The first week I chucked out most carbs and all sugars, but forgot to cut down to 800 cals a day. I lose 3 pounds. Since Monday Ilve stuck to 800 cals, now feel very low mentally, energy does spike and drop (adjusting BS levels?) but not losing much – 4 ounces since Monday. Friends are concerned and say I am cutting back too much and the body needs a certain amount of calories to burn up the fat. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? The book is full of positives but there don’t seem to be any people saying they had a hard time with it, and results not as expected. I started out at 12 stones 13 pounds, need to lose 3 stones, I’m 56 years old and diagnosed a diabetic (just) 2 weeks ago.

Hi Kbskylady, I have found it hard to adjust also. Difficult to comment to much as I dont know your full story. I assume you have the book and have read it so some answers are available to you regarding cutting back to 800 ish cal a day. Maybe this diet is to challenging at the mo and the 5:2 would be better at first. Getting used to reducing your cal for 2 day in a week will help moving on to the 800. I was diagnosed in Sept and 56 YO. I didnt have any symptoms that i recognized as diabetic but after reading this book certain behavioral things make sense. It is very difficult no one said it would be easy. You WILL succeed. Believe in yourself this is only the start. You will lose weight if you exercise, drink plenty of water and reduce portion sizes down also. Also keep active in between meals. Best of Luck! Mark

Hi Kbskylady
I am exactly the same as you on week two and no weight loss yet since 13/2 but I lost 7 lbs first week so if I was on a “normal” diet and had lost half a stone in two weeks I would be exstatic. As Mark says it will work and we have to keep going, I also feel no energy this week but trying to keep active regardless, food diary helps me
Reading the forums on here helps, I have also made coconut flour scones and a loaf to have as treats, the cloud bread is tasty too, I’m going to try the pumpkin seed muffins soon too
Best Regards

Hi Kbskylady.
Try not to get despondent. If you have read the book cover to cover you will find everything you need to make this a successful diet for you. But for me this is not just a fad diet so that after i reach my targets i just go back to how i ate before, otherwise in a few months i will be back where i started! (17st 4lb)
So for me this is a life style change. and i shall be adopting a true Mediterranean eating plan.
i have lost 13.8lbs since staring out last Monday (the 8th) I have found once i got over the first couple of days i was feeling more happy/energetic and sleeping better. The meals in the book are tasty and filling and do not leave me with cravings.
I am still partaking of moderate amounts of alcohol. The odd glass of red wine or a gin and tonic.
My tummy woodge has shrunk, my belt doesn’t feel tight. But what keeps me motivated about from better health/longer life grandchild etc, is the Grands worth of clothing hanging in my thin mans wardrobe just waiting to be worn.
So i wish you success, dont give up.
Regards Shrinky.

There are people having a hard time, there are threads on it on the forum. The thing is, everyone is an individual and things will happen at different times for different people.
My theory is probably rubbish but it goes like this.
Week 1 – 2 lots of weight loss and lower BS readings. The body has just been assaulted with a way of eating that it has probably never experienced before and it doesn’t know how to react hence the rapid decrease in weight and blood sugar.
Week 3 maybe a plateau ? The body is now recovering from the initial shock and goes into protective mode where it will automatically maintain weight by retaining water and using stored sugar until it finds a way to cope with the new regime.
Week 4 stored sugar is used up. Now the body has to find a source of calories to burn so it goes into fat burning mode and now we’re cooking on gas.
BTW I see a lot of people who have lost a good amount of weight initially trot out the old “most of it is water” chestnut. I’m not so sure that this holds true on this diet given the copious amounts of water we are glugging, add to that the fact that there are several folk on here who were already on some other diet (maybe low fat) before starting out on this one so the water loss thing is well in their past but they are still getting great results.
Stick with it, you will get there, maybe not as fast as otheres but, better safe than sorry.

Thanks for taking time to reply, everyone. It’s clear I’m not the only one, so probably am not ‘doing it wrong’. I will give those coconut flour scones a try, thanks for the tip. Can’t say I’m missing bread or potatoes, but I used to have a lot of rice or pasta with everything – no pasta now, but a little rice twice a week. Shrinkydinkyman, I so agree with what you say – this diet has to work for me too because I just cannot go back to where I was. Hence I’m looking at this as the start of a new way of eating, forever. I also understand the ‘thin man’s wardrobe’ – I have beautiful clothes in the wardrobe that haven’t gone near me for years! I’m determined to be able to wear them again. Bill1954, I will start checking the forum threads – so many it is hard to choose. I could spend my life online! I like what you say in your Week 1 summation, i.e. body not knowing what’s hit it. After years of abuse – I fed it constant chocolate/sugar, pasta, potatoes, bread, ice cream et. – it’s definitely in shock I think. I think I’m having my plateau early too. I believe my body has responded very fast to the changes, same as it does when I have started a new exercise regime so I guess I need to look at this as a good sign. It;s great to get other people’s views, because you often put things in a way I would not have thought of, so thanks to all of your for your input. I’m feeling a tad cheerier now and will try to have more patience as I carry on. 🙂

Hiya,
Don’t think anyone else has mentioned it above but have you tried using the myfitnesspal app? If you can? I use it on my phone but you can also do it on your computer? It really helps me make sure I’m counting it all correctly so I stay within calorie budget, and it helps with working out the calories of random things that I wouldn’t have a clue about?
Try to stay with it. I’ve just completed week one and am thrilled with my loss and have found it really quite easy – I’m sure the app has really helped.
Good luck and stay positive, it will work once you get your head round it I’m sure 🙂

I use the MyFitnessPal website to note all my food intake, it’s great. I don’t have the facility on my mobile to use apps but I’m guessing it’s the same thing. Very happy for you that Week 1 has gone so well. Thanks for the good wishes. 🙂

Hi sky
Just reading ‘Low carb problems solved’ by Jenny Ruhl(. £3 on kindle)
She says low mood is caused by the changeover your body has to make from carb burning to fat burning, and should resolve fairly quickly as this occurs, especially if you keep your carbs low.
Penny

Thanks, Penny,that is very helpful. Today I am feeling more stable, so I guess it holds true.

Weight loss needs strong will power and determination.

Hi
I’m in week two and slowed down also. Keep up the great changes you’re making!

OP

This is week 3. I lost 5lbs in week one and nothing since. My mood is really low and I am snappy. I hope it will improve. I am on anti depressants for bad pmt and it feels like I have just made the problem even worse. I don’t want to undermine the effects of the anti ds.

Week 1 is when you drain all the glycogen out of your liver and muscles. You can think of glycogen as glucose stored with water. It is heavy and as you use it up you will show a big weight loss. You will probably regain some of this weight when you go off the 800 diet though.

The following 7 weeks you will have a much slower weight loss, but the weight loss will be fat, so it is real. People seem to lose about 2-3 pounds a week and if you are careful and disciplined and do not go back to your old ways, this loss will be permanent.

It is strange that you are eating 800 calories a day and not losing weight. Perhaps your meds are interfering with it.

Personally, I feel that the high fat allowance has kept up my spirits a lot, as well as my daily walk and my indoor exercising. When I tried a low carb diet a few years ago I found myself quite unhappy much of the time, but on this diet I am eating more fat and I feel much fuller, and of course watching the numbers move is very uplifting.

Good luck.

Last time I tried a low-carb diet was leading up to my wedding and I was miserable every second. Despite headaches and carb flu in the first week of this one, it didn’t have the same depressing effect. Maybe the allowed fat? SureSlim was low-carb low-fat low-everything. But i was allowed cruskits – nutritional cardboard!

Kbskylady

The 800 BSD diet is based around science, and Dr Michael Mosley has dispelled so many false and misleading views of dieting.

The simple science is that your body expends energy. The only sources for energy are food and the body stores. Eating less than you consume means your body MUST consume stores.

It’s hard to see through short term plateaus or even increases and they can be depressing BUT you will see results. It’s science.

( last week I gained 2kg and was depressed – today I lost 3 kg – water retention and constipation)

Best of luck and this diet does work. It’s science ! Best of all you will see your diabetes reverse 😃