Week 1 - 2016 New Year Low Carb Bootcamp - weigh in here!

[BIWI]

Morning all!

I see we have almost 90 brave souls signed up this time. Welcome everyone, and to the lurkers at the back.

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

The list is alphabetised, and all you need to do is to add your weight next to your name. Don't do anything else or touch any of the other cells! If your name isn't on the list for any reason, add it to the bottom of everyone else's names, and the lovely Sayrra will re-alphabetise the list later.

If you don't want to put your actual weight, you can index it - i.e. your starting weight is 100, and every pound you lose is one. So if you started today at 160 lbs, and in the first week lost 7lbs, then next week you'd enter 93.

Also, don't feel that you have to weigh today - you might prefer to make another day of the week your weigh-in day. Up to you - but the spreadsheet is there as a resource to help you track how it's all going.

Re weighing, if you can, weigh first thing in the morning, naked, and before you eat or drink anything else. Don't weigh later on in the day, as all you're doing is weighing yourself plus whatever you've had to eat or drink. And use the same scales. Remember, it's not the actual weight that the scales tell you, more the weight that you've lost that counts.

Some people prefer to weigh every day - I'm one of them, as it helps to keep me focused - and some prefer to weigh once a week. It's up to you which you prefer. Bear in mind, though, that if you weigh every day you are very likely to see the scales fluctuate, which means that they may go up for no apparent reason. This is totally normal, as your weight can fluctuate on a daily basis (especially if your period is due). But psychologically it can be quite difficult - so if you don't think you'd be able to cope with this, then weekly weighing is for you.

I'm going to start a questions thread now as well. In the first few weeks of Bootcamp the chat thread can move very quickly, and it's easy for posts to get missed - so if you have a particular burning question, it's probably best to post it on the dedicated thread. And if we can all keep an eye on the questions thread, rather than just me, we can get everything answered quickly!

ive had a good day today i think, but feel absolutely shattered and am wondering if im going wrong somewhere. I started bc a week before this started and was doing really well, not a crumb of leaving the plan. After 3 days i was in ketosis and felt great.

I went away for the weekend abroad and was sticking to the plan religiously until i had a situation where i couldnt refuse to eat carbs (guest at someones house) so ate for two days. I came and started back straight away except now its been 5 days, im still not in ketosis and just feel awful all the time. In the previous week i had bad carb flu for 3 days then not, except now it just feels mild but all the time. Have i ruined my body? Havent weighed yet.

Also, not sure if this is related but i came on my period 8 days early and it has lasted 4 days longer than it normally would with no end yet. Is this possibly related?

Tired today - overtime shift that I regretted volunteering for as soon as I arrived. Early night tonight I think

B - Eggs with buttery asparagus tips for dipping
L - Tuna Mayo salad
D - Steak with fried leeks, cabbage and mushrooms and a creamy sauce.

2.5 L of water so far - need to chug another 1L before bed.

Tom - it could be related - I believe that as you're releasing fat, you're also releasing stored hormones. (My knowledge here is very shaky, though, so hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along soon!)

Just keep on, keeping on - but make sure you're eating enough fat, drinking plenty of water and also eating enough salt.

Made broccolli quiche today here - no pastry obvs and mini ones in fairy cake papers not a big one. Made them for the week but just tried one and it is delicious.

Also made ice cream. It's not sweet at all but very creamy and hits the spot for me. I really miss ice cream. Bit of a faf tho. Once we can have berries will do frozen ones mixed with whipped cream - much easier

That ice cream looks amazing Engel I'll definitely make it with some 85% choc and berries after next week. I was just looking at my ice cream machine forlornly this afternoon as well

Ooh interesting about the hormones.

I've not had a period in 6 months (pill related) and today, 3 weeks LC and I've started a period-type thing (not a normal one, bit strange).

So interesting about the stored hormones, I also read that it could be the same for allergens, resulting in a rash?

I have nothing to back this up, was just something I read previously.

I have just worked out that ds and I have eaten more than 30 eggs this week

YesEinstein- there is no problem with that!

Yes but egg fatigue... Will there come a day when i can't look at an egg? Also how many trays of eggs to buy this week?

Tom stored body fat contains oestrogen which is released when you start losing weight which can cause unusual menstrual symptoms. Once your body adapts your oestrogen levels will compensate and go back to normal.

Thanks Stunt and BIWI! Is it normal to feel this awful for this long? I just want to be in ketosis so i have energy again!

A quick note re weigh in

For those who have trouble with the spreadsheet - I will be helping out as Sayyra is so busy.

I'm not around through the day but every evening I will check the thread for those who cannot enter their weights and I will update it.

Good luck all

Tom make sure you're drinking enough water and adding salt to your food. I go for Lo Salt which has more potassium than normal salt. Or one of those 'posh' sea salts, rock salt or Himalayan pink salt that have more electrolytes (magnesium, potassium, etc.) If you have carb flu then some bone broth, miso, stock cube dissolved in water should make you feel better straight away.

With regard to hormonal fluctuations it can take two or three cycles before your body adjusts its oestrogen production to compensate.

There are pretty huge changes going on in the body when you switch to a low carb diet. The basic change over to fat burning only takes a week or two. But there is lots of other stuff going on that takes longer:

Your muscles become slightly insulin resistant to spare glucose for the brain. This can make you feel sick if you have a lot of sugar - like a kid on Halloween.

You will initially flush a lot of electrolytes as your kidneys start to work more efficiently. This is why you need to take more salt and one reason why you need to drink more water (the electrolytes take water with them when they leave the body).

Some perimenopausal women have their first period in ages; menstruating women may have an extra heavy period or mid-cycle bleeding. This settles down within two or three cycles.

Your liver glycogen stores initially empty but over time will partially refill to about 25% of capacity.

Your alcohol tolerance may plummet, that's good as you shouldn't be drinking on Bootcamp anyway!

Just weighed myself and im now 191 lbs which is a 2lb loss. Ok I guess. At least it's in the right direction!

wombat could you please put my new weight on the spreadsheet. Thanks.

Well done Simon, 2lb in a week sounds pretty good to me.

Week 2's chat thread is here

thanks Patapouf. I will give them a look.
such a small difference in texture can make the difference between a heavenly munch and revulsion.

Well done whothefuckissimon that is great news. It's really working for you. I bet that is all body fat too.

Quite a large loss for me this week. I am under no illusions though, no way that is all fat, but so pleased to see the numbers small-ing.

StuntNun, that's really interesting re liver glycogen stores. Do we need glycogen? What is it for?

Glycogen is a store of carbs that the body uses for energy, beyond calories that are used for our immediate energy requirements.

The liver can only store around 5-7lbs of glycogen, however, which is why if you're doing some kind of extreme sport (e.g. marathon running or cycling) you hear people talking about 'hitting the wall' or 'bonking'. This is when they have exhausted all their glycogen stores.

It's also why carb-eating people have to constantly refuel when they're exercising, with energy drinks/bars/gels.

However, when we're fat-adapted, the body has plenty of fat for our energy needs. Even for elite athletes who will have a very body fat percentage.

When we lose weight on a low carb diet, we lose water and our glycogen stores (because we're not replenishing them with lots of carbs), and a little bit of fat.

It's also why, if you go off piste and eat a load of carbs, it seems as if you've put loads of weight on - it's your glycogen stores re-filling.

To add to what BIWI said - glycogen is how we store sugar, effectively. Sugar that we absorb in our diets as glucose is turned into glycogen to be used later; once the glycogen stores in liver and muscles are full, then the glucose gets packed away into cells to be used immediately; and once the cells have had enough, they "shut up shop" (i.e. close down their insulin receptors) so that insulin can't shove any more in. Then your blood glucose starts to go up.

When we need more glucose for energy, then the glycogen is converted back to glucose to be used. If we have no glycogen, it's not the end of the world so long as we have other sources of energy and are adapted to use them - but if you aren't adapted and you run out of both glucose and glycogen, then you can feel pretty ill (hypoglycaemic) and if it's prolonged, it can be harmful.

felicity it's not just the texture, but the smell! M&s ones smell and taste meatier rather than like tinned dog food

Thanks, BIWI and Thumb - that all makes sense now!

Patapouf oh yes, the mr porky ones smell awful. Even before the packet is opened.

Hello all, hope I'm not too late to join up? Have Low carb and boot camped some years back and lost about 10lbs, it's crept back on thanks to the horrors of menopause. Tried feebly to drop the gained weight last summer but failed abysmally, and really need to get back to my normal size this year.

I'll attempt the spreadsheet, and well done to all the above for their first week weighs ins!

Come over to the week 2 chat thread, Knowclue. :)