Week 2 - Low Carb Bootcamp - my favourite week!

[BIWI]

I love this week, because this is when all the naysayers and doubters realise that this WOE really works!

(... and those who've cheated realise that that really doesn't work )

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to record your first loss

I missed most of this weekend as I have my very lovely SIL staying with us, prior to her leaving for a 6 month stint in Australia. So I haven't been able to be as glued to the laptop as I am usually.

Glad to hear that some of you have reported in good losses already - I'll look forward to hearing the rest today!

Good luck everyone, for this second week. Hopefully after a good first week you'll know it's worth it

I made the mistake of weighing myself yesterday and was kicking myself as I’d gained despite Monday’s loss - I know to only weigh once a week, and that the scales often don’t tell the full story anyway. Nobhead

Today’s breakfast was bacon and 5 cheese omelette in butter.

Lunch is stewed steak

Tea is pork belly with sprouts and mushrooms fried with butter and garlic powder

Weighed in this morning (holy fuck) and will add to spreadsheet.

BF: 2 x boiled eggs
LU: Tuna mayo salad
DI: Chicken stuffed with soft cheese and steamed brocolli
SN: Full fat natural yoghurt

Have managed to swim this morning, but mist remeber to drink at least 2L of water; I always foregt.

Loving reading the recipes (exploding cheese looks ace).

Hope all have a good day.

sayrra only you can tell us why. Did you stop LC or just have too many carby twat days?

New low weight this morning, after a few weeks of bouncing around and gaining after a meal out. According to my weight app, I'm only a stone off my goal weight, but my reflection in the mirror disagrees, i still look and feel far too squishy for a stone to get me where I want to be. Maybe it is time to seriously bring in some exercise so I can firm up and get some muscle tone. I'd rather be heavier but a better shape.
I'm 5'10", hourglass shaped (or possibly pear if my boobs keep shrinking :( ) and had been aiming for 11 stone. Anyone similar size to me got a goal in mind?

I'm feeling very demotivated now. I thought I was starting to get used to eating meals without the carb element, but having had bread and rice again and both tasting bloody amazing and no ill after effects (in fact they have shifted constiation that kicked in at the end of last week, I never normally have it(. The thought of going back to not having them is hard. I am finding this WOE unremittingly greasy and just want carbs to soak it away. No issues avoiding cakes and alcohol for me, I just want bread. Someone give me a kick u the backside!

Gammeldragz I am 5'9", started at 12st 1lb, am now 10st 11lb, was aiming for 11st and it's clear I need to lose another 10/11lb. I am straight up and down shaped so my waist is crap anyway but went from 36 to 32 inches, bust and hips 40 to 38 inches. Cup size DD the same (was spilling out, now just filling), band size 34 the same.

Once you shouldn't have cheated!! You really do need to commit to this properly. Or don't do it at all.

But I'd love you to stay on for a bit longer, because I think you will make a breakthrough.

Do you actually want to break the hold that carbs have on you though? And be more healthy overall? Have you read any of the science around it and why it's such a good WOE? Because if it's just a vague wish to lose some weight that made you start on this, you will need to shift your thinking in order to make the most of it and to feel good on it.

KOKO. You'll find your sweet spot, I'm sure. But it can take some time, and you also have to properly commit to it. What's the point in being here if you're not actually going to do it, then you're just playing some sort of half hearted game.

Have you tried lots of different low carb recipes? Have you switched up your eating to try to make it as interesting as possible? Are you examining emotional/psychological reasons for eating and the mental habits that take you back to foods you're trying to avoid?

And my scale victory! Been chasing this number for a month. I kept seeing it then I'd go back over 13 stone, but that's three days in a row (this is actually the highest one), so am claiming the 12s!

Yay Cherries you go girl! I did the same - kept seeing it dip under for 2 months, then bouncing back up.

ragz a bit of both! Then I was away with work and the wine was delicious and the shop sold little daim pieces that you can't get here....

Back on track now but just irritated with myself! However, if I ask myself honestly would I have preferred to have stuck to BC and not put on weight or eaten and drunk what I did and put weight on then I'm happy with my choice IYSWIM. Just wish I could have eaten and drunk but not put on weight

It might just be me but carbs taste nowhere near as nice as good old fatty foods. I've always been that way though. I remember years ago pigging out on cheese and expecting to get bigger but it never happened.

B: double cream coffee. Not sure whether I'll cook anything, I'm not really hungry

But! I can lose 10lbs this BC and start the new year 30lbs less than I started last year. That's got to be a bonus.

I'm with @Once on the greasiness. It's hard work to wash the dishes! That's the only downside so far though.

What I'm enjoying however is the reduced bloating, less gassiness (DH is appreciating this!), rarely hungry/not peckish anymore, generally feeling like I've lost weight. Scales wise, I've "only" lost 2lb which I've been a bit disappointed with to be honest, but hoping there will be a whoosh for next week.

Not sure I like Almond Milk in my tea by the way, seems like it's lacking!

I love bread. Always have, and I always will. I also love rice. I can eat basmati rice plain with salt and I think it's delicious. I love all carbs. But they don't love me. They make me feel ill, they make me feel horrible in myself, they make me less able to function. I don't want to spend my life getting bigger and bigger and more and more unwell. And that is, without a doubt, what would happen if I did let myself have free rein with carbs.

When I am feeling very strong, when everything is going well in my life, when there are no stresses or difficulties and when I have truly broken the hold, I can allow myself a little. A very small portion of rice or mash or pasta (one proper cooking tablespoon), one or two small pieces of potato, etc.

But it takes a long time to get there, and honestly, I'd really rather not have some of them - bread, for example, and cakes, pastries etc - because I know It will derail me, I know it will make it more difficult, I know it will upset the delicate balance. In the past five ish years I've had two extensive derailment periods and I don't want to go there again.

That's where I'm at though. It will be different for other people. Some people might be able to eventually go back to small portions every day without backsliding completely. Others might choose to lowcarb mixed with 5:2 and have one day a week where they have whatever they like, and keep on top of that it that way.

But while on you're on bootcamp you shouldn't be cheating! It completely defeats the objective, from a physiological perspective and also from the mental and emotional side of things.

Morning all - here now. Got logged out of MN on my phone during Jeffreygate and can't remember the password I reset my laptop with, so I can only post when I'm on laptop. 4lb down last week, which I'm happy with. Before the weekend it was 8lb down, but special birthday for DD at the weekend meant I had 24 hours off. Trouble was, that ran lunchtime to lunchtime so ended up being 2 days. But straight back on it on Monday morning, ignoring the left over birthday cake and delicious desserts still in kitchen and glugging water like a fish, so the excess is gradually going away again. I'm really focusing on drinking loads and loads of water - aiming for at least a litre more than my daily target. Just finding it hard to keep track of how much I've drunk - think I'm on pint 5 for today now...

Hi,

I woke up this morning and decided to join. I have been through long term stress and this has led to increasing unhealthy carby choices. I would like to stop it dead now, as I am feeling sluggish, tired and overweight. I have done this before as Romeyroo.

I am away for a few days with DS, so I am going to use the opportunity to start. I know you are all in the second week, but I will just do very low carb for two weeks from now.

Looking forward to getting back, and sorry for jumping in

Yes, holger carbs HATE me too. It is like attaching my body to a balloon pump.

Thanks C4 for the water advice- I've been drinking tonnes, but will up it!

And Very It is totally wrong with hot cross buns being available all year round, but my son loves them and shops sell them all the time. I think they should only be around for a fortnight, as should Cadbury Mini Eggs and chocolate oranges. Not that we need any of that rubbish!

My NSV today is that my skin looks really good - I've been looking so drawn as tired and dark baggy eyes lately, look fresh as a daisy today. Must be the 43 tonnes of spinach.

B: leftover saag paneer
L: will be cauli rice with creamy stilton courgettes, mushrooms and spinach.
D: probably omlette and salad. But just seen a boiled egg curry in a recipe book I might try!

So I weighed myself this morning and rather than putting on weight I am down half a pound. That's quite encouraging. I am going to work on dropping milk - I didn't give it up and drink a few cups of coffee and tea a day.

I've just had a coffee with cream which was rather nice. I think I'll have another one in a minute then try and hold off on the coffee for the rest of the day - I LOVE coffee and drink a lot - probably explains the insomnia LOL.

Anyone had any luck finding something not gross that they can have in tea? VERY occasionally my daughters will actually make me a cup and I can not refuse a cup of tea made for me.

L today - not sure. I bought a can of sardines in waitrose yesterday that says 0 carbs, I love sardines on toast but i guess I'll be eating them on their own

I am actually quite impressed with myself that I have managed to stick to this

Morning all!

So I sense a lot of wobbling going on here - not just around tummies, but around resolve too

Please can I remind you that doing these two weeks properly is really key to your success

I know it can be difficult switching your diet, and I totally get that it takes some time getting used to. But if you slip/cheat/fall off the wagon (or whatever phrase you prefer to use ), you'll only extend the time it takes for you to make this WOE a new habit.

One of the biggest issues I'm seeing here is the emotional side of eating. It always rears its very ugly head at the beginning of Bootcamp, as people realise it's not so much the functional aspects of eating that are hindering weight loss but more the emotional part of it.

And this is one of the many reasons why 'eat less/move more' simply doesn't work. If it was that simple, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic!

Food is, for many of us, hard wired with our memories and feelings - and it's especially easy to use it as a comfort. (Ditto alcohol).

I'd like to suggest that all those of you who are struggling just try and step back a little, and view yourselves a bit more dispassionately, and try to identify why you feel the need to eat cake/drink wine, when it's a situation where you know it will only be harming your best efforts.

And please try not to give in!

Don't have that slice of cake - no matter how slim the sliver! Don't have that glass of wine, no matter how bad the day!

It's really important, for you not to give in.

to the despondent people here. You can do it. I've been LCHF for years and have found a few ways that help when you feel like cheating, they're not BC friendly, but they are BC light and they're definitely better than falling into cake and sandwiches:

Bread lust: Milled flaxseed with cheese, egg and baking powder makes a lovely LC cheesy scone. Delicious with butter and a great bread substitute.
Office party problems: If I was wobbling I'd have the fizz and some olive/nut/cheese nibbles
Cake cravings: Almond flour with baking powder, splenda, cinnamon an egg and a few berries and blitzed in the micro for 1.5 mins makes a lovely muffiny thing.

Before I get whacked with a big stick I'm not saying those things are ideal, and too many of them are why I'm back on BC trying to lose the carb-creep bloat but they're great when you're struggling.

Oooops , cross posted, ignore me

Scabbersley you could have sardines on cucumber slices.

I haven't given in! I had a terrible stressful day on Saturday (child injured but fine now). Normally I would have used it as an excuse for wine and chocolate but I've switched my mindset to think that losing weight is actually kinder to myself than eating crap.

Just really hope I can keep this up.

In other news, I ate a sugar free mint yesterday. OMG! I had to spit it out! It blew my mind! So strong and sweet!

Also well done on the loss!

I've largely given up coffee now, I have one cup a day, sometimes a second, but only in the morning. I'd rather sleep a bit better.

I still have tea with milk. I just put a little less milk in, and I don't really use milk for anything else.

Holger - I only stumbled on this thread a couple of days before BC started, so wasn't fully prepared for it, but do get the science and have read quite a bit about it. I have been systematically reducing my carbs over the summer, so it wasn't cold turkey last week either. However I had two occasions of eating out in the last three days, the first there really was nothing low carb on the menu and not much option to juggle (Wetherspoons - bread), the second I was with a friend for a curry, one of whom has serious problems at the moment and is much more overweight than me so I didn't want to make big deal about not sharing a rice, it wouldn't have helped her. I didn't have much of it.

I don't have much time for cooking in the evenings, I have two jobs, two DCs with SENs one of whom is exhausted with starting a new school and the other who has fairly extreme food issues and between us we are out at sports and activities every night somewhere. I don't think it's psychological, it's just habit and ease of the practical side of things for me. Also carbs and I get along just fine, I never get bloated, gassy or any of those things from them, so no deterrent there.

So, I'm not trying to make excuses, but this really isn't proving easy. Half term next week might be better as all the school and evening stuff is off so after work cooking will be easier. Back on it today. y