I’ve been on the diet about 7 weeks now and weeks 4 and 5 I didn’t lose a pound in fact I gained weight. Yes, I was following the plan exactly and still nothing. I became so stressed about it that I took a week hiatus to reboot and question if this plan was even worth the disappointment. I JUST POSTED HOW I GOT OVER MY PLATEAU IN ANOTHER THREAD BUT I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO OTHERS. HERE IT IS:

I recently got over a similar 2+ week plateau/ weight gain through intermittent fasting then eating the 800 calories. Here’s an example: I try to have dinner between 4 and 6 pm. I then fast only drinking water until 11 or 12 pm the next day. I’ll then pick up eating with a 400 cal lunch and a 400 cal dinner and rarely snack. That has completely jump-started my weight loss again. I truly hope this helps you. My plateau caused me so much stress I took a week hiatus from the plan to just reboot. I’ve been dropping about 3 lbs per week ever since.

Intermittent fasting has been a life saver. It’s also something I never considered doing until I hit that plateau.

P.S. I’m only 4 lbs away from losing 50 lbs since I started my weight loss journey in January!!!!!! My starting weight was 257 and now I’m 211. I know what it’s like to fail at losing weight, to gain weight, and to quit. Don’t give up! Reevaluate the plan and consider changing it up a bit. No matter what don’t give up! I promise you it’s worth it.

That’s really interesting thanks for posting – I am over my week 4/5 plateau and ready to lose again!

Think a lot of us hit the occasional plateau and/or experience a slight gain instead of loss. For me the answer is to check carb intake, as my personal optimum for weight loss seems to be between 20 and 30g, where as for some it’s higher at around the 50g mark. I find if I am going to eat just two meals in the day, I’m best to breakfast around 9.30/10am and then dinner around 7pm. Seems we all have to try and find our own way and what works for one on this regime, may or may not suit another. It’s good that everyone shares their personal solutions though, as that way others get a chance to try a number of options and find what works for them.

Also, remember to judge by MEASUREMENTS and target garments. I found weight would plateau but I would look and feel slimmer and clothes would be looser.

SunnyB is spot on re the carbs – absolutely worked for me to keep them as close to 20g per day as possible.

Good luck! 🙂

It’s very tough when you’re going through plateaus. And I’m sure most of us have problems with sticking with it. I had a birthday last week and after best part of 2 weeks of really strict intake, I went out with my family and had a normal sized curry. No starter and no pudding and water to drink but a decent portion of food. Gained 3lb. I know I know, it’s mostly water etc but that feels so unfair. Got back on the horse again and hope I will shift this and move ahead again. Feel like lost the push to the extreme I did have it. But this is for life isn’t it? And not getting in a big sulk when the scales go the wrong way and giving up is the plan. Fall down 9 times, get up 10!

But I find that scary that we can gain 3 lb by even eating one ‘normal’ meal. How are we ever to stabalise then? Any long term friends out there with advice to stop me having weight gain nightmares when I reach end of diet next week?
Thanks!!
Jill

Jill – I am with you. Heart breaking to get on the scale and see a kilo come back, when I had a normal meal ie. steak and salad and the next day some 1 piece of sourdough with goats cheese and hommus. I have been exercising every day and count and measure everything! But this morning I am more determined and off I go again for another week.

Thanks Katharine. My plan at the end of four weeks is to move to the 5:2 (due to working away a lot). I accept weight loss may be slower then but on this evidence it seems it will bounce straight back up even when cutting out carbs. Any assurances out there please?
Jill

Morning Jill. Like you, I was terrified of regaining some/all of the weight when I reached the end of the 8 weeks. I was lucky enough to squeeze under the BMI of 25 (OK, 24.8, but still under 25!) after 8 weeks and thought, “now what?” It’s been a month so far and i’ve followed a regime of 5:2, low carbs throughout, with 800cals on the “2” days. No snacking between meals, no unprocessed carbs, the odd glass of wine, lots of fats, plenty of water, 10k steps a day (mainly!) PORTION CONTROL (my nemesis ) and so far so good. I gained a couple of pounds initially, panicked, sulked, felt frustrated, but they disappeared after a few days and overall I’ve lost another 2 lbs, I think.
So not out of the woods yet by any means, but realising this is it for the rest of my life really. And that’s ok, I’m happy with what I eat and how I look and most importantly ( who am I trying to kid?Nearly most importantly) how I feel. And I feel so much better than I did.
Hope that helps a bit. Best of luck with it.

Bissell that is great thanks so much for responding, it does reassure me. I especially like the fact you have reintroduced some wine! I can give up carbs but what a misery to face a tea total future 🙁
What a great community this is thanks again!
Jill

I must admit that, being a seasoned faster myself, I always do a 16:8, so I finish eating at 8pm and don’t eat again until 12-1. I try and split my cals to 400 for lunch and 400 for dinner (but I try to leave more for the evening so I can enjoy a little snack!! 😉 )

Last week I lost 2 pounds – which is unheard of for me! I don’t have an awful lot left to lose now (maybe a stone/stone and a half if I want to be super slim!!) so I’m happy with 1.5-2 pounds loss per week! 🙂

Hi
I’m hoping for some support.
I started the BSD on the first of July and have lost 15 and a quarter pounds in first 18 days! So I was thrilled. The last 7 days however I have only lost half a pound. My calories had started to creep nearer to 950 for 3 days and yesterday I had whole day off when friends came round for BBQ. Today I’m back to trying hard. Vigilant with calorie counting. Any tips/ advice to spur me on?
Still got 25 pounds to go…..
I have started my period and often find I gain during this time then lose week after. Thanks in advance for any help x

Hi Yumcheese
Don’t despair, plateauing is common, but no less frustrating for that of course. I too have had experience of a plateau and the tips I was give and followed, were as follows: check your carb intake and try to limit it to 50g per day or less. Drink plenty, as this really helps to keep things moving. Lastly, make sure you are including enough fat in your calories, as they help to kick start fat burning.

Of course, it would be helpful to try to reign in your calories too, although there are lots of people on the forum, who only count carbs and not calories and successfully lose weight. Unfortunately, this system doesn’t seem to work for me, so I personally track carbs and calories.

Hope you will be able to get over this blip. Don’t get disheartened and don’t waste time beating yourself up for the transgression, just make this a new start and try to get yourself back on track and losing weight again. It will happen and you can do it!

SunnyB do you have any idea how many grams fat we ought to be eating please?
Jill

This is something I don’t measure, but I think I remember seeing somewhere on the forum, that one of the folks posting believes it to be around 40g, but from a quick search on the web, I think it should probably be nearer 30g. As I said, I don’t track fats as such, but I do ensure I eat full fat yogurt, use olive oil in small quantities, have tahini sometimes, eat a few nuts most days and have the odd cube of cheese too. I weigh everything I eat and work out the cals and carbs, trying to stick around the 800cals and less than 50g carbs.
Not sure any of that helps, but maybe someone else can give a more definitive answer on this one.

Jill

Try looking at this website, which you enter your details on, have an estimate of current body fat, and it will tell you your base metabolic rate so how many calories you need to maintain weight.

You can then set your carbs and it helps you set your fat and protein levels. I had carbs set at 20g – you can of course have higher – and it will show you the best balance which you can enter on your app.

I have had great success, and I hope this helps you too.

Also a graph at the end showing what loss you can expect over how long….

http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com

Fantastically helpful thanks so much both of you!
I will visit that website now!
Jill

Oh my goodness, I’m pleased it’s not just me. Im 5weeks and 1 day in and I’ve lost 23 pounds in total, however the last 2 weeks I’ve only lost 1.5 pound per week, when I’m struggling it’s disheartening (I know 1.5 pounds in the scheme of things is still a loss) I’m going on holiday on Saturday and I’m terrified I will tumble of the wagon and feast for 2 weeks on bread and potatoes !, I fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window having 2 meals, any chance I will wake up tomorrow 10 stone lighter?????

Hi Clarissa. Well done so far with your terrific weight loss! I tend to get out of routine on weekends, so I can see your ‘fear’ of facing a holiday and trying to stay on track. I take the opportunity on weekends to do more exercise and the dog gets walked twice a day and I get of to gym both mornings. So make sure you take time on your holiday to do lots of exercise and remind yourself how great you look and don’t undo the hard work you have already done. Don’t go near the buffet!!

Oh Clarissa that is funny! I wish! I too am going off on holiday for a week to Denmark in August – all those pastries! And whilst I will stay as true to the food principles as I can I can’t expect to stay in 800 calls as it is my sons wedding. I expect to wake up 10 stone heavier overnight, in my nightmares.
Let us know how you get on? Yes I must say, once the quick weight loss of week one has ended, it has been a real surprise to me how little you can lose in a week of eating so little. I gues everyone is different.
Jill

A tip I was given for helping to keep track while you are away, is using ketostix – actually I’m addicted now and use the daily. They are useful when you are away from home and can’t weigh, as they give you an indication of how things are going. I was away for ten weeks and gained 2.8lb in that time. I didn’t count anything at all while I was away, just avoided simple carbs – most of the time! I admit on occasion I caved and had things I wouldn’t normally consider on the BSD, but mostly I managed to eat within the principles of the regime.

It is so easy to pick up the BSD again after a break, that you can be sure that you can get control again on your return and lose any weight gained during your holidays. Anyway, good luck on not gaining too much while you are away and losing it quickly on your return. Have a great holiday and please let us know how you get on.

Oh SunnyB you are an angel – thank you for that reassurance, I had visions of all the good work going out of the window whilst I was away. I take great heart from your example – I will also get some ketostix! Thank you so much
Jill

Sunny B – can I ask – did you drink alcohol in that 10 weeks? I know it gets burned up first before fat, but on holiday I would prefer not to hold back if I can – I can be good about carbs but may as well stay at home if can’t drink 🙁 I know that sounds terrible but it is part of the holiday mix (especially at a wedding)!
Jill

Oh yes! Opted for red wine most of the time when I drank, but also had the odd G&T, a couple of whiskies and brandies and some champagne – had to, as we came home via the champagne region, so it was de rigueur! Didn’t drink everyday though and drank moderately on the days I did – with the exception of one occasion, when I woke with a slight hangover!

Go and enjoy your holiday and the wedding. Just get back on track when you get home.

Thank you good advice!
Jill

Some more plateau hope stats, cause I know that’s what you want to search and find when you’re in one ☺

These are 8 weeks of losses (in kg) on the BSD800, doing pretty much the same thing in terms of 800 calories and usually less than 50 carbs the whole time:
3.4
1.8
0.7
1.8
0.4… This one really got to me, so I dropped breakfast and did 16:8 (lunch at midday, dinner around 7pm, no snacks) from half way thru the next week, which was surprisingly comfortable. Same food intake, just changed timings.
1.2
2.0

A couple of the daily runs…
75.1 75.2 75.3 75.3 75.1 75.0.
And my ‘favourite’…
73.0 73.0 72.8 72.8 73.2 72.8 72.8 72.8 72.6

So when you are thinking ‘$&@* how is it even possible to eat only 800 calories and stay the same weight for days!!!’ just keep going. As so many of us have found, it is working behind the scenes. Measure and try on clothes, especially when the scale won’t budge, as I could often see and take heart from changes there instead.

Keep going! Onwards and downwards! 😃

This is a great post. I am on day 2 of week 3 and have not seen a loss since the end of week 1. I am staying under 50 grm carbs each day and average around 850 cals. Each morning I expect to see a sudden drop but it hasn’t happened yet. My clothes are fitting better and my waist is smaller. My skin is also amazingly clear. So tomorrow will be the day for my whoosh! Interesting to see the posts about holidays as this is a concern for me.

Hi Lucyjane, isn’t the clear skin soooooo nice! And the smaller waist. AND the clothes fit. Seems a bit cheeky to want the scale to move as well, on top of all that fabulousness! 😃
I can relate to the holiday thoughts. School holidays here for a fortnight starting at the end of the week. It is good to read that others have been able to go the ‘Med plan’ while away and then jump back into the BSD 800 when they come home.
Good luck with tomorrow’s weigh in, I’ve got my fingers crossed your whoosh is soon! x

Not sure if this is a plateau hope but I lost 3 stones between February and July.
Since then I have neither lost or gained weight ……however my body shape especially my tummy has changed considerably.
Think my weight has stabilized and my body is making unseen changes.
Have tried the various tricks of drinking more water, some full-fat, fasting and increased exercise. I’ve tried 5:2 as well.
Am not down to 800 calories atm but at around 1200 so I expect that is the problem.
Good news is that there is no regain.
To lose my final few pounds I think I will probably have to set my carb count really low as Igorasusual recommends.

Hi kookaburra, I am in the non weight loss for nearly 2 weeks (lost .3 kilo) and am the same weight you were (75kg) so hoping to see that disappear in the next few days. Yes, how can I eat 800 and not lose, I ask my body.

Got weighed this morning and down to 74.7 so hopefully I am on the move again. To be honest I was so fed up and tempted to have an alcoholic drink last night but, it is not normal during the week, so had no problem resisting. So glad I did.

Heresy alert. I plateaued for 10 days, despite sticking fairly closely to the diet plan (about 900-1000 calories but under 50 carbs). Some issues with what might be nicely called digestive transit, but generally feeling OK. I spoke to a friend who is a nutritionist and fairly positive about BSD and they suggested a more traditional meal of say porridge as a one-off. Their theory was that it might reboot the metabolism.

I tried this with a good portion of jumbo oats (half whole milk half water, but no sugar or fruit, just a pinch of salt – like my grandma always made but omitting the whisky) so not a catastrophe in BSD terms and it seems to work since then I’ve steadily lost a pound or so every couple of days.

As a single instance I’m not claiming causation, but I think may be an interesting data point.

Funnily enough I’ve found the same. I might plateau a bit, but then a quick hop off the wagon seems to kick start it all again!!

Purely in the interests of science 😉 tested this theory out last night, hopped off the wagon for dinner with increase in meal size so lots more calories (but kept to M-plan food). Scale reacted by going up 0.5kg from yesterday to today lol. Hmm! Will post if the next few days see a whoosh.

JulesMaigret that is interesting. I have been same weight for weeks now and accused my scales of being broken. Scratching my head for a solution and didn’t weigh myself for a while. Mornings getting colder so I had porridge a couple of times ( with fruit ) I believe ‘real’ oats are acceptable according to the book. Hopped on the scales the other morning just because I was standing next to them with no clothes on ( the curtains were shut 🙂 ) and pleasantly surprised and relieved to see movement downwards again. It has spurred me on in a way no self-remonstrating ever could. I think others on forums have repeated that different methods work differently for folks and we need to keep searching until we hit the right way for us. btw not diabetic so simpler calculations for me than those who are.

I am trying to get over a psychological plateau. After a massively stressful week a month ago I was ok in the moment (not eating level of stress) but the after effects were falling off the wagon – both drink and food. A battle between good intentions and giving in.

I did gain a bit but didn’t undo it all. I had been on the brink of 90kg to 89kg but despite several weeks of battle stayed around 92kg. (having started at 99-100kg on 1 Aug).

Sunday I ate a tub of Ben and Jerry’s, yep the full thing. And felt so bloated and constipated since, plus not having drunk enough water over several days due to events and travel where toilet access more limited – so still feeling that way. Well that was enough to spur me back into BSD action and weighed at 90.9kg this morning.

When travelling home from meeting in London on Tuesday, I had enough time to walk instead of 2 stops on the tube to Euston, including through Regents Park. And that with my overnight and train book reading backpack – it struck me how well I was feeling walking and that I had lost since Aug more than I was carrying in the backpack. Weighed the backpack when I got home and it was 4 kg – half the weight I had lost, and so re-motivated to get the rest off too…

Hope for the people on a plateau, I posted on 20th that I had been stuck for 2 weeks, 21st I lost weight and today I have lost even more. It does shift eventually so don’t give in. I think the body needs time to adjust to what it sees as strange things happening.

Hi, I wonder if people can help me please. I am on week 3 of the 800 calorie plan. I’m not diabetic but have PCOS and 3.5 stone to lose. I haven’t lost anything this week despite sticking to the plan like glue and running 3 times a week. I’m cold and hungry quite a lot and just can’t work out why I haven’t lost anything. Last week I lost 4lb. Please help, this feels like a he’ll of a lot of effort for no weight loss so early on!

Check you are including a good amount of fat in your diet, and having at least 2.5 litres of water a day. If both of those are okay, try adding a little more salt or some higher fibre foods to try to get things moving. I have just been on a plateau for around a week and a half of no weight loss and even a couple of days of weight gain despite keeping the calories down, and this helped my weight to start dropping off again the last couple of days, I have lost 3.6 pounds since Sunday.

Hi all, definitely in a plateau type phase at the moment myself. It seems as though the last three weeks have been a question of lose a pound gain two, lose three gain two and I end up back where I started. I’ve come up with various excuses: ‘that’ time of the month, the euphemistic ‘poor digestive transit’ etc but decided I really needed to get a good handle on exact figures for calorie/ carb intake (since I have been relying on my own judgement a bit too much maybe?) so I got the myfitnesspal app. Turns out to be another huge source of frustration at the moment, I hope I’ll get the hang of it soon but it is driving me mad just now. Trying to enter my recipe for mushroom soup and cannot find a listing for 500g of mushrooms 😄 Any amount of mushroom related manufactured products, but the plain and simple ingredient, not likely! I guess I need to work at getting more familiar with the app. Perhaps that is how it helps, you spend so many hours fiddling with it that you don’t have time to eat 😛😄

Cronometer gives 140 calories and 15.5 g net carbs, 10.9 g protein and 2.4 g fat if that helps for 500 g mushrooms cooked. I am never sure whether I should use cooked or raw weights for soup though. White mushrooms raw are 110 – 11.3 – 15.5 – 1.7 in the same order. Perhaps an MFP user can suggest something or you could add it yourself.

Numi

On MFP for plain ingredients try doing eg Generic white mushrooms. That brings the raw ingredient up.

Keep persisting! You’ll get the hang of it! 🙂

I was stuck on 101.7 for ten days and then this morning 99.7..no idea why.

Thanks for that info about the mushrooms 😊 I will keep on trying with the app, I can see it will be a big help if I can get into the way of using it.

Lauralou, try mixing up your exercises. Whilst running is a great cardiovascular exercise, it’s not the best for losing fat. I would try to work in some HIIT and some weights, as both are proven to burn fat.

That aside, don’t lose hope. I don’t know how many times I’ve read on here that people have plateaued on week 3! Keep it up and it will come off.