Week 6 - Summer Low Carb Bootcamp - we're racing on!

[BIWI]

Morning campers!

Here's the spreadsheet

Some good losses reported already this morning!

Four weeks left, so we could still see a good half stone disappear if we're vigilant.

The hot weather looks like it's disappearing this week, so hopefully anyone still struggling with water retention should find some relief.

But good luck to us all

Exciting Adalind!

You must have burnt off some fat with all the snogging

OldBooks coconut oil has a similar effect to coffee because the medium chain triglycerides can't be stored and have to be used immediately. I like a teaspoon of coconut oil in rooibos (red bush tea) for a pickup if I'm feeling peckish.

Haha yeah or maybe because I was too busy to snack

What is the best oil for deep frying? I wanted to try deep frying parmasean courgette chips but didn't know what oil to buy.

I Would use sunflower oil

Sayrra lard is the bomb for deep frying. DH went through a stage of deep frying everything including pork belly!

I wouldn't go for sunflower oil because it's pro-inflammatory. Light and mild olive oil would be a better choice if you want to go for monounsaturated fat over saturated fat.

Cracking experts - I cut the rind + fat off a pork shoulder joint yesterday. How do I turn it into delicious crackling? It's not scored.

I've been toying with the idea of deep frying, but have no idea where to start. How sad is that. I've never done anything but dry fry or use one cal sprays in my life. Have done some shallow frying in butter on this bootcamp, and couldn't believe the taste. So practical questions - how much fat do you need to deep fry? What do you do with it afterwards? I'm assuming you don't reuse it? So do you literally just chuck a bottle of cheap olive oil away every time you deep fry? How do you physically get rid of the stuff? I'd run out of glass jars very quickly if I was pouring it into them to dispose of, plus that doesn't seem very eco-friendly. If you DO reuse it, how do you get rid of left over crispy bits?

Jiminny, hope your dad makes a swift recovery.

Enjoy your hols, C4.

Love those heady first dates, Adalind.

I had a really busy day yesterday. Poor planning on my part meant I had a slice of LivLife bread for lunch and I again felt nauseous and had an upset stomach. This is the third time now it's happened so it can't be a coincidence. Will have to make myself another batch of flax bread as I think that will be the only way to my 'bread' fix. I just want something I can smear lots of butter on.

Jim wishing your dad a speedy recovery
Adalind v exciting news re date? When is the next one?
I'm back down to the weight I was 2 weeks ago (blame work conference with no choice food and too much wine but 0.5 inches off waist and hips compared to last week and my trousers feel looser. Body fat % down too.

Did someone say their nails had improved? Mine are super strong now compared to usual and my skin is really clear

Major anxiety this morning. I reckon it's a combination of dad, work stress and the fact my house is uninhabitablely filthy.

I can only control one of those things but I can't find the motivation to get it sorted. Every single room needs gutting :(

NamelessEnsign - just ordered the yoghurt maker (and some other stuff) - where do I send the bill?????????? (Just joking, obviously, but really, I should have realised it's Lakeland, I can't just buy what I'm looking for!!!!!)

Jim - Hope your dad gets better very soon.

L238 - interesting: my nails are fairly long (for me) at the moment and, whereas normally by now there'd be at least one with a tiny, horizontal tear somewhere down the side, they're all fine. Though, obviously, I have called the Fates down upon me and all my nails will be down to the quick come nightfall!!!

Yesterday looked like:

B - Skyr and double cream
L - Salad of spinach, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and salami, with olive oil
D - Cold roast chicken with spinach, broccoli, pepper, mushrooms and asparagus. Then a naughty pud of a tiny amount of sticky toffee pudding and lots of double cream. I honestly don't think there was more than about 20g of carbs in the stp (honestly, I had a tablespoon's worth) so it wasn't too bad.

So practical questions - how much fat do you need to deep fry? What do you do with it afterwards? I'm assuming you don't reuse it? So do you literally just chuck a bottle of cheap olive oil away every time you deep fry? How do you physically get rid of the stuff? I'd run out of glass jars very quickly if I was pouring it into them to dispose of, plus that doesn't seem very eco-friendly. If you DO reuse it, how do you get rid of left over crispy bits?

I have the DeLonghi RotaFryer. It takes one litre of oil or four blocks of lard. It has a drainage tube and a filter (for the crispy bits) plus a storage container for the fat between uses. Lard lasts longer than olive oil because it's saturated therefore more stable. You can reuse the oil or fat lots of times, you change it when it starts to take on the flavour of the food. I keep empty olive oil bottles to dispose of the oil or fat, the dump has a used oil container.

Oh Jim I hope your dad is doing ok, it’s no surprise you’re feeling stressed. Go easy on yourself BTW I was wondering about your shorts only the other day. Great to see they have made a reappearance and they fit! Much to be proud of.

C4 I agree with everyone else, you look amazing, you can see you’ve lost weight and your weight loss over BC is perfectly acceptable and hopefully perfectly sustainable. KOKO, it IS working for you.

Hectic day yesterday so no time to post, but was on it with food and also ran 5 miles last night, furthest I have managed this year!

I had:
B: Garlicky scrambled eggs with cream and butter
L: Tuna with garlic mayo, salad, olive oil
D: Chicken thighs in tinned toms, mushrooms, shallots, courgette, leeks, with cauli rice

Now I have written than out I have a vague recollection that I already posted yesterday’s food, so sorry if I am repeating myself. Memory is rubbish nowadays

Today’s plan is:
B: Eggs, butter, cream – no garlic pepper today, much to my colleagues’ relief
L: Left over chicken casserole
D: Going to make ILove’s moussaka, although I forgot to buy lamb mince somehow so will need to get some on the way home

nekobus and OldBooks, glad to have you joining/supporting the DRY BOOTCAMP remainder.

In theory it shouldn't be that difficultI'm presuming we're not a band of alcoholics!but I've really been thinking about why I've had zero problem giving up bread, potatoes, rice, pasta but won't/haven't given up the booze.

Part of it, I'm realising, is how much alcohol is part of my regular life and how much it's woven into our cultural and social fabric.

For example the first test is this evening--I'm going with friends to a weekly pub quiz. That's my "night out" for the week and I have always had a drink or two when quizzing. It feels normal.

But I want to lose weight more effectively so will not be drinking tonight. So there. That's me told.

We haven't booked the next one yet but soon I hope :)

I (and my DH), decided on Xmas day that we'd have a dry 2017. We had our last drink at 11.55 pm on the 31st, and ceremoniously tipped the remainder of the bottle down the sink and toasted 2017 with mineral water before going to bed. It's made a vast difference to how we both feel, and I know I wouldn't have done nearly as well on this BC had I still been drinking. Because I would have been drinking the minute it had been allowed again. January wasn't so bad, because loads of people round about were going dry January, but Febuary was pretty miserable. Then the urge/need/munchies for it just suddenly went away - about two weeks earlier for my husband than me, but it suddenly just became something we didn't do. We don't go down the wine aisle in the supermarket any more, we don't talk about it, don't even seem to think about it. That's the place I'd like to be with carbs, to be honest. I don't know if we will start drinking again in 2018, but it's been a revelation. We've had two big birthdays in the house, a holiday, a wedding, couple of funerals etc, and we've stayed dry through them all.

Jim go gently on yourself. Focus on your dad. Have you looked at the Flylady website or at Marie Kondo? Kondoing my life has made me much less declittered although i still have a few things to sort and it does all build up when i'm stressed.

Plodding on here. I feel a bit trimmer today i think.

No much drinking here so if I do go out it's so rare I will indulge - twice so far on BC and that's unusual.

I feel really nauseous. Not sleeping well which doesn't help.

I had creamy coffee and Greek yoghurt and raspberries.

Avocado and mozzarella ball for lunch - not ideal but all I could face buying. I'm meeting a friend on my next work day and taking off the day after so it's not as easy to plan a single lunch.

Not sure about dinner, I didn't have much last night either. Just trying to get through the day, luckily it's a quiet day at work.

Anyone else struggling with nausea and any tips? I made some flax seed crackers with rosemary and sea salt. Yummy but I heeded the warning about explosive bowels and didn't over indulge. Kids enjoyed them too. I need to try the flax seed bread next.

cleareyes I have never been a big drinker but what you describe is how I feel about cream and cheese. I feel frustrated that I have so easily given up bread etc, which I thought would be hard, but don't seem able to control my dairy intake in the same way. It's as if there has to be some 'vice', something that feels like a 'treat'. We need to take time to overcome the psychology of it.

Now if anyone wants to join me in no dark chocolate for the rest of BC ... I can easily eat half a big bar of the 90% choc in one go before reminding myself that's about 7g carbs and I should stop. We all have our thing that we can't find the off switch for.

Stunt that's great re coconut oil, next time I wake up feeling exhausted tomorrow then I will try it

Oldbooks ginseng tea as a pick-me-up?

Or any black tea contains caffeine.

shasta I get nausea now and then after eating, I can only assume it is my body not used to the richness of such fatty meals? But otherwise can't help you, can you try the usual tricks from pregnancy like ginger tea?

Shasta not sure if it's a possibility, but have you done a pregnancy test?

dustmotes declittered? Ouch, that sounds painful.

adalind oooooer matron

gets mind out of gutter. Oh no, that's where it lives