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!

Thank you , Gcal that is beautiful and a lovely tribute .
Concentrating on upping my water intake today . It's much more difficult when working to drink so much as I work in the community visiting people in their homes and don't really have access to a loo .
Hope everyone has a good weekend .

Plates have definitely got bigger! I know because a modern dinner plate doesn't fit in my dishwasher. I've bought some lovely 60's and 70's dinner plates from eBay. They're only about 24cm diameter.
We tend to use the Wedgwood in the evenings and I'll use a luncheon plate the same as DC. DH prefers a dinner plate, and then there's only one to hand wash.
Those struggling with plate sizes, go on, treat yourself to a really lovely small plate. I find half the pleasure of eating is in the presentation. A beautifully set table, folded napkin, good quality china. I set the table and sit down even for lunch on my own.
However, I do admit to having a passion for glass and tableware and may have more than one set......
I visited far too many stately homes as a child!

So…. calories.

I know the theory is we aren't supposed to calorie count, but I shove all my food into MFP anyway so there it is for me to see.

Since I started this WOE (9 days ago) I have lost half a stone and kept my carb consumption between 20 and 45g a day.

BUT - total calories around 2,000 rather than the 120--1400 I always aimed for. Read some article saying that calories DO count and it's a bit of a myth that you can just forget about them.

Does anyone (like BIWI with her scary stick?) know the answer? I had assumed that higher calorie was fine - within reason - but if you drink double cream and scoff cheese from the minute you wake until you sleep then there will be a problem.

Basically, where is the line????

Bowing before those with greater knowledge than me basically everyone given I am such a newbie

Notdead I have some understanding from reading Always hungry?...my understanding is that you can lose fat in two ways - either you eat less calories and 'starve' your fat cells so they release your fat, or you eat a high fat/low carb diet so that your body doesn't a. convert the excess carbs in fat as it normally would and b. Your cells think you have plenty of fat so you release the fat they've been storing. I think that's the jist of it?

Also this from diet doctor: ^Weight loss without hunger

An LCHF diet makes it easier for the body to use its fat reserves, as their release is no longer blocked by high insulin levels. This may be one reason why eating fat produces a feeling of longer-lasting satiety than carbohydrates. It’s been shown in a number of studies: When people eat all they want on a low carb diet caloric intake typically drops.^

notdeadyet, my understanding of LCHF and calories is that is the kind of calories you are eating is far more important than the number.

I think it's so important to try and get one's head around the idea that the 'calories in/calories out' mantra is just, simply, bad science. We've heard it so often, eat less, move more, it's received wisdom, it must be right! But actually it's just not that simple - what matters is the effect that the calories you eat have on your body's systems, how they are stored, what they actually do in your body, not just how many of them there are.

We know that calories from fat and protein behave very differently in the body than calories from carbohydrates and that's the thing that matters most when attempting to lose weight. The calories from fat, put simply, do not, will not, cannot make you fat. You are walking proof of that!

There have been quite a few experiments done on raising calorie levels on LCHF - disclaimer is that young men tend to lose faster than women! But it's still interesting Diet Doctor

Fundamentally it's a shift in thinking. Eat until you are satisfied, don't starve, don't count calories, just carry on with the WOE and see the results.

Plus yes, fat is more sating. So, the likelihood of you scoffing cheese from noon until night is highly unlikely! Once fat adaptation starts to occur, you are simply not hungry, or as hungry, as you were when you were effectively depriving your body of the calories it needed on a low-fat or low-cal diet. As faith says, calorie intake can drop after a while simply because you don't need to eat as much.

Why calories in calories out is bollocks

I did a VLCD just before switching to bootcamp - under 1000 calories a day. Lost a stone in a month. Have significantly increased my calories on bc but continued to lose weight. So it's clear to me that weight loss does not simply depend on calories in and out - the type of calorie clearly matters. But eating when not hungry will, I suppose, overload your system so that your body can't burn it all and has to store some instead? Maybe? I'm not sure on that one. But it seems that a low carb diet allows for a higher calorie intake anyway.

Grr, aargh! I'm pissed off today that I can't stuff my face with ice cream. Lovely day outside, and we spent a good while out in the sun. Still, resisted. Grumble... I know you can make LC ice cream yourself, but that would require forethought and planning!

Foods today:

B: an avocado, creamy coffee and two squares of 90% chocolate.
L: a big cheesy omelette (3 eggs) and a small mountain of mixed olives.
D: will be grilled meaty sausages, with asparagus, green beans, shallots and butter.

If I get too sulky about the lack of ice cream, I'll treat myself to some Total with proper vanilla.

Snuck on to the scales again snd I am mid fluctuating up, which is depressing. Hope the scales behave come Monday.

B - piece of posh cheese as running out of the door
S - celery sticks and pancetta. Babybels
L - creamy scrambled eggs, avocado and olive oil
D - thinking salmon with a creamy sauce made with leeks, cherry tomatoes and king prawns. Served with spinach salad

Being at home all the time is making me want to snack out of boredom. I've had warm almond milk with cream, cinnamon and ginger for breakfast along with a bowl of Greek yoghurt and a black coffee. Then a 3 egg omelette with cheese, leeks, courgette and a bit of red pepper with another black coffee. Keep drinking water. Am completely full and not at all hungry so there is no need for me to eat anything or make a creamy coffee as I'm tempted to do. Am so glad I'm low carbing and CAN resist - if I was recuperating on my old high carb ways I would be eating constantly!

B-Greek yoghurt
L- massive Tuna mayo salad. Feel stuffed now...from salad!
D- will be butter chicken and cauli rice/ or mash.

Two litres of water down already plus a green tea. I really need the water.

Thanks for the link saffynool that made an interesting read.

My loss has really slowed down. Lost 5lb the first week and managed 1lb week two. I'm feeling a bit disheartened as I have followed the woe meticulously although I could probably drink more water. This week I have added in one square of 75% chocolate and have had berries twice. This is my second time around and I wonder if this has some bearing on the lack of movement? Also ... my erm ...toilet habits have been a bit sluggish. Just not the ...amount ...I'm used to. (sorry). I have also been going to the gym twice a week. I'm going to carry on because I do feel better in myself but it's frustrating.

Myothercarisalsoshit Have you read any of my posts about weeks 3 and 4?

Have you bothered to read the OP of this post?

You've lost 6lbs, which is brilliant!

Why be disheartened, when I've already warned you about weeks 3 and 4?

Sorry, should have said have you bothered to read the OP of this thread?

Got carried away with all the big stick waving

Oh dear ... call me chastised.

Well yes - but also praised! 6lbs is a really good achievement - don't be disheartened.

Many thanks all for the calorie input and Saffynol for the link.

I suppose I just worry that my appetite hasn't shrunk much yet. The theory being that once you switch to LCHF WOE, appetite naturally shrinks so you don't consume too many calories - but I am still keen to snack sneaks off to eat another slice of Jarlsberg.

Another one feeling a bit meh today. Slightly low. Worry that some have said LC diets can affect seratonin levels. Or maybe it's just one of those days! Made some of that LC ice-cream today so hopefully that will cheer me up tomorrow.

Today's menu has been:

B: Creamy coffee and 4 slices of Jarlsberg
L: Green salad with avocado and grilled salmon. Mayo
S (will be): Black Farm sausages, cauli mash and buttered spinach.

If you're still hungry, why not eat a proper breakfast?

That could be it. Didn't have much in this morning (which is why I had cheese slices) and that could have been a factor. Eggs tomorrow.

Don't worry about calories for now. Honestly! Just focus on getting the basics of low carbing right. You'll know you're doing it right when you see the weight coming off, but then also realise that you're simply not hungry between meals. In fact, you may even find yourself forgetting to eat. Sounds ridiculous, but it's true!

I never understood people who talked about 'forgetting to eat'. Who knows, maybe I'll become one of them ….. Thank you for words of encouragement.

This was my lunch today! Smokies!