Hi, I have started the 8 week plan and lost weight rapidly to start with. I’ve been stuck at the same weight now for a week despite following the recipes carefully. I’d like to see if portion size is a factor and thought I’d track calories using MFP. In order to set a goal I need to be able to enter the percentages of fat, protein and carbs that make up the 800 daily calories. Skimming through the 8 week book, I can’t find this information and I wonder if anyone has the answer please? It would be useful to see if the three meals I make in a day are in fact coming in at more than 800 calories.

Hi Brava you don’t say how far into the 8 weeks you are but it seems quite common to plateau after around 3 weeks and can last for a week or two. I can’t help you with fat and protein but most people stay below 50g of carbs a day especially if they have diabetes. The most common figure for carbs is 30g a day, but that is an arbitrary figure, with some people needing to stay below 20g to lose weight. I think it may be a case of trial and error. Enjoy your journey.

Thank you Verano, I have a lot to learn and am most grateful for your reply. If I use MFP I’ll use 20 or 30g for carbs and see how the calorie totals work out. I’m also hoping that the end of the plateau is in sight!

An update 10 days later. I’m using a tracker called Fat Secret, awful name but very useful programme. It works out fat, protein, carbs and calories and with its help I’ve stayed at around 20g or so carbohydrates and only once gone over the 800 daily calorie allowance. I’ve plateaued again with the net result of a 2lb loss since I started this thread. In a way, I don’t mind. I know I’m eating far more healthily and I expect there is some impact on my pre-diabetes blood sugar. Clothes alone indicate a change in shape even though the recent weight loss is so low. I’d recommend the tracker, much simpler than MFP seemed to be, but still useful. I read lots on these threads about drinking vast quantities of water, I’m not doing this really, I find it hard to see if it would promote weight loss, but what do I know? Advice welcome as always.

Brava I also use fatsecret as I find it less complicated than MFP. Water is very important but other liquids also contribute to the over all amount you should have each day. I’m not sure what the exact amount of fluid is but strangely enough we are conducting a little ‘experiment’ with water on another thread. Theodora has reached her goal weight and gone under it and is also finding it difficult to gain a little. She drinks lots of water but with a lower consumption she has started to gain weight. On the other hand I, who don’t drink enough, find that when I increase my intake the scales move down. This is in no way scientific but I guess the best way is to try it and see!

Thank you once more Verano, I am drinking coffee, my addiction of choice, with not much milk so am counting it as water +. Maybe this is where I’m falling down as far as rapid weight loss goes. I have changed what I eat since using fat secret, so no more Carb Free Bircher or Beetroot Falafels, much as I enjoyed then, and even though that is what I was eating when I had the initial loss. I like the detailed info on fat secret and the easy ability to change portion size etc. It’s an interesting journey and I’m grateful for the comprehensive discussion on these threads.

Coffee is water, basically, because you don’t eat the grindings. Milk is not. You should weigh it and count it on FS. It’s high in sugar and there have been several posters here who discovered to their dismay that they’d been drastically undercounting calories and carbs because what they thought was “just a splash” of milk added up to many ounces a day.

Good luck!

Hi Brava – Welcome to the forum! I’m also a coffee fiend. I now drink my
mugs black, but when I started my quest to lose 50% of myself and began
measuring my carbs with exactitude, I switched to unsweetened almond
milk to use in my coffee. I even got o/h to make the switch. If you measure
out 1/2 c each day to use in your coffee, you will only add 15 cal. a day, and
no net carbs. The very best of luck to you!

Allie

I’m a coffee fiend too – double espresso for me every time, so never had to bother about counting milk. But I’m sure it would soon add up if you have more than a cup a day, so do please account for it.

Good luck.

Wow! This is so helpful. I had a lurking sense that perhaps I was dodging the issue. I remember years ago with Weightwatchers careful measuring out a set daily amount of Low fat milk. I will now do a daily allocation as suggested and then come clean on fat secret. I’d hate to be undermining myself, too silly. My only concern is calcium, I’m 70 and wary of problems with bone density etc. The only cheese I eat is an occasional spoonful of ricotta on mushroom toast. I’ll investigate almond milk. Thank you everyone. I

Brava, how about some lovely full fat Greek yoghurt (my favourite is Total Fage) for breakfast, plenty of calcium in that, plus protein and good fats – add a few berries and a nut or two and it makes for a wonderful, filling breakfast which feels quite decadent. In fact, I’m addicted to the stuff!!

Hi again, Brava – 1 cup of almond milk fulfills 45% of recommended calcium
for the day. I completely agree with Theodora, adding the yogurt will get
you where you want to go! I’m just 69, so I understand your bone density
concerns 🙂 Best of luck,

Allie

Thank you so much. I have been adding in 10g of carbs each day so will substitute almond milk today. I think that is the only part of my diet that I haven’t recorded so it will be fascinating to see what happens. I’m most grateful for these helpful comments.

Hi I was told by a Dr to bin the milk as too carby, even full fat milk, so I have black coffee and tea now. For calcium I’ve been having yoghurt as above but recently discovered full fat creme freche (spelling?!) is lower in carbs than the yoghurt. Have to confess not to checking calories. It really feels like pudding though! Also, cream in coffee once a day or less as it is filling and decadent. The trick is to leave it to a spoonful when trying to maintain 800 cals (I’m not very good at that part – but am now in maintenance so something worked) But broccoli and spinach are good for calcium too I think (open to correction!)

Good evening, brava! Jackie is right, there are many vegetables that are high
in calcium. My husband has stage 3 heart failure, so the balance of calcium,
potassium and magnesium are very important with respect to his health.
If you google “foods highest in calcium”, you will find a site “health.com”
that will give you a list of 15 vegetables. It might surprise you, it certainly
surprised me. Best of luck,

Allie

Thank you, I will look at the vegetable suggestion, I could live on broccoli so that should help! I have just had breakfast, following ideas here and taking the recipe from the BSD book, 150g of plain, own brand Greek yogurt, 1 tab each of blueberries and walnuts. I’ve tried to find a brand of yogurt on the tracker list that matches the nutrients, for 100g calories would be 125, protein 4.1, carbs 4.6 of which sugars are 4.4. None matches so the comparison is hard to do. I can buy Total Fage but wonder if I should get the full fat version or the 2%? This, plus the change to almond milk will be important because if I look at lunch and dinner, I’m in line and so should be losing weight!

Unsweetened almond milk plus Total 2% yogurt are now in my fridge and I hope will help. Thank you to everyone for such helpful and encouraging posts.

You’re very welcome, Brava – Keep in touch and let us know how you’re doing.
Any other questions, and we’ve probably been there, so just ask. A very happy
BSD journey to you! 🙂

Allie

Hi Brava
Enjoy the 2% but once you’ve used it, my advice would be full fat.

You sound as if you have a good handle on this, but as Allie says, if you need any help, just shout.