Hello,

I started the BSD 800 one week ago, as I need to lose some weight I have put on from a migraine medication (Venlafaxine) which is notorious for weight gain.

Starting I was 94.8kg and I’m now 93.8kg – a loss of 1kg. Based on others experiences this seems very low. I have stuck to the diet and cook the recipes in the book (except for first day when I had porridge). Am hoping to get to my ‘normal’ weight of 80-82kg.

I’m not sure if it’s just the fact I’m on my medication that I’m not losing much weight, but wanted to see if anyone else had had a small loss in the first week. It’s cool if I keep losing, but if I stall, not so great!

Thanks!

It may well be related to your medication, but stalls often do not mean that no fat is being burnt. Instead there are other factors that apparently increase weight even as the fat disappears. Measure your waist, if you are losing visceral fat then you will get reductions in dimensions even if the weight seems to be static. The first couple of days are high weight loss zones only for those people who are retaining carbs/sodium/water and do not relate to loss of fat directly. You should expect to lose between 1 and 2 pounds a week but it is very likely not to be linear. Just keep in mind the good it is doing internally if you hit a stall and KOKO.

Welcome aboard the BSD ‘bus’ LukeT. First thing to say is that we are all different and will all lose weight at differing rates. I – like many others posting on the forum – am a slow loser and so for me a kilo in a week is a good result. That might well be the case for you as well. The secret is to try not to measure your success against the success of others and then decide your success is a failure.

The bottom line is, if your are sticking to the 800 cals a day, keeping an eye on carb intake, staying well hydrated and including some good fats in your meals, it is inevitable you will lose weight. But your body will do that at it’s own rate, so patience is key. I am almost down by 3st (19kg) down on my start weight, but it didn’t happen quickly – worth it though! Most people do experience slow downs and even stalls at some point in the process, the secret is to stay focused and continue with the program – weight loss will kick in again for sure.

Please don’t be disheartened by your loss – any loss is a step in the right direction, so look to the positive. Make good use of the forum, join any threads you feel relevant to you and shout our if you need advice, encouragement etc. We’re a friendly bunch and you’ll be made welcome wherever you choose to post.

Thanks for the reply, I should be more patient, but just not massively motivating when you have such low loss. I expected it to start high and the loss get harder along the way as I progressed.

Thanks Sunny B for the encouragement – hugely appreciated! have you been on the diet longer than 8 weeks based on that loss?

I definitely feel the health benefits already – less bloated and more energy so thats good.

Yes, I’ve been on the 800 on and off for a couple of years now. My pattern has been doing a stint or two on the 800, then maintaining for a period and then beginning again. Main reason for doing it this way, is because we take extended vacations and I choose not the be on the 800 during those periods. Currently, I’m doing a final push to get down to my new target weight of 8st (having been below my original target weight of 8st 7lb since September). Pleased to say I only have another 1.8lb to lose to get there and then I’ll be back to maintaining again.

Glad you are feeling the benefits of the BSD. I certainly feel and look better now than I have in way too many years. As with many other ‘old timers’ on the forum, the BSD is now my way of living and I have no intension of returning to how things were before.

Anyway, best of luck to you and be sure to keep posting – we’re all eager to read how everyone is doing and do our best to be supportive.

Wow SunnyB I don’t think I knew the details of your story – very heartening as I am plateauing at around 9st5lbs which is healthy and so don’t currently have heart to do much more, though can lose another stone and still be healthy BMI. Would like to have it start with an 8, one day. Good to hear that’s achievable with little maintenance rests in between.

Luke – a kilo is 2.2llbs, which is a respectable shift in a week. Frustrating when others report massive initial losses, I know.

My key to success was measuring using MY Fitness Pal and not using recipes in the fast800 phase. Really low carbs in that time. I lost about 10kilos in the 8 weeks and 6 more subsequent to that very slowly but not painfully by keeping low carb high fat. Also, tended to two meals a day to give bigger window for liver to rest at night.

I think you have to jiggle it around (as it were) until you find wht works for you. It may be you need lower carbs than the recipe book suggests, for example.

Best of luck, keep us posted, I am sure you will get there if you persevere.

Hey Jackie – some of my BSD journey is detailed in my profile, but essentially, I have taken a much less hard core approach than some others, but still managed to achieve my goals. You are right about the two meals a day thing, it’s certainly something I have been doing and I’m convinced it helps. That and keeping carbs low, including fats and keeping the hydration up.

Can’t think of any reason you can’t achieve you desire to have a weight stating with an 8. Best of luck with it.