Morning all, please can you help me as I’m despairing.
I lost 12 pounds in 2 weeks and have now been at the same weight for 10 days. I’m eating 800 cals per day with between 25g to 50g carbs so what is happening??
I appreciated I would get a plateau but is it normal to be this long?
What is going on with my body and when will the weight go??
Any help or advice would be appreciated as I feel like giving up 😕

Hi Claire
Please don’t despair. 12lbs is a great beginning xx

It’s quite common for people to experience a stall in week 3. I certainly did. Like you I lost in the first 2 weeks (8lbs for me) and then I remember how frustrating it was in Week 3 when nothing happened. My stall lasted for 2 weeks. I had other stalls, but the one in Week 3 was the longest.
This way of eating worked overall because I did lose the weight and I did lose it quickly, but the way I lost weight was always sporadic -after that first stall I’d lose 3 or 4lb all at once, then lose nothing for sometimes a week, then suddenly drop 3 or 4 pounds again.

Other people will be along with some helpful tips (I basically just stuck it out) but just wanted to say don’t give up, keep going and it will work.

Jennie xx

Thanks so much Jennie, I was on the verge of giving up! I’ll keep at it and be patient 😁

Hi,
First of all your initial weight loss will is effected by water loss. Our bodies need to store water as part of processing a carb heavy diet, as soon as you drop the number of carbs your body can release that water.
If you give us some more information, what you are eating, what your daily figures for carbs, protein and fat are then we will be able to give you more help.

However,
Using scales as the only way of monitoring progress can be disheartening for a number of reasons and I would really recommend that you take measurements, (even photographs) so that you can look for inch loss and shape changes rather than just relying on the scales.
So reasons for no changes on the scales for a few days.
1. Our weight will fluctuate by upto 3kg over the course of a day, it depends on what we have eaten = weight in our digestive system. 800 calories of celery weighs more than 800 calories of cheese. Each ltr of water weighs 1kg so it depends on where you are in the input / output of water.
2. Our bodies do not empty the fat from a single cell at a time, instead they take a little fat from a number of cells and replace it with water. Repeating this until finally the fat cells are completely empty of fat when the water is released and the cells collapse. How long this process takes depends on the size of the area of fat the body is working on. Search for the whoosh effect for more information.
3. Many of us have reported size / shape changes in areas we didn’t expect. Drops in shoe size, collar bones exposed, so don’t restrict your measuring to just waist and hips as again you will be disappointed.
4. As a result of following a way of eating that lowers insulin levels other hormone systems can work better. One of those systems is the growth hormone, responsible for triggering repair and improvements in response to exercise of bone and muscles. So you may be improving your bone density, or muscle strength at the same time as burning fat which will result in inch loss but not weight loss.
5. One lb of fat = 3500 calories. Depending if you have been yo – yo dieting in the past, cutting calories but not cutting carbs you could have damaged your metabolic rate so its going to take you time on 800 calories to burn 3500 calories more than you eat.

Hi Claire – JGwen has done her usual excellent job of explaining what’s happening and she and Jennie are right, stick with it and it will come right and the pounds will start to melt away again. Stalls and plateaus are frustrating, but riding them out will bring you success. JGwen is right about checking daily figures – sometimes dropping the carbs a little can get things moving again. And of course good hydration is essential, so if in doubt, have another glass of water.

If you’re not already on them, it’s worth joining the One Week at a Time and/or the Attentively Awesome August thread/s. They offer lots of support and encouragement, as well as suggestions and advice when things get difficult and celebrations when things go well.

Hi Claire! Did the scales start moving again?
I experienced the same in week 3 and was rather frustrated and angered at MM false claims of steady and rapid weight loss 🤣
However it did finally shift and my body seems now to be in optimal fat burning regimen.
It took a couple of weeks to adjust past the initial dramatic (water) losses.
Hang in there!! Do you feel any improvement in your clothes?

Morning,
Still no pounds lost but clothes feel better. Patience is not my strong point so just gritting my teeth and carrying on 😳