Week 5 - Low Carb Bootcamp chat - and we reach the half way point!

[BIWI]

Good morning

So the last thread reached 1000 posts. I don't think that's ever happened on any other Bootcamp! It's a really good sign that everyone is engaged in the process, even if it's not always been from a positive place. If things aren't working for you, please keep reading and posting - even if you just lurk, hopefully the support and advice here will be helpful for you.

But it's a glorious day again, and the sun is shining brightly already and the birds are singing their hearts out. I hope that this translates into positivity and optimism for all of us this week - even if you've been struggling!

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

We're past the dreaded weeks 4 and 5 now, so hopefully things will start to get going in the right direction, and you should see the weight move downwards - assuming, of course, that you aren't cheating or allowing carb creep.

Good luck everyone

MOIST I feel for your earlier post about emotional eating, it's the hardest thing to overcome. Shall we start an lchf emotional eating thread? I might do that when I get home (at work on phone right now)

Sorry your fudge hasn't worked out. I love baking and it is hard not to taste the product, lick the bowl etc. But you are better than that. Keep telling yourself

I have a couple of NSVs today, I am at work and there is a coffee and cake morning in the same space. The cakes look beautiful but I am not interested! Amazing. Normally I would be up there for a slice then wondering how long I should wait before going back for more with some excuse "as it's for a good cause hah hah" and hoping they didn't think I was a greedy fat cow.

And a colleague just said that you can really see a difference in my body shape and face

Hi everyone,

I've caught up on the thread, did the carnival yesterday and had to run the gauntlet of people who have been less than supportive since I became disabled which was horrible and there were a few tears BUT far more people who are new in my life coming and saying hello, asking how my recovery is going and saying they're looking forward to seeing me back at hobby and social groups which was lovely. DH is being a grumpy git, he stood talking to a group of people yesterday and positioned himself between my wheelchair and them so I was excluded from the conversation for about 15 minutes, I tapped him on the leg and asked for the house keys so that I could go home and apparently I'm the rude one. Adding need to be more assertive to my to do list.

I had a hog roast bap and a burger yesterday and used the bread as a plate, ate with my fingers and then threw the bread in the bin, one person asked me why and I said "I don't need the carbs"

Food today - not sure I haven't eaten yet as I'm not hungry, going to make some more cloud bread and have chicken for dinner.

Ketone breath - its normal, isn't it? Husband commented today that it had been really bad the last couple of days and he was worried I was overdoing it. But it's not an issue, is it?

MOIST - I've just had to make a batch of tablet (for my dad to take to South Africa he leaves this week and to send to some friends) and also had to eat a teaspoon of pure sugar it to check it had got to soft ball stage. It's now setting nicely.

But I'm pleased to say that the leftover tablet from last week (also made for friends and a visiting relative) has been safe from me devouring it! That's quite an achievement.

Food today:

Breakfast: full fat yogurt
Snack: three packs of seaweed, one mini bar of 85% dark chocolate.

(Planned)
Lunch: quiche and salad
Dinner: chicken thigh with asparagus

I feel really sick today. My hayfever is really bad - I'm not sure if I'm getting a cold.

And I've been waiting to make this quiche all week, dumped the cream cheese in with the eggs, put the spoon in my mouth - and it was hideously off. Now I feel really ill.

Had to start again with the eggs I had leftover, and some leftover marscapone. So it's an asparagus, feta, spring onion, grated courgette and marscapone quiche. Hopefully it'll still be nice, once I'm done feeling sick.

@ilovecherries I suffered with this for a couple of weeks, I discovered coffee made it worse so have cut back and now brush my teeth after the one coffee I do have.

Also keep chewing gum in my bag if I'm feeling a bit conscious

@ilovecherries - I get it too. Mint tea, or other strong flavoured herbal teas help a little. Sometimes I suck on a lemon if I want to feel like my mouth is cleansed, but then, I am weird.

Beautiful quiche sunborn. Had carvery for lunch yum.

Pfffft. I am struggling a bit but not in a way I would have expected . I've lost my appetite to the extent that I don't know what I want to eat. I just don't fancy anything. I'm procrastinating over my shopping order as I feel meh about it all.

I've just had a ham and cheese omelette with mixed leaves as I felt I should eat something. I've said we'll have an Indian takeaway tonight instead of our usual roast. A) Because I really can't be arsed to think about food. B) I'm hoping that some spice (cooked by someone else) might perk up my taste buds.

Hi all. Its really helpful reasing whst youre all eating as it's giving me ideas. Need to make lunch for tomorrow but not sure what yet.
I'm having a fairly poo day everything else wise except food where I'm doing OK. Drank far too many gins last night, had 3 hrs sleep thanks to little people waking me up and DH has pissed me off so I'm sulking but I'm managing to stick to ok food for now. I really struggle with emotional eating too, having cbt at the moment on the NHS and I'm hoping it might help, one of the things I need to do is spend time on myself which this is part of I think.
I'm going to have no booze now until the summer hols in 3 weeks as I need to give it a rest for a bit. It's my birthday (40! Aargh..) in August and I'd love to look a bit slimmer by then. Just hate my tummy and legs. Running and swimming will help along with this hopefully.
B. Scrambled egg with soya cream
L. Chicken kebab meat with garlic mayo and salad, at a kids play place so not much on offer but it was nice, came with a mound of chips which I ignored one might have leapt into my gob
S. Lettuce leaf and tuna mayo
D. Roast chicken in the oven, will roast some veg and have it with cauli rice.
Haven't drunk enough water yet but I did go for a run. Going to have a very early night after an epsom salts bath and think I'm ready to start properly tomorrow on week one, looking at what we have in the fridge I think I can manage till food shop on Friday.

Not sure if I've posted today or not so apologies if I'm repeating myself. Feeling a bit fed up and trying not to medicate with food

Did a pretty tough HIIT session this morning and followed that with a plate of ferried loveliness - bacon and mushrooms dripping in fat and scrambled eggs with butter and cream. Just had a chunk of white Stilton and dinner will be fathead pizza when I can be arsed making the sauce.

Meh...

Another good food day today. Eggs and bacon and a small nectarine for breakfast. Salad and salami and some pork scratchings for lunch with some strawberries. (Ok so maybe a little too much fruit overall). I had lunch at 12 and now at nearly 6 I'm still not hungry. That's always a nice feeling. Roast pork and veg tonight for supper.

Despite that I'm feeling really low today. I ordered a pair of trousers - size 14 and they were too big (but are M&S so I think they're just cut really generously and are closer to a 16). I looked at myself in the mirror in them, thinking I'd look great because they were baggy. Was on a high and everything. I just looked dreadful. They highlighted every lump and bump and how heavy my hips and legs are still.

I feel absolutely deflated. I don't look anything like I want to look. I'm hugely out of proportion with a flabby, heavy lower body and a tiny waist and then big arms and shoulders. In some ways based on what clothes sizes I'm wearing I think I should look great. I know in some outfits I do look nice. These trousers were just particularly unflattering.

But I'm still gutted. I think I'm in denial much of the time about how I look. I know I can only KOKO and hopefully in a couple of months time I'll be feeling better. The reality is that having been very big, my body has deflated like a balloon and I will quite possibly just never look all that good. I feel really sorry for myself and really sad. I don't want to leave the house, I think I look so terrible.

G'day!

B - Boiled egg and slice of flax seed, coconut flour bread with butter
L- Mixed salad of tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, dressing and another slice of flax seed bread and butter.
S - celery & cheese
S - Creamy coffee
D - Two 90% meat pork & beef sausages with swede fries.

Lots of water.

Oh dust . No-one will ever judge you or your appearance as harshly as you do. Could you see a stylist or personal shopper to help you choose clothes that you feel good in?

Sometimes I suck on a lemon if I want to feel like my mouth is cleansed, but then, I am weird.

Anybody else find that since this woe lemons taste really sweet?

(Yes, lemons do taste sweet to me now. As does milk!)

Awh, @Dust, please don't feel bad. I think that happens to everyone, at every size! Some clothes are just hideously unflattering. I tried on a beautiful red dress earlier this week, expecting to feel amazing, and it had pockets (this was an evening dress!) right on the hips, which meant it extended my hips by about an inch, and pulled the fabric away from my waist - disguising the fact that I have one! It was a really disheartening experience.

And sometimes we just have fat days :(. Maybe try and write today off as just one of those, and try on something you know you look good in - or something that used to be tight - one morning this week, before you've eaten. Then you'll see the progress you've made.

I know I already posted a food photo today, but I just had the nicest dinner.

I made cauliflower rice, and then mixed it with a blend of fresh herbs and oil, to make a fresh, herby tabboleh type thing.

And then I fried chicken thighs with asparagus, and stirred in black olive tapenade and 30g of feta at the end.

It was so tasty. I'm on a high from how good it was.

Dust I think your mind is playing tricks on you and you're getting a bit of a 'distorted' view of how you look.
It wants you to say what's the point and self-sabotage.
It's what usually happens to us.
I bet you don't look half as bad as you think you do.

But we are not going to give in to it.
You've come this far.
You are HALF WAY ALREADY!

Distract yourself until the low feelings pass.
Go for a walk?
Have a nice long shower?
Put some really good music on?
Stay on here?

Anything.

@dustmotesinthesun I know how you feel. But you must know that it's not you!

Look at it this way - they were a size 14 but they were too big. So hurrah! You can fit in a size 12

They didn't fit you, and they just weren't cut in the right way for you.

You're doing brilliantly well, honestly

Oh dust love . Honestly, like OldBooks says no one will judge you as harshly as you judge yourself.

Nobody looks good in everything. But I think we can be super sensitive when we are losing weight and our body shape is changing. Are you wearing good underwear? That will make all the difference. You absolutely CANNOT look as bad as you think at a size 14. I think you are being too harsh on yourself.

dust we can all do that to ourselves if we want to - self hate and self sabotage is so tempting but we are changing our lives here and it doesn't happen overnight.

I had a bad day food wise, not enough, too much carb (a protein roll for lunch with cheese) and I got too hungry so dinner actually made me feel a bit yuk and I can't finish it though I'm still hungry

Exciting real life stuff happening, I had a date today and had a snog and I'm going to book my first ever tattoo tomorrow. That might not meet others' definition of exciting but it is for me

Ooh. How exciting Adalind . Dates, Snogs and Tats! I want to get another tattoo. What are you having done? Was it a nice snog? Let us (well me) live vicariously through you . I've spent the day doing laundry .

It's a smallish Arabic henna style design for my leg. I haven't got the finished design yet, she's drawing it now.

The snog was really nice but also brief as befits a first date...but I could have done it a lot more

Oh first date snog . Lovely! I remember mine with DP even after 17 years feels like longer.

Excellent that you are getting a custom drawn tattoo personal to you. I've got two that can be hidden. They are quite old now. I'm thinking of either getting a new, visible one or having a cover up done for the one on my back .

Dust I know how you feel, we've all been there but you're doing so well. Don't let an ill-fitting pair of M&S trousers break you! KOKO

Adalind lots of good news there!

Sure I must have PMT. Dying to mainline chocolate and want to kill, or at least seriously injure, DH. At least it had better be PMT!

Thank you for all the support. Don't worry, I'm absolutely not slipping down the route of self-pitying myself and then cheating. I'm so committed right now. I know this works, and I spent too much of May and the first half of June cheating and lost those weeks completely. In some ways I'm having a good day. Looking forward to weighing tomorrow and if I don't have a loss it'll be water retention for sure.

I'm definitely not a size 12 trouser, sadly, it's just some M&S trousers are bigger so these 14s are baggy. And I agree they are just a bad pair of trousers. Some clothes do just make you look shit. I feel better in other trousers.

Perhaps I'll take a photo sometime so people can see what I mean but my legs are dreadful. To the point I've occasionally wondered if I have lipodema (google if you want to see how bad it can be). Actually luckily I don't think I do - my legs definitely do lose weight, they aren't sore and they don't get swollen or give me bracelet like ankles. But they do look horrendous. It's just my shape. I'm odd.

I am trying to say to myself, I'm going to sort this. I'm going to continue to lose weight. I'm saving money for a lower body lift. I only recently realised such a thing existed. So it will all be ok. Just had a blow today and I'm sick of being in this body as it is. If I could exercise I think it would be easier but I can't. I want to wear summer dresses and skirts and feel good. I've had far too many years being overweight. It has to end.