Week 3 - Pre-summer Low Carb Bootcamp - the choice is yours!

[BIWI]

Morning all. Sorry for the later than usual thread, but I'm away at the moment/1

Anyway, here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

As we've now completed the first two, more strict, weeks of Bootcamp you have a choice. You can move on to Bootcamp Light, (rules are on the spreadsheet tabs), which essentially means you can add in a few nuts/seeds, and some fruit (berries, and strictly in moderation), and you can have alcohol occasionally.

However, if you haven't really done Bootcamp strictly enough, or you cheated, or just because you think it's going well, you can stay on Bootcamp. (If you do, though, please make sure your carbs are mainly coming from vegetables and salad, to make sure that you're getting a good balance of nutrition)

Alternatively, you can do Bootcamp during the week but Bootcamp Light at the weekend. The choice is yours.

However, there is one thing I have to warn you about. Weeks 3 and 4 are notorious for little or no weight loss. If this happens to you, please don't panic! Just keep on keeping on and things will start to move again.

After initial big losses in the first couple of weeks, you can't feasibly expect to see that continue, and you should that weight loss settles down at around 1-3lbs a week, depending on how much you have to lose.

Good luck all!

Cath both of those were in the recipe anyway! Thanks for the tip though, that will come in handy if I need to find a substitute in the future. I actually think the recipe would have been too aniseedy if I had used fennel bulbs in it too.

I've just unloaded my Tesco delivery and I might have gone a teensy bit overboard ordering cheese . I think I was overexcited about being able to eat cheese, cheese and more cheese on this WOE .

On a separate note, I've noticed on my commute into work on the train this week that I feel so much more wide awake and full over energy. In fact, I'm generally much more lively - no more mid-afternoon slumps or feeling wiped out when I get in from work. I do love this WOE - a combination of food the tastes great and all round improved well-being, completely aside from the weight loss.

Can anyone tell me what a "super strict day" would look like? I think I need a couple next week.

Moved house 18 months ago and have hated the kitchen, so have been really bad about cooking proper meals, plus a change in our family set up which made me lose the desire to cook. Now, thanks to this woe I am finally getting to grips with the kitchen and getting used to it. It's not so bad (though I did have a bruised face this week thanks to badly positioned extractor hood).

I had an awful day yesterday, I lost all my chicks one after the other, seemingly healthy and they all just dropped dead in front of me and the guests I had here at the time, cue distraught children and me not knowing what on earth is going on, I discovered later the new bedding I'd been using was covered in thick mould at the bottom, I've a good mind to go and complain to the seller and demand my money back and the money for new chicks, I think they died of respites failure.

Food wise was fine, eggs for breakfast, fried garlic, chilli, herb chicken and salad for lunch and cauli fried rice for dinner.

I have work and more work the next 2 days. Joy.

Best news is I've lost my love handles so I'm more streamlined in jeans, I don't have the bump at the sides of the waist band anymore. I'm homing soon to see the scales starting to be in the 130's.

I looked at my calendar and I have something on every single day this month, I need super quick dinner ideas to stop me stumbling.

Hi just reporting back to say I haven't had carb cravings thankfully since last night and I've been drinking loads of water & ate omelette for breakfast. I do feel strange though after carbs/sugar last night, almost like a hangover if that makes sense.

Aww titsalin that's just awful , how horrible .
BIWI , I think I will eat something new from the recipe thread as you advice . I'm still managing fairly well food wise but I will soon get bored of the same food . No alcohol for the next few days either .

Well done betty on managing your night out with toy boys. I tend to drink wine in those kind of situations and lose track a bit of my glass being filled and end up next day with a headache from cheap wine and weight gain. Like you in not s huge fan of beer and maybe 2 beers is better than X wines

I've had a few dinners out followed by 'good' days but it's only getting me back to where I was. Plus I've been a bit ill so no exercise but have nothing social this weekend so will keep on track and try and fit in a couple of long walks

Really enjoying the thread although have to snatch a look at weird times. Work is just full on atm

Have a good weekend everyone.

reggaeshark got to the spreadsheet and look at über camp that's super strict!

Sorry about your chicks, titsalina, that sounds awful .

Still bumbling along here :). I have a jar of chargrilled vegetables in lemon, oil and paprika that I made at the weekend, and I've been having those with salad for lunches.

It'll be boiled eggs for breakfast today, and maybe chicken tikka for dinner. I've been really enjoying cauliflower tabbolen, which I make by mixing cauli rice with lime juice, chopped parsley, mint and coriander, salt, chopped shallots, and chopped tomato and cucumber (with the wet middle scooped out). It's really nice with lamb, or curry.

Yes, flyright I do the same with wine! Dangerous. These were my students so I'm slightly disturbed by the toy boy image...

titsalina that's awful
playnice what a good idea. Titsalina you could do that? Make up a big jar of roasted veggies? Have it with salad, feta, mackerel, smoked salmon etc for quick dinners?

Also get the slow cooker on with a load of bones and, salt and Apple cider vinegar. It takes two minutes to get in but then you just leave it for 24 hours and have a big tub in the fridge/ freezer. Bone broth is an awesome drink (melt some butter in if its not fatty enough) plus you can make soup in 10 minutes. I just heat a bowlful of stock with whatever veg is looking ropey or frozen cauli/ broccoli until the veg is soft then blitz. Add cheese or a bit of meat at the end after blitzing for a yummy super quick dinner.

Courgettie tubs from Tesco are great for a quick dinner. I fry veg (shallots, tomato, aubergine etc) add oregano and garlic in lots of butter and olive oil, stir in a big dollop extra thick cream, and let it melt. Stir in courgettie and cold meat.

I also like a green smoothie: celery, avocado, spinach, coconut oil, cucumber, u/s almond milk, cayenne,apple cider vinegar. It's lush and super quick way get lots of veg and fat in - I'll have it with a side of cold meat as dinner when I'm really pushed for time. X

Playnice - that couscous sounds lovely. Will give it a try.

Titsalina - sorry about your poor chicks. That's terrible.

WanHeda - smoked paprika sounds like it might help. Will give it a go. I'm having it for lunch whatever!

If anyone is looking for a recommendation from the recipe thread I can recommend the moussaka. Really nice and fairly easy.

Gcalgske - that smoothie sounds interesting! Will give it a go. I miss my smoothies.

Thanks Gcal. Off to have a look.

Oh no! The cheese-man just called. He comes every Friday with a van full of cheese. And eggs.
I only meant to buy eggs but now I also have over 600g of cheese:
Hard goats cheese with fenugreek seeds
Gouda with sundried tomatoes and Italian herbs
A mature, unpasteurised farmhouse cheese
That last one is AMAZING!
So much for no dairy.
I'll have to feed it to DH and DC.
Other than that, all going well.
No cheats, plenty of water, not bored or hungry, and clothes fitting much better!
KOKO!

I wish someone would arrive at my house with a van full of cheese!

Sorry about your chicks Titsa

Ooh, I would love a cheese man! But would then eat far too much cheese

Has anyone else noticed how few 'storecupboard' ingredients they are using? If it wasn't for ds, I would only be using tea leaves, herbs, spices and condiments (although a lot of my herbs are fresh too), olive oil, tinned tuna and tomatoes and jars of olives. Pretty much everthing else is fresh (eggs, cream, cheese, meat, poultry, fish, salad and veg).

I'm also getting through loads of washing up liquid, to cope with all the buttery/oily pans and plates! (I don't have a dishwasher).

I'm sorry about your poor wee chicks titsalina :(

My foods today:

B: two eggs fried in butter; black coffee
L: an avocado, olives, feta and oily tuna
D: will be salmon and homemade coleslaw

I'm going to allow myself two glasses of dry white wine tonight. And there's cheese to snack on, if I feel like it.

I find it quite easy to get through all the water. I count the three litres I'm supposed to drink and after that don't bother counting, but tend to drink more than that.

SoMuch, I am sending dh to the shops on a daily basis. Salad goes manky so quickly, I get through yoghurt and veg at a rate of knots and we are constantly running out of sparkling water. I definitely need to consider our budget a bit more carefully.

I'm really lucky to have some great local shops a few minutes' walk away. The butchers and greengrocers are doing very well out of me (especially as I can buy local eggs there too)!

On the other hand, I'm hardly setting foot in the bakers these days (only to buy the occasional loaf for ds, which I freeze and take out a slice when needed).

I am spending more on food, as fresh stuff is more expensive (even if you use cheaper cuts of meat etc), although I'm also saving a fortune on not buying wine!

But it does really illustrate how hard it is for people on a low income to eat healthy food, when it's so much easier to buy a load of cheap bread, pasta, biscuits etc.

Hello All,

I am keeping up with you all! I read the thread every day but just a bit rushed atm.

Posting now to say I have found a black tea that I really don't miss having milk with. I am very fussy about tea, and don't like black teat generally, but will happily drink this without milk. I don't think I bought it anywhere fancy - either Morrisons or local health food shop. Dragonfly Chai Might help some who neeeed a cuppa frequently, like me.

When I used to read that when we think we're hungry we're often actually thirsty, I used to think "I'll be the judge of that, thank you" and grab a mini roll. But now I know it's true.

Oh titsilina, that's so sad! I am sorry and def complain.

So last night ended up with a chicken thigh and skin, 3 lc chipolata sausages with some red pasta sauce, spinach salad and mozzarella. Yum.

This morning I have taken the kids to a Harvester for brekkie. My worry is that I ate 2 sausages there but of course they won't have been low carb. I thought I was doing so well! Also had bacon, mushrooms and poached eggs and a small bowl of Greek yoghurt which won't have been the fage either. Harrumph.

Tonight is a big family gathering and there will be cake and there will be alcohol. As I am in week 3 I think I might have a glass of prosecco in celebration but avoid cake. The rest of the meal will be a meat and fat-laden veggie feast so I will be fine with that. Need to up the water today, been really good at drinking 6-8 pints a day min but only on my second today.

No lunch after big brunch and in anticipation of big dinner. Might snack on celery and cream cheese or a piece of fancy cheese.

Do you think the harvester choices are disastrous?