Week 4 – Is this the new normal? Because it feels great!

[BerylStreep]

Welcome to the week 4 thread of Bootcamp. I enjoyed the power of wielding BIWI’s big stick last week so much that I am staying on for another week. Normal service will be returning next week.

So week three was great – as well as lots of impressive scale victories, there were loads of NSVs – bras moved to the next hook, colleagues commenting favourably, feeling as if there is more energy, along with err, some less orthodox NSVs such as smaller earlobes and re-emerging pubes.

The thing that has really struck me is the number of posters who have lost significant weight over the last year, and are sticking with it and still seeing progress. That’s a fantastic inspiration to us all, and really shows how this WOE works long-term.

There are a number of posters who have committed to doing dry February (along with a few who are kicking a diet coke habit). This starts on Thursday, but it goes without saying that this is not an excuse to put as much away as possible before that! note to self

Thanks to BIWI who has been working hard on creating the Bootcamp recipe threads. There are loads of great ideas there to avoid menu boredom.

So KOKO, and good luck for the weigh in, but also remember the scales are only one indicator of progress. Here is the link to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness.

Thank you sayrra

Will he start tomorrow twoo? Monday is a good day to start. My dh has willpower in abundance. Like your dh, he’s seen me do well and is keen to have a go. His family are prone to being overweight so he’s always been good at reining himself in. Good luck to your dh

I'm back. Had a couple of days off (not off LCHF, just off the internet!) for my 60th birthday. I still can't quite process that. I'm not sure how I thought 60 would feel when I was 30, but certainly not like this (i.e., not a day past 30!).

Anyhow, stayed completely on plan, apart from anything that may have been in the peppercorn sauce in the restaurant, and the fried onions with my steak. No alcohol was drunk, or cake eaten, no gorging. I'm starting to build up a nice little set of reference points for occasions I've navigated without carbs or alcohol.

My dh has started this WoE too as he wants to lose a few pounds even though he is lighter than me He doesn't want to do it "hard core" so I'm letting him do a version of Lite/Paleo. So he's had a Lidl protein roll (toasted and then made into a sandwich with cheese and ham). I've also said he can in moderation have the granola I make for ds which has a small amount of maple syrup but is packed full of nuts, flaxseed, coconut oil, olive oil, 2 egg whites, as well as the non-Boot camp compatible rolled oats (which at least are low GI) and dried cranberries, raisins etc.

He lost 3lb in the first 4 days

Happy birthday ilovecherries and well done for staying on track during the celebrations.

Happy birthday ilove

I think my dh will do lite too prettybird, I fully expect him to lose efficiently too! He cycles to work everyday and also recreationally, he used to compete but has been suffering with plantar fasciitis recently, he also has ankylosing spondylitis but manages that through exercise. Bless him, I’ve mad him sound like an old wreck!

Happy birthday, ilovecherries.

And very Happy Birthday to ilovecherries It's funny how your attitude to age numbers changes as you get older

I turn 57 this year and definitely still only feel 30!

Happy birthday ilove!

Happy birthday @ilovecherries! And really well done on staying on track - that's truly impressive. But, of course, it's also why you've been so successful. You're a real role model for this WOE.

A Very Happy Birthday Cherries. It’s a great feeling isn’t it when you go for a celebratory meal, keep on point with this woe and still have a great time as well as enjoying your meal etc. It feels soooo good to be able to do that. Almost as good as feeling more svelte and healthy.

NSV today. Whilst out saw a neighbour who said ‘hi my darling, you look great’. I know darling is not pc, but I’m old and old school and I love it!

So, as we come to the end of week 4, it's time to say a huge thank you to @BerylStreep, who took the big stick from @prettybird, and who's done a great job keeping you all on track. Herding cats would be easier.

The plan is that I'll take it back from tomorrow, unless anyone else wants a go?

Happy Birthday Cherries!

Thanks BIWI. I've enjoyed thread-sitting. Hope I haven't lost too many people along the way.

Happy birthday ilove!
My face is a bit of a mess today, but that was expected! My wine yesterday has also left me a bit fuzzy headed.
B: greek yog, double cream, few frozen blueberries
L: Yo Sushi. I was with a dairy free friend so it was the best option! I think I stuck to low carb as well as possible:
Marinated aubergine and seaweed carrot salad (with as little dressing as possible), salmon and tuna sashimi and a few edamame.
D: will be slow cooked lamb shoulder in rosemary and juniper berries, mashed swede and broccoli.

S: few slices of prosciutto
Desperately trying to avoid keto flu. Taubes reckons fat and salt so will also have a couple of mugs of boullion and extra butter with the mash.

Happy Birthday Cherries! It's lovely to go out for a meal and not feel you've stuffed yourself, isn't it?

I don't feel guilty going out for a meal on this WOE, as I can always choose something low carb without feeling deprived.

So last night was day 4 for me of Dry February (I started a day early!).

And I woke up this morning with a headache, feeling like I'd drunk at least two bottles of wine. How is that fair?!

B:slice low carb bread toast with butter and cheese
L: leftovers - pan fried chicken thigh with cream and tarrogan, purple sprouting broccoli
D: roast beef, cauliflower cheese, cabbage, sprouts

I've downloaded a step counter onto my phone - I've done 10000 steps already today. I'm not sure whether to believe it as I've done my normal day, horses dog walking etc.

Can you really burn 425 cals for 1.5 hours walking??

Withdrawal BIWI , withdrawal

Random low-carb snack....I haven't eaten much today, and the rest of the family were making me jealous tucking into afternoon cake, so I invented something to satisfy those cakey cravings.

Two slices of low-carb (flaxseed) bread, toasted, buttered, topped with a couple of mashed raspberries and some greek yogurt. Mmm. (there were two, but I scoffed one before I took the photo)

@prettybird - very possibly - although I now have earache, which suggests that something else might be going on

@Scabbersley - when I was running 5K/30-ish minutes, that would burn around 320 calories, so it could well be that 3 times that much of walking would achieve that

@CointreauVersial - that looks lovely! Did you make up the recipe, or is it from the Tom Kerridge book?

Happy birthday ILoveCherries

Today's food - day 2

B - didn't have any. Went running with my friend and by the time I got back and had a shower it was almost lunchtime
L Green salad with 2 hardboiled eggs, bacon, avocado and chicken with lashings of full fat mayonnaise
D Will be roast pork, broccoli, green beans and asparagus with butter.
W Up to about 1800ml so far. Have also had a cup of peppermint and liquorice tea and a cup of gingerbread tea (trying to train myself to drink it without milk and sugar). Unfortunately, I hate coffee, or I could have it with cream

I'm feeling a bit light headed today - Is this kind of carb withdrawal symptoms - or maybe it's psychological!

My own invention, BIWI, although the bread is the Rosie Londoner recipe that I've used for years.

Thank you for your birthday wishes, everyone. Mum and Dad have been with us for the weekend - realise I'm very fortunate to still have two hale and hearty parents at 60 - also felt bizarrely sad that I won't see my children at this age. Downside of having your kids at nearly 40.

BIWI, thank you :). I'm not sure really why this woe worked for me when every other failed diet didn't. Is it just that this woe makes it metabolically possible for me, or did I have a massive mindset shift? I'm not sure it's the latter, really, because it hasn't taken massive willpower. Determination, yes, but I've never felt I was fighting myself this time. I had no real hope or expectation initially, just a commitment to myself that for the 10 weeks of that first bootcamp that I would follow the rules - I expected it to fail, but I wanted to prove that it wasn't because I wasn't doing it right.

And then it worked! And I started to feel well again, and the better I felt, the easier it was to keep going. Last birthday I was afraid I wouldn't live another year, this year I ran 5 miles. Just because I could :)