Week 6 - Low Carb Bootcamp - we start the second half

[BIWI]

Morning all

Here's the spreadsheet of fabulousness for you all

Many thanks to wombattoo and SayrraT for keeping the threads going while I was away.

Lots of people talking about how to deal with future events, especially Christmas, and this is something that's really important to think about. This is a tough time of year for low carbing. But it's also a tough time of year if you can't squeeze into your partywear - so you need to decide which is more important. Those roast potatoes or looking good

Good luck everyone

I've donated blood twice since starting this woe, and been totally fine both times - and before, I was often a bit sick and faint afterwards. I suspect having a stable blood sugar is the thing that makes the difference for me. I sip on water before, during and after; get up slowly, and have a few Brazil nuts and a square of dark chocolate while I'm sitting in the recovery area.

Drawing a veil over the brthdai / hen night weeekend ..... 2ibs on and think I got away lightly with that. Back on it today though think scales might creep up a bit orevefore they go down

Stunt - yes, I always drink lots before and after donating and make sure I have had a decent lunch. It's about the only time I ever drink squash. Just feels a bit weird to not have the squash and biscuits as they are so much part of the process, if you have "faintness" on your donor record like me they are quite insistent.

It's been about 10 years since I have felt faint mind you, I think the new chair style donating beds have definitely helped.

Furry. Thanks, I'm determined to get there by next week!

Sing. A few days ago I bought some well properly fitting clothes and got lots of comments, I do think my body had changed but more than that the clothes fit better so I looked better. I really need to throw away/donate my 'big' clothes as they do may be look larger than I am.

Even though I feel so much better, have lost a very amount of weight I still think this can't be healthy- crazy how ingrained low fat is. Thankfully I am able to ignore these niggles and KOKO.

It's interesting to see the comments about how ingrained the "low fat" myth is. I reckon that in this country (and many others) we spend vast quantities of money and time treating people for illnesses/diseases that are caused by lifestyle choices. Many people have atrocious diets, leading to obesity and associated health risks, yet many of these people don't even realise they are eating a poor diet. Either because the high carb food is so normalised (supermarkets and cafés are full of it, snacking is almost obligatory etc) or because they have been sold the low fat diet myth and are desperately trying to diet, eating low fat, high carb foods that leave them feeling empty and miserable.

You can hardly blame people for eating this stuff, when that's been the advice they have been given. I've even done it myself in the 1980s, the skimmed milk, the low fat (disgusting) spread, the steaming everything instead of frying/sautéeing. It all tasted horrible, but I thought I was being "healthy".

It all seems such a waste, both of resources and of people's lives. Sorry if that sounds a bit OTT, but this WOE is really, really making me think about a lot of stuff!

singadream I've found that people don't really comment on weight loss until around the second stone is gone. And many people think it beforehand but don't comment becauseas you pointed outit can be annoying for the loser to hear as it can be interpreted as "Hmmm, yes, I did think you could do with a bit of slimming." Hang in there. When the comments start coming it's like a landslide.

In the past two weeks I've had comments from my husband, my children, a dear friend who makes it a point to cheer me on every day, a regular down the pub I've never met (!), my masseuse, the lady who does my waxing, and most delightfully my father-in-law, though indirectly, telling our eldest in confidence that I was doing quite well and looking much healthier (different generation).

Had another comment at the weekend that wasn't as welcome as it was in a social setting comprising husband, two female friends (one of whom knows all about my way of eating) and two gents with whom I don't really wish to discuss weight loss.

Friend I hadn't seen in a while noticed I had brought my own food (because I'm not tucking into a shared ploughman's platter at the village quiz, thanks). I cheerfully said I was low-carbing and her reaction was dubious ("No bread? No potatoes?!") so I explained I get all my necessary carbohydrates from vegetables and make it a point to eat lots of fat as I nibbled ostentatiously on a bite of olive and prosciutto dipped in Delouis mayonnaise whilst giving minimal-but-firm side eye .

It wasn't bad. I don't embarrass easily. My point is everyone else happily gives compliments and accepts the LCHF way of eating. This was the only reaction I've had from anyone.

Blimey, long post.

Tl;dr--you'll get loads of compliments after 20+ pounds lost!

@ilovecherries, happy meats made perfect sense to me; I imagined free range chickens skipping merrily through a golden meadow, cows grazing lovingly on corn-fed grass (or whatever)...

@Wh0Knows, I think the key is to change the habit with blood donation. The squash and biscuits may be "part of the process" but needn't be. Several people have provided viable alternatives and you said yourself faintness hasn't been an issue for you in a decade.

So change the ritual (habit).

In the Kick the Drink book I'm reading the author writes about drinkers who say it's so hard to change their drinking habits (one with dinner, one after work, etc). He then goes on to point out that every time Britons drive to France they have no trouble changing the habit of driving on the left side of the road, to the right side instead.

Instant change of habit.

Worth thinking about.

whoknows i have given blood while low carbing and i felt LESS fainty than usual because my blood sugar was stable. I drank water and ate some fried chicken afterwards! There is a fried chicken shop opposite the donor centre and I was starving afterwards. I didnt bring along with me a takeaway KFC!

very you can do It! Us long termers just have to accept that the weight will come off slowly and may stop for a while too but overall we are getting there.

sing when people start to comment you will wish they would shut up and mind their own business!

Some fab nsv’s and sv’s again! Plus lots of kokoing! I’m weighing in tomorrow.

Need to get on to the laptop to register my 1.5lb loss - down to 12 stone 9lb Was actually 12 stone 8 3/4lb and saw 12 stone 8.5lb before my shower (but 3 attempts after my shower insisted in showing 12 stone 8 and 3/4lb ).

Am happy with that as last week I posted 12 stone 10.5 lb even though I'd seen 12 stone 10.25lb after my shower - so in both scenarios it is still 1.5lb over the week

I delighted that I might just achieve my challenging Lowvember goal of 12 stone 5lb - and my subsequent goal of breaking through 12 stone by Christmas even if it is 11 stone 13 and 3/4lb

Over time I'm getting out of the habit of snacking (even HFLC snacks) and have re-discovered my knitting mojo - which keeps my hands busy and not looking for snacks

Haha Stuntnun yes I will watch out for dropped centipedes (sleep-deprived autocorrect fail). I don’t know why I feel supply is dropping when I lose - I think it’s because he gets fussy and pulls away crying, and is generally cranky. He’s also got skinnier - though could just be a growth spurt which would also explain the crankiness. I mean he’s not fading away or anything- there are still some serious thigh rolls going on. I think I could be doing the thing of looking for patterns to explain a baby being a baby/ looking for excuses to eat cake. But yes I will try pumping a bit and ssee if that boosts things.

Scabbersley - don't know if you only MN from a phone (as I do most of the time) but I've sent you an off-topic PM (didn't want to de-rail the Boot Camp discussions).

whoknows I've given blood and been fine. But I don't tend to get faint.

stunt I'm hypothyroid, I think I've been fine on LC but interesting to hear I should maybe go higher. Haven't had my bloods done recently, but I don't feel colder than usual. Have more energy than before LC. I'm not super strict though. Maybe I'll have some slightly carbier veg...

Thanks Yolo. I don’t want to accept this weight but I know myself well enough to know that any other diet will end up with me piling weight back on so just trying a few tweaks. I’ve been to the loo a lot today so being honest with myself about not drinking enough water has upped my intake.

Well, regarding the blood doning thing, biscuits and squash are not things I crave (or have very often) anyway, so it isn't as if it was a "huge treat to reward myself" sort of thing. I am very wary of faintness though, it is such a horrible feeling, so they have been a bit of a prop over the years. I'll glug masses of water and see how I get on.

Thank you, everybody, for your replies after my late night woe is me post yesterday.

I'm going to KOKO and concentrate on prettybirds words of wisdom. Next summer will arrive, whether or not I lose weight.

B Black coffee - Half an avocado
L Fried eggs and green beans and cheese
S not sure yet but going out so will probably have fish and veg

Glad it's helped you pimmsy It wasn't me who originally made the point about time passing anyway, but it really resonated with me.

SoMuch great post. I have been thinking almost exactly the same thing.

Clear people who make comments like that are just jealous. In my group of friends, there's a slimming world obsessive who makes little digs at me about LCHF. She doesn't seem to understand that different things work for different people. I know she sees herself in competition with me to be "the thin one" in the group as we both started off slim, put on weight and have been losing at the same time. We're also both runners, so that's a competition to her as well. It's exhausting.

Very stalls are frustrating, but you know you need to just KOKO.

I forgot to weigh this morning, then drank my 2 cups of tea so didn't want to get a "false reading" Although it probably would have been artificially low anyway after my poorly weekend.

Food today:
L - egg & avocado omelette with smoked paprika. Rocket salad & mayo.
D - have brought some crudites and smoked salmon pate to work. Totally gonna eat the whole thing

Yeah -- Day 1 of 35 can we do this for just 35 days, easypeasee.

Congratulations on completing half of BC and finding out the little things about yourselves on the "weigh" .

Anyone want to buy a 4 bedroom detached house, single garage, parking for 4 more on driveway for around 200,000.
Having self-induced stress on were to move / why move / build a new one or buy a lovely bigger house for less than a new smaller 1 / need to downsize not get bigger.
Plan is get retirement house and a yard. Spend a few working years getting the garden set up then retire and have something to potter around in growing veg cut flowers for some pin money and something to do.
Needless to say throwing in decision to put house on market / a cold / visitors / DW having reaction to having tooth extracted and pain killers / review building plans over the weekend. Having a beer or 3, wasn't a good weekend.

But Mental stress gone, no time for Panic...... Fortunately for me unlike most of you, now recovered DW doesn't allow me freedom in the kitchen to cook much or do shopping. So food wasn't an issue just beer and lack of water.

Now, I just have work, complete all the jobs I should have done, instead of bike riding all summer, in 3 days for house photo's and 5 days for the first open house.
Forgot to weigh first thing this morning, yesterday was 194 but after coffee and breakfast was 198 today will get the empty morning weight tomorrow.

You know, actually just typing it all out is helpful, makes me think, life is not too bad lots of other people with bigger issues and unlike those mine aren't life threatening just lifestyle choices and from the quote mentioned earlier
"The future will be here, whether we do or we don't" So might as well do and have an adventure or 2 on the way.

KOKO

Have Fun and enjoy yourselves Because We are WORTH IT.

Evening

Thanks for the new thread BIWI

Very s/s done. Someone has updated the others, thanks.

Well done on the scales and nsv's.

So I have had a weigh after a nap and came in at 12.6 which isn’t bad. After stalling for a couple of weeks 2.4lbs off and what I was getting before I went away. Although I am still tempted to have a ‘real’ weigh in tomorrow totally fasted I think I’ll let it stand. It will leave me further to go next week.

4lbs to go to my November goal. Looks like it might be achievable!

I have sts again...period week, lack of water and too much wine.
But the NSV is that I am about to move onto my tightest belt hole. Comfortably...

KOKO everyone!

B creamy coffee
L onion (shallot) soup
D 97% meat sausages and buttered broccoli

No snacks, I suddenly realise!