Week 4 - Five Week Low Carb Bootcamp - bring on the berries!

[BIWI]

Afternoon!

Many apologies for the lack of new thread. My broadband has died at home, and I've been a bit snowed under at work. I have to confess that I totally forgot to start the new chat thread

Anyway, Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness and hopefully it's the right link this week! (Thanks Sayra )

Or, don't forget the Weight Tracker

So these two weeks you can, if you wish, move to Bootcamp Light, which means essentially that you can introduce some fruit (berries only, and only in moderation), along with a few nuts to snack on (again, in moderation).

Also bear in mind that weeks 3 and 4 are difficult weeks and that you may not see any or much weight loss. Keep on keeping on and you will be fine. It's your body adjusting to the new regime.

Loombands I've been LC for over a year and now I find I can have a carby meal or day (DH and I have been experimenting with carb refeeds for leptin reset) then get straight back on the wagon with a temporary 2lb gain for a day. BUT if it extends over a day then all the carb cravings come back and I start mindlessly eating again, as in eating beyond enjoyment or fullness. I also start finding pathetic excuses to eat carbs. So the odd Socially Obligated Carbs day or a special meal where I mindfully choose a carby food are both fine but I couldn't handle a week of hotel full board. Another thing I have noticed is that very small amounts of sweetness are satisfying so I don't need a huge bowl of something to really enjoy it, just a small quantity is more than enough.

I don't know about you Stunt but I find I feel so manky after a carby day that I can't wait to get back on track! I must have been low carb for about 3yrs now and my body and brain seem to hate having to burn glucose now. I feel sick and sore and get a massive headache. At that point it is easy to get back on track. I did learn the hard way though that sugar and chocolate are truly addictive and, whilst its really liberating to be able to sit and enjoy a tiny bit and be satisfied, its only a short step to the cravings swarming back in so don't push it folks!

I went to a wedding this week. I don't ever do buffets as I'm gluten intolerant so I went armed as usual with a bag of roasted nuts and a net of BabyBels just in case. It was very noticeable this time that I could happily sit with a coffee and enjoy conversation without feeling bitter towards the general stampede to the plates of cake! I'm thinking its down to going strict BC and really cutting carbs and sweeteners. In the past I would have looked at all the huge gateaux and gone nearly insane with cravings for sugar but I felt great (and bloody smug when hubby daren't go to his weigh-in at SW!!!)

Afternoon all, just checking in

B- coffee cream
L- salmon cooked in butter and garlic with half a bag of salad ( stuffed)
D- pork stroganoff with cauliflower rice

I'm trying to up my veg today, just a couple mushrooms yesterday so I feel a bit under nourished .

I'm on holiday next week, I will keep to bc for five of the seven days off, but the two days we are in a hotel with free three course included I will chose lc starter and main ( already chosen - starter duck confit with salad, main chateau briand (sp.) with dh, served with green beans and asparagus) , but am having the desert after. There's no cheeseboard option.

BIWI when I say I was lower-carb eating, I mean that I left the carbs like pasta/rice/potatoes out of my main evening meal more often than not - lots of veg, but very little fat. And sometimes for lunch too, I'd have a salad or an omelette - but again, little fat. And I found that if I had carbs or sweet stuff at lunchtime I got a massive dip almost immediately after, so it was conscious choice to avoid carbs and sugar as much as I could. But that's not to say I wasn't having lots of other stuff that was probably loaded in sugar/carbs without me thinking about it and I know I drank far, far too much wine as well.

I feel physically much better on this WOE, and although I've lost about 10lbs only by my latest weighing, I can see a real difference in shape - my stomach is much less bloated.

Just checking in. Been away for 4 days and not boot camping so not looking forward to getting back on the scales tomorrow.

This was planned but it has been an interesting experience. After not eating wheat for almost 3 months, I seem to have developed an intolerance to it as it's had some nasty side effects.

Back on the wagon proper tomorrow.

Checking in.

Today has been a bit rubbish and probably higher in things I probably shouldn't be eating, took up cycling yesterday and went out again today and have knackered myself.

B - water

L (after cycling) - Atkins bar

D - Low carb bagel (homemade) with roule, port salut, salami and roast chicken slice.

S - 2 peanut butter cups (Unsweetened, just a little 85% choc and natural peanut butter.

W - Tons.

Another 1.2lb down!
Sorry it's taken me so long to weigh in..
Thanks everyone. This bc really keeps me going

3lb down very happy- that ten pound in three weeks for me. Just the results I needed to ensure I keep on track on holidays

Morning all - its a good morning, just hopped on the scales and am back on track but still wobbling when I bounce up and down in front of the mirror.

b. yogurt
l. eggs and Tuna
d. lamb curry & sag something
lots of water

Weighed this morning and only 1 lb on thankfully so going to do uber bootcamp for a couple of days.

I've been lurking and hoping to join you on bootcamp.

Just a question. Snacks? Looking at your list of foods on here, which look fairly doable, I see no or few snacks between meals. I'm not a huge snacker but is it ok to grab something if I'm hungry and if so, what's best?

Oh and I started on Wednesday and weighed this morning at 3lb down. Great incentive to carry on.

i weighed this morning, only 5 days in AND IVE LOST 3lb!!!!

Get in!!

AND, I went to my mums for tea last night and easily resisted the pasta and cake

I love biwi and low-carbing!

Kinky- after a few weeks you don't feel hungry anymore ( though I wouldn't have believed that at the time) in my first two weeks I snacked loads! Had to to get past the cravings! Hard boiled eggs are good to snack on- I butter mine for the extra fat but that's not to everyone's taste. I made the lamb meatballs from the bootcamp recipe thread to snack on as well. Cheese cubes. Baked Camembert with cucumber/ asparagus lightly cooked to dip is a great evening snack to help with cravings. There's lots on the recipe thread- have a look

Thanks pregnantpause I haven't been particularly hungry as yet but just wondered if it was ok to nibble if I did feel the need. Hopefully I'll be back next week with good results.

Doing rubbish here due to taking up cycling and ill kids, I am so so knackered.

Today I have had an Atkins bar, a mu cheese stick and a pepperami. :/

No idea what dinner will be, probably Atkins crackers and salmon and cream cheese, too tired. :(

Snacks are essential Kinky as it can be difficult to find food quickly when you're low carb. I snack on olives, boiled eggs, Babybels, Peperami, celery dipped in cream cheese.

Need advice from the 'low carb evaluators' please. I went out to lunch today and ordered what i thought was a decent choice, but after coming home and looking up nutritional info, I'm sure at all.

Lamb Lettuce Wraps
Calories : 654 (yikes! - it was only 4 small lamb meatballs, how can it be that many calories?)
Total Fat: 51.1 g
Saturated Fat: 15.8g
Total Carbohydrate: 17.6g
Protein: 35.5g

So......did I make a huge lunchtime mistake??

By the way, my scales seem to be moving downward again after a 2 week stall. Did I just sabotage myself?

kinky the mantra on this WOE (way of eating) is to eat when you're hungry! It isn't about deprivation. As long as you're choosing low carb options, you will be fine.

However, once you're into the swing of things, you will - honestly! - find that you're just not hungry between meals. Your blood sugar levels will be under control, and stable, and it is this which will ensure that you're not feeling hungry.

Earlybird where did you go to eat, and where did you get the nutritional info from?

Biwi - it was one of those pick-up prepared 'healthy' meals, and nutritional info was on the packaging. I told the sales person I was low-carving and couldn't eat pasta, potatoes, rice, etc and she suggested this. I was with a friend, busy chatting, and didn't read the info properly (plus it was on the bottom of the pack, so hard to look at)

So, dinner is chicken wrapped in bacon with cheese and garlic mushrooms. I'm starving so ditched having just crackers for dinner.

Lamb Lettuce Wraps
Calories : 654 (yikes! - it was only 4 small lamb meatballs, how can it be that many calories?)

Don't worry about calories. We don't count calories

Total Fat: 51.1 g
Saturated Fat: 15^8g

Don't worry about fat. Fat is fine. Fat is good!

Total Carbohydrate: 17.6g

^That does sound high. What were the ingredients? Lamb, plus lettuce, would be pretty low - suggests that there might be sugar/flour in there? That said, as long as the rest of your day was low carb it's not the end of the world!

Protein: 35.5g

The ratios here aren't too bad - fat, then protein, then carbs.

So don't worry overall - as long as you've been low carbing for the rest of the day and have kept your fat levels up (and you've been drinking plenty of water!) you will be fine.

But it just shows you that you have to be vigilant when it comes to pre-prepared foods, and you do need to check the ingredients list!

B - scrambled eggs
L - tuna and lettuce wraps
D - Chicken stir fried with sporting broccoli and mushrooms
small amount of Lildl yoghurt.

Biwi - thanks for information and reassurance. Off to drink more water!

Checking in. Have lost the 3lbs I put on last week whilst on holiday, very happy about that!

I am going to a wedding tomorrow and will be staying overnight at a hotel, so three meals where I will have to make some "appropriate" choices. Bacon and eggs for breakfast I think.

I will be watching, Livelong ...