Week 4 - Low Carb Bootcamp - Keep on keeping on

[StuntNun]

Helloooo! StuntNun here filling in for the lovely and dedicated BIWI who is off on her hols. So how are you all getting on? I'm sure lots of us are seeing the scales go in the right direction fingers tightly crossed for a pound off myself this week but please don't worry if the scales aren't budging, it's pretty common for there to be a weight loss 'pause' as your body adapts to a low carb diet. Please post your progress and say whether you're continuing on Bootcamp or Bootcamp Light. And if anyone has any questions please ask as it's great to get into the science behind low carbing so we have some ammunition against accusations of being on a fad diet.

As always, the rules are on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness and you can track your weight on the cunningly named Weight Tracker.

By way of inspiration I've put together some info on how we got into this mess in the first place...

Why do we gain weight?

Before I started low carbing I wondered about squirrels. Yep, squirrels. I've never seen a fat squirrel, have you? But squirrels, as I'm sure you know, hoard up huge quantities of nuts and seeds and store them in little caches all over the place. So why don't they eat them all? I assume squirrels like nuts and seeds and yet they manage to resist the urge to stuff their admittedly cute little faces until their food is all gone. Humans on the other hand... humans are rubbish. We eat too much, we know we eat too much, we feel bad because we eat too much, and yet we keep doing it. So why are we so rubbish compared to squirrels? The paleo/primal nutters like me community will tell you that it's because we're eating a diet that is too different from the diet we evolved to eat and that the biggest problem of all is too much carbohydrate.

When you eat a carbohydrate-rich meal, your body releases the hormone insulin to signal the muscles and liver to store carbohydrate. On a conventional diet, however, our muscles and liver are constantly kept at full capacity. Since these glycogen stores are permanently full, any glucose that can't immediately be used by the body is stored as fat. Another action of insulin is to shut down the release of fat from our fat cells so our own fat stores become inaccessible. Then when we get hungry again we eat yet more carbohydrate and the process starts again, more and more glucose is stored as fat and the weight piles on. Worse still, the constant bombardment of our muscles and liver with insulin when their glycogen stores are already full causes them to become less sensitive to the effect of insulin, or insulin resistant. The pancreas responds by releasing more and more insulin and our blood sugar levels start to drop too low as the body frantically clears glucose into its fat stores. Eventually we find we are hungry all the time, starving only two hours after we last ate. And because our blood sugar levels are low, what do we crave? Yet more carbs. So we end up trapped in a viscous cycle of carb addiction, hunger and weight gain while our ever more ample fat stores are unusable.

Hopefully this has described the process by which the weight creeps on. In next week's thread I'll put together some info on how a low carb diet reverses this process, allowing us to use up our fat stores and achieve the weight we want to be at the same time as improving our health and our energy levels and reducing our risk of diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Good luck all for the coming week. Onwards and downwards!

[StuntNun]

Mmmm low carb comfort eating thanks to Crabby's low carb berry crumble from her recipes blog.

[StuntNun]

Mmmm low carb comfort eating thanks to Crabby's low carb berry crumble from her recipes blog.

[SarahBeenysBumblingApprentice]

Pisses how long are you camping for? Can you re-freeze your freezer blocks?

Pepperamis don't need a fridge
Babybels last well.
Avocados are great.
Oils are ok out of the fridge.

We cook on two burners and managed but what I really wished I'd done was freeze various mince/chicken dishes and heated them up day by day. Obviously this will last a couple of days tops! You could get sausages for any remaining days (picked up on the day).

Sadly, my camping trip was endurable as low carb but I hadn't got quite enough flavour in and the food was a little boring

[SarahBeenysBumblingApprentice]

I want that crumble now Stunt! Mmmmmm...

[RunLikeSomeFeckersChasing]

I'm back to a little low carbing. Boot camp day 1 done. Am I in the right area with:

B - boiled egg, homemade burger and a few mushrooms
L - mushroom and chicken w creme fraiche and cauli
D - see lunch
S - chorizo and cheddar

Need to get more organised. Drunk more water than I can contemplate today. Stunningly thirsty still.

[NeverHadANickname]

Stunt I've been looking for that recipe on the recipe thread but couldn't find it and I didn't have time to read through it all so thank you! I think I'll have that on Friday night.

How many normal sized portions would you say it makes? I don't want to make a big one and have it hanging round really so I might just make a small one portion sized one every so often.

[ImSoOverIt]

Okkkk...

So finally have time to sit down and catch up!

Congrats to all those who have seen good losses this week - well jel.

Parsnip - I am using an app called happy scales, which i guess does pretty much the same thing as I cannot help but weigh daily. It helps to stop me getting demoralised with the fluctuations.

For those of you who have gained today, I feel your pain. Today I am 1lb up from last week, and 2.75lb up from my lowest weight yet. I am also 1.25lb up from yesterday when I had already gone up after my carbs after my post-run episode, despite going back on straightaway to bc lite yesterday. So a bit peed off. But gonna keep going.

Bought the book on kindle that BIWI recommended, and whilst it doesn't give much practical advice on how to go about exercising on a lc diet, it does explain a lot of the science behind low carb training so it has helped me convince myself it still can be done, and perhaps i just wasn't keto-adapted yet.

Good news is I went for a 45 minute run tonight with no adverse effects, though I did take it very slowly and my pace was appalling! I mixed myself up a low carb "sports drink", small pinch of salt and 2 tblsp lemon juice to each cup/250 ml according to t'internet, so that meant my 750ml bottle had 3 pinches salt and 6 tblsp lemon juice. I quite liked the taste, but think I may have to reduce the lemon juice as it gave me heartburn that has stayed with me all evening!

Sarah beeny - I started bc the saturday before everyone else. I have been in ketosis for most of that as well I think, but I guess I still wasn't adapted to that length of run. That marathon looks full-on! I would be a bit scared of pushing myself that hard right now too. I have already stepped back my training for the half marathon a notch. I want to try and do without carbs from now on, and I will have to accept that this one might not be my best time ever - however I am going to be careful and play it safe; don't want o end up keeling over! It is interesting that you say yu don't lose wight when exercising hard, as I don't think I do either to be honest! I get fitter, but not always thinner, especially if I don't watch my diet.

Another owner of an unsettled toddler here too - bad cough and wheezy atm, tring to work out if it is a cold, hayfever or whether she might be developing asthma, she already has an inhaler as every sniffle goes straight to her chest.

Anyway today:

B - egg in cup, coffee and cream
L - Ate out with a vegan friend at a veggie cafe - very carby! In the end had a quiche and salad and left the pastry.
D - Whipped together a curry with leftovers from our takeaway on saturday, added leeks, quorn pieces and cream, yogurt and coconut cream. Probably a bit naughty as the korma tasted VERY sweet.

[StuntNun]

NeverHad I think Crabby's recipe makes eight portions. I just made an eighth in a ramekin today, a bit of a waste of the oven being on but I didn't want to run the risk of eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow!

It's well worth persevering Imsooverit I find exercise a doddle now that I'm keto-adapted as I have a consistent release of energy even when I exercise before breakfast. I could never do HIIT very well before as I didn't have the energy reserves for the high intensity part but now I'm actually starting to enjoy it.

[NeverHadANickname]

Thanks stunt, thats what worried me too.

[antimatter]

Pisseslikeahorse - Sainsbury's have Polish kaoanosy which would def last a couple of days without fridge.
deydrator would be ideal for preparing meat for camping

[ImSoOverIt]

Thanks stunt!

Bought some ghee today to make the curry. Is there any reason why we can't use it to fry eggs etc? Still has a lovely buttery taste but is a delight to fry with. Price is comparable to butter as well.

Also forgot to mention I decided to start measuring myself. Found a free app to record measurements. Which I had done it earlier as I am convinced I have lost inches even though I haven't list much weight.

My boobs feel a lot less full too, which I am actually pleased about. I know I am getting fat if I actually start getting boobs! I quite like having little ones tbh!

[ImSoOverIt]

Scuse typos! Bloody phone!

[StuntNun]

Ghee is better than butter for frying as it doesn't burn. Afaik it's basically the same stuff but it has a low water content and it tastes a bit nicer because it has caramelised.

[BIWI]

Re exercise - I always exercise now in a fasted state. That's either an hour with my trainer (twice a week) or when I'm running. I'm not running at the moment, but when I was, I was running for 30 minutes (ie 5K) twice a week. It was never a problem!

[linesandlines]

Evening all!

6lbs off here. Over the bloody moon that my 6 weeks of fluctuating/stalling have been broken. Thanks to everyone who took time to give advice.

Parsnip the True Weight app looks great, thanks for the recommendation.

[antimatter]

*kabanosy not kaoanosy
they are slightly drier cured sausages
grrrrr

[trashcanjunkie]

stunt I honestly couldn't think at the time what was going wrong in my body - I had full bloods done previous to bc and everything came back healthy as a bloody horse. I have known wheat affects me since I lc ten years back and lost a whopping six stone in a year. I kept the weight off for six years, even through a twin pregnancy. Then I quit smoking (the first time) I think I actually had a binge eating disorder because I was obsessed with food, life was shit and I ballooned to twenty stone in a year. Then I got cancer, had surgery, recovered, and got into exercise and over another year lost weight. I reached 12st 10. That was just over two years ago. Then a convergence of factors hit. I met dp, went on a disaster camping holiday (lakes - midges like you've never seen/undiagnosed raging thrush/children struck with vomiting virus/friendship disintegration) and started smoking on the holiday. I quit, but it triggered another weight gain - coupled with a serious ankle issue, curtailing my active lifestyle, and being all content and happy with dp, so I ballooned again to 17.5/18st over the last couple of years. When I started bc in Jan, I had been mainlining carbs for months. Proper shit as well - takeaways, crisps, chocolate, bread. The works. And my ability to over eat was incredible.

I think my system was so absolutely fucked it was a miracle to just stop gaining.

[JaneParker]

trash, you have been through an awful lot of difficult times. I bet most of us on here would agree that stopping smoking is number one priority for health but if you can keep off that plus eating well that's the magic secret for being healthy. Well done for restarting.

Imso, same here, although whatever my weight I have pretty large breasts. They were at their most comfortable when I was a stone lighter. In fact physically it's one of the nicest bits about losing weight. (Just need to lose that stone now..... they already feel a little bit more comfortable for my losing 2 pounds)

All good here. BIWI won't approve but I have had to move to 2 meals a day so a bit of intermittent fasting but only once I got 2 weeks in and felt not quite so hungry. I was over eating on 3 meals (as I don't count calories and pack in the food whatever way of eating I'm on - see to eat double what most people eat) even though I was 100% only eating meat, veg, fish, sea food, olive oil, butter and low carb veg (and sometimes a bit of goat's cheese) and I started taking some gelatin in water twice this week and have bone broth on order. That seems to have done the trick. I had been eating like this for about 2 weeks without losing anything (I am only just over the fattest weight for my height which is healthy rather than over weight so as not a huge amount to lose it is harder to lose).

I am interested that it seems to have taken me at least 2 weeks to get into this and to start to feel less hungry. If I can just get back to just under 10 stone which I managed over Christmas (we were skiing every day which may be the reason - more exercise) then I will be on my way.

[BIWI]

Jane - no problem with moving to 2 meals a day after the initial 2 weeks of Bootcamp. The idea of having to eat 3 meals a day is to make sure that those new to low carbing are keeping their blood sugar levels stable. Once you're into the swing of things, you can drop breakfast (or any other meal) if you're not hungry. I've always thought that this WOE was particularly suited to intermittent fasting, given that it controls the appetite so well.

[lowcarbforthewin]

Ghee is great to fry with, and it is just butter without the milk proteins. I have to admit I don't like the taste quite so much but it isn't so obvious if you fry food in it.

Having a bad day. I've had workmen in for the last week and the constant drilling has made my health crash. Just three more days to get through but I am utterly exhausted. I had a really good day diet wise yesterday, so nearly went and scoffed lots of chocolate but stuck to a couple of babybels instead. I'm just trying to hang on in there for this week so can't guarantee I'll stay on plan. But equally I know stable blood sugars are my friend so no plans to eat anything different at present.

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

One pound lost this week, off to read the thread

[Pisseslikeahorse]

Thanks for the camping ideas please keep them coming,
dw reminded me last time camping we survived mainly on eggy bread, bacon and beans, so some nice sausage and avocado seems like a real treat.

ImSo well done with the drink / run. looking at my stats this morning (I have an over technical running watch) my heart rate sharply peaks and troughs as soon as i get tired, allot more than before this WOE.
I see it as a bit of a body retraining time, the weight loss has also thrown out my cadence and rhythm

[LittleMissDisorganized]

Morning all!
RunLike that sounds a good start, but I would watch out with veg, you should really be aiming for some green veg in there too as it's so rich in minerals such as iron, magnesium, calcium, etc - I'm sure this will even out over your week though. Welcome and good luck with your start, or re-start, whichever it is.
BestIs I would have said your breakthrough bleeding is not really any more worrying than mine or anyone else's - I know it's confusing to get different advice though! - so by all means go and get things checked out if you are concerned.
Birdinacage what a great testimony to the way this works - especially the health benefits - really well done!
Hissy you have done and given so much for your son these long days in hospital. It's ok to be kind to yourself as well - it's great that you recognise that this guilt that you have isn't based in fact, but you can be nice to yourself even now, even though your DS is still suffering. I so hope you will be home this week and you can enjoy bacon and lamb sausages and everything else you've been missing. What a tough time it must have been, like suspended reality, in there.
lowcarbforthewin hang in there, it sounds like this sort of fluctuation in routine is really tough for you but you have shown you have real inner strength to us here, I'm sure you'll be able to hang on that while longer.

I need to get on with some house jobs today, tidying etc, that I have promised DH I'll do before I go back to work and there ceases to be any chance I'll do them!! This sort of home-based pottering makes me sooo tempted to nibble - will aim to do nothing of the kind :) but probably be on MN too much/long! Have a good day everyone!

[antimatter]

JaneParker - where are you ordering your bone broth from?

[RunLikeSomeFeckersChasing]

LittleMiss - spinach with lunch!