Hi
I am in my third week now. Following all the menu’s in the book, although changing the breakfast a little as I am short on time. Lost 8llbs in the first two weeks, but have lost nothing in the last 4 days. Is this normal?

Hey Jacanne!

I have also just started my third week (yesterday). I lost 10lbs in the first week, nothing in the 2nd week and still nothing yet in week 3 (although I do realise that’s only just started!). From the very helpful people on here, I understand a bit of a stall in weeks 2 and 3 is quite common and will be followed by another loss. The trick is to keep going and not give up! I’ve been quite tempted to give in to lovely bread and cake but am trying to stay strong. I don’t want to undo the good work from the first week. Do you track your food/drink closely?

Hello Flash21
Thank you for your response. I had a steady loss week 1 and 2, so very disappointed not to lose week 3. I am though keeping going as I feel so much better and I am also managing to get more sleep. I don’t really track my food, but I only eat what is on the menu in the book for that day. I will see how it goes and possibly I need to record exact calories. I only drink black coffee and water at the moment. I don’t miss bread etc, but I really miss all the fruit that I used to snack on. Oh well, good luck for the next 5 weeks.

Pleasure! It is disappointing to step on the scales and not see any difference – especially when you’ve been sticking quite rigidly to the plan. But feeling better and getting more sleep are equal benefits. It might be worth tracking for a few days to see if you can see anything that might be derailing you a bit. Do you also weigh/count exact measurements when following the menus? Good to hear you don’t miss bread – wish that would happen to me! Good luck to you too 🙂

Thanks. I am not great a weighing stuff, except porridge. I make meals for 4 of us and then divide by 4, generally speaking I have the smallest portion. What I really miss is something sweet after my evening meal. I still haven’t lost my craving for the sweet goodies.

I am guessing it is porridge you have for breakfast, are you keeping to 25 grams, I love porridge in winter but it is way out of my calories and carbs allowance, 25 grams is about 30 grams of carbs, calories not too bad. Are you having real oats or ready mixed, there is a big difference.

25 grams of plan porridge with cinnamon apples, its in the recipe book. Why do you say its way out of your calories and carb allowance? I have to say, there’s not much in the bowl, but I do always weigh it.

Just because it’s in the recipe book doesn’t mean an individual will choose to include that particular item in their 800 calories and 50 or less grams of carbs.

25 grams of carbs on 1 item is really a lot! I wouldn’t want to do that every day.

I do eat porridge/or oats sometimes … but now i just add cinnamon.

Jacanne, sorry to be ganging up on you, we are not really, just trying to help. I just saw the words cinnamon APPLES, yikes, now they are high in carbs, one medium apple is around 28 grams of carbs. If the cinnamon is a sugared version then you are way out. So your apple and porridge is nearly my total carbs for the day. I allow 50 grams. Try having grilled mushrooms with a poach egg, 1 large mushroom is about 3 carbs and an egg is zero, it will keep you full all morning.

I have just checked the recipe book, yes it is in, and no sugar on the apples, but it is 260 calories and 38 grams of carbs. That only leaves 12 grams of carbs (for me) and 540 calories for 2 more meals.

Thanks folks! At the end of the cookery book there is 8 weeks of planned menu’s that I am sticking too. Generally speaking I have greek yoghurt most days with a small amount of berries. Porridge is only about once a week. I haven’t got a lot to loose, but perhaps I need to read up a bit more about it and check my carbs. To be honest, I am not really sure what my carb allowance is.

The diet doesn’t actually specify a carb allowance, as I understand it, but lots of people here try to restrict the net carbs they eat because it encourages greater weight loss. Some people go for under 50 g, others 30 g. But it isn’t part of Dr. MM’s plan, as I understand it.

I plateaued, like you, but someone suggested I start measuring things other than weight. And it was true: even though the scales showed no change, my waist did shrink a couple of centimetres.

Hi there…! Like many people here, i plateaued round end week 2 / week 3.. Its disheartening,we all can understand how you feel! But keep going! If you join myfitness pal or mynetdiary,they will calculate yr cals and carbs for you,so you know what youre having every day and can alter things round if need be so you only eat the amounts youve decided to eat.
i go for 800 cals and 50 g carb a day…had to learn that the apples and pears i love were no longer foods i can eat freely..the carb content is pretty high! I only have a handful of berries a day now and keep an eye on veg too..a small apple is a weekly or fortnightly treat now!x

Dear Yowzer49
Thank you for your very helpful message. I will look into the mynetdiary app today. When you say, keep an eye on the veg too, can you explain. I tend to eat quite a lot of raw veg with a small amount of humus. Perhaps I need to rethink this?

Love my fruit, so I am finding this harder to give up them cakes, sweets, etc. Quite sad to think that an apple is a treat! Heyho – onwards and upwards.

Dear Snoop

Thanks for your message. I have definitely seen a change in my clothes and how they look. To loose weight is great, but I have also found that my head is less fuzzy, I am sleeping a lot better (actually slept the whole night last night, first time in around 10 years), feeling less sluggish, more positive about things, not quite so hormonal, which is not easy being a women and hitting 50. All in all, this diet is making me feel generally a lot better and more positive about this. Yipeeeeeeeeeee.

I think I will look into the 50g carb and monitor my portions a little more. Have new batteries for my scales so I might surprise myself tonight as I haven’t weighed in for around 4 days. x

Good luck on the scales Jacanne. But keep going whatever they say – you’ll be so glad you did. I’m on my week 9 this week and I am feeling really confident about being in control after completing my first 8 weeks. I had ups and down and sticking points etc but it’s taught me so much about which foods I actually need – you’ll tweak as you go and figure out what works for you. I have no sugar cravings at all anymore – don’t even think about it. If you are feeling discouraged just go and try on some clothes and that will cheer you up!

Thank you Antigone

Joined Bootcamp last week, which is really good fun. Hopefully this will help with my weight loss and toning. As you say, its best not to get hooked up on weight loss as the over all benefits out weigh that. I am still craving sugar, but I have not yet given in to it. Congratulations on reaching week 9 – you are now a pro at this. Thanks for your support.

Dear Yowzer49
I have uploaded the mynetdiary app and I can work out most things. What it doesn’t record is carbs. How do I do that please. Thanks.

Hello again Jacanne,

The caution with veg is making sure you don’t eat too much of anything that grows in the ground as they tend to have a much higher carb content than other veg. So think leafy green, cauliflower, broccoli etc rather than carrots, swede, parsnips and so on.

Thank you Flash 21. That is good to know and easy to remember. Luckily I have mainly been eating greens, cauliflower and broccoli.

I am guessing that sweetcorn is off the menu?

Sounds good! I think sweetcorn is one to steer clear of too. Or maybe just in small quantities not too often!

Lost 18 lbs in first 3 weeks but now no weght loss for a week! I am keeping my eyes on the big picture of good health but actually losing lbs helps my visualization of myself at my goal weight. I keep track of my food, calories, exercise. From your experience, will the weight loss resume? …..Feeling a bit down so any words of hope will be appreciated and hopeful. Thank you.

Plateaus don’t last forever, and even while you are not losing weight the composition of your body can change, so keep measuring, trying on test clothes to check looseness, etc. And don’t worry about it. Stress hormones can affect weight loss, so try to just stick to the plan and listen to your body.

Thank you Mixnmatch. Your advice to listen to my body is very thoughtful and helpful. Grateful for your advice.

I’m new to this program and have been waiting for all my ducks to line up before starting ‘properly’. The ducks are still out there but coming into alignment slowly. In the meantime I’ve been reading posts here to get me kick started and I would like to make a comment about those bathroom scales, which for me have been my downfall many many times. They can be so depressing.
I know I’m overweight and I really don’t need to know HOW overweight I am each and every day. If I’ve lost a bit then that gives me the green light to have a ‘treat’ (which isn’t really a treat, more like a sabotage) because I’ve lost according to the scales. And if I’ve put on weight – shock horror… I’ve been sooo good how did this happen – then I feel depressed and a failure. Should the dreaded plateau occur… well this clearly isn’t working and I might as well go back to my old ways! I know Dr MM says to weigh in daily, but I would encourage you to ditch the scales for a while (a week at least) and just trust yourself. If you’re having 800 calories you must lose weight even if you’re a couch potato – which I’ll bet you aren’t.
As for the fruit… full of sugar (very addictive) and carbs. Fruit is part of a healthy diet, but we are doing this to lose weight and in the process will hopefully kick the sugar addiction.

Excellent advice Mimigogirl! I do exactly what you do – giving myself the green light even if the scales have moved the slightest fraction and then beat myself up about it after. It’s not a very healthy way of doing things! I’m trying now not to weigh until my “official” weekly weigh day, which is on Tuesday.

What an amazing post to read…i am just at the end of my 2nd week and enjoyed a small drop in the scales daily – apart from the last 2 days. I feel so frustrated as i have done nothing different but am urging myself not to derail. I will go and take some measurements but i am also checking my keytones which are at a ‘moderate’ level so sure i am in the right zone. If only weight loss was consistent.

Hi Josiejo, and a warm welcome to the community! You may not have noticed, but this thread is several years old…
Please join us on an active one, like ONE WEEK AT A TIME. Come on over! We’re looking forward to getting to know you!
You will receive tremendous support there. Good Luck!

Allie

Hi. Get off the scales! Weighing yourself only gives you cause for concern. If you’re genuinely eating only 800 calories a day then you WILL lose weight. Fact! Have a start and end point … say weigh today and do not do it again for 4 weeks. Not sooner. Don’t cheat. Choose a date and stick to it. Celebrate a massive loss at 4 weeks (which it will be) and don’t worry about day to day fluctuations. But stick to the diet. Use clothes sizes as a more frequent and obvious motivator, not the scales. Hope this helps.