrible about it. I drink a lot of tea!!! I will dutifully up my water count!

I promise you will see results.. I upped my water intake for ONE day and lost 2lbs overnight!

Some good advice given. I would just add type plateau into the search box at the top, there will be lots of results.
Keep the faith and carry on – it will work.

A ten pound loss in three weeks is really good! Try to focus on that, rather than thinking this week has been a failure. It hasn’t – if you’d gone back to eating as before you’d be heavier than you are now. It’ll start coming off again soon.

I forced myself to drink a bit more water yesterday (although, I did go on another cycle ride in the evening!) and I am down a pound after no weight-loss for 11 days. So it looks like the water may have done the trick! So I am 12 lbs down in total after 3.5 weeks. Phew! Maybe it will start shifting again now!
Thanks for all of your help and encouragement! It’s keeping me motivated!!! x

Well done Victorianotsoplumpanymore 😜 And well done for sticking with it, despite your demoralising plateau.

Keep up the water intake, it’s easy to get complacent. Even though I have reached maintenance I still drink between 2.5 – 3 litres a day on top of my other liquid consumption (tea / coffee etc). It is not only good for helping wash away the fat, it is also of great benefit to rehydrate the skin as we shrink.

Hi Victoriaplump! Everyone has shared good advice for you! I have just one more thought: stop weighing yourself so often!! It is demoralizing to gain or lose only a small amount and I have noticed that many people drop away due to this issue. You can use a tape measure instead and weigh rarely (2-3 weeks). It will keep you focused on the eating, not the loss and that is the most important thing. Ultimately, the goal is to gain control of our eating — the weight loss is the gravy — so take a break from the scales and just enjoy your days eating lovely, healthy food.

Oh no – I am going to continue weigh myself 2 or 3 times a week. Not weighing myself and therefore, not managing it has contributed to my obesity! Michael Mosely says it actually helps to weigh regularly. It’s better to be aware. And when you’re losing weight, it’s much more motivating to continue. I haven’t got a waist measurement because I don’t think I measure it properly and unless you measure in exactly the same place, you get a distorted result!
I had a tricky night last night. Went to visit an old friend and she and her husband were trying to sabotage me with wine and nibbles. NIGHTMARE! I took 3 cans of gin and slim with me and made them last! We had very large steaks but I just had salad with mine. And strawberries for dessert. i must have gone over 800 by quite a bit e.g. 1200 but it could have been a lot worse in the circs! On the plus side, no hangover…
Annie W – thanks for tip off about searching ‘plateau’! For some reason, I didn’t think of that! I found lots of helpful posts about it.

I can’t believe I’m nearly half way through. It hasn’t been as bad as I expected. I will have to do another 8 week stint soon enough but at least my body is being re-educated.

Hi Victoriaplump — If it works for you, then of course, keep weighing — but weighing less often can be an option if the number in the scale makes you depressed and/or quit the BSD.
I have noticed in the year and a half that I have been on this site, that many people have quit because the numbers on their scale do not match the numbers in their head (desired weight). The fact is that weight loss rarely matches the example in the book, or even the one posted by another BSD’er.
I am a year on maintenance and I lost all the weight and I keep it off without weighing myself — I personally think scales are abusive and many folk are better off ignoring the “numbers game” and just calmly following the principles. We have lost a lot of motivated folk because the scales made them depressed.
So, as I always say, do what works best for you personally — every person is different and finds their own solution on this journey.
Best wishes for your continued success!

Hi, Californiagirl – I agree. Diets are quite personal because our biologies and minds work differently! But, the basic principles of this diet must work for all. I feel a lot better already! Haven’t had a chance to weigh myself for a few days. Been away and I’m another lb down. So that’s 13 lbs in less than 4 weeks which is tremendous!! Very encouraging indeed! I’ve been forcing down the water despite my hopelessness in this area. It must be working despite going over my 800 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!!! Water is the way forward, everyone!! Thanks for being SOOOOOooooooooooo supportive. Here’s to the next stone….Dying to fit into some lovely Joules summer dresses I haven’t been able to wear for about 4 years and still hanging in my wardrobe!

Victoriaplump – well done for your weight loss. 13lbs in less than 4 weeks is really good.

You mentioned your lovely Joules dresses you are looking forward to getting into and you probably have other clothes that are too tight at the moment. Please do keep checking if they are ok to wear yet. As a yo yo dieter I had lots of clothes in different sizes that I couldn’t wait to get into – most (probably all) of them bought in sales and stored in my wardrobe or storage boxes under the bed all ready for the time that I would be able to wear them.

You can guess what happened – by the time I tried them on they were much too big and ended up completely unworn at the charity shop. A lot of us on the forum have had the same experience. Great for the charity shops though.

Wow, wonderful results!! 😄

See my post woosh gently further down the list. I also was ready to give up also had only lost couple of pounds in three weeks so you are doing well. I am keeping going but coming up to 6 weeks I have only lost 10pounds and hoping I may make nearly a stone by 8 weeks

It took 4 weeks and 1 day to lose the full stone for me, Wee Scot. But I have a lot to lose. In the middle of week 5 now but weight has gone up slightly. TIme of the month to blame, I think. I can definitely persist with this for the 8 weeks and will probably continue afterwards..Not fitting into my Joules dresses yet!!

Can I jump in with a request for encouragement – I’m heading towards end of week two and have been weighing daily and last week delighted to lose nearly 10lb in as many days…and then started to feel rubbish and realised I was hormonal, bloated, sad and scales seemed to be creeping back up, despite still aiming for 800 and def staying below 1000…just finding it hard not to graze or comfort eat squares of dark choc…please help!

Hi, SoulfulSunflower! I lost masses in the first 2 weeks too. It’s brilliant having such a positive start but, it’s not realistic to continue at the same pace, more’s the pity! My weightloss has hit its second plateau now but it’s my time of the month. You can’t cheat nature. As I’ve discovered, the more water I drink, the easier it is to shift the weight. I’m just not v good at glugging water! It’ll start shifting again. I went up and not down at one point. I’ve just completed 5 weeks of the diet but probably hover between 800 and 1000 calories a day. I probably rarely do exactly 800. I’ve lost15lbs so far so that averages out at 3lbs a week to this point.
I find it not to graze. I’ve had several almonds this evening. And quite a lot of strawberries. And a sliver of cheese and the crusts off my son’s toast! How desperate is THAT?! I should have gone to bed earlier, which is what you should do. Brush your teeth so you can’t eat any more and get upstairs!!! Distraction or sleep are your saviours!!!! Don’t waste your excellent progress!!!! You can do it!

PS Even though I never measured my waist at the start, I can feel a big difference in my tummy and sides. Clothing is looser. So I may be losing inches and not pounds.

You are doing brilliantly, I have been on this for 2 months and have only lost 11lbs. I only lost 3lbs in first three weeks . I am keeping going as my biggest mission is to turn around my prediabetic status but I think you are having a wee plateau but you are doing well

Well done, WeeScot! I don’t know if I were pre-diabetic but it wouldn’t surprise me if I were when I started the BSD. Keep at it! If you look at a representation of 11lbs, it’s a lot!!! I’m down another pound today after a tedious plateau so I’ve lost 16lbs in 5 weeks and I already feel very different in terms of my health and well-being so it’s really important to persist. The additional pound today has inspired me to do a Davina 5 Week Fit warm-up and HIIT for 10 mins. Am dripping with sweat. Hoping it will boost the weight loss some more! Want to get as close to losing 2 stone after 8 weeks as I can! I’ve just made myself down several glasses of water too. Washing the fat away in desperation!!! I’m going to update my graph tracker on the Fast Diet website. I find it strangely motivating to look at the line going downwards!!!

Thanks Victoria amd WeeScot – I am struggling with the hormones, scales have been fluctating ans finally got me down today (while hubby working away) and to my shame I ate: most of a large bag of plain tortilla chips, a whole lindt dark choc and coconut bar over the afternoon, a number of jubbly ice pops from freezer as I’m melting in this heat, and various other grazings too. Did so well cooking BSD friendly recipes for friends and family over the last 5 days, think I’m just cream crackered and having a blip binge :-/ x

Are you doing this to lose weight or because you are diabetic or prediabetic? If it is because you are in the diabetic mode I visualise a needle whenever I am tempted as I am terrified of having to inject apart from wanting to feel better. If it is purely to lose weight one bad day is okay as it will come off

Definitely don’t allow one bad day to derail you. Put it behind you and start afresh today. No point in dwelling on it. I will have done 6 weeks tomorrow and 17 lbs lost in total. Definitely not going to make my 28 lb goal by 8 weeks 🙁 11lbs in 2 weeks is not do-able!!! Weight-loss has slowed. I hoped I might be another pound down today with all of the heat and the amount of water I’ve been drinking but…NO! And I did a HIIT workout yesterday morning too! The heat isn’t terribly helpful because you’re losing salt too. Hence your craving for tortilla chips, I would imagine. My top tip is to buy a box of Mini-Milks for the freezer. They’re only 30 calories each – I had 2 yesterday! I keep meaning to make my own sugar-free lollies but the mini-milks are ok in the meantime and I feel like I’ve had a cooling treat.
I also have a fear of injections so that would be a huge incentive to lay off the calories for me, WeeScot!
Don’t lose heart, SoulfulSunflower! I won’t be able to stop at 8 weeks. I will either start a second 8 week session to shift my total of 3.5 stone, or do 800 calories a day on weekdays and eat more normally on weekends. It’s a matter of retraining your body and changing eating habits in the long term. I’m having to accept that I cannot return to eating the way I used to. But cutting out almost all carbs is making my skin and hair look lovely! I’m eating a lot more green leafy veg and beans to compensate for the rice and potatoes and pasta that I can’t eat. It’s worth it in the end! x

Thanks for the pep talk and visualisation – I’m assured by my GP they’re not worried abiut my blood sugar, but it can only be a matter of time as I’m 5’1.5″ and at my heaviest (last year) was 17st 8, now down to 16st 2 ish (was 16.13ish – but BMI etc says middle of healthy weight is about 8 stone something – so started off with half my body weight to lose. If that doesn’t say health problems on a plate I don’t know what does!

Am rebooting today with a fast til supper time. Already have food cooked so that’s easy. Drinking gallons of water and peppermint & liqorice tea (naturally sweet and boosts metabolism apparently!) – having a couple of psyllium fibre capsules to fill me up a bit too.

Feeling a bit mentally stronger today so am on this!! Wish me luck!

Hey SoulfulSunflower
Good to see you have not allowed your transgression to derail your efforts. My advise would be to have something small during the day if you need to – a little full fat yogurt or a small cube of cheese may be – so that you keep control and get to the point where you are desperate to eat and then give into a binge. Remember that keeping the fats up, helps to keep hunger at bay and get the fat burning process ticking.
Good luck with you fresh start and hope to see you posting some positive results soon.

That’s great news, SoulfulSunflower! Well done! Glad to hear you’ve perked up. Look forward and not back! It sounds like you’ve lost a lot of weight already which is a real achievement so further weightl-loss is definitely in your control. Half your body weight sounds very daunting and that can be demoralising in itself. Although you need to have that as a long-term target, maybe you need to divide that up into smaller targets? Half stones and stones motivate me. It ALL makes a big difference. Every half stone you lose will have a great impact on your health. I find the 8 weeks motivating because, although I know I won’t have lost my 3.5 stone at the end of it, I didn’t actually think I could manage 8 weeks of 800 at all when I started. Mostly sticking to that regime for that length of time is an achievement too. I also know that my stomach will have shrunk after 8 weeks. I don’t feel anywhere near as hungry now as I did 6 weeks ago. I’ve adapted to the calorie intake.
I function better with my banana pancake (2 eggs, one mashed banana) for breakfast then I’m not too starving if I don’t have lunch or just have a miso soup. And then I eat loads of salad and veg with cooked chicken, fish or a homemade Fast Diet chilli in the evening. Or I make up Borlotti Bean Bolognese. V low calories. I’m personally, not great at fasting all day until the evening. More likely to overdo it at the last minute. I’m better at keeping track throughout the day. But you have to do what suits you. It’s actually easier on the days I work (I don’t work Mondays and Tuesdays except for teaching a few piano lessons in the evening).
I’m nearly 5’7 and started at 15 stone 7 lbs and after almost 6 weeks, I’m 14 stone 4lbs. Even if I lose a total of 3.5 stone, I don’t think I actually hit my correct BMI but I always think BMI is slightly ludicrous. I don’t want to be gaunt or skinny. I just want to be healthy and to fit into a Size 14 and have increased self-esteem and confidence. Getting into the 13 stones is another small goal – got to shake off the next 4lbs fast!
Keep going!!!!!!