I noticed that my weight loss was good in the first week and not too bad in the second but wasn’t as good in the third and fourth week, but (the loss) has increased again in the fifth week. I would have put this down to random things, but others are reporting a similar effect. It is possible that the majority have a consistent weight loss and so don’t post on the forum – I don’t know.

I am not a doctor and stopped biology at 14 with no further (biological or sport science) education since but I do have a theory and would be interested to hear the views of others.

Assumption A :- The body sores glycogen in the muscles and the glycogen is bound to water. When we fast this glycogen is quickly used and the corresponding loss of water results in very quick weight loss for the first day or two. [I think I am confident about this.]

Assumption B:- The body gets better at processing fat as we continue with the lower carbohydrate higher fat diet. [This is likely to vary with each individual, but in any case I am less confident about this.]

So perhaps after the start of fasting the initial water loss helps with the diet in the first week. Then after two or three weeks the body gets better at processing the fat and in time restores some of the glycogen to the muscles and the water. So the body is losing fat but the initial lost water is now restored.

When I tried 5:2 previously I noticed massive weight swings on the morning after a fast and the day each side. Some of the weight lost is the water loss and some is the weight of food in the intestine. If this theory has any merit those swings after a few weeks should be less severe. I will watch out in a few weeks when I switch to 5:2 on this diet.

Love to hear if anyone has any thoughts on why I am wrong or otherwise. Does anyone know of a glycogen test? Has anyone else noticed similar (or different) weight loss patterns?

Hi FoFi – yes I have had a plateau of sorts. My first week saw almost daily progress in weight lose and then week two this seemed to stall, although there was a 2lb lose by the end of the week – and interestingly a 1.5inch lose on the waist measurement. So this week – week three – I was expecting things to be much the same as last week and again the weight stayed the same Monday through Wednesday, but the scales showed a 2lb lose this morning.

I don’t know the science behind these plateaus, but I do know that others are reporting similar events, so it would seem to be normal for this type of diet. Of course it does make it harder to stay focussed and positive when the plateaus happen, but at least you can be sure that the 800 diet will show results relatively quickly after a plateau, as long as you stick with it. When I plateaued on the Weight Watchers diet, it could be weeks and weeks of plateau before any additional movement.

Hi there,
I don’t know about testing for glycogen but I am now testing for ketosis which is proving fascinating. I have found that I have needed to really keep the carbs low and the fat a lot higher than I would have thought necessary before. I had a big blip last week where I put two pounds on without any effort at all and four days of 800 did nothing to change it. But since I have gone low carb high fat, I have lost those two pounds again. I like the ketosis test as it seems to give an insight into my body that I am eating the right things.
Its got me thinking though. In all my years with WW, ketosis was never ever mentioned. I think that’s because it would be virtually impossible to achieve ketosis on their carb rich low fat plan. So how exactly did people lose weight with WW? How exactly did I lose weight? I know it was incredibly slow and unsustainable and I would never try it that way again.
I’ve been reading up on a website called diet doctor who is very similar in his views to Saint Dr Mosley.

I too have had the plateau effect. The last three mornings I have stayed at exactly the same weight (15.8.2) down from 17.4.0 four and a half weeks ago. So I am very pleased with weight loss so far as well as all the other positive benefits of weighing over one and a half stone lighter!
Still a way to go to target but I am enjoying this new way of eating.
My plateau’s seem to happen if I try out new things. Yesterday I made Coconut flour pancakes (drop scones)
They were very nice and I probably ate more than I should. But they were so good!
Also I have been off work the last few days taking care of my wife post Carpal tunnel surgery. So have had more time to indulge!
But I am determined to stick with it, and have many projects around the house planned once the milder weather gets here. Just ordered a lean to greenhouse for the back patio, so I can grow our own salad and vegetables.
On the subject of cravings, I did hanker after one of those chocolate covered ginger cookie’s I so used to enjoy with my coffee. But it soon passed after a small handful of Almonds.
Kind regards Shrinky.

Interesting to see this, thanks for posting Fofi and everyone. I have just completed my first week….and while I am utterly delighted at a 7.5 lb loss it all happened in the first 4 days and has been stuck there since! Was discouraged this morning when still the same as I have been under 20 – 25g carbs daily with fats higher than protein….came back here for inspiration to keep my head down and carry on and have now got it thanks to you all! Happy Fast 800 whatever week you are in, look forward to seeing your results again soon 😃

What is this all about ?

A plateau is when your weight stays the same even though you have stuck to the diet. It turns out weight loss is not just about simply calories in and calories out or we would all lose weight very rapidly all the time on the bsd 800. Its about much more than that but we don’t really know enough about the ‘much more’ at the moment.

Thanks for this FoFi, it’s a great thread!
Both of your assumptions make sense to me, even tho they’re not very scientific 😉!
My weight can fluctuate daily and there can be up to 3lbs difference in my evening weight and my morning weight. Note to self: must stop weighing myself so much….!
It’s comforting to see that others get the ‘week 2/3 plateau’ like I did, but nowhete near as comforting as watching that pin on the scale move to the left in week 4/5!!

This has been good to read! I’ve gone from 92.3kg down to 85kg in three weeks, and I’m feeling great, and not deprived, but I am starting to hit a plateau and had been just wondering whether others had this too. I’m not at all tempted to quit, but also interesting to read about the ketosis issue. I hadn’t really been paying much attention and just following recipes from the book and this site.
Thanks!

One thing that I don’t think was mentioned above is the loss of inches even when the weight doesn’t change much or in some cases at all. This is because as you burn fat the body replaces each fat molecule with a water molecule (provided you are sufficiently hydrated) which takes up less space in the fat cell. As each fat cell becomes empty of fat then it collapses and the water comes out, causing the ‘whoosh’ effect where more than a pound can be lost overnight. Just keep the faith, keep measuring as well, and ride out the slow changes waiting for the next ‘whoosh’.

Good to read this, am on week 4 but have not been able to replicate the losses I had in week 1, where I lost a kilo per day! Am trying hard not to lose my motivation. Also struggling with constipation despite drinking 6 pints of water a day

All advice welcome

I have plateaus too. I don’t really understand why they happen (possibly there’s a variety of reasons) but they seem to happen with many weight loss diets, not just the BSD. Initial higher weight loss then slowing down is also common in other diets.