Week 2 - 2016 Low Carb Bootcamp - our first official weigh-in!

[BIWI]

Morning campers!

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I hope it was a good week, and I hope that those of you who have been suffering from carb flu are starting to feel better. Remember, keep up the electrolytes - sodium, potassium and magnesium. Which means firstly that you have to make sure you're getting plenty of salt - so salt your food during cooking and add salt to cooked food.

For potassium, you could also consider Lo-Salt. Good foods for all electrolytes include salmon, avocado, spinach and full fat (of course!) natural yoghurt.

A note about weighing in

If you're a daily weigher, you have several different options. You can either just record your weight every Monday (or whatever regular day of the week you choose - I am going to start weighing in on a Saturday, because my trainer records my weight as well, to keep me on track!).

Or you can record the lowest weight you achieved in that week

Or you can average your weights and record the average.

Whatever you decide, I hope it's a positive result!

Now I have heard a few good things about baked avocado chips..... Can't see it myself but quite a few recipes online?!

I have been in hospital all day today and just wanted to load on carbs (no cravings more emotional reasons) i didnt and I am glad not to have ruined all my hard work. Having an early night tonight. Oh and i do try to excercise 3 times a week however i have 2 very young kids. A job and since my second c section my lower back is very weak so there are times when I need to take a break for health reasons. Im glad to know it will not effect the weight loss xx

bippity - if it was tough, it wasn't cooked for long enough - it should literally fall apart when it's cooked!

Chester - glad you stayed with it!

shouldi - there are loads of carbs in wine (sadly!), but more importantly, whenever you're drinking alcohol, you're stopping your body from burning fat. Why not list out for me what your daily menus have been and I'll see if there's anything else 'amiss'?

Hammer - at least a baby elephant would be carb-free!

AuntieMaggie - I was in Birmingham a week or so ago, and it's an amazing station now! Totally different from how it used to be. I wasn't looking at the shops there, but I'm guessing that there will be plenty of places to eat/buy food from. Whether they're low carb or not, I have no clue! If you're travelling to Birmingham from London, there's a Leon now at Euston, which does amazing low carb egg/breakfast pots.

momofgirls - sorry you're suffering. Paracetamol is your friend!

bippity I'm a big fan of celeriac chips, as is dh. Make more than you think you'll eat as they tend to shrink a bit during baking.
Still feeling unwell from last week, not hungry but have eaten
B: scrambled egg with a little cheese, 10gmsbutter
L: green salad with tsp FF Mayo
D: baked salmon with hollandaise (home made with egg yolk lemon juice, butter) celeriac chips and broccoli
S: celery stick

No coffee with cream, cutting back on dairy fat to see if that helps the weight loss - otherwise it's uber BC for me for the next two weeks

shouldiblow - also, if you're using ketostix and you're registering ketones, perhaps you're not drinking enough water?

BIWI I used a ketostick for the first time tonight. I'm drinking 2.5-3 litres a day and it was showing ketones

Well done on the running anti I am pondering c5k as no excuses not to really

bippity I like swede or celeriac chips, think celeriac has the edge but would do pointy aka sweetheart cabbage in butter with ham and eggs too as also luverly

B smoked salmon terrine and scr eggs
L chorizo and shallot fried in olive oil then added thinly shredded Spring greens, v nice and more filling than spinach version I sometimes make
D Cornish pasties using fathead dough ( filling was skirt steak, shallot, celeriac and bit of carrot) v tasty, buttered broccoli

molly I'm so sorry to hear about your illness. I'm no expert by any stretch but there are a few ladies on a low carb Facebook page I'm on who have had breast cancer. I believe they are working on the premise that sugar is the fuel cancer cells like best - it's very interesting. They are US based and it seems some Drs there are more progressive in their attitude to a carb heavy diet being a factor than most here.

Food today sounds great lex.
B: creamy coffee
L: soup - cauliflower/ cheddar in ham bone broth. Few chicken wings.
D: pork belly, roast shallot, cauliflower mash

at the baby elephant. I bet they are LC.

Didn't have time for lunch in the end today and , tbh, wasn't hungry until I got home at about 5.45, so I had a Hb egg then. Just had a lovely chilli with cauli rice and am now nicely stuffed.

Chester I'm glad we steered you away from SW. I did it 6-7 years ago and yes, I lost weight, albeit slowly but I couldn't keep it off as I felt constantly hungry. I have done pretty much every diet over the years and this WOE is the only one I don't feel hungry on. As long as I stay off the carbs, that's the tricky bit.

Sorry, on phone and can't remember the name of the person who drinks wine on a Friday because of stress. That used to be me several years ago. But not just a Friday, usually 5-6 times per week. My excuse was having young children and a high stress job. I've now found other, more effective stress relievers. Mine are walking the dog, jogging and crocheting. They do work better then drinking alcohol and my head feels better in the morning. I never thought I would be in the situation that I happily drink only 1-2 times per month. I was the resident drinker in my social group at uni and well into my 30s. Sorry, tl;dr.

I also use ketostix I drink 4l plus a day and I still get a positive reading first thing in the morning.

B: egg muffins
L: bit of cheese, didn't have time for anything else
D: Roast chicken skin from the whole bird roasted swede cubes that I then mashed with lots of butter and broccoli.

Is xantham gum okay? I found some in my cupboard but I have no idea how to use it, can I make gravy with it?

How have I never heard of avocado chips?! They are so in the menu for tomorrow - do one, slimming world!

WandOfElderNeverProsper and BIWI thank you. I don't know what wasabi or Leon are but will hunt them down... I love 5 guys but won't have chance to stop unfortunately.... I'll let.you know how I get on

ami I was at the hospital all day yesterday and had to fight the urge to succumb to Costa treats...

Whoever was on about wine... I was told years ago that alcohol also affects your metabolism. May or may not be true but it was a personal trainer who told me when he was lecturing me about binge drinking and exercising the next day trying to undo the damage as apparently it would affect me the next day too...

patapouf afaik xanthan is ok on BClite. The best gravy is made by sprinkling the xanthan into the pan in which you have cooked your meat (adding a bit of butter or oil if required) - you only need a tiny bit. 1/4-1/2 tsp is plenty. Then deglaze the pan with a little wine 1/4 cup red or white and let it bubble down then hm or low carb stock. Xanthan makes things salty so watch seasoning.

You can add it to liquid but I don't reccomend it, it's not very water soluble so tends to make lumps - best to dissolve it in fat and add liquid to that (as you would a roux) or sprinkle it over meat and veg as they sauté before adding liquid to the whole lot (say for example making mince)
I really like the mouth feel, it's like bistro gravy.

Cheers Gcalgske I was staring longingly at the bisto this evening, I'm glad my future roasts aren't destined to be desert dry

Thanks Mookbark.

I'm going to admit it: I'm so royally pissed off that I can't even have a glass of wine that I'm genuinely almost crying, as I didn't make it to yoga (the de-stress plan) due to work running over. So nothing at all to look forward to tonight after three bloody intense and long days at work (nothing more intense than normal, always tough). Another 12 hour day tomorrow and nothing to look forward to.

So I'm having a glass of wine anyway.

BIWI yes I'm using ketostix and registering ketones. I drink a minimum of 3 litres a day, usually 4 litres. That's about right for my weight I think (around 100kg).

More than happy to drink more water if that's the issue. Its possible it's on the low side

Ah just read it all. Feeling very sorry for myself

I will give you my meals etc tomorrow. Thanks BIWI for offering to see where I'm going wrong. I thought this would be a magic bullet but it's not yet and I'm just so frustrated.

Ok, caveat. I know alcohol slows some peoples loss and isn't the answer to stress etc I'm not advocating that but maybe a different drink could help those struggling? Say vodka soda? It's zero carbs. Yes your body will burn alcohol before fat so it might slow your loss but if it's a case of stick to BC with the occasional vodka soda or give up because you can't ever have a drink then I would go with the vodka...

B samphire, courgette, mushroom, bacon, Parmesan
L really not hungry after my ridiculous breakfast, so a bit of cucumber and cream cheese
D bolognese and courgetti. Have a new spiraliser as a toy and it's great!
Oh and a little starter of some smoked salmon.

The range had a spiraliser for £7 this weekend.

I have bought nice herbal teas recently as the act of having a scented hot drink has helped to curb my desire for a "proper drink"
Cinnamon, pukka "night time", salted caramel green teta, peppermint and apple are my current faves.
I know it's not the same, it takes some adjustment, but I have found it really helpful. And once I've broken the cycle it is easier not to drink the next day. I think the wine just makes me want more wine.
Don't feel guilty, enjoy your drink tonight. It doesn't mean you can't get right back on the bc wagon tomorrow.

Thanks Gcalgske i will have a look in the range

Finally home and weighed myself. No change at all sadly.
Low carbing is incredibly difficult when working away and having no independence regarding food. I did ok with the hotel breakfast. Lots of bacon, eggs and mushrooms. I did have a sausage one morning but it seemed a bit carby so didn't have another one. Lunch was sandwiches, crisps and cake every day so I mainly skipped it or ate the sandwich fillings. Some of the dinners were low carb friendly and I was able to just eat the meat and vegetables but others were impossible, one day it was a choice between risotto, some kind of pasta bake or falafels and hummous in pitta bread. I managed to avoid all the puddings but did have a few glasses of wine and a vodka and soda with fresh lime.

All in all not as bad as it could have been.