Week 3 - Low Carb Bootcamp - where you get to make a decision!

[BIWI]

Afternoon all! Apologies for the later than usual start to this week's chat thread.

Here's the spreadsheet

I was up so early I completely forgot to weigh this morning

Now. It's week 3, so you get to decide. Do you want to move onto Bootcamp Light, or do you want to stay on Bootcamp? Or, do you want to do both - Bootcamp during the week, and then relax at the weekend, with Bootcamp Light?

The rules for Bootcamp Light are at the bottom of the spreadsheet, but in a nutshell it means you can add nuts/seeds (occasionally, and in moderation); you can eat some fruit - mainly berries, and again in moderation, and you can have the occasional alcoholic drink - again, stick to spirits and wine.

If you're happy staying on Bootcamp, that's fine - but if you decide to do this, please make sure you're getting most of your carbs from veg and salad, and not from other processed foods, otherwise you won't be getting optimal nutrition.

And now for the warning! It's very, very common in weeks 3 and 4 (and sometimes even 5) for weight loss to slow/stop altogether. If this happens to you, please don't be disheartened. It's your body catching up with you! KOKO, and things will soon start to move again - albeit that you're more likely to see smaller weekly losses, around 1-2lbs a week.

No carrots Moanranger! But the rest sounds perfect.

Not being a knob! It is worrying.

But I know how it feels too, so I can see both sides!

It's been a weird week for me. This is my 4th week on BC and weight actually went up slightly. It's coming down now but I think I'll probably end the week at the same weight I started it at. But...I seem to have lost at least 3 inches off my waist, just in this week. So can't complain!

For potassium, good foods to eat are spinach, salmon, yoghurt and mushrooms.

Too and chester - worrying times, hope you all keep your jobs. Years ago I worked for a part of the NHS that was being "streamlined", and our centre was tagged for closure. Like a rat, I left the ship before it sank (was also moving for personal reasons) and I was SO GLAD I did because the rest of them were under so much stress for ages. In the end, the centre stayed open, although parts of its business went elsewhere - but the stress levels throughout were horrendous. for you all.

Today:
Missed breakfast
Was out at lunchtime so had taken 3 Babybels and an apple with me. I need to check whether or not I'm allowed those though (was in a hurry, had osteopath appt)
Dinner: lamb chops, wooden celeriac mash which I ended up binning halfway through because it was getting to me, and green beans.

Then after dinner -- oh the craving for a Teaser bar! And I hadn't been able to get any cherries in the supermarket - but instead I staved it off with double cream, blueberries and blackberries.
We had a very exciting occurrence earlier this week (not really) - I'd sent DS1 to school with blackberries in his lunch, and when he came home and I checked the plastic container, there was this purple slug in the bottom - because it was hot, the blackberry juices had set themselves into blackberry jelly! Unsweetened, obviously - but went very nicely with tonight's cream mix.

I'm fairly sure that the fruits I had tonight, I shouldn't have - but they are still better than the Teaser bar that was screaming my name!

They are 275ml bottles BIWI at 3g per 100ml but 2 bottles would soon add up to a lot of carbs.

Out of interest how much is in glass of red wine?

Are cherries BC? I think I have them around 11g/100g (weighed without stone) so I've always avoided when on LC. I think portion size might be an issue with me too though, I could eat cherries till I burst.

ShouldI leg cramps are usually due to magnesium rather than potassium although they're all interlinked. Some magnesium supplements aren't easily absorbed. In terms of calories - try to eat when hungry and stop when full. In terms of macros - you may not need so high a fat ratio if you have several stone to lose since the amount of fat you are using from your body fat stores contributes to that 75% if that makes sense (not sure it does make sense actually!) For exercise my vote is for weight training, preferably compound movements such as squats, deadlifts etc. and high intensity interval training of whatever you prefer: running, swimming, cycling, cross trainer etc.

Betsy weeks 3 and 4 are notorious for weight loss stalling or weight even going up. If your waist measurement has dropped then you've lost fat and that's what's important. You'll probably see a whoosh on the scales in the next week or so.

Blacktea I have it in my head that a small glass of wine is 4-5g of carbs BUT it's the alcohol content that's an issue as well since alcohol stops fat burning while the alcohol is processed. Beer is about the worst drink for low carbing :-(

Gcalgske berries and cherries are generally acceptable on low carb plans even though they're above 3g per 100g. I recommend no more than one portion of fruit a day and obviously you shouldn't be eating them by the punnetfull.

Hefzi nuts and seeds may be a good way to get more protein in. Pine nuts and macademias are good as far as I remember but you can look up the carb counts. Just make sure you weigh them out before eating as they are very calorific. My DH will happily eat 750 calories worth of nuts without even noticing.

BIWI Thanks for tip re carrots - I will have to switch to cucumber, gr pepper & celery, but that's ok.
Are there any pancake recipes allowed on BC? I have quite a good Paleo one that uses coconut flour. I have this, but unfortunately decanted it & tossed label with carbs per 100g info.
I got a frozen berry mix from Sainsburys - a handful or two in a saucepan with 1-2 tablespoons of water, mashed up & cooked down makes a great syrup. No need for sweetener as berries sweet enough - going sugar free helps also.

blackteas that's 8.25g carbs per bottle! Way, way, way too many for Bootcamp - even if you only had one!

Cherries aren't BC-friendly, Gcalgske - and Thumb knows that

Thumb you should know this by now! An apple has too many carbs - an average apple will have around 21g carbs.

Moanranger "a handful" could add up to being quite carby though - do you know what the carb count is? Or how many grams there are in a handful?

Yes I do know the cherries are bad but the bootcamp coincides with cherry season here and they are the best so I allow myself that badness once off actual Bootcamp because I can't make up for it later. We don't get "off-season" cherries here (and they really are amazing, the ones from Tasmania!)

BUgger re. apple - guess that explains the Teaser craving then :( - won't do that again.

My face is being a bastard again, ate about three bites of my egg-in-a-cup and it started. :( morphined up now and hoping i can finish my lunch...

And friends are visiting, so i will be haivng a few gins tonight. No idea what dinner is yet, thry are bringing it...

BIWI Yes, one has to be careful re measurements! Enough has to go in the saucepan to make it cookable, but actually eating 1-2 T of the reduction. It' a fruits of the forest type mixture, so blackberries, raspberries, blueberries. It makes a good alternative to jam/syrup with no sweetener, but is probably best avoided on BC?
I may have answered my own question re coconut flour - it is 9g per 100 g so too high, tho it is lower than some alternatives -almond flour is 11g.
So no pancake options on BC?

Moan, i make pancakes with one egg and 30g cream cheese (there is sweetener in the recipe too, but i miss it out), zushed up in the blender :)

No more beer for me on B.C. I was on dry January when we started so didn't properly pay attention to the rules. I dont drink much as I am breastfeeding so if I have a wine it will only be one glass.

Thanks for the good wishes about work! Good luck, Chester - it's all a bit shit, isn't it? Even if DH and I both make it through, so many good friends will be gone.

B: Greek yog with 4 raspberries mushed into it, tea w ff milk
L: Cream of mushroom and chicken soup (has some mini turnips and 1 carrot in it, but that was between 3). 18 mo DS loved it - he's going through a really picky phase and hardly eats anything beyond breakfast foods, so you could have knocked me over with a feather when he wolfed 2 bowls of soup!

Not sure about dinner. We need to go food shopping, but I haven't the energy right now.

On the plus side, I have been a bit, ahem, irregular, and that seems to have resolved itself somewhat now.

BIWI I feel my arse thoroughly kicked. I needed it, so thanks. Properly on it and mentally stronger now.

Thanks Stuntnun. I used to love the gym and have even run several marathons back in the day. I just need to start from scratch again. I'm looking into a few sessions with a PT to show me how to lift weights, and then get into that. But that might be March not Feb. I'm trying yoga in Feb to get my lower back into a less painful place.

BIWI I found This?
Had maybe 100 ml per day in the smoothies

Moan coconut flour varies wildly - I've found some as low as 9g/100g and as high as 45g/100g.
The sukrin brand is available at most tescos and its 9g/100g but is fat reduced

I think with coconut flour you use so little in a whole recipe they can work out OK for a very occasional treat.

Yeah wand I think those of us (me) with insulin resistance have an unfair advantage in competitive eating though...I'm never full when eating carbs.

Last night I ate some panforte! it wasn't even that nice, it's all in the bin now. I'm hoping this evening to ride the munchies urge with more success.