Week 4 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - first month done!

[BIWI]

Morning all! Sorry for later-than-usual start to the thread

Hope last week was good, and that you have managed to keep to it despite the fact that we are in the infamous weeks 3 and 4!

Come and confess all on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

or on the on the Weight Tracker

If you haven't seen the scales move, don't panic!

This is really, really common - keep on keeping on and from here on, hopefully things will start to move again. And you will know that every pound you lose from here on, will be fat. You are only likely to see losses of 1-2lbs every week, but don't forget how much a pound of fat is - imagine 2 packs of lard, and that's what you're losing for each pound!

[SarahBeenysBumblingApprentice]

Hello MistyMistletoe! Welcome. Have you started yet?

I had people round yesterday so didn't count up totals but had:

b: 2 eggs, butter and cheese
L: bolognaise with courgette
D: roast chicken with swede and roast cauli
S: 20g 85% choc
S: (post run) olives, a gherkin and cheese

3 mile run with some people who run faster than I do - no choice but to keep up. It does me good but damn, it was hard! 15min pilates.

I had 1 of water with rehydration tablets in - 500ml before and 500ml after the run, in addition to normal drinking.

I've definitely done something wrong yesterday as I've slept badly (even with a hot water bottle) and I'm quite dizzy on standing up.

More water and more salt as a start point I reckon!

MrsKoala I didn't low carb when breast feeding but I wish I had. BF gave me massive cravings and I went up and down and all over the place. I'm not sure that the typical "eat cake" advice is good advice!

rybka I make Crabby's crumble - berries, butter/ground almond topping, cream on top for the truly awful poorly days. (I could live off it really but then I wouldn't loose weight...!)

Hope you got your dinner sort Chester. I would have done a bacon/veg sir fry thingy and dumped cheese on top.

[HauntedChesterDrawers]

The scales have finally moved - am down 1lb after two whole weeks of nothing.

Tricky weekend coming up as we are DS-less which is usually a cause for celebration wine and nice food.

Motivation is still high though and I think the cravings of the last few days are waning.

Yesterday I had:
B: boiled eggs, butter
L: celeriac soup, chunk of cheese
S: posh pork scratchings, muffin in a minute, using half a tsp of sweetener and topped with whipped cream with vanilla - totally hit the spot
D: bowl of swede crisps

[HauntedChesterDrawers]

Cross post Sarah. I did but it wasn't very inspired. Will save your idea for next time.

[ClashCityRocker]

Morning all! Just checking in.

Chester, glad the scales are going in the right direction!

I had a tough day on Tuesday with carb cravings, not helped by the fact that I was at the seaside! I managed to resist, although did spend some time on the beach having an existential crisis

I think the main issue was I didn't have anything low carb to snack on (although quite a big breakfast) so was hungry anyway. It's bloody hard to get anything low carb on the move in scarborough.

Never mind, will prepare better next time and take a low carb picnic with me.

[SayraT]

Well done Chester glad to see scales are moving.

Sorry for all the short posts recently, I am beginning to panic a little about my writing up. I am aiming to submit my thesis in December but I don't know if I will manage that

I also have an interview next week, which, if I was successful would start in January. So next week I will have to be saying quite confidently that yes, I will be submitting in December!

It doesn't really matter as technically I have until September 2015 to submit but I want it done this year! I'd struggle to write and work as well.

Anyway, enough of the self-pity, in the time I wrote that post I could have responded to some of your questions!

Today

B: Coconut porridge, coffee with cream
L: Boiled eggs, left over veggies from last night
D: Not sure, out with mum

[Tanukisan]

Morning everyone, I'm finding the discussion on emotional eating really interesting - to everyone struggling. I really like how this woe is improving our insight into our own behaviours.

I had drinks after work yesterday, at the pub and usually a prime time for me to fall into a bowl of carbs. I stuck with gin and slimline tonic, and had a pint of water for each g&t. I also ordered a cheese platter, and at one point went and hid in the loo to eat some potted chicken (!)

[Tanukisan]

Oh, and this is going to sound bonkers but M&S potted chicken would make an absolutely STONKING replacement for mashed potato. Seriously - the texture was very similar and it had a lovely, buttery, rich flavour.

[SixImpossible]

Here's another perspective on falling off the wagon:

Carbs are not evil. Carbs are not poisonous. Your body needs carbs - in very small amounts.

So one sandwich will not derail all your efforts. A slice of bread contains about 12g carbs. Think about it in the context of everything else you ate over the course of the day.

[CharlieSierra]

Six I'm afraid I'd have to disagree with you a bit there - for one thing 'falling off the wagon' rarely stops at 1 slice of bread and even that could affect your body chemistry putting you out of ketosis (depending on your other carbs for the day), and then added to all the high fat, low carb stuff you've had too just adds up to a hell of a lot of calories. This woe does work if you don't cheat, but it's not forgiving if you do.

[StuntNun]

I thought the point Six was making was that a small slip up may not have a huge effect on your day. The problem is when you think "Well I've already had x so I may as well have y and z" and then the day really is ruined.

[gointothewoods]

Chester, if I don't feel like cooking, or even eating really I make myself a little plate with some salami/ cooked meat, little bit of cheese, couple of bits of tomato/ cucumber and some olives. Feels like a treat type meal (well it does for me!) and it still LC and easy..

Yesterday:
B: greek yogurt, raspberries
L: Spinach leaves, cucumber, olives, slow cooked ham shredded bits, coleslaw, baby tomatoes
D: massaman chicken curry from recipe thread
4 L water

Today:
B: avocado, last of the slow cooked ham, 2 boiled eggs, all mixed with a squirt of may
L: Mixed salad with some feta and olives
D: Likely to be turkey mince done asian style with lettuce wraps
2 L water so far

[HauntedChesterDrawers]

That's a great idea gointo, will defintely have that next time. I love a picky tea!

To add to the eating carbs debate, I have to agree with Charlie. There's no way I could have a little slip up and get back on with it, once I go off the wagon I do so with great gusto!

But I do get what Six is saying - one slip doesn't have to mean game over. One day I hope to try this theory for myself

And Tanuk, I am laughing at the thought of you eating potted chicken in the loo

[yongnian]

In favour of the picky plate here too..crawling back to being able to eat/swallow again and yesterday managed a piece of ham with a dollop of mayo with a couple of olives on the side. Earlier, half an avocado with some mayo was very soothing on the throat too.
What I'm amazed at with this WOE is its even possible when you're ill!
Feeling the lack of water now, just can't swallow well enough..can't wait to get back to it though. As a consolation though, the scales tell me I've lost 4lb since Monday!! But presuming this can't be just fat loss but dehydration and stuff so won't be surprised at a bounce back when I can eat/swallow/drink normally again...though if I'm careful, who knows.
Ignore the ramblings, I haven't set foot out the door since Sun and have gone a bit random.

[MrsHerculePoirot]

yongnian hope you are fully better very soon!

I remember others saying previously about cheating was not to let it escalate and used the phone analogy to make the point. If you dropped your lovely phone on the floor and it got a bit scratched, you wouldn't then think fuck it and keep stamping on it until it was smashed to smithereens, so if you go off piste with the eating don't then think fuck it and continue to stuff your face with carbs/sugar anyway! Obviously this is much easier to think than actually do you understand....

I feel like I havebeaten my cravings by not giving in, suddenly they are gone and I am 3 lbs down... Feels like my body was testing me...and I won!

sayra good luck next week!

[SixImpossible]

I'm not suggesting that you can excuse anything that you eat off-plan. I just mean don't beat yourself up if things don't go to plan.

Last weekend we had a lovely day out: a long riverside stroll, just dh, me and one of our dc. At a wonderful tearoom, dd and dh ordered cream teas with every conceivable extra. I ordered a pot of Darjeeling, secure in the knowledge that on the walk back I would munch my pocketful of LCHF snacks. Which were still sitting on the kitchen table at home. Doh! So I ordered a tuna cheese toastie, enjoyed it, and did not spare it a second thought. At the weigh-in Monday I was 1lb down. Would there have been any value in agonising over my two slices of bread? In getting upset at myself? In blaming myself? In feeling that my lovely day had been spoiled?

[SixImpossible]

Gentle hugs and soothing forehead stroking to poorly people. (no restriction on ginger s or licorice s!)

[Pisseslikeahorse]

This is a really interesting conversation, I agree with Six but would add that you need to be careful that its not an excuse to go off piste shouting 'whoops' over your shoulder.
If you've got something to do (especially with party season coming) then plan for it and do some damage limitation the next day/s being realistic that you might even have to do another weeks bootcamp to get back into ketosis. (e.g. dropping the nuts, dairy, fruit for a few days after)

I would also add that its not for me, I need the stress that I could fall off the edge into the metaphorical tub of sugary shit excusing myself as I go. As it keeps me focused on my goals.

[MrsKoala]

cheers Stunt and Sarah. So if i want to do bootcamp light can i join the bootcamp threads or shall i just get on with it myself?

I think i will stock up this weekend and start on Monday. I have already been sort of low carbing. Have cut out all rice, bread, spuds and pasta but been having muesli and banana with greek yog for breakfast and a few oatcakes with peanut butter or avocado on mid afternoon. I have also been having some veg which are higher in carbs like onion, beans, cabbage, peppers and peas and some legumes (out of everything i think i will miss pulses the most on this woe. i don't eat sweet things anyway so wont miss sugar at all).

Any recomendations on good recipes which carbers can eat too, just with added spuds/rice/pasta/bread? (DH wont be going down the low carb route and i don't want to cook 2 dinners)

[CharlieSierra]

Be careful about cooking high fat recipes and adding a normal helping of carbs for the rest of the family MrsK - they don't need the extra fat as well. I don't cook separate dinners for DH but he doesn't get extra cream and butter, or only a small helping of something like hollandaise sauce if he's having a baked potato or rice with his.

[MrsKoala]

ah yes good point. I was thinking of casseroles and the like, but i suppose they would have lots of extra butter and stuff.

Could i put him on a secret low carb diet and just do celeriac/swede mash/chips/cauli cheese for all of us? If he then has a carby lunch will that make him huge?

i thought this woe would be easier to combine with those not doing it, but maybe calorie counting would be better

[Tanukisan]

Gosh I don't think twice about feeding high fat goods to the rest of the family.

[HauntedChesterDrawers]

I just feed DH what I'm having and he's gone gained weight. He still has carbs if he fends for himself for breakfast or lunch but rarely has them for tea except when he goes to the chippy grrrrr

[SixImpossible]

Obviously this is much easier to think than actually do you understand....

Oh, so, so true.

About pretty much everything!

[ClashCityRocker]

Hi all, interesting conversations.

DH just eats what I eat with some potatoes on the side, unless I'm having a low-carb alternative - eg mashed swede or something.

Mind you, he could do with putting weight on anyway - due to a recent illness he's down to eight stone.

[CharlieSierra]

I think if they eat everything they normally eat and then you start adding extra fat to the main course they are obviously going to consume more calories than before. That might be fine for some, my DH not so much. You could cook your casseroles etc in the usual way and only serve yourself with the buttery veg, or you could cut their carbs down too. DH has lost weight eating the same evening meal as me, sometimes with a small helping of rice or potatoes ( I have cut his portion size), and less butter, sauce etc. he still eats cereal for breakfast and a roll or something for lunch, plus some fruit although I'm buying less so not so much available for snacking on. At weekends if I do bacon and scrambled eggs he now only gets one slice of toast and I don't butter it because I add plenty to the eggs. We never have things like crisps or fizzy drinks in anyway, never did, and last Sunday he did mention that he'd had no puddings recently and was feeling a bit deprived so I made him a baked apple with some blackberries and cinnamon and the tiniest bit of sugar - but he'd only had 2 small roast potatoes. I must admit I am very careful because he does need to lose a few stone, I can't make him do that but I don't want to make it worse.