Week 2 - Pre-summer low carb bootcamp

[SayrraT]

I don't think that BIWI has managed to post a new thread so I'll do this one.

I don't have the wise words of BIWI so I'll just say that by now you should be more in the swing of lcing so just keep it up and remember, only 1 week until bclite.

Hopefully you all have a successful weigh-in but if not, don't be disheartened. Post for some help and we will do our best.

spreadsheet

I'm going to be in trouble for this post. Not enough veg and only one actual meal..

I had a splitting headache earlier (verging on migraine) and ended up sleeping for most of the morning.
I finally dragged myself into work about one but could not face eating.
At about three I had a couple of slices of ham and some cheese and cherry toms.
Dinner was chicken thighs (skin too) with salad.

On the plus side, I've drank my full 3l water and don't have a headache anymore.
Well done to all the losses, koko everyone!

boldly, did it go haywire first then settle as you got i to the woe?

Shasta, I conceived DD1 doing 5:2. As I understand it, the underlying cause of PCOS is insulin resistance which means carbs & sugar are especially bad for us

You don't like crackling?

Can I expel people from Bootcamp?

I've pretty much stayed the same, but I've been bootcamping for a while and AF is overdue, so I'm ok with that.

Send any crackling you don't like this way!

Ugh, no, they didn't cook it right. Hot oven, open roast with skin upwards. I expected to hate it, looking at it raw, but it was lovely.

You don't like crackling ? Get off the Internet .

I cook my pork belly twice. I've got an Instant Pot pressure cooker but I do it in the oven too. I put it in the pressure cooker with water and any flavourings you want like onion, herbs, garlic or I like Chinese flavours so soy, garlic, ginger, star anise, splash of cider vinegar. Or you can put it in a large roasting tin and cover with foil. Then I cook it on high pressure for about 40 mins. Or in a low oven for about 1hr 30 mins. Take it out of the liquid and put it on a foil lined tray and blast it in a hot oven until it crisps up and is golden. It should be really tender yet crisp on the outside. The fat should sort of meld into the meat. If I do chinese style belly then I sprinkle on some 5 spice powder before blasting it and give it a drizzle of sesame oil when it comes out of the oven. I might have a go at rillettes this week .

Thanks to sayrra, wombat and BIWI

Today I had a very late breakfast of 3 rashers bacon and a fried egg, lunch was just some salami with cheese and celery with mayonnaise, dinner was left over roast chicken with fried mushrooms in a Philadelphia sauce with courgettini fried in butter.

I didn't sleep much last night and have struggled with water today, managing only 1.5l, but will try harder tomorrow.

Nekobus
The chicken recipe is from Jamie's 30 min meals book. Can post picture of the recipe tomorrow

Btw I too suffer from PCOS and conceived while on Dukan diet. I haven't been officially diagnosed but suffer from insulin resistance and facial hair and other symptoms so sure it's PCOS.

@TheWayOfTheWorld I don't like crackling either...and you can keep those horrible pork scratchings too

Urgh - insomnia, pain, dehydration and heartburn - I'll remember the cream (dairy?) thing and see if it helps, the 16/8 fasting might solve it too. I'm toying with the idea of giving up caffeine to see if that helps, creamy coffee will be hard to give up. Half term day home with the kids, this won't be fun. I will avoid the carbs and sugar through the haze.

I want to have a wardrobe clear out but it's tricky when there are different sizes and "I know I'll put it back on again".

Pcos - I know there's something to do with fat being hormonally active so less fat makes us less affected = conception. I made sure I had my coil fitted before I started this diet. DC1 was unplanned! It would've been interesting to see what my blood sugar was pre low carbing, I know my cholesterol is a bit higher than normal and my BP is borderline for medication. You'd never guess looking at me I was so unhealthy. My mum is much bigger and older with healthy BP.

I really recommend laser hair removal for anyone with unwanted hair - so many years of teasing and bleaching/waxing/tweeting my 'tache. It's lovely not to have to worry. I have a home Phillips gadget for topping up as hormones means it will creep back.

Hello, everyone, congratulations again for doing so well last week! KOKO!
I hope you don't mind if I put in a plea to those of you who are kind enough to be sharing your delicious recipes - would it be possible for you to add them to the Bootcamp Recipe Thread as you go, please? That way all the recipes are in one place and people don't have to scroll back through loads of posts/threads looking for something they think they've seen but didn't take note of at the time!
Thanks a lot!

Oldbooks, no it didn't go haywire at first. That might be because I did 5:2 before starting LCHF. I also have quite mild PCOS compared to some. My periods were slightly longer than average 37-43 days but they never disappeared for months at a time.

Morning!

I got some free chicken wings from dominos last night (they just opened one in town) and after eating them I now feel really really rough. Tummy is really bloated and my head is pounding. Going to drink loads today and avoid food until tonight, see if it calms down any.

I have a ridiculously busy week this week so anyone got ideas for lunches I can eat while walking?

Hmmmm interesting how different our experiences of PCOS are - it does seem to affect every woman differently. AF is a mess for me and obviously I gain weight very quickly, but excess hair isn't a massive problem.

I ask because I haven't had AF since having DD2 10 months ago, and then as soon as started lchf I got over a week of awful pmt then eventually AF which stopped on the 25th, then last night more cramping and spotting again. It's frustrating as it plays havoc with my weight, I have gained 2lbs today which I am sure is water retention and I feel crap.

Anyway enough moaning! I will KOKO and hope it will settle down

Shasta I hope you're feeling more motivated today. It sounds like there are a few reasons why the scales might be a particularly unreliable measure of weight loss in your case so don't be disheartened. Are you taking measurements as well? If you like to weigh daily then you could try one of the apps that works out your average weight over the past few days and post that instead. I use intermittent fasting 16:8 sometimes but don't recommend introducing it until you're a few weeks into eating low carb. If you start to find yourself spontaneously missing a meal then that's usually a good time to introduce an eating window.

YoLo in general this way of eating is beneficial to your lipid profile. The LDL cholesterol can go up initially and sometimes stay slightly higher but this is usually offset by an increase in HDL cholesterol and a big reduction in triglycerides. The exception is in people with familial hypercholesteraemia who may need to emphasise monosaturated fats and omega-3s over saturated fats. If you have any concerns then as your GP for blood tests. In terms of salt, cutting out processed foods and carbs dramatically reduces your salt intake. Also, when you first go low carb your kidney will start excreting sodium at a faster rate due to the decrease in insulin levels. It's only important to replace electrolytes during the first few weeks until your body finds a new balance. I use LoSalt because it contains potassium as well as sodium. Some people do find that they need more magnesium as well (indicated by leg cramps), we usually advise getting this from food sources rather than a supplement.

Heman I've heard good things about the Dopamine Diet cook book too but Tom Kerridge does seem to think you can lose weight on 100g carbs per day which isn't true for most people, especially women. It's worth looking through your cook books, I've found a few of mine where there are recipes that are inherently low carb or easily adapted e.g. with cauli rice, or replacing potato with swede or celeriac. I was in Waitrose the other day and they sell a mushroom risotto made with celeriac instead of rice. It's still relatively high carb but would be a reasonable option in a pinch. It's low calorie though so you'd have to add some fat to it!

Oliversmum don't worry about calories or portion size at this point. Once you've established this way of eating then your appetite will naturally reduce.

I managed my first exploded Babybel yesterday (I never had the guts to leave it in the microwave long enough before and they stayed chewy). Definitely hits the spot if you're missing a crunchy snack.

Belly pork; as well as roasting a joint we buy slices, these we spread with garlic paste and roast in an open tray. Or sometimes we cube and rub with curry and roast. Also make brilliant left overs for snacking on.

Morning everyone
Late weight in for me as was away for BH weekend.
Could someone please add me to the spreadsheet? Thank you
259.2 (-8.1)

OldBooks it may seem odd but I like it when my periods go haywire on BC It means you are burning fat, woohoo! Oestrogen is stored in your fat cells, as a these are used the oestrogen is released. This gives people random spotting/bleeding

I've put on THREE POUNDS since yesterday, most if it around my eyes, and I was totally on plan and I did a HITT session. Life is cruel.
Still purple on the ketostix, hoping it's TOTM on second bottle of water to wash it all away.
It's my silver wedding anniversary today so may have more than a glass of fizz but food will be very, very low carb and having eggs and fat for the first couple of meals to compensate.

Cherries and anyone else concerned about saturated fat, I highly recommend you read Nina Teicholz's Big Fat Surprisee*. It's an eye opener.

BloodCaffeine two of my DSs are allergic to dairy too so we use lard or beef dripping for frying. You can also use coconut oil, goose fat or duck fat.

OldBooks when you lose weight then oestrogen is released from the fat cells which can temporarily upset cycles e.g. ovulation bleeding, heavy periods, bleeding on the coil, return of periods after menopause. It will settle down within the first 2-3 months and most people find any hormonal issues are better when they eat low carb for example no PMT, less menstrual pain, more regular cycles, etc.

Happy dance :). Yesterday I'd lost 3.5 lbs, which I was a tiny bit disappointed with because up to 3 lbs can be a normal day to day variation with me. Anyway, just as I fell asleep last night, I remembered that I'd actually weighed on Tuesday last week because the scales had needed a new battery, so I decided that just for this first week, I'd weigh today as well. Another lb off, but the best bit was that for the first time in years, the scale showed 14 stone something. (Well, if I'm honest, it showed 14 stone, 13.5 lbs!) but such a boost to see a new number. I won't weigh again till next Monday, because I really don't want to see it bounce over 15 again, which it probably will do at least once between now and then. Since Xmas day that means I've lost 13 lbs in total, the first 8.5lbs from xmas to May was solely down to stopping drinking wine (in fact any alcohol), the remainder was in the last 8 days with BC. I am SO pleased. And suddenly it feels like there is hope, because at 13.13 on the way up, I could still easily shop in the high street, I wasn't struggling to find nice clothes - and so I actually believe that in the not too distance future I might be able to get my bigger clothes from Hobbs etc out of storage. I'm hoping I have enough classic basics in storage that haven't dated too much, so that on the way down I can wear clothes I've got, albeit haven't seen for years, then have a proper shopping spree once I'm slim again.

Oh, I actually have that book sitting in my 'too be read' pile, StuntNun. I'll get it out and start it.

'To be read'.

So I definitely can't eat eggs for breakfast any more. They make me puke regularly and it's not worth the risk.
I'll move on to a spoonful of yoghurt and a creamy coffee for my breakfasts since I really don't feel I need eggs tbh