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 have that bikini, heman. I bought it last year and chickened out of wearing it, but it's going on in a month! You look great in it - and much flatter under the boobs. That's the bit I'm desperate to see a change in. At the moment it's easy for me to look like The Oldest Pregnant Lady in the World. Mind you, the boobs themselves aren't much better - 36K. No idea what will happen to them - they were pretty ginormous even when I was slender. I think Iwas a J cup in the days before J cups were invented.

Someone up thread was asking about coconut milk in coffee upthread:

I'm testing this out at the moment. Last week I used coconut cuisine from alpro with coconut oil, this week I've gone for bog standard coconut cream from a can... coconut cream from a can works beautifully. Not coconutty, tastes like normal cream!

There's a noticeable difference Herman! Well done. Hopefully I'll see the same this time next week :)

Wow this thread is so active it took me two days to catch up!

Thanks everyone for answering my questions.

Jiminny you are a bloody inspiration, woman! I am really motivated by your journey. And so well done with the dress size, nothing feels as good as that feeling.

I've got some NEWs to share:

Firstly, I'm not craving treats, feeling very hungry or eating crap. So pleased with this.

Secondly, I am serving up smaller portions than I'm used to, but I am finding that I Cannot Finish the Plate! I'm full about 2/3 of the way in, have pushed and tested myself by eating 3/4 and then feel sick. I am resolved to dishing up much much smaller portions as it is ENOUGH. For years, I could eat for England and was either ravenous or bloated and uncomfy.

My internal stomach (ykwim) has shrunk in just a week. Wow.

I've been good with food choices, but need to up my fat intake a lot, and water water water.

And finally a question. I haven't experienced this flu thing, or any other symptoms, except more energy actually, but... and it might be unrelated, AF came to visit yesterday and it is only 2 weeks since the last one started. WTF is going on? I know hormones and insulin are related but is this common or has my normal regular cycle just spontaneously combusted? or is it the start of the dreaded menopause?

NSVs not NEWs FFS!

B: 2 slices of ham
L: Salad with spinach, cucumber, tomato, pepper and mozzarella, with oil and vinegar dressing
D: Frankfurters with braised cabbage and other random veg

You must wear your bikini ilove. I wore it last summer, it is so comfortable. I was big last year obviously, (my belly is bigger now though) and people really, really do not care a jot!

I'm having such a hard day. I feel strange - not lightheaded or anything, just off. Like I'm just getting over a cold or about to come down with one.

It's horrible. Went and ate a packet of salt in the loo. I hope this improves!

Breakfast: Parma ham and mushrooms, followed with full fat yogurt.
Lunch: chicken thigh salad, with oily dressing.
Dinner: more chicken, mixed breast and thigh, with cucumber, tomato, and mushrooms.

Wow Jiminny! That's brilliant and exploding - great NSVs

Ludog I'm just a few pounds away from being under the 13st mark and hope I can do it in next 2 weeks. Well done!

Off for a look at recipe thread, thanks everyone for adding new recipes.

Daisy seems to me there's not a lot you can do about that. I'd suggest very sensible today and The rest of tomorrow and Saturday, los and lots of water And enjoy. I think forgoing the pudding is a good idea if you can.

Heman. Bikini looks pretty damn good.

I have irrational anger. Still not hungry but everything is getting right on my tits. Cream overdose or post nights tiredness?

JustRosie, I agree about Subway, actually. Plenty of salad and toppings and meats and cheese--very easy to concoct the perfect LCHF salad. It's just that I luuurve the Italian BMT

In the end I opted for nothing there. We were heading home straight afterward and I'll be damned if I'm going to buy a salad when my fridge is heaving with fresh ingredients. Smacked on pork crunch instead!

It's Google, you'd think they'd provide healthy stuff considering their employee wellbeing reputation!

Suggest it to a manager, Jiminy! Tell them they're being "fattist," ha!

Jiminy tx for experimenting. I actually love the coconut taste that coconut milk gives coffee but am not sure if it is bootcamp or lc friendly.

Thanks flummoxed, I think that's what I'll do, unless anyone v experienced says to cut fat tomorrow.

Sunborn, I had a couple of days last week when I didn't feel great, and eating a bit of salt, together with lots of water, made a difference. No problems this week. Some people drink bouillon for the same reason I think.

YoLoZammo re NSV's: Your stomach hasn't shrunk, you're not hungry because your blood sugar is stable. No carbs means no blood sugar spikes, which means no blood sugar crashes and no panicky body telling you to eat more to get your blood sugar back up . You're finally actually able to listen to your REAL appitite without your noisy hormones screaming at you to eat in case you die

Re AF: Fat cells contain small amounts of oestrogen as I understnad it. As the fat cells release their lipids into the blood stream, that can also release the oestrogen which can play havoc with your periods. Mine didn't show up for nearly 8 weeks (pregnancy panicked like a nun caught out ), then I had a week of AF, a break of 5 days and ANOTHER week of AF right at the beginning. Mercifully that's settled now and I'm back to my clockwork cycle.

PlymouthMaid1 check the label on the variety you have, less than 5g carb per 100g and it's fine once a day or so, less than 3g have a couple etc.

I've been reading some of the older bootcamp threads ... interested to see some people who have done BC several times and commented that they 'fell off the wagon' hence rejoining bootcamp. (I know there is no wagon Jiminny!)

So I'm curious, if you've done this before and not maintained the LC lifestyle, what was it that set you back? Is it temptation by alcohol, sugar, takeaways etc? It seems to be that certain events set off emotional eating perhaps, and it's downhill from there?

Also, am I right in thinking it's 2 weeks of strict LC (of which I'm behind most of you having started only properly today), and then 8 weeks (and forever...) of BC lite where some carbs are allowed?

Does anything magical happen at 10 weeks? Apart from hopefully feeling great, healthy and lean :) Just wondering if anything changes from Week 2-10, to >Week 10?

RedBeanie Yep, 2 weeks strict to get yourself into ketosis/ fat adaptewd, then 8 weeks of BC light or BC, whatever you choose to do.

For me, I found the transition to BClight too difficult after just 2 weeks, although I did allow a couple of things in (berries, cocoa powder and peanut butter) and wasnt rewdy after 2 weeks to be let loose on a more relaxed WOE food because I hadn't adjusted my relationship with food at that point. I've been obese all my life, so a fucked up relationship like that doesnt fix itself overnight.

After about week 5 though this WOE became second nature, so I stopped tracking my food for a while and just got on with it. I had a bit of carb creep though and stalled, so i went back to tracking my in take to keep an eye on it and stripped back on peanut butter as i couldnt be trusted with it in the house. Easter was also a really hard lesson for me.

By week 10 I'd decided i wanted to keep tracking my food because I've done it for so long and it keeps me accountable, I'd learned which foods were too tempting and which were my staples. I'd also learned how much I needed the support of the guys on this thread (Feb campers, you know who you are ) so after week 10 I stayed on the threads all the way through the 5 weeks until this one started and i continued to lose weight throughout.

So in answer to your question: nothing happens at week 10, but overall throughout bootcamp you kind of learn what works for you.

Hi red, I've fallen off the wagon a few times, most of them I've managed to get back on and undo any damage (sometimes just getting me back to where I was before - frustrating but better than huge gains) for me it's mainly celebration times like holidays, Christmas break, sometimes entertaining or being a dinner guest and not wanting to be seen eating differently. Then I can be off track for a week or more before pulling myself together and getting back on it!

My worst was when I was having a shit time at work and I just comfort ate for a while. And binge ate sugar (chocolate etc.) but funnily enough not carbs like pasta bread rice or potatoes. Put on 10-12 pounds and then stayed there for a long time.

I'm much more motivated this BC and enjoying my food, yet not getting hungry. And hardly snacking at all.

The support threads this time have been really good!

Red I can answer that - I have done many bootcamps, but I'm here all year round. When bc ends, I stay on the low carb threads that run in between.

It is over confidence that causes me to fail. I can get away with eating the odd piece of cake, biscuit or chips without it impacting on my weight. Unfortunately, if I overdo it, the cravings for carbs return really strongly and can lead to mayhem.

I also don't vary my meals enough so I tend to get a bit bored. This is my fault. I know there are loads of lovely low carb meals available but I am a picky/fussy eater.

Alcohol is another of my downfalls. I have a quite busy social life and during bc I generally stick to vodka/soda but I love wine. It leads me to make bad food choices.

I hope that goes someway to explaining.

Nothing magical happens at week 10, but during the first couple of weeks you generally feel better, lose cravings and your appetite drops. That's where the magic happens.

Thanks Jiminny. Are you tracking your food using a calorie counter app or something like that? Or is it more of a mental tracking-type method?

I've seen a lot around about carb intake per day - should we be aiming for

Oops I didn't mean the support threads were not good before now more that it's refreshing to have new people and having some familiar names who are really experienced now too is a great combination

Sorry neko and wom, I cross-posted with you ... that's useful to know. I can imagine Christmas, Easter and birthdays being really difficult. I'm also a fussy eater so worried about things getting stale.

And in winter I won't want cold salads so I think I'll struggle with lunches...

Anyway, that's a way off yet, I need to try and just focus on the here and now and see how far I get

RedBeanie no need to track anything at all so dont worry :) I track because i find it useful and I"ve done it for about 10 years, you dont have to!

Red take it day by day, week by week and you'll get in the swing of things! Lots of good websites out there (and Pinterest) for ideas if you feel things are getting samey.
In winter I make LC soups with lots of cream added.