Week 8 - Low Carb Bootcamp - lucky number for some!

[BIWI]

Xin nian kuai le!

Happy Chinese New Year. We're in week 8, and 8 is considered a lucky number in Chinese, so hopefully this week will be a good one for us all

Here's the spreadsheet

A very cold week is ahead of us, so hope you all stay warm and safe

Can somebody send me some snow, please? We have none!

There's a sickness bug going around where I work, and although I haven’t actually been sick I've been feeling like I might since yesterday afternoon, so am staying at home today. I didn’t eat dinner last night, and really don’t feel like eating anything yet, so I’ll see how I get in later. I fear it may be a Knorr chicken noodle soup, but they're not too high in carbs, and will be better than nothing.

Interesting discussion regarding looking too thin. My goddaughter, 15, has a wonderful figure. Slim, but not too much. She doesn’t have the best diet so I’m not sure how she does it, but I’m envious (was never thin like her, even as a child). If I mention it to my mother, though, she always replies with “What figure?”. She honestly seems to think that having a covering of fat is healthy.

Oops - forgot to join this thread this week!
I'm still going, still doing really well despite the temptation to fall headfirst into a bag of crisps - but I'm still to break the 12st barrier! :(

I will keep going because I need to, beyond week 10 of this bootcamp, but I do wish I was getting more result for my deprivation! of course, I didn't start at the beginning, so I think I've only been doing it for 3.5 weeks now, I'm in my 4th week. So I suppose I should be happy that I've dropped 7lb in that time overall, shouldn't I. Yes, I should. (arguing with myself, don't worry!)

Well done to all losers - KOKO!

Mimosa I think the golden rule is do not have pudding! A bit like when in maintenance: a roast potato or slice of wholemeal toast might be ok but syrup sponge and custard is generally not.

My advice would be to classify them based on importance. A wedding, unless maybe you're mother of the bride or similar, doesn't justify going too far off plan within the bounds of what you're served (i.e. leave the bread and potatoes and ideally the dessert, but have the champagne). Your own birthday, maybe have the chips with your steak but for someone else's, do not, but pick as best you can from a menu without sweating over what you can't control. Keep the drinking to a couple of glasses and if you've a lot of events, don't drink at all of them. If you're going to a properly amazing restaurant for a rare treat, have bloody anything.

Well done, Alma!

Frame & perception and things are so interesting. I was looking at 8yo DD the other day and a couple of her friends. DD has always been skinny but has put on a bit of weight recently so I'm monitoring it to see if it's pre-growth spurt or too much food. But, looking at her, you can tell she is never going to be lithe and leggy like some of her friends her. Her limbs are just the wrong shape.

My other musing for today is how interesting habits and memories and associations with food are. We haven't got much snow here but definitely safer to work from home. I do need to nip to the shops & was trying to work out low carb versions of favourite "snow food" which, for me, would usually be hot chcocolate, jacket potatoes, chilli etc. DH just looked at me blankly & eventually said "maybe not salad". He just doesn't have any emotional associations with food.

Hoorah for Alma

And a big wave to Whoknows

Blizzarding here and the garden's full of the cutest little 2 feet+ high snowdrifts with miniature overhanging cornices. I just had to detour and trample through one on the way to topping up the birdfeeder.

I've not had to deal with any really big events yet, but when I've been out and about socially I've either made my excuses and not eaten at all, or just picked the most harmless looking soup thing.

Morning, fellow losers!

I hope you are keeping warm as well as keeping on.

My clothes are definitely feeling looser: I think that my interim of a size 14 (the ultimate goal is a size 10) is within reach....possibly within the next couple of months if I continue bootcamp.

Oh - and I had a dry February and it looks like continuing that way through March, unless I get a job (I am job-hunting) in which case I will allow myself a large glass of wine.

162 today! Getting so close I can taste it! Mimosa I think it depends on whether you need to be an abstainer, or whether you can moderate. I do the former, because for me it was important to stop seeing food as a treat or reward, and also to start to see that carbs were harming me, so why would I choose to eat them at a celebration/happy occasion. So I've been through weddings, christenings, big wedding anniversaries, Christmas and holidays low carb. But I realise that's not the common approach, and I wouldn't preach it to anyone else. In practice, it just meant being picky about what I ate, and trying to ask for easy moderations within the menu restrictions. So asking for my prawns with mayo rather than Marie Rose sauce, eating the Pate without the toast, asking for meat with extra veg etc, passing on sweet completely. If it's a buffet, just quietly deconstructing food! What I don't do in public is fret about the carb content of veg. So if my extra veg turns out to be carrots and peas, I eat them. If my salad comes with red onion and peppers,I eat it. But beyond that, i eat no potatoes, fruit, flours, sugar or grains.

Hi ThumbWitch I joined very late so will definitely be continuing! Though I had a slip up two days ago and am up 2lbs back to 11 7, but managed to stop myself and ate lots of eggs and butter yesterday, and feel focussed again today. It’s weird how you can being happily doing so well and then suddenly slip. The lesson is not to be complacent I guess, especially in the early weeks. I hope I’m not the only one who’s found this - I really want this to be sustainable as it’s such a lovely WoE. Stay warm everyone!

Ilovecherries I love your plan for eating in the real world, I think that’s possible to do, moving forward. Especially eating the ‘wrong’ vegetables on the odd occasion and realising it won’t really do any harm. Thank you 😊

Cherries, the other thing I've found myself doing is adjusting to people's perception of me as a fussy/picker eater. I used to make up excuses for myself, but if I had a £ for every time someone said "oh, you don't eat that, do you" in a weird triumph/provoking way I'd be living in Buckingham Palace.

I decided fairly early on that continuing to be podgy, blotchy, achy etc just so that people wouldn't say passive aggressive things to me was just... bonkers. My mouth, my food, my opinion. I refuse to continue being unwell* just to fit in with people I think are mistaken anyway.

*Am genuinely gluten intolerant - not coeliac - but gluten gives me mouth ulcers, stuffed sinuses, and bowel cramps. So no, I don't really want the cake repeats to colleagues for millionth time

Morning. I'm confused...can you not eat peppers and red onion on low carb? I thought they were fine....

Just popping on to wave to you all. Hope you’re all keeping safe & warm in the snow.

I’m still an abstainer in regards to alcohol. I’ve not had any this year and I havnt missed it at all.

Loving this woe and I find it doesn’t really affect my choices when eating out. For example we ate out earlier this week at a nice restaurant and I had the following:-

Sparkling water
Coffee with cream
Sauté King prawns & bitter salad, mayo.
Steak, green beans and cream, mushroom & pepper sauce.

It felt indulgent and delicious 😋 .

Weight continues to drop each week. Slowly. But still losing.

Hi Blunt scallions are lower carb than onions. Green peppers lower carb than red. I think anyway.

Shallots

Forgot to post food for past two days so will try to remember here.
Tues & Weds b & l the same
B: 2 x eggs scrambled with butter
L: broccoli, chicken and bacon bake
Tues D: hm burgers with salad
Weds D: salmon with cauliflower and broccoli
S: I had a small piece of choc cake on Tues 🙄 I was at a friends and visit had lasted longer than intended so I was hungry. No excuse really and I should have just said no, I’m pretty annoyed with myself...
Other than that all good though

I believe the thing with peppers is due to ripening. Green are the least ripe, all colours listed on the veg carb counter.

I’ve switched from onions to shallots. Peeling them doesn’t make me cry, unlike onions. Bonus.

On the frame thing I agree. I’m only 5’3 so should be massive at my weight (11 6) but I’m not really (sitting here comfortably in a size 12 oasis denim skirt). So when I do lose weight people often do the whole ooh don’t lose any more, you don’t want to get too skinny! When I haven’t been ‘skinny’ since I was about 12! I think it’s partly that I carry it well but partly I do think people like to see me as the chubby one. Makes them feel worse about their own size if I’m not big maybe?

Also been ruminating on snacking. I think I associate with a break for me. One of my favourite things is that time between getting in from work and sorting the kids out for clubs/dinner, standing in the kitchen, browsing mn and munching something. Yesterday I was so full from lunch that I really couldn’t stomach anything to eat low carb or otherwise and I actually felt quite glum about it.... so silly really and has obviously contributed to my size as it’s such mindless shoving food in to my gob. Interesting to start to analyse this stuff though.

I tried to say something similar yesterday mumofapickle, but couldn’t eloquently describe it but you have perfectly. I’m a similar height to you and at my heaviest was 14,6, but somehow carried it well. Now people are surprised to hear that I’ve lost almost 60lbs in total. Mostly - were you actually that fat? And I get - don’t lose any more!

Yes, think the thing with peppers is due to ripening. Red peppers are riper, and riper fruit has more sugar in it (which is why it tastes sweeter).

My local greengrocers had run out of Brussels sprouts today! You hadn't been in there before me had you, prettybird?

Wow, pickle, 5'3" and 11.6, in a 12!? I'm 5'5" and 9.6, in a 12... A good friend of mine is also a couple of inches shorter than I am, an easy size 10, and weighs 2 stone more than I do.

Vanity sizing in shops doesn't help the confusion. But I tell you who hasn't crumbled to vanity sizing... M&S knickers, that's who. Never mind all the fancy shops telling me I'm 10 on top, and 12 on bottom for trousers - if I want knickers it's at least a 14 and they're not baggy either. Vanity sizing never hit the knicker trade.

Hello, just checking in. I'm 6lb down from my start weight but a couple of weeks behind as didn't start at the same time. Still not regular and feeling uncomfortable. So that's 2 weeks I've not been to the toilet regularly. When I first started it was fine. Have cut down on dairy which means no breakfast but haven't really been hungry anyway.

A member of my team has bought me some milk tray! I'm not even hungry but tempted to have one, ugh. I don't even really like them!

Have added olive oil to my lunchtime salad but, not sure if it's a coincidence, I have been having a mid-afternoon slump and wanting a snack and feeling really tired. Then starving hungry when I get home but I'm feeling full with my meals.

I'm keeping going though. Going to do my measurements tonight again

I'm also receiving the "don't loose too much, don't go too skinny" comments. I'm not sure what is at the heart of these kind of comments. At the generous end of the spectrum I'd say that folks just aren't always comfortable with change in others. I'm nearly at my self I posted target. But I can still grab a handful each at my tummy and on the inside of each thigh. I can feel my ribs, but not see them!

In other news, I've just made American pancakes for the kids (sodding snow day) but not had any!!

Alma well done!
Waves to whoknows
My youngest DD has another snow day so I’m being mummy today. Have sneaked off to read and post on here.

It was also the day I was supposed to be having birthday afternoon tea at a posh hotel in London with a great friend and colleague and that is cancelled. Mixed emotions really because I was really looking forward to seeing her but obvs afternoon tea is just all wrong on this WOE but is I think one of my favourite treats with a glass of champagne on the side. Never mind, we’re going to rearrange in the Spring and go for a walk in the park and to the theatre instead so that sounds nice but healthier too!

Sitting here trying to work out what to have as my birthday meal (another ritual) on Saturday - it might just be an Indian takeaway, chosen wisely of course. Enjoying the conversation about ritual meals and realising how easy it is to go off piste just because I always have. Have asked DH to pick me up some ground almonds so I don’t sabotage myself by making regular cheese scones which I am feeling slightly desperate for.

Don't do it, Venus!!! You don't like it, so don't eat it - never mind what it's made of!

I'm not sure what is at the heart of these kind of comments., me neither. I'm clearly still a bit plump, so no-one is saying 'don't lose anymore you're already slim', just 'don't lose any more'.

Being generous, I might say it's because we hear so much about disordered eating that it's easy to assume everyone either eats too much and will become unhealthy, or eats too little and will develop anorexia. As if there's no imaginable in-between anymore. Why they can't just say 'that's great, well done', and leave the 'ooooh, but...' until you actually start looking underweight, I don't know.