Week 3 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - the fork in the road ...

[BIWI]

Good morning! (not that there's much good about it, from what I can see out of the window ...)

So we're at the end of the first two weeks. Felt like forever, didn't it?

Come and tell us how you got on on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

... or keep it to yourself on on the Weight Tracker

I hope that you have seen a good loss over these two weeks, because you do need to prepare yourself for the infamous weeks 3 and 4, where it is very, very, very, very common to see weight loss slow, stop or even reverse slightly

IF YOU FIND THIS IS HAPPENING, DON'T PANIC!

Keep calm and Bootcamp on ...

as we might say if we had our own posters Just keep on keeping on, and things will start to move again very soon. However, the rate of loss will now - from here on - be at a more sustainable rate of 1-2lbs per week. (If you have a lot to lose it might be a bit more than this, but please don't expect to see massive losses every week - that way madness lies!)

And now you have a choice.

You can stay on Bootcamp if it suits you (but please promise me that you're getting your carbs from vegetables and salad), or you can move to Bootcamp Light, which means you can introduce a few berries and nuts/seeds, as well as re-introduce alcohol in moderation. Rules for Bootcamp Light are on the spreadsheet (look at the tabs at the bottom)

Or, you can do Bootcamp during the week and Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

Whatever you decide, I hope it goes well for you.

for all those still with us!

pisses and ready and anyone else who has lost a substantial amount of weight, would you be happy to post before and after pictures?

I would love to see how you have changed over this year and it will give motivation and inspiration to the rest of us.

Also would love to see anyone else, even if you've only lost a small amount, let us see your before and afters

I will look one out and post it later, I have plenty of underwear ones but I'd rather a fully clothed one I am sure you would prefer that too!

I'd love to see before and after pics too. It's my favourite 'kill half an hour' search on Google at the minute. I have loads of before photos from my holiday this summer - sadly I think I still look pretty much the same.

That programme looks ace Crabby, I do love a good diet-related TV show. Have just sent the link to my cal counting friend and hope my WW-ing MIL tunes in too.

Hi all, I'm not being too strict at the moment, I have the lurgy and I'm all about lemsips, various liquids and lozenges and lazing on the sofa (bar the walks to school and back.) So I've eaten what I can and what's easiest but tbh I'm not v hungry. Stayed the same this week but I'm happy here, its the lightest I've been for ages.

Will get back on it when I'm feeling less crap. I'm going to start looking for something gorgeous to wear in the festive season and hopefully thatll give me a good kick up the arse.

The before and after photos are a great idea, I'm wishing Id taken some at the beginning but I tend to shy away from cameras anyway!

I don't have proper before and after pics but here are some snaps. It's a before (with DH), an after and one with a bag of dog food showing how much weight I had lost at that point (15 kg). All thanks to BIWI and the support of my fellow Bootcampers.

Thanks Crabby. I reckon it will go straight over the head of SW fanatic DH. He will continue to turn his nose up at my cream and cheese whilst stuffing down bags of sweets (but they're only 5Syns!) and wondering why he loses weight but has crap health! Its also like living with a large caterpillar as hes constantly hungry and on the prowl for food.

Wish these programs would concentrate more on the actual point of the matter which is that the real trouble starts when you add fat to sugar and grains.

Wow Stunt! You look wonderful! Nice to put a face to the name too.

Like the idea of the dog food. I've lost two bags of cat litter. I like the idea of translating weight into something more tangible. I started doing it after I was standing at the bottom of the stairs on a particularly bad day wondering how I was actually going to get a new bag of cat litter up the stairs to the bathroom. The idea that I had actually being carrying the equivalent of that bag on a regular basis suddenly hit home and spurred me on. Now I'm up to two bags thanks to a lot of ideas I got from you and the others on here when I was still a lurker.

Wow Stunt you look amazing. Can I ask what weights you are in the photo and how long it's taken you?

I need to lose DS (or his equivalent at least ). He's nearly four and I struggle to carry him now. But I seem to be more than happy to have his weight on my back every second of the day, when I'm running or climbing stairs or whatever.

Wow stunt

Thanks for starting us off, I am nowhere near finished but here I am in December 2013 (in the beard) and again in Sept 2014, I have lost about 2st 7lbs in that time. The one of me in the orange dress is Sept 2013, since oyu can see my face in the Dec one, I think I've lost weight from my face.

Chester I went from 73.6 kg (162 lb) to 57.2 kg (126 lb). I lost the first 30 lb easily between June and November last year but it took a bit more effort to lose the last 6 lb, intermittent fasting i.e. occasionally skipping breakfast!

Haven't got that many from when I was really big but here goes...
The silver dress is one of my bridesmaids dresses. They're beautiful!!

The first photo was taken on Boxing Day, just before I started properly trying to lose weight

Fab transformation stuntnun. I'm just wondering what height you are? I read your posts on previous bootcamp threads and found them totally informative and inspiring. You are the reason why i have started this diet! I was slightly disappointed when i realised you had reached your target weight and wouldn't be a regular participant but am also delighted for you.

Fantastic, inspirational pics everyone! Thanks for posting them, it really helps to see them.

And pisses - that's absolutely fantastic, well done!

I have not had a particularly successful week (another one...) but I was expecting it - had a friend here for four days. My eating wasn't too bad tbh - I made the fat fecker's flan and we had that with salad (twas delish! will make that again), and another night I made roasted veg in butter with cream and blue cheese - she had it with pasta, and I made courgetti for myself. We went out for two meals - one I had pork chop wrapped in cheese and substituted the chips for salad, and then we went to a burger place and I had mine wrapped in lovely big lettuce leaves (and salad, no chips). So I am proud of myself for making good choices when it would have been easy to go 'aaaaah chuff it' and reach for something carby. Was interesting though after the burger - even just the burger, salad and coleslaw was enough. I was pleasantly full but not uncomfortable after it. I think if I'd had chips or a bun I would have felt really stuffed and probably would have struggled through the afternoon.

But, as usual, far too much wine. So I have not weighed in this week. Today and the rest of the week is mainly about betting back on top of the water. 2l down so far. If I can be back where I was by next weigh-in, I'll be pleased!

Wow, you've all done so well, I am truly inspired.

Stunt my slightly rubbish maths tells me that you've got almost identical stats to me in terms of start weight and goal. I'm 5ft 4 - how tall are you?

Fabulous Stuntnun So glad you have managed to get to a point where you are happier with the weight. You have given me some excellent advice in the past and it is nice to see you be rewarded with good results!

I'm 5'6" by the way, I meant to put that earlier.

Hello again. Have been unwell so not sticking to rules but back on it from today.... Better get reading.

Those pics really are inspirational. Thanks to you all.

Having one of those snacky, carby-cravy days. But also a bit disconcerted by an article a friend sent from a nutritionist saying that low carb diets disrupt the metabolism. Has anyone come across this idea? Or - heaven forbid - has anyone experienced it? . This WOE is working for me so I want to hear that all is well on it.

Ok now don't be scared , just think chubby James bond... and yes I need a haircut.
I'm 6,3ft and at my worst In 2013 I hit 23+ Stone. Ive gone from a 44in to 36 waist (nearly 34).

Woah, Pisses you look like a different person! Amazing loss - you must be so chuffed.

Wow fabulous losses and pictures guys, how inspirational to see them!

Chugging away here without any slips.
Yesterday:
B: boiled egg mashed with butter, coffee
L: chicken caesar salad (no croutons, small sprinkle of pumpkin seeds)
D: Leftover chicken wings and blue cheese mayo, spinach salad

Today:
B: Coffee and turkey slices in car (got caught out for time as overslept)
L: ham with coleslaw, tomato and basil and broccoli with feta
D: leftovers from lunch

My appetite is definitely continuing to shrink as although I was hungry at 2pm eating lunch, I couldn't finish any more than just over half of it. That's unusual for me. Usually I'm like a savage!

Fantastic pics. well done to you all

Very impressive Pisses!

ANote a low carb diet isn't necessarily suitable for everyone depending on underlying health conditions. Some people find that their thyroid hormone levels change when they have been low carbing for a while, a persistently low temperature and fatigue are indications, and they would need a slightly higher level of carbs, I think it's to do with the conversion of T3 to T4. You should feel healthy on this WOE and have lots of energy. If you start to feel bad then that can mean you either need a carb refeed to give your leptin levels a boost, or it can be a sign that your overall carb intake is too low. This usually only happens when you have been low carb for an extended period of months to years. A lot of people do fine on low carb, even zero carb, diets so it's not necessarily going to happen, it's just something to be aware of. Personally I find I do best on low carb (~50g) most of the time but with a carb refeed once every week or two. BUT that's at maintenance, if I want to lose weight then I need to be consistently very low carb (10-20g). Different carb intakes suit different people, you have to work out what works for you.

I would like to point out that hindsight is a wonderful thing. I think losing 30 lb in five months, without having to go hungry and while looking after the amazing non-sleeping baby, was a real achievement. But at the time I was faced with just the same erratic weight loss as a lot of people are seeing now where my weight would stay the same for three weeks in a row or even go up. You just have to trust that this works and follow the rules and wait for that whoosh when the scales drop overnight. Weight loss is not a consistent process, there are all kinds of hormonal things going on in the background and water retention can make your weight fluctuate drastically. It's only when I look back at my weight loss over a period of months that I can say, I lost 1.5 pounds every week on average.

Great to see the pics!

You've all done so well, and it's good to see actual results - sometimes it's hard to visualise when it's numbers on a scale.

Absolutely pooped today though, walked into town (3 miles) then got the train to leeds, totally misjudged how far away the client was (2.5 miles), went there, sorted me shit, walked back to the station (another 2.5 miles), train back, then walked home from town (3 miles).

So eleven blinking miles walked today, on top of a normal work day! Normally that would have me reaching for the wine and takeaways, but actually, I don't feel like it. I hope this is a breakthrough in emotional eating.

Anyway, today's scran:

Brunch: bacon and mushrooms in oil
Tea: cheesy chicken, cauliflour and brocoli