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!

Well done abbey what a brilliant treat!
Leapin LOL
prettybird and BIWI you could ‘move’ Valentines to 1 March for a change perhaps?
Where is Beryl with her big stick when we need her?? 😊

I'm here.

Evening all. Just caught up with two days of thread. Well, we've had whinging, fussy kids, NSVs, Burns night, toilet rabbits, newbies, designer dresses, black pudding, holidays, and the mighty BIWI being beaten by her own stick!! Never thought I'd see that. It is like when your teacher at school gets sacked!

loving the dry Feb chat! I would also join you but since I don't really drink it would be a bit smug of me. Saying that, I was stressed the other night and had a glass of Bailey's which was left over from Christmas.

learning point for me: if I reach for alcohol instead of chocolate in times of stress, then I'm just replacing one problem with another!

I also seem to be gaining weight this BC. Not too happy about that. I read an article about stress and sleep deprivation making you gain weight. Yeah that's me.

Morning all, I also failed at dry January. I will have a crack at February. Dh is away with work on Valentine's so I don't need to worry about that.
yesterday's food
b yogurt and berries
l leftover keema
s pork scratching and cheese
d cheese and ham omelette and 2 glasses of red.

Morning weigh in shows a slight gain from the wine already.

Morning!

Grimbles, I'm your opposite - from the side I look pretty darn sleek and 20 years younger - from the front the thighs and hips are still bulgy.

BIWI, I'll join you, BlackMozart, Badly, Head, Leap and Pretty for a dry Feb. It's my biggest hurdle, meaning it's the one I really have to defeat, else I think I have a problem. It's noticeable on my graph that the day I have a drink, all weightloss stops for some days afterwards.

Abbey, that's amazing! (I also haven't had a holiday since 2003, so TRULY appreciate how excited you must be ).

NSV: my legs are looking better - I have actual muscle definition on my calves, and my knees look like knees again. remaining silent about thighs for now

NSF(ailure): my breath. Whooeee. I looked up low carb diet breath etc, and this is not that. It smells like something died under the floorboards. Has only been for a few days, and I think it's subsiding, but my God it's appalling.

And Blacktea too!

I know the rules say we're allowed the odd drink, but I think that's going to have to be put aside for when I'm at maintenance level, since I do not lose a single feather of weight for days after even just a half glass of wine. Since my food is otherwise perfect (no cheese even!), it's ridiculous I negate all that potential by having a drink that I don't even need. (Puts self-bashing stick back down).

I think I'm actually looking worse for having lost a few pounds. The definition along my jaw line seems to accentuate my double chin when it previously just merged into my face & whereas my body used to flare out in a curve from mid way down my ribs to the bottom of my hips, it now goes in & out at least three times like a child drawing a cloud so, whilst I'm marginally narrowed it in some places, I am less smooth.
I don't know what it is about my knees but they never look like knees. Even when I started secondary school (only 1cm shorter than I am now but only weighing 7st10), my knees were different to everyone else's. I still haven't figured out how exactly as they seem to function in exactly the same way.

I'm really not doing great, weighed this morning and I've put another pound on. I avoided birthday cake in the week, I did really well. I don't eat a lot of dairy so I don't think it's that, I'm thinking it could possibly be too much milk?

Dh and I were able to spend yesterday together which was lovely, I did have some prosecco. Food wise - no breakfast, then lunch I had scallops and broccoli, followed by a small steak and salad. Some days I'm not eating very much at all cos I don't have a huge appetite anyway, and I walk a few miles most days.

Wondered if anyone had any thoughts? Might drop the milk, up the miles and throw in a fast day? I should prob also say - I've got a stone to lose.

I'm feeling very miserable at the moment tbh.

I’m not drinking BIWI so i can support and join you. Not had a drink since New Years Eve, then nothing since.

I love sparkling water and have that with ice and a slice in a fancy glass

GuyMartin if you're already skipping breakfast then I wouldn't add any more fasting in. Are you drinking enough water and eating plenty of fat?

Stuntnun definitely drinking enough water, and I did think I was eating enough fat, usually in the form of olive oils on salads, cooking with butter and/or adding it to veg, mayo with eggs/cooked meats/etc

I'm walking everywhere - doing the shop and carrying it (uphill!) home, walking for fun/when I'm bored. Might need to get my trainers out, my running has slipped a bit.

Post a couple of days meals GuyMartin and we can critique them for you.

Morning all. All this talk about dry Feb had made me realise that while I don't really drink and could take or leave alcohol, I would truly struggle to give up Diet Coke. I don't think I've had 4 weeks off it for well, a decade or two! I know we shouldn't be having it on bootcamp - I failed to give it up last time as well but have keep quiet about it. I feel ridiculously anxious at the thought of giving it up, it's absurd! For this reason, I'm going to do my own version of dry Feb with Diet Coke. I hope people don't feel that this takes away from their own dry Jan.

A NSV here. I was just in the shower, looked down & knew something was different. It then clicked, I could see my pubes! Normally, they are shielded by my tummy (in the way that your entire lower body is the late stages of pregnancy) but my tummy has obviously flattened a bit. I probably won't see them tomorrow as seeing them made me realise how unkempt they were so there's just been a bit of a tidy up.

Mimosa I've ditched Diet Coke this year. It's been OK. I only used to have one a day and it's been avoiding the routine around when I always had it (just before I left work). Helpfully, a couple of the team have changed their working hours slightly, the desk/fridge layout has changed so the routine would have had to change. I've also ditched my coffee at work as I can't be bothered to take cream in so I just drink hot water & lemon (and now two others in the team are doing the same), get home & reward myself a coffee & cream. I'm quite proud of myself... but it's only been three weeks.

Excellent NSV headoutofthesand!!!

abbey44. That’s an amazing incentive!

guymartin are you maybe not eating enough?

head that’s a great NSV.

I weighed this morning and I’m no longer obese! My BMI is 29.9. It has been many many years since my weight has been this low, this is probably the first time while in my 30s and I’ll be 40 in March.

Mimosa - I don't really drink either and also planned a Diet Coke free January. I haven't succeeded entirely but have only had three over the whole month so far, either at pubs or once when I took DD to McDs. While I'm happy enough to just drink water at home, sparkling mineral water at the pub gets tedious quickly.

ASD - great news about the BMI. I've got half a pound to go to get out of obese.

Got a stinking cold and right off my food. I'll put myself out for the big stick here, but I had toast for dinner last night as the thought of eating anything else was making me feel sick and I was famished. Felt so much better afterwards. Just trying to decide what to do about eating this morning as I still can't face anything fatty.

I just wanted to say thank you for the new recipe threads. I'm trying to get into the habit of cooking something nice on Friday night instead of having a drink, so made the cottage pie - it was lush!!!

Haven't posted for a few days as have been crazy busy with work and it was also dh's birthday on Thursday so I had a very small foray into carbs to be part of the birthday spirit with him and the dds.

We're away with friends this weekend so I am going to have to work hard at keeping on track but I weighed myself yesterday and i have kept down at 13.2 so using that as my motivation not to derail.

Have preordered dinner for tonight and am having pork belly....

WhoKnowes - what about making some low carb bread with almond flour) or some egg/bacon muffins for the mornings? This is what I have - 'toast' with butter or cream cheese doesnt feel too slimy or fatty.

What scales do people have please? I can vary up to a stone from my scales to others (friend's bathrooms, ones in the loos at work). I want to know what I really weigh (I realise there are fluctuations for time of day, naked/clothed etc but my swing is ridiculous!) I want some Withings ones but I can't afford them. What accurate scales can people recommend please?

Head and Whoknows. Good to hear you've been able to cut it radically down at least (and great NSV head). Thanks for posting. I shall tackle it in dry Feb and fingers crossed will feel all the better for it. I've ordered some of the Buttermint tea a PP mentioned and looking forward to trying it.

Asd that's such great news well done you! And Who, very very nearly there.

I also have the problem with massive swings in weight too but it's more of an issue with my very uneven bathroom floors so sorry can't be more helpful. I have to line the scales up very precisely with a corner of some tiles.

I was lying on the sofa shivering and aching last night Orkney so really not up for baking. I do have some Lidl rolls i the freezer but forgot about them.