Week 3 – Keep celebrating the scale and non-scale victories!

[BerylStreep]

Hello Bootcampers and welcome to week 3. Thanks so much to PrettyBird for the previous threads – I hope I can live up to the high standards this week.

Hopefully this WOE (way of eating) is starting to feel easier for you, and you will have seen some good losses in weeks 1 & 2. The exciting thing about week three, is that for those who want to, we can tentatively move into Bootcamp Light.

The key changes are that you can add in some carbier vegetables in moderation, although it is best to stick to those that are 3g carbs per 100g or less for the majority of your vegetable intake. You can add some fruit in the form of berries in moderation, have nuts and seeds in moderation, and can have some alcohol – you guessed it – IN MODERATION. Vodka and soda, dry white wine, or red wine are the best choices. The rules for Bootcamp and Bootcamp Light, along with fruit, veg & nut carb counters are in the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness, kindly organised by SayrraT.

The good thing about Bootcamp Light is that it opens up your menu choices, and hopefully feels sustainable for a lot of people. However don’t be tempted to view this as a free for all – if you suddenly start eating loads of roasted butternut squash, followed by bowlfuls of berries all washed down with a bottle of Prosecco and packet of almonds, it will stall you.

Lots of people find that sticking to Bootcamp during the week, and Bootcamp Light for the weekend works well for them. Others find that they need to stick to Bootcamp in the main, either because their metabolisms can’t cope with the extra carbs (me) or because psychologically they are in the ‘abstainer’ camp (also me) rather than the ‘moderation’ camp. Just do whatever works for you.

Some people find they stall in Weeks 3 and 4, and the initial whooshes of weeks 1 and 2 can quickly become distant memories. Just KOKO (keep on keeping on), celebrate non-scale victories, drink plenty of water, and trust that this will work. Weight loss isn’t always linear, and there are loads of posters on here who have had amazing losses over the last year who are testament that this works in the long term.

So after what feels like an epic OP , good luck on the scale and non-scale victories this week!

Am placemarkjng as I've been following the thread ( and doing the boot camp) but didn't add myself to the list.

Have lost 10.2lb in the past 2 weeks, so planning to continue as I have quite a bit to lose.

After staying exactly the same all week, today I am 2.6lbs up, combination of TOTM plus a few carby indiscretions (and a whole bag of Brazil nuts)...
Lesson learned. Hoping it will go by the end of the week.

Well done to everyone else for losing and KOKO.

2.2lbs off for me this week, biggest weekly loss I’ve had for a while. Another 3.6lbs to go until I got my next big milestone as then I will no longer be obese. Fingers crossed I can get there in the next two weeks.

Alwaysinmyheart - For next time you fancy a lasagne, I've posted up my mum's recipe for lasagne, adapted to be low carb (ie swapping the pasta sheets for courgettes and not adding the sugar to the ragu sauce) in the Boot Camp Recipe thread - Part 2 that I started.

I've lost 3lb this week so 6 1/4 lb in total, which I'm really happy with as I seem to have been living on eggs Benedict which is pretty much my favourite thing in the world!

I still need more standby and quick meals. My priblem is there is still a lot of random Christmas food in the freezer ( such as a huge salmon Wellington) which I can't just chuck, but stops me being more organised.

Many thanks prettybird and beryl

2lbs off for me this week! 5 lb in total. I'm happy with that but thrilled with my NSV:

-3" off my waist!!!
My clothes are fitting well, skin is glowing, hair less knotty and is shinier.
I'm far more even tempered.
I don't feel hostage to food any more, but incredibly liberated- for the first time in my life.
I've been working out 3/4 times a week- weights and swimming, carving out time for myself away from my wonderful but time consuming 3 infant children.

KOKO everyone!!

Oops! Posted this on the last thread so have copied it on to this weeks'!

Reporting a 6lb loss for BC, and almost 8.5lb since i started cutting carbs before Christmas. Absolutely chuffed! I'm now around half a stone away from my pre pregnancy weight so if I can shift that before the end of BC i shall treat myself to some new clothes that aren't Primark leggings!

Going to stay on BC strict rules and I particularly need to work on my water intake. It's much better than before this woe but i'm struggling to hit target without drinking pints at a time, which isn't as effective as spreading it out.

Whoop whoop - 3lb off for me, which feels great after my worries about stalling, and is such great motivation to KOKO! Means 6lbs down (I think) since Jan 1st which I am really happy about and means the 12s are in sight again as am now 13.3.

Food for today:

B - berries, greek yog, flaxseed, plus a coffee
L - lunch from canteen so will be boiled egg, ham and cheese salad I think
D - smoked mackerel salad with a poached egg

My (bargain) electric scales have gone quite mad and are showing a different weight every time I step on them, so I'm going to get some new ones later and will post in the spreadsheet tomorrow. I'm going to stick to BC strict for another week at least, as - if I manage that - it will take me to 3 weeks without a drink, which would be the longest period without a drink in my adult life! My NSV was going to TK Maxx yesterday and fitting into a very nice size 14 shirt. Which I bought, obviously!

Some fantastic losses and NSVs – I love reading about them – it’s almost a bit like watching people opening presents on Xmas morning, if that makes sense!

Athelstane I have honestly never heard of anyone losing weight from their earlobes before

AnneElliott welcome – some folks post more than others but I know I find the threads really helpful for keeping me on track and StuntNun is excellent at answering the science questions.

Guy I’ve updated the spreadsheet for you.

ThunderBolt I also struggle with my water intake – it’s going to be one of my goals this week to really work on that.

I’m a pound down (had been 3 pounds down mid week, but that was due to the flu). That’s 5 lb off since 8th January and 13 lb off in total since November. I definitely look better for it.

Some fantastic sv’s and nsv’s!

Congratulations to all the losers and lots of great nsv's!

I had a birthday celebration meal with family yesterday, had roast beef but skipped the potatoes and Yorkshire puddings. I did, however, eat my body weight in cheese for pudding. It was excessive, and I need to work on controlling the urge to eat because I can rather than because I'm actually hungry.

On the plus side I'm not bloated like I would be if it had been carby food. Going to have a couple of high veg low dairy days to recover!

BIWI he was grumpy and unimpressed. And then the other day he lost someone he was chasing on foot at work (police officer) because his fitness is dreadful not what it was, resulting in him having to stay hours late at work to deal with the consequences of failing to catch them, and being teased mercilessly by colleagues. So that seems to have focused his mind somewhat!

Morning All!

2.4lbs off this week - which makes 10.2lbs over the two weeks of BC. Very pleased with this - particularly as I haven't found it too much of a struggle so far this time. I have surprised myself by finding total abstinence on the wine front easier than 'moderate' drinking so might just keep that up for the next couple of weeks and review then.

I don't post much but find the threads, info and general motivation really helpful so thanks to all who keep things going!

Only half a pound off. Seem to have mysteriously put on a pound since yesterday despite being strictly on plan!
Still 5.5 lbs off in two weeks is good going for me and I'm not so fixated on food since I've stopped eating sugar and flour.
There are some interesting observations on the addictive properties of sugar and flour in the Bright Line Eating book which I found quite helpful.
Thanks everyone for the threads. Was feeling a bit downcast this morning when I got on the scales but my determination is renewed after reading everyones contributions.
Lost 2" from my waist though so am thinking of changing my username to Scarlett O'Hara!

Fantastic results for lots of people - hooray! The past 2 weigh-ins have been disappointing for me. I started a week early so got my whoosh before BC began on here and i don't have much to lose.

At the end of week 2, i had put on 3lbs but I am certain that's because I broke BC rules by having white wine @36hours before the end of the initial strict phase. It took 5 days for my weight to return to what it had been before the wine. And it's stayed at that ever since. I'd hoped for 1lb loss this week, esp as I learned the lesson from the wine and haven't touched another drop.

However, i'm not (too) disheartened esp since i've read that weeks 3 and 4 can mean a stall for many. This is the start of week 4 for me.

I'm 3lbs up on last week but that was a fluke day. I had been consistently weighing at 12.12 every day before and have stayed there for the rest of this week too. I have been more bootcamp light than proper bootcamp though which will be why. I need to cut the dairy and be more careful about the stuff on the moderate list.

Well done everyone

B- peri peri chicken salad (bit weird but left over!)
L- have a work sandwich platter thing but will just take a couple of baby bel and skip it.
D- left over roast beef and celeriac with whatever green veg I can find.

Another reason I think i might have stalled is that I was happily chewing gum that i thought was 0g carb until i realised it was actually nearly 1g per teeny weeny pellet. Needless to say, I''ve ditched the gum but, until I did, I've been having a fair bit more carbs than i realised.

I also have a lot of dairy but I'm vegetarian so reducing that would mean i had a pretty limited diet. If I stall again next week, I may do that for a week to see if it makes a difference.

Only 1lb off for me this week. Not too bothered. I’ve low carb’d loads of times and it’s normal for me to stall a bit then lose big amounts seemling overnight

Leapin I'm still trying to work out the gum issue and sugar alcohols as apparently it is processed differently.

Can anyone help us gum addicts out with this?

I think a few is ok, a pack a day isn't.

No loss this week . I was stuck on a plateau before Christmas and it seems I am back there.

0.8 off for me. 2.4 overall. I'm nearing maintenance so I'm pleased with that

Morning! Please may I join? I am a long time low carber but need guidance and the big stick! I didn’t weigh this am as Dh bought me a cuppa before I got up but will do so tomorrow. Am going vegetarian for lent though which might make it a bit harder. Still, eggs, cheese and veg can’t be bad, eh?

Thank you so much for all the hard work put into these threads. Much appreciated

I’m not really properly weighing myself for various reasons, but have been consistently following the rules and will plan to stick with strict boot camp, mostly. To be honest, I haven’t noticed any real NSVs but I feel quite relaxed about it all. In the past I’ve always dieted with a time period in mind, and I’m not thinking of it that way now. I’m just going to keep going until a particular pair of jeans fit the way I would like them to, and then maybe I’ll be less strict with myself. I’m not struggling particularly. I do think I need to reduce my dairy and work on not eating if I’m not actually hungry. It’s just hard to cut down on cheese, the evil temptress.

TheSeason, that's interesting that gum carbs might be processed differently. I'd love it if that meant we could chew away without guilt.

I worked out that I probably have between 7 and 10 pellets a day - not quite an entire packet but not far off it.