Week 5 - Low Carb Bootcamp - Where the Only Way is Down!

[BIWI]

Morning all my lovely campers!

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

and don't forget the Weight Tracker if you prefer to keep things private.

Hopefully the dreaded weeks 3 and 4 are well behind us, and we can now get on with the process of shedding more fat

Here's to another good week, and I hope that the scales were kind to you this morning

[Tenementfunster]

Hello!!
Back from my short trip away of drinking and eating too much. Ah well back on it tomorrow. I was never going to not drink 3 bn flat whites a day and eat too much. Still, after today, I will be back on it.. Still committed. Hope everyone's doing ok

[almahart]

STS. Am happy with that as I had a v tough week. Drank a lot if wine on Saturday night and also had too much dark chocolate and nuts. Am pleased though that wine and a handful of crisps not withstanding I stuck to bcl. Previous diets would have seem me chucking it in and mainlining carbs. Am thinking if doing strict boot camp for a bit, perhaps next week. Also, in the middle if last week I got down to under the next stone which I was thrilled about. I wonder if going a bit off piste was fear of getting to goal weight?

No access to spreadsheet, would someone be kind enough to add in 156 for both this week and last?

[mootime]

Rubbish week for me, 4 lbs on...
BUT, I know why.
-I was ill and ate too much and barely moved.
-I couldn't get through my water ( probably averages 1l a day - for some reason it was just really difficult to drink when I felt so ill..)
went to my parents this weekend, and while I didn't et any nono's I probably did have too many extras ( wine, dark chocolate, butternut squash)

I'm also due on and have just stopped feeding DS.

So, I'm going to KOKO. I've had 2 coffees with almond milk and coconut oil this morning, and for breakfast I had an omelette with smoked salmon.
I'm going to sit here with a bottle of water and I'm not allowed another hot drink until I am at the end of it, and I am going to try REALLY hard not to snack.

Wish me luck please. I want those 4lbs off again by next week!

[GuyMartinsSideburns]

Morning, could someone add mine please? 123lbs. That's 2lb up from last week but I don't count it as a gain as the weighing last week was less due to me having been ill. Hope you all have a great week

[Notso]

Morning all and to everyone.
I can't believe it's week 5 and I'm still onboard. Can't believe I haven't eaten crisps, potatoes, pasta or milk chocolate for all this time. I've lost 2lb this week.
Had an active weekend 7 mile walk with DH and three of the DC on Sat, swimming on Sunday. I managed 10 lengths non stop without thinking I was going to die, last time I managed 3. My fitness has drastically improved. I've ordered Davina's 7 min workout DVD for the days I struggle to do the shred.
All 4 DC home this week, hard trying to entertain all ages from 14-2. DH is away with work at the end of the week too, boo.

[BeyondDoesBootcamp]

Wish i 'd waited a few hours fo weigh, my slightly dodgy hot feeling has since become full blown diahorea!!

[galbraith]

GuyMartin I added your weight! Love your username btw

[galbraith]

Oh no Beyond but maybe reweigh after a big episode (hahaha... only joking... I think!)

Keep drinking water! Poor you

[BerylStreep]

Hello all, I know you are onto week 5, but can I join in? Have previously been very successful with l/c, Harcombe / Bootcamp, but have allowed the weight to creep on (mainly an unhealthy relationship with white wine and pretending that dark choc is ok ).

I was diagnosed as being gluten intolerant, and I have fallen into the trap of thinking, 'well, so long as it is gluten free, it is ok'. It isn't. Oatcakes, rice cakes and gf bread have all helped my downfall.

Anyway, I am going skiing in 6 weeks time, and although I am an experienced skier, I know I have to do something drastic to lose weight before that (and in the longer term too), otherwise my poor knees will give up.

I weighed 101.2 kg this morning. If I could lose a kilo a week before I go on hols, I would be delighted, and my knees would thank me for it. If I could eventually get to 85kg, I would delirious with happiness, but I tend to hover around 90kg (which I would still be very happy with).

Do I add myself to the spreadsheet?

[CharlieSierra]

Morning all, very happy to report a 2lb loss, it is working!

I paid very close attention to drinking my water, and I slightly tweaked my portion sizes in terms of protein and fat, so will be carrying on in the same way.

[MrsKoala]

Morning everyone. I defo think reducing the dairy and upping the fat and water has worked (thanks for the kick BIWI) as i have lost 3lb this week.

I've had lots of pork belly, mayo and water over the last 2 days and no snacking (apart from middle of the night emergency slice of cheese to prevent fainting).

Good luck Sass. I wouldn't even contemplate taking my 2 anywhere like that!

[BIWI]

Welcome back, Beryl! Just add yourself to the spreadsheet and the very lovely Sayra will sort out the alphabetisation later.

[thenightsky]

2lb on. I could weep.

I've been so bloody strict too. My only transgression was dry white wine on Saturday night.

[BIWI]

Amaxapax

First thing I have to ask is, what did you actually eat? I get that this might be a typical list, but to really help you, you'll need to be a bit more specific about what you ate on what day, and to see what your meals were like over the course of a week!

B: Three hb eggs with mayo, cup of tea with a splash of milk

Couple of observations - how large were the eggs? Three eggs may be quite a lot? I only ever have two, sometimes only one. And a 'splash' of milk? Without knowing exactly the quantity I can't really help here - but it really does mean that you are not avoiding dairy!

L: Chicken, avocado, cucumber and mayo served on spinach leaves or tuna, cauli rice, avocado and mayo on spinach leaves

Sounds fine - assuming that there's lots of fat here?!

D: Lamb ragu (minced lamb, pancetta, chopped tomatoes) on buttery courgetti with broccoli or steak with courgette sautéed in butter with shallots and pancetta and mashed swede or sausages, mashed swede and broccoli (I have checked the sausage carb count and they are fine)

All of this sounds fine - but again, need to know what you've actually eaten on each day. I'd also point out that if you're having a lot of pancetta and sausages, this is processed rather than fresh meat, which we're trying to focus on. Also, how large are your portions?

I am avoiding dairy, so I haven't been having cheese for snacks. On Saturday I had three 15g servings of peanut butter covered in a thin layer of dark chocolate. My peanut butter is 7.4g carbs per 100g. My husband also put cheese in my scrambled eggs, but I only ate half of the eggs as was too full.

So you're not really avoiding dairy!!! If you're struggling, to be honest, I'd knock the peanut butter/chocolate on the head.

I am drinking at least four liters of water a day. Other drinks are salted caramel green tea or strawberry and raspberry fruit tea. I might have a cup or two of those in the evening. I haven't had any alcohol or berries and no nuts, with the exception of the Valentine's Day peanut butter.

This is good.

It sounds to me, overall, like there are a few things that you might want to consider here:

• letting your body have some kind of consistency, which just means sticking with it
  
• really focusing on the rules
  
• cutting dairy out properly
  
• looking at your portion sizes - are you eating a lot?
  
• making sure that you're eating plenty of fat
  

It could be, for you, that it's just a matter of tweaking things until it starts to get going again for you.

[MrsKoala]

Oh forgot to add also i have lost 3in on both hips and waist :)

[Birdinacage]

1lb up for me this week which is ok as I had a couple of days off due family birthday celebrations and then visitors so was expecting the damage to be worse.

[BIWI]

I've been so bloody strict too. My only transgression was dry white wine on Saturday night

Well, not really that strict then?

Whilst dry white wine is relatively low carb, it does still contain carbs - and you haven't said how much you drank . And remember, that all the time you're drinking alcohol, your body is using this as a source of fuel rather than burning fat.

[BIWI]

Brilliant, MrsK!

[prettybird]

2lb off for me, which after a few weeks of STS is really good. It's Week 7 for me, so I was hoping that the "stall" would break soon.

[trashcanjunkie]

I have put on 5lbs. That means I'm 6ft tall and weigh 235lb. I have no idea what my target weight is in lbs. I'd like to weigh 11.5st

I know why I've put on weight. It's been a ridiculously stressful two weeks, (very difficult mother nearly died, but then recovered and was even more difficult than usual, plus awful brother making things much worse, then irresponsible son adding to the whole mix) and coupled with lying about the house 'recovering' since Friday, which means less energy burned. I would have been amazed to lose anything.

However the main thing that has given me a gain, is two major 'off' days last week. I'm amazed how my body reacts when fed carbs. This also shows me I will have to really watch myself when I hit maintenance.

I feel very down about falling off the wagon, I need to 'grasp my elephant' as they say.....Still, I shall dust myself off, and move forwards.

thumbwitch I really struggle with energy levels, but dunno if it's got anything to do with this WOE, I think it's just me....

I have been given the all clear to up my excercise from physio. Still no running but am able to start yoga again after half term, and swimming! Plus I can start power walking, which I aim to have a crack at this week. I am feeling poorly today though. I always seem to get a sore throat after I've been stressed, so I have given myself the utter luxury of totally doing bugger all today. The dcs are at ex's, I'm off work for a few days, and the house is not in total disarray.

I will go shopping later on though, and possibly do a short power walk, as that should energise me.

I am also going to post my food, and amounts, to keep me on track.

So, breakfast today was 2 rashers of bacon, 2 mushrooms and two scrambled eggs. All done in the frying pan in olive oil because we've just run out of butter (and mayonnaise) which is quite shocking in this house. I'm off to the shops later on as the cupboards are pretty bare.

I am currently drinking a large cup of tea. Having experimented hugely, I'm aware I can drink tea as long as I don't have more than three large cups a day, which actually equates to a litre of liquids. I'm also tandem drinking my first litre of water.

Lunch will be three lc chipolatas and I think a small courgette sliced with a peeler and fried with a smidge of garlic (I do have to be very careful with garlic)

Dinner is going to be the pork carnitas recipe from up thread, but I may add in extra butter.... And we'll eat it with dressed salad and coleslaw.

[Amaxapax]

BIWI, I do really appreciate your comments. I'll be honest, though, that I find them a bit frustrating. The meals I gave are all meals I had last week. I tend to eat the same things for breakfast and lunch everyday, so dinner is the only thing that changes.

I have three eggs because, typically, I'm very hungry by lunchtime. I will try to cut down to two.

I really am trying to avoid dairy. The milk in my tea is about 20ml. I have measured it. Apart from that, I went several days without any other dairy. I appreciate that from your perspective it sounds like I'm not 'avoiding dairy', but previously I was relying on cheese to help add interest to my meals, and I have stopped that entirely. I have also not used any cream in recipes. My husband made me breakfast on Sunday. We would usually have cheese in the eggs. I have told him about the health benefits, and he is working with me as best as he can, but I'm not going to refuse his kind gesture.

The peanut butter was a one-off treat that I made for Valentine's Day. As I said, I haven't had any other nuts or chocolate. Saturday was the first day I have had anything that isn't on the BC rules list.

I'm on half term so I have skipped the regular tea and have had green tea instead. I will do that all week. I don't feel like my portions are too big, but I haven't been weighing because I thought I wasn't supposed to.

[lurkingmurking]

2lbs off for me. Very pleased.

I am also wearing my skinny work trousers, bit too muffiny still so am wearing a loose shirt but I am SO chuffed!

[prettybird]

Amaxapax - have you tried the Ubercamp? It's on one of the tabs on the spreadsheet. It's 3 days of extra strict, dairy-free Boot Camp, in which, unusually, you do weigh everything. It's got menus and recipes.

It can be useful when you're in a stall - I've done it occasionally in the past. Not recommended for a long term WoE (because of all the weighing) but useful as a 3 day stretch (nicely time bound) and also helps remind us what "normal" portions are.

[Amaxapax]

I might give that a try, prettybird. I've already done my shopping for this week so won't follow the menu exactly, but I think I'll aim to keep carbs under 20g for three days.

[trashcanjunkie]

Oh amax it's really hard when you know you're putting in so much effort for seemingly little success. I will chip in my toe penneth, but feel very free to tell me to bog off

I know that if I was eating the amounts you're listing there, I'd be gaining or staying the same. It's a twat, but certain people can't eat the same as others. I have to be sooooo sparing with veg and protein. I can easily over eat on them, without feeling too full. I felt scared at the portion reductions I had to do, but when I did them, and relied on water between meals if I felt 'hungry' it really worked. It might be the same for you. My 'hunger' was always sorted with half a pint or so of water, or a herbal tea. And I was eating much less than I thought I needed to.

I shall of course be taking my own advice for the rest of bc.