Week 4 - Spring Low Carb Bootcamp - our first month!

[BIWI]

Morning all

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

... which looks like it's going to have some fabulous results this morning! Well done Hesdeadjim.

Don't be discouraged if you haven't seen a loss - remember, weeks 3 and 4 are notorious for weight loss slowing down or even reversing.

Just make sure you're following Bootcamp rules - especially eating fat and drinking water - and beware of carb creep. It's very easy to think 'a bit' of this or 'a spoonful' of that won't make a difference - but it really does.

Hi Roses - the rules are in the spreadsheet which BIWI links to at the top of these threads. It's probably worth reading through some of the older threads - we've asked a LOT of questions these last few weeks!

Going super-strict these next few days, as those lovely lb I lost seem to have come back again this morning - aargh!

B: black coffee, a couple of eggs when I fancy them.
L: leftover chicken "kiev" & salad leaves
D: pork belly slices & courgette

The rowing machine has been set up - the plan is to work up to half an hour on it. In addition to walking to & from work, I'm hoping that things will start to tone up...

Patapouf I prefer level one of the Shred tbh, I think it's the most effective of the three work outs and you can get more out of it by increasing your weights and holding weights on the aerobic exercises. I would usually stay on level one for the full 30 days.

Ooohsopink I've never tried celeriac spaghetti but the pre-cut courgetti from supermarkets isn't as soggy. If you slice it yourself you can leave it in the fridge on a few sheets of kitchen roll to dry out. Or if you leave out the middle seedy part (which is nice in salads) then it won't be so wet.

Looneytune high cholesterol on its own is all but meaningless, you need to know your total cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. If you post your results or PM them to me then I'll take a look at them for you. On the whole this way of eating improves lipid profile overall. LDL can go up slightly but triglyceride levels usually drop dramatically. If you do have very high LDL cholesterol then you can still follow Bootcamp but it would be better to emphasise monounsaturated fats (olive oil, avocado oil, nut oils) and omega-3 (oily fish) rather than saturated fats (butter, animal fats). Eggs should still be okay so long as you aren't eating them in huge quantities (i.e. more than three a day) and coconut oil is processed differently from other saturated fats so it should still be fine.

Wow thanks guys, I actually do have a full breakdown so will post that in a bit. Some really reassuring advice thank you.

Ok so i have 2 different readings over the space of 12 weeks. HDL was 1.35/1.57 LDL was 3.5/4 triglycerides 0.7/0.7 total cholesterol to HDL ratio: 3.9/3.8 and total cholesterol 5.2/5.9

No losses but it is week four for me as I fell off the wagon massively on Friday night

However I feel fantastic, by rights I should be pretty down as there is a lot of difficult stuff going on at the moment but I feel energetic and resilient. Has anyone else found this wow helps with their mental health?

Finally I have a new fix for carb cravings. Celeriac cut into chip shapes, coveted with paprika or chillli powder and roasted in oven until crisp. Eaten with grated cheese and sour cream on top. Delilsh

That said I think I might try cutting back on dairy, I do too much grazing on cheese

Almahart, I think my mental health has improved a lot. Usually I have a nap during the day but yesterday I thought about it but realised I didn't need one - when I'm low I tend to have one just to shut down for a while. My resting heart rate is also getting lower so I am less anxious. Hopefully this continues as I really don't want to go back on antidepressants.

Morning folks. It's snowing here!

I've just made us a big stack of these cream cheese pancakes: www.ibreatheimhungry.com/2012/01/cream-cheese-pancakes.html with vanilla, cinnamon and a bit of stevia. Ate them with fresh raspberries and blackberries. I wouldn't say they were as nice as regular pancakes, but I quite enjoyed them anyway. Don't feel deprived of pancakiness. :)

Lunch today will be leftover chicken soup, which didn't turn out as nice as I hoped (considering the effort I put into the bloody stock), but it's OK.

For dinner I'm planning to make naked burgers, so fresh beef burgers, fried shallots, coleslaw, gherkins and salad, I think.

Thanks, Bursars. We're doing pancakes for dinner - I'll try these!

Still the same weight. But, my face is thinner and I have a collarbone trying to emerge. So, I am changing shape.

Anyone else struggle with the weight thing? I find my mood is dictated by the numbers on the scales.

Oh, also, read this:

In two weeks you'll feel better
In four weeks you'll look better
In eight weeks you'll hear better.

I assume the "hear" thing is when people say "you're looking great!"

Eight weeks isn't long at all.

KOKO

Morning all.

Any recommendations for low carb beef burgers please. Can't seem to find any!

Jumie frozen ones seem to be the easiest to get hold of. Tesco do 99% own brand frozen quarter pounders that are nice. Lidl do high meat content burgers too. They're quite easy to make yourself with a burger press. Lamb burgers are particularly nice.

Thanks StuntNun.

Morning,

I definitely feel better mentally from this way of eating. Less reliance on something sweet to pick me up.

Had one very thin pancake this morning filled with peanut butter and raspberries but ran 9 miles after the school run so I feel it's justified.

About to make a spinach and feta omelette they sound so good. I am trying to not eat too much processed meat now I am a bit more used to this WOE.

KOKO everyone.

Having an anxiety meltdown today which isn't fun, but I'm on track food-wise which is weird.. usually if I'm having an anxiety day I tend to binge like a trooper

Breakfast: Protein shake

Lunch: Salad with olives, sundried toms, goats cheese and chorizo

Dinner: Salmon and stirfry veg

Looking at your lipid profile Looneytune it's not all bad. Your HDL is normal and your triglycerides is excellent. Your total cholesterol and LDL are borderline high but since your total cholesterol includes your LDL then these two are usually elevated together. Your total cholesterol to HDL ratio at 3.9/3.8 is well below 6 which is good. The most important value is your triglycerides/HDL ratio which should be below 0.87 - yours is 0.48. This is important because it is linked to LDL particle size and suggests that your LDL are the "safe" large fluffy type rather than the dangerous small dense type. If I were your doctor (which I'm not so please don't take my opinion as medical fact) I would encourage you to make dietary changes and increase physical activity. A low carb diet is a good way to further reduce your triglyceride levels which will make the triglycerides/HDL ratio even better. Exercise is a good way to increase your HDL levels.

I've just updated the sheet with my lowest from last week - 3 lb down again; but went badly choc-awry over the weekend and it went back on. Good day yesterday, today is a little shaky.

Need to drink more water!

My son's getting pancakes after choir this evening, I might have one with them if it seems appropriate and maybe that way I won't make any at home ... (I've promised to take in some dairy-free batter that's ok for him anyway)

jumie I dh make our own burgers. We use 15/20% fat mince. Grate in some shallot, salt and pepper (and sometimes a bit of cumin). Form into burger shapes and leave in the fridge for a couple of hours. They are lovely. You could bind the mince with a beaten egg if you prefer.

Hello All. It's my birthday today and I'm going to have cake. I've agonised over this and decided to have a planned cheat of a little piece of chocolate cake. Otherwise, as normal today.
B - creamy coffee x2
L - leftover beef curry with cauli rice
D - omelette and green salad
S - another coffee and cake

Thank you so much @stuntnun that's very helpful.

Happy birthday Captain 🎁🎉🎂

Hi Roses

I am a newbie too. I started yesterday so it is all very new for me right now. It is a lot to get my head round having previously been on and off SW over the years and I have found reading all the threads really helpful. I made the lamb meatballs from the 1st page of the recipie thread and they were bloody lovely.

Everyone here seems so supportive. We can be newbies together

Happy birthday Captain, enjoy your cake.

I've just made cream cheese pancakes, entirely sceptical - and my goodness they were a lot lovelier than I expected. I used one of my mini pots of philly and one egg, blended and then left for the bubbles to subside before frying. I did sprinkle a bit of sweetener on top, which I try to avoid normally - but I didn't have any other topping options in the house, and I figure it's still a lot better for me than giving in to the temptation of DH's real pancakes (plus syrup) though.

Welcome ALaCreme

Happy birthday Captain 🎂

Long walk and Level 1 shred. Knackered.com!

Its my son's birthday today - 25 eek! - but he doesn't live at home so I'm not having cake. Neither am I having pancakes as I don't like them