Week 4 - Summer Low Carb Bootcamp - Wherein we totes commit

[BigStickBIWI]

OK. It has come to my attention that there has been a lot of slippage going on over the last few days

Low carbing is not a very forgiving way of eating. It isn't like following a low calorie diet, where one meal or one day can compensate for another.

If you're low carbing then you have to commit to low carbing all the time.

Once you reach your target weight, then this isn't necessarily the case, but whilst you're losing weight, you really do have to keep your carbs low. If you don't, then all you're doing is constantly messing with your blood sugars.

And, if you have a massive increase in carbs, you are constantly re-filling your glycogen stores, which means your weight could go up by as much as 7lbs. And you're stopping your body shifting from carb-burning to fat-burning, because you're having to deal with all those pesky carbs.

So, here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to confess all

Let's make sure that we really commit and get shot of that weight.

[AngieAir]

Another 1lb off for me, slow but steady and enjoying my food. Have managed to cut down my cream intake.

Need to drink more water and stop accepting cake for fear of causing of offence (sorry BIWI, seems to happen once a week but I guess that if I really didn't want it I wouldn't have it, no one has ever managed to force a sandwich on me).

Also to drink fewer cups of tea as 8 have it with a splash of milk. Some warm weather would help with that!

[middleagedspread]

No change for me.
I feel quite cross because I've been really good. I don't have that much to lose & wonder if that's why (clutching at straws). I think my clothes are a bit loser though, but still in my 'fat' jeans.
Resisted carby temptations last night, I'm very proud of my self control.

[BlackAffronted]

I am struggling so much this Bootcamp :( Last time I was able to stick to it really well, but I cant seem to this time round. We are also struggling with money at the moment, with a week to go, and it is so much cheaper & easier if I stock up on cheap carbs to feed everyone. So Im struggling with guilt just now too, for spending some money on unprocessed meat & veg when I could have bought a lot more "other" stuff. And now we have bare cupboads :( I know only I can lose this weight, but I feel a bit overwhelmed atm. Hopefully, come payday Ill be back on it!

So sorry for the woefull post! I just didnt want to disappear. I hope everyone else is doing brilliantly :)

[WillieWaggledagger]

angieair i read recently a post on another forum about how women particularly find their diets sabotaged in this way through not wanting to cause offence. it suggested that women in general are often conditioned into not upsetting or inconveniencing others, and wanting to make them comfortable, to the extent that it might have a real negative impact on them

of course, being sociable and a nice person to be around is a good thing, but you mustn't think that your own goals and needs (health, weight loss, whatever) are so unimportant in comparison to other people's. easier said than done, i know

[BigStickBIWI]

Agree, Willie.

Angie - you're quite right - no-one ever forces a sandwich on to you! You have to have the courage of your convictions and refuse the cake. Often people do this because they are jealous and/or they don't want you to succeed in your diet. And you are more important and deserve more than that!

BlackAffronted I'm sorry, but lack of money is really a bit of an excuse. Low carbing doesn't have to be expensive, and as someone who is such a good cook, you know that. Look at the recipe thread again for some inspiration.

[QueenofDreams]

OK ladies I'll be back on the LC from today. and no being guilted out of it. Although DP has ordered fish pie for one of our dinners this week. I'll just have to try and avoid the potato topping I guess.

[AngieAir]

Willie I do agree about the politeness sabotage.

I can often say no but in the last week or so I've been faced with old friend who'd bought my latte & croissant before I arrived at the cafe and a work colleague at a meeting who'd made a truly amazing cake and was handing slices round. I felt there was no escape. Of course I didn't have to eat the whole thing - that's my lack of willpower not politeness.

I do this a lot at my mil's too. She is veggie plus fish and eats low fat soya stuff and thinks I'm crazy because I call it processed and won't eat it. I once had a bleak meal of steamed veg and meat boiled in a stock cube sauce. Only low fat soya marg available for fat which I won't eat. I then ate half the trifle. I might bring my own butter next time. Now that would freak her right out .

[BigStickBIWI]

Whoops - I managed to post all this on the wrong thread, so am re-posting here:

I'd like to pick up on a comment that twinkle made on the last thread - she has stopped doing Bootcamp because she was getting bored of eating the same things all the time.

I've also noticed one or two others talk about eating the same thing regularly.

If you narrow down your food/meal choices like this, you will get bored and it's a surefire way to guarantee that you will give up!

It's also pretty pointless when you think of all the lovely foods that you can eat - think how much more restrictive a low calorie diet is compared with low carbing!

Here are some cheap/economic recipes from the recipe thread:

Asparagus Frittata (serves 2)

British asparagus is in season now, and it should be a little cheaper than it might normally be. However, if it's still too expensive, you can replace it with another green vegetable or a mixture of green vegetables, like broccoli or courgette. Similarly, if Parmesan/Pecorino is out of reach, use a mature cheddar instead.

250g/9oz asparagus, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in pieces
4 eggs
4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
225g/8oz spring onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil

• Cook asparagus in boiling water until tender (7-10 minutes)
  
• Whisk the eggs and add the cheese and the spring onions
  
• Pre-heat the grill
  
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan that can go under the grill
  
• Put in the asparagus; stir-fry for a minute, then pour in the eaten eggs, moving the asparagus around gently to make sure the egg mixture gets right through, and that the grated cheese is well distributed
  
• Let the frittata cook over a moderate heat for a few minutes until the underside is cooked and lightly browned, then put the pan under a hot grill for a minute or two until the top is set and golden brown
  

5.5g carbs per serving

Recipe from Rose Elliot's "The Vegetarian Low-Carb Diet Book"

Low Carb Shepherd's Pie (serves 6)

Mince is always good value, and it's usually on offer as well. This makes a really good family meal and is also very low carb

5 leeks (about the number you will get in a pack from Sainsbury) sliced
1/2 head of celery, sliced
500g beef mince
1 OXO cube
1 whole celeriac, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 Echalion shallots (Sainsbury's sell these - long and thin rather than round - but I guess ordinary shallots would be find - you need around 75g)
Grated cheese

• Fry your beef first, in olive oil in a large frying pan, and season with salt, pepper and when browned, crumble in the OXO cube
  
• In a large saucepan, fry the leeks and celery in butter with a splash of olive oil (Adding the oil helps to prevent the butter from burning)
  
• When softened, add the mince and then cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes, with the pan lid on
  
• After 30 minutes, take the lid off and reduce the amount of liquid (it needs to be reasonably dry - but do this to your own taste)
  
• While the meat is cooking, boil your celeriac in a large pan of salted water, till tender - this will take 20-25 minutes
  
• Drain and mash - either by hand or with a stick blender.
  
• Thinly slice the shallots and fry gently till nicely browned, in butter with a splash of oil, then mix into the mash
  
• Put the meat into an oven-proof dish and spread the mash on top of it. Top with the grated cheese and bake for around 20 minutes in a hot oven until the cheese is browned.
  

32g for the whole thing; 5.4g carbs per portion if serving 6 people.

Marinated Courgette with Mozzarella

Courgettes are often sold cheaply as 'Basics' in Sainsbury's. They tend to be slightly bigger than the ones that are sold loose, but they taste just as good. And you can also buy Basics mozzarella too, so the cheese element of this dish doesn't need to be expensive

4 medium courgettes (about 500g)
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
1 large clove garlic, finely slivered
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus a little juice
A handful of mint or basil, roughly torn
1 ball of buffalo mozzarella (about 125g), or other mild, soft cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Top and tail the courgettes, then cut them lengthways into thin slices, 1?2mm thick. Put them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil and use a pastry brush to get them all lightly coated.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a fairly high heat. Working in batches, sear the courgette slices for about 2 minutes on each side until tender and golden. Transfer them to a shallow dish.

Take the frying pan off the heat and let it cool down a bit. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the garlic and lemon zest. Heat very gently for a few minutes ? the residual heat in the pan may be enough ? you just want to take the raw edge off the garlic and infuse the flavours into the oil.
Pour the infused oil over the courgettes. Add some salt and pepper, a little squeeze of lemon juice and the mint or basil. Toss together, cover and leave for 1 hour at room temperature.

Serve with the torn mozzarella scattered over it.

(A River Cafe recipe)

[BigStickBIWI]

Queen - when you say DP has 'ordered' it, what do you mean? If you are making it, can't you substitute cauliflower or celeriac mash for the potato mash?

If it's a ready meal he's ordered, then can you not order something else?

[MrsFlorrick]

Morning everyone.
Sorry you are struggling blackaffronted. Life likes to get in the way of plans doesn't it!! Pick yourself up and dust yourself off and start again.

2.2 lbs off me this last week. It's a complete record for me. Sadly I suspect it has more to do with low food intake over Friday and Saturday after my bullet proof coffee vs amoxicillin debacle than my LC efforts.

All the same. Hurrah!! So that makes a whole 6.2 lbs in erm 6 months.

[NewStartNewStory]

morning.



will weigh in tomo when i haven't spent virtually the whole night awake and drinking fluids.

[BigStickBIWI]

MrsFlorrick - it's still 6lbs! Better to be able to report that than a 6lb gain.

It took me almost a year to lose two stone - and the last half a stone probably took me about 6 months. Slow and sure wins the race, though. This is a marathon not a sprint, as someone once said.

[QueenofDreams]

BIWI, it's a ready meal. We do all our shopping on Ocado. It's a big one though, so it's shared between us. Ordering another one is just not an option. I'm really not going to be able to do this am I? P is really really against low carb, I'm not going to get him to change that, and I won't be able to do it myself when he WILL buy carby meals like that.

[milliemoomay]

Morning all! I slipped up horribly on Friday (bottle of rose and other unmentionables) and tried to justify it by giving myself all sorts of allowances.

Yet there really is no excuse - a stressful week is exactly the time to rise to challenge.. piling on the weight just adds to the stress! And weighing myself on Saturday morning to find that I had put on 2 lbs proved that.

So after giving myself a stern talking to, I decided to go back to basics and did a strict BC weekend. I cut out cheese but did add butter and olive oil. I had also bought the IPD book and have found it very useful.

I feel so much better this morning, and have not only lost the 2 lbs I put on, but another lb too. So since I started 'dieting' (before I joined officially) I've lost 10 lbs. It's energised me and weird as this might sound, I feel motivated not just with the diet but in other areas of my life too.

Good luck with week 4 fellow losers and thanks for the recipes BigStickBIWI

[BigStickBIWI]

Queen - why on earth can't you do this? You really have to take your 'D'P in hand and tell him why you're doing this. You have the knowledge he just has a prejudice.

If he insists on sabotaging you, then take control and you do the shopping.

[BigStickBIWI]

Well done, millie! BTW, butter doesn't count as dairy - it's completely allowed, nay, encouraged on a low carb WOE. Have you got the IPD recipe book as well? It's very good.

[BigStickBIWI]

Actually, Queen, he isn't just prejudiced, he's ignorant. Why do you put up with it?

[BigStickBIWI]

.... not that this is the Relationships board !

[HeirToTheIronThrone]

STS for me, but am happy with this as there was lots of prosecco and a bit of birthday cake on Friday, and we had an Indian takeaway last night, and whilst I think I chose good LC options (lamb tikka and a side of broccoli paneer), I always worry there's been some random flour/sugar/something added! I am now very hungry but can't eat as the dentist has painted my teeth with some weird stuff that tastes like rank artificial banana... Still, feeling positive, there shouldn't be anything to trip me up this week until a friend's 30th on Saturday, which I am planning to drive to so to avoid drinking, and it's a bring your own barbecue which should be good for me - will be taking along home made burgers and coleslaw I think.

Well done all and keep going!

[LavenderBriggs]

Hi BIWI. I've fallen off the spreadsheet as I haven't been updating. It's been a bit busy here. Mum had a mastectomy 10 days ago (6 weeks from finding lump to op, we're still reeling a bit). I was a bit poorly. Other things happened. Mum is doing really well and is getting into exercise - I made her do pre-op exercising (didn't want her having to learn it all after the op) and she's thrilled that her years-old shoulder pain has gone. Always a bright side.

I'm sticking to my beloved low-carbing like a limpet (a slim limpet, my waist is now 26"). (26"!)

Well to done to everyone who is starting this way of eating. Stick with it through the difficult bits, it is so, so worth it.

[BigStickBIWI]

Sorry to hear about your mum - here's hoping that she makes a good recovery.

[captainmummy]

Lavebnder - good and bad news there! Hope your mum continues to do well , and 262 waist is amazing (well jel!)
Queen - if it's a big fish pie, can he not eat it onver 2 days? Keep 1 portion for him, and 'order' yourself a LC meal - or better still, make yourself something! Even just a pork chop with buttered beans and chopped fried leeks?

[GuyMartinsSideburns]

Morning, haven't weighed today, didn't even think to. Got so much going on lately Im really not feeling it this time round. Could someone link or post how to make the pork scratchings please? For some reason I cant get the search to work today.

Thanks

[captainmummy]

26" waist * i meant!