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.

My tolerance to alcohol has definitely decreased jerm, I wake up with a headache and dry mouth after 1/2 small glasses

*yolo

Well done, cherries, 50lb is amazing! And what's even better is that you feel so much better generally too.

I seem to have lost the rogue pound again that I put on over the weekend, so that's a total of a stone for me now. Also, finally, the last couple of nights I have been sleeping a bit better. I think when I first started this WOE my body was missing the alcohol (as I used to drink wine most evenings), but it has now realised it can sleep without it!

Like others, my alcohol tolerance has also decreased. When I had some wine on my birthday, I woke up the next day feeling quite dehydrated and my skin felt really tight and puffy. It's a reminder not to go mad on the wine over Christmas. It won't be worth it.

Happy St Andrews Day prettybird (and any other Scottish bootcampers)!

Morning all,

Congratulations again ilove (and gammel - 45lbs is no mean feat either!)

I went out last night with some friends and had a couple of glasses of wine and chose eggplant parmigiana as a main instead of pizza like everyone else but Lo and behold, up 400g this morning. Hoping it will disappear before Monday.

I'm 74.5kg today and would really love to hit 73kg by the end of bootcamp, bringing me to a tiny fraction under 11st7. It's going to be tough as the work and play evening events are thick and fast this time of year but it's something to aim for !

Does anyone else have a specific goal in mind for the next 2.5 weeks?

I'm not sure if it's worth setting a goal for the next 2.5 weeks. I set a goal of 4lb off for November (which I thought was reasonably realistic) but have only lost 2lb, despite absolutely sticking to strict BC foodwise, and having only a couple of days where wine was consumed (and not in ridiculous quantities!).

I don't want to feel a failure again by setting a goal and then not reaching it.

Bizarrely I have lost 4lbs since Monday not complaining though.

I saw a 1lb loss this morning. I've seen it before though so not holding my breath. Week 5 of stall, this is getting dispiriting. Must remember:

1. I've been doing it all year
2. My BMI is 22 - body is quite happy where it is, thanks
3. Need to exercise
4. wine, Kleptronic! Stop drinking wine!

Actually having written that I'll STFU now, I have zero reason to complain!

I saw a 1lb loss this morning. I've seen it before though so not holding my breath

me too @Kleptronic! Wine is my downfall also. I spend at least 2 hours a day mucking out, wheelbarrowing hay and horse poo and grooming so that is my exercise, no time for any more.

My BMI is not 22 though!

B: ham rolled up with a teaspoon of Philly x 2, coffee, 1l water
L: burger with fried cabbage and cheese and mayo
D: not sure. Dh has made a pasta bake for everyone else.

When I googled the carb count of wine it was very very low - less than 0.5 per 100ml - so 250ml of wine should be 1.5 at the most? With half a protein roll being 4.5 there doesn't seem much reason to drop wine? I am sure I can stay under 20g of carbs AND drink wine?

I have completely dropped milk (this is a big thing for me, I have been a comfort milky drink drinker since childhood!) and swapped to almond milk. Sometimes I drink it on its own, warm. Can someone just let me know that drinking as much almond milk as I like is fine? Googling it, it says nil carbs per 100g (alpro unsweetened roasted almond milk)

How much weight have you lost in total @Kleptronic?

I think my Christmas Goal will be not to gain more than 5lbs, and not to worry if I do gain 5lbs. I think I will be able to stick to reasonably low carb - I don't like roast potatoes, I find pasta and rice easy to avoid. I expect I will have:
wine
mince pies
pork and cranberry pie - although I could easily miss the pastry
a few chocs although I think I'll find them disgustingly sickly
wine
I am making yotam ottenlenghis cinnamon pavlova with figs for xmas day pudding which I have a funny feeling only dh and I will like so I will have that.

Scabbersley, I think the problem with wine isn't so much the carb count, but the fact your body burns alcohol as a fuel first, so it's not burning fat. (Correct me if I'm wrong, someone who knows more about this than me!)

That's why I'm saving it for special occasions/going out. Also, I know for me that if I get into drinking wine regularly, I will be tempted to drink too much of the stuff!

I was in Tesco yesterday and spent ages staring in awe at their shelves of cheesy Christmas delights . Am definately going to stock up on cheese and smoked salmon party bits

My favourite Christmas shopping treats are stollen and pannetone. I've definately ruled stollen out but am wavering over the pannetone. And twiglets.

Luckily I hate mince pies so no issue with those.

I'm not sure about a goal. I have a huge birthday at the end of Jan and I would love to have a 'normal' BMI for that. But that's still 16 lbs away, so I think it's probably unrealistic in 9 weeks. I'm staying on plan over Xmas and a weeks holiday in Jan, but I don't want to be making myself miserable either, and I think to go back to 2lbs a week loss at this stage would require not only very low carb, which makes me feel itchy and miserable (under 25 gms is too low for me), but might also require some calorie counting. I'd like to be relaxed enough over Xmas to enjoy cream with coffee or some carrots and or some dark chocolate on a Brazil nut. So I think if I'm firmly into the 11s by my birthday, I will be delighted. 7lbs would give me that with wiggle room.

I think the issue with wine and any alcohol is that your body prioritises burning the alcohol calories over the fat in your body that you are trying to lose. So although the carbs in wine may be ok, it will often make you stall. I got fed up with putting on weight everytime I drank even though I'd been strict with what I ate and so cut right back and now most weeks I don't drink and it has definitely helped me lose more regularly.

The other things that have helped are drinking lots of water and fasting. Would definitely recommend having a go at a 16:8 fast if you have stalled.

Decreased alcohol tolerance is a well-known side effect of cutting carbs: Diet Doctor article here

I have a haggis for dinner tonight seeing as it's St Andrews Day (not Scottish but lived there for years) so it'll be a somewhat carby dinner but hopefully worth it. I had to order it from Dumfries as it's not easy to find a decent quality haggis round our way.

I've managed my Lowvember goal of wearing "nice" clothes every day so hopefully I've established a good habit of dressing well rather than slobbing around in my mum clothes. DH and I are supposed to be having an extra-strict December in the run up to Christmas but I don't know how well that will go seeing as he's a serial-saboteur.

Scabbers it isn't so much the carb count of wine that's the problem, it's the calories. A bottle of wine is about 600 calories so even a couple of glasses is going to massively increase your calorie intake for the day. To put that in perspective, 600 calories is equivalent to 18 whole cucumbers! Or alternatively one bottle of wine has the same calories as a McDonald's cheeseburger and medium fries. You wouldn't expect to be able to have a Maccy D a couple of times a week and still lose weight. Low carb isn't magic - you still need to have a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Also while you're burning the alcohol calories you won't be burning any fat so it isn't the carbs in wine that's the problem, it's that alcohol stops fat burning dead in its tracks.

22lb if I'm honest Scabbersley. 12st 4 (but I put 12st 1 in last Jan's spreadsheet!) to 10st 10. If today sticks. I'm 5ft 9. So bmi of 24 to 22. That's taken 11 months, but I've always been slow to lose and I have to track everything. This is the second time I've done it. And the last. I am NOT going to put it back on again. Shouts at self.

Yes the wine thing is it stops the body fat burning, not that it kicks off insulin. Well depending on how much and what type.

I need to remember that. What is the point of me rigidly sticking to the right foods if I am then going to prevent fat burning with wine?

Or at least not complain about it when I do! I love wine it's ace.

Scabbers it isn't so much the carb count of wine that's the problem, it's the calories. A bottle of wine is about 600 calories so even a couple of glasses is going to massively increase your calorie intake for the day. To put that in perspective, 600 calories is equivalent to 18 whole cucumbers! Or alternatively one bottle of wine has the same calories as a McDonald's cheeseburger and medium fries. You wouldn't expect to be able to have a Maccy D a couple of times a week and still lose weight. Low carb isn't magic - you still need to have a calorie deficit in order to lose weight. Also while you're burning the alcohol calories you won't be burning any fat so it isn't the carbs in wine that's the problem, it's that alcohol stops fat burning dead in its tracks.

I thought HFLC didn't have anything to do with calories? after all, all the butter, cheese and bacon must be way over what calories my body needs and I am still (slowly( losing weight?

I am similar to you I thikn Kleptronic - a bit heavier -started at 12.12 and am 5 8. Now 12.3. Aiming for 11.10 as first goal then 11 stone.

Weighing really late this week as I could only get to Boots this morning, so it's over 10 days rather than the usual 7, but I've lost 3, which takes me to 17.5 on this boot camp and 51.5 overall!! I'm absolutely over the moon. I lost 42lbs on WW, gained 8 over the summer until I discovered this woe. I'll weigh again on Tuesday to get back on track.

Next mini goal will be 10,6 which will be an overall loss of 4 stone and then I'm aiming for 10,0 which will be my second lchf stone. My birthday is in February so that will be my deadline.

@Hippadippadation sorry to hear about your argument with your DH. It sounds like he's a bit of an emotional eater! There's no reason why we need to feel emotional attachment to food. It's insane. I hope things are better for you both now

What I'm finding interesting is how much energy I have even when I don't eat. I managed to run around town for an hour this morning doing all I needed to do, without having breakfast and without eating much yesterday (lazy day). I am not planning on not eating properly every day mind, I just couldn't be bothered to cook dinner yesterday as it's just for me (DD eats a very limited amount of food so I have to cook two dinners)

Scabbers there has to be a deficit to lose weight. If we are over, we won't put it on, because the insulin response has been dampened so fat storage isn't activated, but we won't lose.

We end up with a deficit and lose weight because the high fat is satiating, we get hungry less often and further apart and we eat less. So we end up consuming less that we use. But not if I drink wine!

Most people don't need to count calories for this to happen. I do.

Hippa - so sorry to hear about the argument with your DH, and hope you've managed to resolve it by now.

I understand, as I've felt DP's missed out on some things due to this woe. For example, whilst risotto was a regular meal I think I've made it once since May. Likewise Mexican. I know I could make Fajitas and just not have the wraps myself (which is what I did) but it's as though some types of meals have fallen out of my consciousness. (And before anyone says DP could cook them for himself, he wouldn't, and anyway, he does the washing up if I cook so I'm keeping things that way!)

Another stupid example: every time we used to go to the shops (not a regular occurrence by any means) we'd go to MacD's. Because it's cheap, and he likes it (and so do I, though I'm not so bothered as he is). Since May we've eaten elsewhere, despite me saying I'd be happy to go to MacD's (especially the second time, as I've become less strict over time) but he insists we go elsewhere 'for your diet'.

He never complains but I do worry about it from time to time.

I wonder, though, if there's more to it as far as your DH is concerned? Is he feeling guilty that you're losing weight and he's not? Or maybe he thinks that if you lose weight you'll attract other men?

Anyway, I hope all's well this morning in the Hippa household.

Scabbers here's an explanation of how weight loss works:

Low fat diet
The body requires 2000 calories per day.
You eat 1500 calories per day of diet food.
The body conserves energy by reducing metabolic rate and energy expenditure through movement so now needs fewer than 2000 calories per day. Fat stores are difficult to access because insulin levels remain high.
Weight loss is slow, you're hungry all the time, and reduced metabolic rate causes rapid weight regain when you stop dieting.

Low carb high fat calories
The body requires 2000 calories per day.
Adapting to a LCHF diet allows the body free access to its fat stores.
Food intake spontaneously drops to 1500 calories per day.
The body burns 500 calories of body fat per day.
The body is receiving its required calorie intake so metabolic rate and energy expenditure remain the same.
The 500 calories of body fat burned each day causes a steady rate of fat loss but not necessarily a steady rate of weight loss because the fat loss is masked by water retention.
Weight loss is achieved without hunger but there is still a reduced calorie intake.

If you put your daily food into My Fitness Pal you will find that your calorie intake is lower if you're losing weight.

I might have found my Xmas Day dessert - but not for any other time. Round at a lovely friend for coffee and she always does a spread of fancy patteserie. I'd warned her in advance that I wouldn't eat it so that she wouldn't feel offended, and instead of mini cakes she'd put together a board of mini cheeses. So far so good, excellent early lunch - except for M&S Wensleydale with blueberries. It tasted EXACTLY like baked American Cheesecake without the base. I even asked if it was cheesecake, texture and everything was right. Fortunately I only had a tiny square, because I knew it couldn't be LCHF. Just googled, and it's 11.6gms per 100. I may have some on Xmas day though, because a 30gm piece wouldn't be too ruinous. Although, to be honest, although I enjoyed the mouthful at the time, I had to have a piece of sharp cheddar afterwards, because the sweet aftertaste was quite cloying. How things change :)

Stunt, that sort of summarises what I say to myself now. If I'm hungry and there isn't anything suitable to eat, I just tell my body to 'go and 'eat in' there's plenty in the store cupboard'.