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.

Made it through a horrible day at work yesterday but did have some of those M&S salted mixed nuts amazing , some 85% chocolate and two glasses of red wine. Not great but could have been a lot worse.

Day ended up:
B: three LC sausages
L: Tuna and avocado salad, olive oil
D: Omelette with cheese, crispy parma ham, mushrooms, shallot
S: Wine, chocolate, nuts

Today is looking like:
B: Chunk of vintage cheddar, coffee with cream
L: Something eggy???
D: Spag bol, courgetti

Meant to say - I bought some xanthan gum yesterday after seeing it mentioned on here quite a bit.

So WTF do I do with it then?

Chester, I use it for adding to flours that are gluten free/low carb when I am baking - because otherwise they are too crumbly.

So, for example, I made the Tiana chocolate cookies with coconut flour this week for the DC, but as the recipe came from the manufacturer, I didn't use any Xanthan gum. Whereas next time, I will add a small bit of Xanthan gum to make them slightly less crumbly and/or do them as a tray bake.

I also use it with soya flour (though I don't use soya flour that much) and if I am making flax and hempseed bread (more of a flat bread; the latter is actually quite good in small doses for 'regularity', but too carby - and filling - to eat like normal bread; just as well as the hemp and flax seed is ££s).

You have to use it in small doses, though, otherwise it makes the dough mixture too solid - as I once discovered when making chocolate cake with rice flour (pre-bootcamp days)

Morning all. I have discovered a way to lose about 4 lbs over night - have rampant diarrhoea and no appetite! Can't say I recommend it though.
Meant that I just had a bowl of nuts, a bovril drink (think I wanted the salt) and some ff greek yoghurt yesterday. On the plus side, I drank loads and loads of water.
Today, feel much better but no appetite. Was supposed to be going out to dinner tonight, but I'll give that a miss.
Today, just had creamy coffee x 2 for breakfast. Don't really fancy lunch, but have brought eggs and smoked salmon and will try and eat something. Then, I'll see whether I want anything tonight. i think I'll need to be careful when I get my appetite back, as that's when I would usually have lots of carbs.

Super pissed with myself still and struggling to snap out of it. I know if I can crack this then my mood will stabilise and I'm on to a win/win. Dh pushed himself too much yesterday, did a full day at work and then took the kids to a sports event they take part in. So today he's paying the price and is a wreck. im going to bed early in the evenings but I could still nap in the day and I feel tired tired tired. I don't fit in my usual clothes, my waist isn't so bad but my arse and thighs are doing my head in! I put my skinnies on and feel the rage bigtime.

B - 2 hard boiled eggs with butter, 1 coffee with milk (will this milk stall me? Can I have one coffee with milk or should I not have any?)

L - not sure yet, can't say I fancy anything

D - I've got pork chops to do, fancy cauli mash with it but not sure what else. I do have peppers to use but wonder if they'd be too carby?

I'm going to have a walk down to lidls now for spinach and hopefully some other bits I fancy, then a walk home up a huge hill. Il have the prodigy on my iPod and hope that sorts me out

guy cream instead of milk is better in coffee I have 1 cup of tea a day with cow milk then one with almond milk - can't stand cream in it. I have a bit of pepper occasionally, seems like a low enough carb day for you to have some - now have an image of you marching along to firestarter!

actually came on to ask a question - later this week I am going to give blood for the first time in over 10 years and I used to be ever so grateful for the juice, tea, biscuits at the end as got a bit shaky. That was pre this WOE of course, can I expect the same feeling? I have dark choc in my bag in case but just wondering if anyone on here has had first hand experience whilst low carbing?

Know you can definitely get sugar free vanilla extract, thank goodness because I depend on it! Here's a link to one:

www.amazon.com/Star-Kay-White-Extracts-Vanilla/dp/B00IDXRNIS

Also a PP recommended this, which I have just purchased- it's a grinder pre-filled with vanilla pods:
www.oetker.co.uk/uk-en/our-products/home-baking/natural-extracts-flavours/product-range/madagascan-vanilla-grinder.html
PP bought it in a supermarket but I couldn't find it so I got it from Amazon.

finally, being a vanilla flavour freak, I am attempting to make my own from scratched having been inspired by this blog:
simplysugarandglutenfree.com/homemade-sugar-free-alcohol-free-vanilla-extract/

I am doing very well (2 lb down) but only because I don't touch anything with simple carbs.

If I did (in the past I have thought eh, one bit won't matter) I can't stop at one and the next thing I know I had all of the carbs in the house

Everyone is different and I know I was successful in the past if I was able to resist hunger induced by carbs.

I hope I can stick to it because I feel really alert and productive. I have been also sleeping much better!

Our Tesco near work has salad bar. I got big salad which will last me for 2 days and adds variety to my lunches.

I should roast soem veg at home like they do and have it with my meals.

should say from scratch

I've just WI, looks like im 2lbs up on last week

Does anyone know why my weights having been saving on the spreadsheet? I'm not sure what I've been doing wrong! I've been using the sheets app on iPad, entering the weight, tapping the tick but it's not saved.

Nigella thanks for vanilla tips - just noticed that there is sugar in my big Costco bottle -rats!

Guy - green peppers ok I think? Good march will be therapeutic. Make that DH rest!

Lex no advice but you have reminded me that giving blood was on my NY resolution list.

Anti well jel of your loss - congrats! I'm
exactly the same with the carbs. No way I could just ration myself.

Have a great day everyone, the sun is shining and I am definitely noticing an improvement in my mood! Took myself of the happy pills a few months ago and only now beginning to feel like me again - am sure it's this WOE! I love this thread, another one who wants BIWI for president!

Don't know the answer, Patapouf but if you tell me your weights, I'll enter them for you and they should save. :)

Hammer

After too much processed food yesterday today's food is

B - 2 coffee with cream ( can't eat before training)

You don't need to eat before training if you're fat-adapted - your body will use its fat stores for fuel. Even elite athletes have plenty of fat for this!

L - corned beef salad

Salad is great - please tell me you used an oily dressing?! But corned beef isn't! It's processed meat^

D- smoked haddock, cauliflower and broccoli cheese and poached egg

Sounds yummy, but smoked haddock is also processed!

I am still managing the 3.5l of water and dh is now on board so no more cooking three separate meals a night

Fabulous on both counts. It makes it so much better if you can all eat the same way!

mekobus I'm afraid smoked mackerel does count as processed food! If you know it's been completely naturally smoked, then it's less of an issue, but I think you'll find (if you look at the ingredients) that all manner of other ingredients have been used in its processing.

When I say processed foods, specifically thinking of meat and fish, I mean a product that isn't in its natural, raw form.

So a slice of pork that you cook yourself from raw is OK - a slice of ham, bacon or salami is a processed version of the pork. Inevitably it has artificial or other ingredients added, and we're trying to avoid those.

Smoked haddock, for example, is invariably made with smoke flavour and dyed yellow. Why would we want to eat that?

However, it's not as clear cut as saying it's all about the raw ingredient, as obviously most of our food is processed in some way - e.g. cheese is processed from milk, tinned tuna has been processed to a degree as it's cooked in the can its in.

What we're really trying to avoid is the unnatural, and the artificial. So we're keeping our food as 'clean' as possible. But I don't expect you to suddenly start growing, picking and canning your own tomatoes, or fishing for and canning your own sardines!

For those of you with constipation issues have you tried flax meal porridge or as I have it with mixed nuts, coconut flakes and toasted lightly in a pan so it is like granola.

Must try harder not to eat processed food. Will it hinder weight loss or it is just best not to have it?

Just made some avocado fries for lunch - can highly recommend. I used this recipe. BC lite cos of ground almonds but so tasty. I dipped them in HM mayo and am now gutted I am out of avocados

Anyone tried flaxseed porridge or granola?

mustbemad71 - thanks! I just know myself well enough that food was (and would if I allow) to be my emotional crutch, carbs even more so.
90% of serotonin is produced in our stomach area!

I would say the issue with processed food is that they are fortified with sugar/carbs for flavour.

One is the weight you may gain and my other consideration is that I react badly (rash on my skin) to some minute ingredients used for flavouring, even in expensive fish or some hams. For me is best to keep as clean as possible whilst eating.

Great side effect of staying on LC is that the skin on my feet isn't peeling horribly any more. I know that in my case it is some kind of eczema reacting badly to some crap in shop bought cakes/bread rolls.

BIWI I really don't like dressing on salad especially the oily ones but I have been melting a small piece of Camembert and costing the leaves on that.

Thank you for replies re alcohol & bread.
Re eating bread- am missing toast and butter!

Was gonna have a cream cheese pancake for tea, but forgot the oven is mid clean. So going with tuna and cheese with celery. Resisted both a takeaway (though i would have still been good) and a low carb mug cake. Good girl :)

paleogirl I make a great granola/ muesli. It's only for BC lite as its nut/seed based. I'll pop the recipe over on the recipe thread.

Thank you thumb!
18/1:238.8
25/1:234.2
1/2: 235

I dipped down to 232.8 mid week last week, so I don't know whether to count it as STS or gain? I suppose I did start before BC proper and I shouldn't have had so much dairy but I'm still feeling disheartened. Perhaps I should avoid daily weighing if it's just making me miserable.

I'm just in a grump because DH sat and ate a bar of my favourite chocolate last night and I know I'll never be able to do that again.

B: Scrambled eggs w. Butter
L: none, not hungry.
D: Poussin, swede mash and spinache or kale
2.5l down, 1 to go!