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!

Afternoon all, checking in with a 1lb loss this week. It was 2lb on Friday so the slips at the weekend definitely cost me a 1lb (and possibly more). I feel lucky to have still got a loss and am feeling positive and determined about this week.
So far today:
B: eggs and buttered spinach
L: cloud bread with crab pate and salad
S: rollitos & pork scratchings
D: planned to be sea bass with butter & buttered veg

Prettybird We sound very similar in our weightloss journeys. I would like to be at my target by July. The nearer I get to it, the more slowly it seems to come off, but that's always the way. 8lb would get me into the very top of 'healthy' BMI so that's my goal at the moment; my target is the weight I know from experience I look best at, which is in the middle of the healthy range.

Just popping on to mention that in "my" portion of chilli (ie the few large spoonfuls of chilli mince that I took out before adding the kidney beans: enough for two portions), I have added two cubes of frozen chopped spinach. (I usually put one cube into the large chilli but that is about as much as I can get away with, without ds noticing ), before simmering. I thought it would be a healthy way of bulking it up, especially as I detest dislike mushrooms and peppers.

Frozen chopped spinach is marvellous - I have it with poached eggs so they are more filling.

I love frozen spinach - I buy the whole leaf spinach that Sainsbury's do. I cook it with garlic butter and it's absolutely gorgeous.

You seem to be doing so well Pretty’. I love reading about people’s successes as it gives me hope!

In your previous post you talk about maintenance . Is that same as boot camp light? Sorry for my ignorance.

I have some whole frozen spinach but usually prefer the chopped frozen cubes: they are easier for putting into shepherd pie and other mince based dishes to "hide" and also better for the spanakopita that I make at Christmas (it's a shame that the filo pastry makes them non-Boot Camp compatible - although there's plenty of butter, cottage cheese, feta cheese, spinach, mint and shallots in them. Maybe I should try a baked/egg wrap version )

Stupidly busy day at work today which meant just a creamy coffee first thing and then no chance to eat until 3pm, by which time I was only able to grab a couple of babybels and a pepperami . Luckily I do manage fasts quite well but I've got a headache now.

Still, dinner is pork belly with five spice and lots of buttery cabbage/broccoli so that should sort me out.

Not drunk enough water. Am in the office all day tomorrow so should be able to drink more and eat a bit more sensibly. Tummy feels much flatter though - I might manage that dress yet!

Popping on to log today’s food
B - buttery scrambled egg
L - chicken salad mayo
D - ‘paella’, this is what I was attempting to make when I blitzed my finger. Dh has made it tonight for me - with the celeriac rice from Waitrose. It was delicious.

He has also washed my hair for me so I feel human again. I am thinking of nominating him for a best husband of the year award!

No Twoo - maintenance is when you've got to your target and you can start experimenting with what you can eat that is outwith this WoE and still maintain a steady weight.

Everyone one will be different: in some cases it might mean being more relaxed about the carbier veg, or having rice or porridge once a week, or allowing a mindful dessert or cake once in a while, or pizza once a month. It's a balancing act that each of us will find a different answer to - and it's not necessarily easy. There is a BootCamp Maintenance thread where a few BootCampers who've reached their target share their experience.

Some of us may also have discovered that they are wheat or gluten intolerant which will also influence what happens in that balancing act.

So maybe think of it as Boot Camp Lite ++ .....but the ++ and how we choose them will be different for everyone.

I'm slightly befuddled. Was at the practice nurse today and she asked if she could update my weight etc. (I'm a bit lighter by her scales - yay.). According to her I've lost 18 inches off my waist - is this even possible??!! Surely not. (and it's still got a little bit to go to be less than half my height.) She also commented how well my skin was holding up (for my age) but said that it may start to wrinkle now as it will be subcutaneous fat I will lose more of from now on. 18 inches!!! (Was even more shocking in cms). I'm still finding it hard to believe that, I thought it was a lot (but much less that that).

@CointreauVersial do you have a recipe for that lamb keema / queema? I love that dish and would love to try making it at home.

ilovecherries - that could definitely be possible as you've said you previously had an apple shape but are now hourglass

to you and what you've achieved.

I've lost c.7" on my waist, having "only" lost 3 stone and having been hourglass to start with.

I'm a bit stunned actually. I didn't start to measure straight away, and I thought it was 12.5 inches. Which still seemed a lot. But 18!!! That's from 15 January last year.

Cherries that really is amazing! 18 inches. Wow.

Rshard the paella looks great.

My dinner tonight was spiced turkey burger with lettuce wrap and a roasted fennel and garlic mayo. It was lovely. Am currently making the remaining mixture into meatballs.

That's really inspiring, ilovecherries. Well done.

Wow ilovecherries, just wow!

Thanks beryl, your burgers looks yummy too, what spices did you use? I discovered some turkey mince in the freezer the other day

ilovecherries that's incredible! You must be thrilled

Glad to hear your husband is taking care of you Rshard. The paella looks excellent, do you have a recipe for it? I have some very nice looking chorizo which came in a Christmas hamper to use.

Good day today after yesterday's cheese feast! Mushroom soup, hard boiled eggs and some cucumber and celery batons for lunch. Got chicken breasts wrapped in prosciutto with creamy leeks, mushrooms and broccoli in the oven for dinner. Have had loads of water, I feel like I'm sloshing when I move!

Rshard it is a recipe from the Whole30 cookbook.

Lots of fresh chopped basil
6 red pepadews, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
750g chicken or turkey mince

For the mayo:
1 bulb of fennel, finely sliced and roasted in oil
2 cloves garlic, minced, added to the roast fennel towards the end
homemade mayo to mix with

Thanks beryl

It’s an Ocado recipe littleladylawyer we didn’t have parsley so dh threw some spinach in to up the veg. Celeriac rice rather than cauliflower

Hi all, I can't seem to ope the spreadsheet...have I broke it? Can someone add my weight of 172.6lbs please

cherries, that’s amazing!

B coffee, ff Greek yoghurt with cinnamon (just as delicious as everyone has been saying!)
L homemade 15% fat beefburger with salad in an oily dressing
S crackling crisps
D butter chicken (no veg at all )
W barely anything - how have I fallen off the water wagon so badly?!

I thought I added my weight to the spreadsheet

I started at 204lbs
First week 196
Second week 196

But that was with a boozy, carby birthday which put me up 4lbs so glad to be back to the start. Now just going to KOKO. Don't know if anyone could add my weights? I'd be grateful.

though my meals have been shit today:

L: sausages, cauliflower cheese, broccoli, roasted shallots and swede mash
D: a sausage, a chicken thigh, a lump of cheese, some salty cashews and a low carb choc truffle my friend made me for my birthday

couldn't be arsed to cook after a long day at work and not got much in. Lots of water though.

I'd put them in this afternoon IamSam as I recognised your name and went back and searched to find your weights!

Ah thank you prettybird, that's so kind. Made me smile after a rubbish day