Final Pre-summer Bootcamp weigh-in (and ongoing chat thread)

[BIWI]

Morning all!

for the last time this Bootcamp, is the Spreadsheet of Wonderfulness

I hope that this Bootcamp has been successful for you. I have to say, it's been one of the most trouble-free

I'm certainly carrying on, and with a bit more focus given that we now have a holiday booked in 11 weeks time, that will mean I need to be ready to don a swimsuit.

Papaver Just popped out in my lunch break to buy a jar of anchovies I love them too so I'll definitely be trying that recipe!

biwi that Crussh place sounds lovely! I am now thinking of ways to engineer some work meetings in London so I can find one!

I have properly stuck to the plan since Monday - I know it's only Wednesday but I am pretty proud!

I do feel dreadful today though, headache, sluggish and horribly depressed / emotional. We have some "issues" going on at home so it's hard to know if I have just reached my boiling point with those, or if the disciplined diet is having some kind of effect - anyone know if LC can bring out the emotional side?

It is great - because they regularly use zero noodles; they also do a huge pot of soup with them in, which I really like.

Papaver that's a great loss

Hello

I finished this boot camp about week 4 or 5 as went on summer hols. Been back a while now and been generally lc but I'm eating more and more bacon, sausages, pork belly than ever.
Need to get out of that habit as was eating loads of chicken and fish prev.
I had streaky bacon and sausage for breakfast. Bacon and Brie salad for lunch and pork belly and veg for dinner.... Too much processed/fat isn't it???

Back to it today.

Lunch on the run was pork scratchings.
Dinner belly pork and dressed green salad, a cherry Tom and a little avacado.

OMG! Who posted the link to the velvet pork recipe? I'd like to thank you! It is really delicious!

I had some rather good home made chicken stock and I bunged in a load of garlic and it was fab.

I am avoiding Bake Off tonight It is my favourite programme, had a friend text me to say I definitely should apply for next year, I love baking! I will watch it tomorrow, probably while I eat lunch.

I may have sinned. But I do have a good excuse (DS fucked up his AS levels and has been refusing to talk to us AT ALL about his options)

We, er, took the kids to McDonald's tonight. Was starving as had "scraped off sandwich fillings only" at work event today. I tried my best which means I had burger with no bun. Buns are mentioned online as 28g carbs and smokehouse burger at 55g carbs. So 27g overall. And then the consolation midweek cava knowing DS has already made rash decisions and there's bugger all we can do or say.

Ho hum. Will KOKO tomorrow.

Thanks wombattoo.

Mother all hail the wondrous power of the anchovy! I'm looking forward to making that velvet pork tomorrow.

Food today:
B- creme fraiche, smoked trout, salmon caviar.
L- halloumi with a little dressed salad.
S- couple spoonfuls of pesto (just licking the bowl after I made it, really)., granoadana and a few olives, some chicken liver parfait (easier to make than I expected and delicious with celery.
D- BBQ... black farmer sausages, courgette, tomatoes, mushrooms stuffed with roquefort.
P- greek yoghurt with clotted cream, vanilla and nutmeg.

Too much dairy.

Granodana = gran padana.

I made the velvet pork the other day - nice! But my pork was really tough? It was quite thin chops and from Aldi so maybe a bit cheap/small to cope with all the cooking down of the stock! I will try again maybe less stock and lower hear for longer and see if I can find some thicker chops!

Last night I made a cauli rice and smoked mackrel dish, adapted from a rice one (or was on Eat Well for Less program the other night) - it was fab! I'll pop it on the recipe thread. Basically cauli rice, shallot, garlic, curry powder & oil/butter all fried in pan then flaked mackerel, parsley and lemon juice at the end. Could add prawns and/or hb eggs too.

I'm still managing to stay on track since Monday. I did have a small bar of 75% choc (7g carbs) but it was so sweet I'm going back to 85!

sestra thank you for the velvet pork recipe. Twas lush.

Hello all from Spain! Temporarily living with in-laws, I kept up low carbon pretty well for three weeks but it has all gone to pot now as MIL is using up odds and ends from the cupboard to cook - meaning mostly pasta, rice and beans. Not much I can do except jump back on here ready for the move to our new flat on Monday. Will go and catch up a bit.

Sorry to hear that Wilf. But if it's any consolation, DS1 did exactly the same - but managed to turn CCCE into A*AAB in the end!

Blimey, that chicken liver parfait is even more gorgeous today! Recipe...
www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/old-school-chicken-liver-parfait/#THflxX2j2te73fAE.97

I used 50ml of oloroso sherry, because I didn't have brandy, and a good squeeze of lemon juice, too. I didn't bother covering it with clarified butter, either, because I figured it wouldn't last long!

Is there an acceptably low carb tonic (as in, to go with gin) that is permissable with BC light? I'm sticking to the food rules for the first fortnight, but I'm not going to manage the moratorium on alcohol.

I know spirits with soda are the best thing - does soda taste like tonic?

I'm usually a wine drinker. Is gin and tonic/soda considerably better than red wine?

Was going to not drink until the weekend, but am in a shitty, irritable, mood, wound up to the maximum by the heat and flies, and not sure I can get through another late afternoon/early evening.

I believe Fevertree Light tonic is low: 3.8g carbs per 100ml

Also, for wine... Skinny Prosecco Not cheap but 7g sugar per litre makes it possibly the lowest carb bubbles you can find right now. Other 'extra brut' bubbles can be found here and there.

BIWI DS1 has bombed out completely with EEEU (though the U is probably also an E as he had extenuating circs and they haven't processed it yet).

He's already made the decision to move to BTEC Sport. But DH and I have been begging him to keep his options open. Needless to say, since he hasn't EVER taken any of our advice, he wasn't listening right now either.

I do feel miserable (like I've failed as a parent) - I've realised everyone else who's bright kids went to state school - and thrived - were either freaks of nature, girls or they were tutored all the way through.

He went from being a very bright kid with lots of support at home to someone who totally disengaged and has either been deluding himself about his studies, or lying to us. I trusted him to be 'taking responsibility' but it seems he wasn't actually ready for college with its laid back attitude and slack pastoral care!

College very reluctantly offered him to continue (but won't allow him to repeat the year) but on the basis he'd have to do the AS alongside A2. And he won't. Because HE HASN'T CHANGED HIS ATTITUDE ABOUT WORK AND LEARNING AT ALL. Really he isn't ready for it and should go get a job until he is, but he has to stay in education till he's 18!

MUCH midweek wine has been drunk since last Thursday. Am going to tolerate a gain if I have to!

Thanks Wilf. That's 7.6g per large glass, though - much too much.

Arsebadgers.

Sorry to hear about your DS's exam results. I'd be on the wine, too! Maybe this will make him form fours a bit once he's processed it?

Much sympathies. Both mine went to state school. Both bright. DS2 sounds very similar to yours - scraped through his A2s. Now works in a local supermarket.

It's not you. It's about them. Goodness, you can hardly say you're not a brilliant role model!

Chin up. I know it feels awful at the time. It's a terribly difficult lesson to realise that you can't undo their mistakes for them, and they have to get on and do it for themselves.

Papaver - gin and soda doesn't taste anything like gin and tonic I'm afraid. So if you want a g&t (and who wouldn't? ), then go for Schweppes Slimline. Unfortunately, it's not seen as a trendy brand these days, and so if you end up in a bar that only sells Fevertree you'll either have to take the carb hit, or drink something else.

Golden rum (something like Mount Gay Eclipse) with fresh lime and soda/sparkling mineral water is a lovely alternative.

Thanks BIWI and everyone. I know it isn't about me (itisitisitis) really. But because DH and I are both, ahem "intellectuals" he has felt the need to rebel against that. I had a conversation with him in the car when I had to shout at the top of my voice [parenting fail] 'I've been teaching young men like you for 25 fucking years, DO NOT TELL ME I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT EDUCATION. And that's the problem. I have tried to help but obv in the wrong ways; meanwhile, he has made a fine art of avoiding all help from us, anything written down or anyone.

Anyhoo. I'm sure he'll make a wonderful job of his new path and all the conflict will cease immediately

If it's any consolation Wild myself and my siblings all followed our brilliant academic parents into academia, overwhelmed by them. It wasn't right for any if us, even though we made careers there, and we are still dealing with the fall out in our 40s. Maybe you succeded in some way as yet unbeknownst to you.

Thanks BIWI - am now sipping Mount Gay Eclipse with lime and sparkling water! I can't taste the rum (despite adding more about three times) but I'm afraid to put too much in or I'll be hammered.

That sounds tough Wilf. I have learned that they have to find their own way. DC think parents are too old to understand how it feels to be young. Grr