Hi I am new to this forum, not diabetic but wanting to lose weight. I am 56 years old with high blood pressure, and a basic apple shape, so carry weight around my middle (I’m the only person I know who can lose half a stone off their ankles!). This diet was great at the beginning and I lost about ten pounds in the first month, then had a function I had to go to and visitors, so I put four pounds on in a week, and it has literally taken a whole month to get that four pounds off again. The last few weeks have seen my weight pretty much stay the same, despite sticking to under 800 calories a day, going to the gym four times a week doing cardio training, resistance training, metafit classes and swimming half a mile three times a week. Not sure there is much more I can do. Has anyone else plateaued on this diet? I am about five foot tall and weigh 9st 8, waist measurement about 34 inches (which hasn’t changed at all despite losing ten pounds), I would like to weigh about 8st 8.

Hi
I can feel your frustration. I have plateaued before and I think it was the type of foods I was eating, lack of water and lack of exercise.
It seems you are doing everything you should such as exercising loads etc….so I personally would go back to basics and re-check everything to rule out mistakes which are EASILY made and we all do from time to time. Apologies if you have already checked all these things.

SCALES: check your scales, the batteries, is it on a level surface, does a 2litre bottle of water weight around 4lbs? always weigh yourself first thing in the morning on an empty stomach in the nude for a more direct comparison.

WATER: How much are you drinking? For a week try to drink 3-4 litres per day. It helps curb appetite and gets things moving and apparently can help with other metabolic processes within the body. Are you drinking alcohol? If yes cut it out for a week.

FOOD JOURNAL: write down EVERYTHING that passes your lips. Tally each measured glass of water. Write carb content and calorie content of all food where possible. Are you guessing at the calorie/carb count? If so, do a little more research to get greater accuracy.

MEASURE: its a pain but for a week, religiously measure all food and drink so you are absolutely clear. Don’t guess. Check your food scales the same as your bathroom scales.

CONSTIPATION? If you are not going to the loo regularly this can cause water retention and stall weight loss. If this could be an issue, increase water from how much you were drinking up to 4litres per day. Add extra fibre e.g psyllium husk tablets from health food shop can be taken half hour before meals.

FOOD TYPE: Is there a food that you crave or treat yourself with each day? Maybe just cut that out for a week. There may be a slight chance that you could be intolerant to a certain food type e.g dairy, or your body is just reacting in a particular way to something and you need to take it out your diet for a week or two to see if that makes a difference. I found that processed foods and artificial sweeteners seemed to interfere with my weight loss. Cut out diet drinks, tea and coffee with milk and just have water for a week.

ACTIVITY: I have heard some people who exercise hard on very low calorie sometimes struggle with weight loss. I don’t know if there is science behind that but I have heard a couple of people say it, but it tends to be temporary and they make temporary changes to shift plateau (see FINALLY paragraph)

MEDICATION: if you are on any medications, these can interfere with water retention and other processes. Obviously you would need to discuss with your GP to either adjust the dose if relevant or to change the meds. But obviously work with your GP so you don’t endanger your health which is far more important than the number on the scale.

PATIENCE: This is annoyingly obvious. But you would be a freak of science if you have kept to all of the above and you did not lose weight by next month, so you may be unlucky that you lose slower than most but you cannot sustain the lifestyle you describe without losing weight in the longer term. You may be burning body fat but retaining water or gaining muscle mass, then number on the scale is not the only indicator of changes in your health status.

FINALLY: If you feel you have re-checked all of the above, you might want to experiment. I don’t know what you daily meal plan tends to be like, but if you are eating low fat for example, or low fibre, or high carb but low calorie, I would tinker with one of those. E.g for a weekend or a week, increase my calories by 200 per day: my fat; my fibre; my water and I would decrease my carbs to 20-30g; decrease my processed foods and drink; not drink alcohol

FORGOT TO MENTION;
You are not extremely overweight so weight loss will be much slower for you, and that is ok and you do not want to get underweight / ill.
Make sure you are getting a mixture of whole food and veg so you are getting sufficient vitamins, important for overall health and for the metabolic processes that lead to fat burning and efficient use of your food.
If you are burning visceral fat, eventually, your tummy girth should begin to reduce.

If you have any other symptoms or concerns, speak to your doctor to rule out any other underlying issues.

DE-STRESS stress can cause fat to accumulate on the waist, so for a week make a conscious effort to stop, breathe and be kind to yourself before each meal, and as you get in the car or go to bed. Think positive kind thoughts and give yourself permission to put aside your worries for a while. (I know easier said than done, but try it, you don’t have to be perfect, you don’t even have to be good at it, just try it and see how you feel).

Hi, thank you for all the advice, I will try a put a lot of what you suggest into practice. I am definitely not drinking enough water, and do enjoy wine, but always count it into the calories. Essentially I eat low carb, plenty of vegetables, good fats, meat cheese and fish. I strongly suspect I have metabolic syndrome as I had pcos when I was younger. I have always had to severely restrict calorie intake in order to lose weight, and as I have got older losing has been more and more difficult. Looking in the mirror i do feel I am not as broad across the shoulders as I was, I probably need to keep going and try to be patient. It is frustrating though. I log all my food and exercise through my fitness pal, but it doesn’t accept a calorie goal of 800 and keeps telling me I am eating too little, so I suppose that makes me feel even more frustrated when I don’t lose weight. Do you know of any diet /exercise apps that work well with this diet?

Personally I don’t use apps. I just know which foods I like, and ones i don’t, then I research the carb and calorie content.
I have PCOS, and even with metabolic syndrome, you will still lose weight eventually. You’ve got this 🙂
I have different issues. I know what I SHOULD do, but struggle to summon the energy to do what I need to do often enough.
So I know it’s tough and disheartening. But its not a race. As long as you are eating healthily and exercising in a healthy way (i.e not injuring yourself and getting sufficient rest in between training days) your body will respond. Don’t compare yourself to others. There is simply no point, as it will just feel so unfair. There will be people better off than you, and people worse off than you for a myriad of reasons. Pay attention to what works for you, and what doesn’t. Focus on health and not just the number on the scale.
I bet when you increase your water things will start heading in the right direction again.
The answers are simple, but working them consistently into your lifestyle can sometimes be the real challenge, so try not to worry needlessly or beat yourself up. Sometimes this takes time, and sometimes its just a determined decision, so to start, try to drink 500ml of water every 2 hours during the day, for one week, and see what happens. Let me know. 🙂

Hi, I am in week 3 of the BSD diet and I am finding it very slow, I am not tremendously overweight nor do I have diabetes but I struggle to loose fat around my waist and thighs. I have lost 3lbs in as many weeks. I am aiming to loose 10lbs over the next 6 weeks for my holidays and dad’s wedding. Thank you for the advice ref water, I thought I was drinking enough but obviously not, I find it very hard to keep drinking water as I don’t feel thirsty so tend to forget. I am also noticing the less frequent passing of stools which is worrying me slightly. I have read in the comments that salt can can help with constipation but it also can contribute to water retention, as I often feel bloated or blown up especially in hot weather. I cycle to work approx 8 miles per day and am feeling my legs are tired through lack of carbohydrates. I am going to try drinking 500ml every two hours for the next week see if this helps. Thanks again for the advise.