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.

B creamy coffee and sausages
L sausages and roasted celeriac
S bunless burger and salad; a few spoonfuls of a dining companion’s apple crumble and custard
W getting better

well done Sayyra on the marzipan dodging.

prettybird you look vair smart in your outfit. if not super serious, but I know it's a funeral of course. well done as always for being brave enough to post photos. I would say, be glad of the non deflating boobs. the alternative as I am beginning to sadly accept is the tennis ball in a sock scenario. truly embrace the boob rack while you can!!

ooooh, fellow North North Westerners! I'm just west of Penrith. Mind you, should have guessed when there was the snow excitement.

Congrats to Sayrra and Black for refusing the call - the cravings for specific things definitely tend to get easier to deal with the longer you go without. My wine cravings in the first few weeks were horrific, but have not bothered me at all for the last week or so.

Glad to hear Ragz cat is doing better, bless her.

YoLo, I remember last time I lost weight that that area all rounded out again once I'd reached my stable weight - not regained the size, but the shape.

Thank you for the link Neko

Pretty please could someone be so kind as to add my Monday’s weight of 152lbs please? I struggle to scroll across the sheet in a straight line as it’s juddery on my old iPad. Thank you in advance.

Yes, thank you Neko - that's really interesting. I'm menopausal and, looking back over the last 10 months of low carb eating, it took me a LOT longer to lose the last bit of weight than it did the first bit. And, on this bootcamp it started well, but now seems to have stalled. Looking at their tips and how they relate to the way I eat, mindful eating seems to be something I ought to look into (I'm crap on portion control, and also tend to really bolt my food so I suspect I eat more than I need), and I really really need to cut back on cheese, which is my go-to snack. And the weight training thing is also interesting, as I've also been worrying about osteoporosis. Might look into that.

I think I eat too much cheese too Maude’. I have it with nearly all my meals. I think I also have too much cream too. The other day I have 5 coffees with cream. That’s just too much. I now have black coffee or make it with almond milk, although I prefer the taste of it black.

Thanks Nekobus - that was the article I'd mentioned a wee while ago about the effect of the menopause and age on weight loss but I hadn't been able to find it again.

YoLo - I'm looking serious in the photo because I'm so crap at taking selfies and I'm struggling to try to get both my head and my shoes in the photo, so I'm concentrating really hard

prettybird - my mother complained I was looking serious in a photo I took the other day for her. I pointed out that not only was I having to concentrate on taking a selfie on the iPad I was also having to keep a recently-very-seriously-ill-but-now-much-better-bunny in one place on my lap and I had no brain cells left over to smile. I'm not sure she was convinced!

And I agree with everyone else, that outfit looks great on you!

I worked out the carb count of some chewing gum for the person who was worried about their gum consumption. Sorry I cannot remember who it was. Wrigleys Extra sugar free ppeppermint gum has 0.8 grams per tab. That is pretty high considering each tab weighs only 1.4g. I wouldn't avoid gum altogether if I really wanted it, but 1 or 2 tabs a day would do no harm plus you can factor it into your overall carb intake. Realistically, nobody has the scope to chew fresh parsley or mint leaves when out and about or in an office and they taste horrible , plus the fresh breath alternative of sugar free mint sweets is unpleasant and involves changes of underwear!

moderation people!!!

YoLo, it was me who had talked about the gum. Wrigley's extra sounds on a par with Airwaves,which is 0.91g per tab. Both are really high given how teeny tiny they are. As you say, moderation is key.

I had been keeping away from this thread because I had fallen into carby celebratory twatdom. I was going to give it all up. I have just entered my weight for this week and am astonished, surprised, bemused to see the damage is nowhere near as bad as I had feared.

I am 1lb less than I was two weeks ago. What a kick up the arse!! I am going to KOKO now!!! Let's hope for another nice WHOOSH for next week

Checking in after my holiday - mostly fine (no better than that) - the one marginally tricky bit was staying at my friend’s holiday home with her cooking for six of us and not quite being able to go “ooh, actually could you just adjust the whole meal or I’ll Starve”.

And it’s not that polite to wince at the carb count in the sausages going into the bean casserole..
Anyway - weighing in at 192. And I’ve now made lots of good low carb bits and pieces and snacking on nuts. All I want is a good 2lb weight loss per week and to be 12 stone by Easter.

Now going to hunt out a pair of trousers that I can’t get into as inspiration. KOKO everyone. At least this WOE is delicious and hungerfree.

I was watching How to lose weight well last night and even on the low carb diet, it's pretty low in fat. And the person doing it said she was hungry a lot. I've never been hungry on this diet at all! 😀

FiveTwoFaster - 2lb/week might be a bit much of an ask. An average of 1lb/week with the occasional motivating 2lb or whoosh might be more achievable. It's just a slightly different mindset so as not to become demoralised if you don't achieve the 2lb/week.

I’m never hungry on this diet either, and I eat so much less than I used to. Have been low-carbing in one form or another (with varying degrees of seriousness) for over a year and am happy with my loss.

When I say varying degrees of seriousness it’s important to clarify.

I’ve experimented with various thresholds of carbs per day, sometimes very low and others higher but still well below what most people eat.

Yes I’ve been a carby twat from time to time, but mostly over a day or two, and mostly in one meal rather than an all day carbfest. The biggest “breakthrough” I’ve made this time is remembering that LCHF is the way I eat and carb-laden foods are an exception rather than a staple of my way of eating.

In other words, rather than being a carby twat on holiday and thinking oh fuck it, I’ll start again after holiday and then another three months of high-carb high-fat eating goes by, this time I am right back to being on this WoE for the very next meal.

It’s instant. It’s KOKO. And it’s working.

Still a long way to go, but thought I’d post a side-by-side from the dreaded profile angle.

Oh, and the chocolate in the freezer thing reminded me that back in the day, before online shopping and PINs, when you actually had to go out to purchase unnecessary items, my brother overspent and got in a bit of debt. He froze his credit cards so he wouldn’t be able to use them mindlessly.

Wowzers Riggins! What a difference! You look fantastic... and if I may be so personal... your boobs in the second photo look amazing.
Wise words too. I occasionally lapse into the odd carby meal, mostly when it's out of my control, but i actively find myself wanting to return to this WoE immediately as I simply enjoy it more and know it's doing me good in so many ways. Well done everyone and keep on going, even if you feel like you are stalling.

Very wise word and awesome pics - what a difference!

ShagMeRiggins, what a difference in the two photos! You look great.

Shag what great before and after pics and if I may say so, fab bathroom tiles!

I'm having a mid afternoon energy slump and I'd normally reach for a sugar hit. Gaaah. Does anyone have a go to pick me up that isn't full of sugar?

Well done shag you look fab.

I was more excited about buying sprouts than croissants in lidl this morning.

B: half a protein roll, butter, marmite
L: loads and loads of cabbage, sprouts and fatty pork mince stir fried with salt pepper garlic powder and served with avocado and mayo. Delicious. Massively filling.
D: maybe scrambled eggs. Everyone else is having spaghetti bol. Normally I would have some of the bol with salad and cheese, but I feel I've done mince today.

Shag, that's fantastic progress. And wise words.

My victory for today was I got a great contract! Pitch meeting this morning. I wore a new outfit. I had my wig on and I had my red lippy. A year ago I would not have even put in a proposal, let alone gone to a pitch because I felt so conspicuously fat, and had nothing suitable to wear and generally beat myself up about everything. I didn't have the courage to do anything radical with my hair because I desperately tried not to fo anything to draw attention to myself. Ditto red lippy. Today I even managed to climb three flights of stairs while having a conversation with the sponsor. And they just phoned to offer me the contract :)

Hooray!

I can't remember what you like, Mimosa. My go-to tide-me-over snacks are a buttermint tea, a spoonful of peanut butter, a mug of Bullion, one square of 90% Lindt or a coffee with cream. I only allow myself one coffee a day anyway, so it feels very treat-like to have it with cream.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone, and the random-yet-amusing compliments of my boobs and...tiles.

The Before photo isn’t even my heaviest—I couldn’t find one on my phone and didn’t have time to go to computer. Overall weight loss is 41lbs but this Before and After represents approximately 25-30lbs lost. Still, the difference is clear.

Mimosa1 I’d normally get something fatty like a babybel or something salty like a cup of bouillon for a pick me up.

ilovecherries congratulations on the contract and the newly found confidence that enabled you to go for it. You write thoughtfully about your path to better health, the ups and downs of it, the determination, and you’re one of the posters who regularly inspires me on these Bootcamp threads.

#feelingpositive