Week 8 - Low Carb Bootcamp - Only 3 weeks to go ...

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Here's the SoF once again

Hope that the scales are kind to you this morning.

So we enter the last three weeks. Still time to lose some significant weight. But only if you follow the rules!

It's a difficult time of the year, as Christmas goodies start to appear in the shops, and - I'm guessing - at work and at home as well!

You might find it easier to stay focused if you move back onto Bootcamp for the last two weeks, so you're really making sure that the carby stuff that you might have been indulging in - even if that has just been Bootcamp Light.

Yeah it's working well. I just hadn't even considered calories until today!

When I say it's the fat, I mean it's the fat that adds the calories. I don't see how it's possible to eat the amount of fat you need on this WOE and come in at 1000 cals a day!

Apart from fasting which I don't want to do. I might when I'm near my target I suppose. I want this WOE to be totally sustainable.

Oh god I couldn’t agree more BIWI and scabbersley - I find calorie counting utterly and completely joyless and I simply won’t do it. In fact my goal weight is set higher than my actual ideal somply because I do not want to commit to the kind of scrutiny of what I eat that becomes necessary when one gets to a very low weight. That’s something I really, really value about LCHF, the fact that as long as I’m careful and eat mindfully and maintain a generally well-balanced approach, my eating takes care of itself and my health and well-being follows.

Such a lot of interesting stuff in this thread. I have definitely reduced my portion sizes over the course of the last 5/6 weeks and I don’t snack except very occasionally and I used to do that all the time. I generally don’t feel that hungry although this cold snap of weather has made me want to eat more but I guess overall that’s why I’m losing albeit slowly. A glass of wine though might well push the calories up too much so whilst I love it I’m only having a very occasional glass like in the hotel last week and definitely not opening a bottle at home because I’m the only one who drinks it. DH prefers beer.

ilove I noticed you said something about being itchy when you go too low on carbs and I’m wondering if that is the explanation for my horribly itchy forearms on some days only. Last night it was almost unbearable they were so hot and itchy. Tonight they aren’t troubling me. Does anyone else know about this?

Finally I have a real challenge coming up next Saturday. Back in March my DB and Dad bought me a day’s cooking course and as this WOE wasn’t in my sights at the time I chose Christmas Breads!! So on 9 Dec according to the website I can look forward to cooking Stollen (which I love), chocolate brioche (I kid you not), Fougasse, walnut and fig crowns, I could go on. 😅

Anyway I have decided I am not going to stress about it, or be miserable. It was a lovely present as I love bread making and I know I’m going to have a fantastic day. I will just have to put my creations in the
freezer when I get home. 😊

don't see how it's possible to eat the amount of fat you need on this WOE

It's the proportion of fat to carb and protein that's important not the actual amount.

If you need to have 80% of your calories from fat, then that's 800 for a 1000 calorie 'diet', 1200 for 1500 and so on.

The thing with this woe is your body automatically adapts, to the right proportions you don't have to really try. A few months ago, if I had tried a 16:8 i would be gnawing my own arm off after about 12 hours then binge on crisps, toast, sausage rolls. Now, I genuinely don't get that painful hunger anymore and can go 17/18 hrs.

So the only way to keep your calorie intake super low is to fast? Doesn't that defeat the object?

You have it the wrong way round.

My calorie intake is reduced because I don't eat until I am actually hungry.

Oh well we are all different. I am losing weight eating three nice meals a day, which is great.

themonkeysonthetable I had a look at the menu and I thought there were a few things to choose from. You may not want starter and main but from the starters I’d go for sharing the Camembert and dipping the cornichons avoiding the chutney (check they don’t put it into the cheese before baking) and ask for some cucumber sticks/spring onion/pepper/crisp lettuce to dip. They make salads so they must have those sorts of things. Or I’d ask for smoked salmon on its own.
From the mains all the meat roasts look ok if you avoid redcurrant and apple sauces and check what the seasonal veg are. A bit of gravy wouldn’t be a disaster. Otherwise a burger without the bun or fries, and with a salad instead or the warm butterflied chicken with dressing on the side perhaps. Cheese for dessert.
I would ring them in advance and talk to them about what they can do. Most places will be helpful.

Mozart, there is apparently a thing called keto itch, but Diet Doctor says it passes. But I've found I go half crazy with itch if I drop below about 25. The egg fast was an experiment never to be repeated, I tore myself nearly to shreds while asleep :(. I find that ensuring I have a complete pile of cherry tomatoes or half a carrot is enough to keep mine ok, because really the only other carbs I eat are green veg.

@Scabbersley - don't sweat it. It's working for you, which is the most important thing!

I do NOT eat a complete pile of cherry tomatoes. I eat 'a couple'.

Thanks ilove I’ll look up the Keto itch thing. I was contemplating an egg fast but think maybe not now. I’ve got some cherry tomatoes so I’ll keep that in mind.

Three meals a day is perfect Scabbers and there's no need to introduce intermittent fasting unless you want to.

B cappuccino and four Maryland cookies (ashamed to admit it, but better to be honest)
L carrot, celeriac, coconut chilli soup
D pork belly and broccoli

B cappuccino and four Maryland cookies (ashamed to admit it, but better to be honest)
L carrot, celeriac, coconut chilli soup
D pork belly and broccoli

rshard well done on passing the 50lb mark (even if some of those pounds were WW ones ;) ).

I had a bag of salted almonds for lunch... A whole bag. Only 5g carbs though. I didn't take lunch as I have a rotten cold and don't fancy food, but I needed salt. They were perfect...
Dinner was red pesto meatballs with mozzarella on toasted kale.
Have had two (medicinal) creamy brandy coffees, so probably a bit high on calories but I'm poorly, so...

I'm really struggling this week. My hormones are all over the place and it's been hard.

B/l- pumpkin soup with spicy seeds
L/d- mystery freezer stir fry ( beef?) with zero noodles
S- 2x mini rocky road, 3 squares 85% dark chocolate
3 glasses of prosecco, few chips, chicken shish wrap.

Probably around 120g carbs which is too much. I get into a vicious cycle though. Once it's too high I start craving. I need to refind my motivation.

@Scabbersley
Just an fyi I was stalling a while back and checked the amount of cabbage I was eating. Alas 1/2 A cabbage a meal is way too many carbs.

Like you have 3 meals a day and losing a little most weeks. On a stall I just check portion and macros normally find protein or carb high fat low. So adjust and get a little whoosh and carry on. Went to dentist today and reading the thread realised I had gone 16 hours with out food before I got peckish. Had chicken avocado mayo salad and a BPC and now gone 7hours before I get in for supper.
So as BIWI says don't sweat it check once in awhile if stalling is a concern

Anyone else ever had a carby stress dream? I’ve had 2 now . Each time I’ve been out somewhere and there has been nothing LC available but what ended up having had been super high carb. Like a massive baguette burger with a breaded chicken burger inside. Each time in my dream I’ve been miffed because I didn’t even enjoy the meal!!

Sorry for dream tosh first thing!

@BrassicaBabe

Oh yes, they're a regular feature! Mine usually involve eating a King Sized Mars Bar.

Even before I was low carbing I would never have eaten one of those

Down a pound finally for a new low for the first time in a month (though last one was post norovirus!). Aim to be strict today, fast tomorrow until meal out in the evening and then night out I will aim to keep alcohol reasonably low as already have a cold and don't want a hangover to go with it!
I'm 46lbs down in 11 months, just under 1lb a week. Considering I lost a stone in the first month, this shows how much stalling I've had! But I have kept at it :)

Woo boo! Well done Ragz. Hope you enjoy your meal out tomorrow. I saw a new low today as well, I've def had a bit of a whoosh this week, and my shape suddenly seems to have changed a lot. Already been for my run :)

Woo boo??? wtf is my phone on. That was meant to say 'morning!'