Week 4 - Low Carb Bootcamp - where we're KOKOing!

[BIWI]

Morning all

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you

Just a reminder to you all that week 4, like its evil twin week 3, can be a difficult week where weight loss is likely to be minimal or even non-existent.

Please don't despair if you don't see any movement on the scales - this does appear to be quite normal at this point in Bootcamp.

Keep going, keep following the rules - stay away from the chocolate and bread! - particularly make sure you get enough water and fat - and you should see things get going again very soon.

Here's to a good week for us all

Wow @BIWI enjoy Japan, I'd love to got there one day.

I've been feeling a bit despondent as the wonky scales mean I cany properly track weight loss, but thanks to whoever suggested measuring. I've lost an inch off my waist and thighs and 1.5 off my hips.

Have fun, BIWI! I love Japan, especially around Hokkaido, but am fonder of Seoul starts war again.

An afternoon of depression yesterday has my fingers crossed for a loss in the next day or two - I don't quite understand why, but I have found that when I lose body fat I get a bit of a hormonal surge - or dip - or something. Anyway, it's an observable phenomenon for me.

Nice work on the inches, blacktea.

Thank you for all the welcomes :) - I am so behind the times that I didn't know Mumsnet emailed you when you are @ in a thread....

Have realised I have picked a rubbish time to try and join in more as we have 2 sets of friends visiting, one family staying today till Tuesday. But I will carry on reading and try to get a sneaky post or two in.

Good luck to those who are struggling at the moment.

Enjoy japan BIWI, glad you’re getting some downtime on this trip.

That’s a great inch loss blacktea

Liking the positivity this morning athle, sounds as though you know your body pretty well.

No loss AT ALL this week so far...which I'm sad about as I haven't even gone onto BC Lite yet either!

In fact, I've put on a pound...definitely not deserved as I've been doing the exact same food plan as weeks 1,2 and 3. However, I've not felt hungry, haven't needed to snack at all (still got an unopened 6 pack of scratching in the cupboard!) so I'm sure it's just my body adapting. I'm hoping so anyway! Sleeping like a log, which is a first for me!

I'm continually amazed by all the success stories and I am really understanding the benefits of LC-ing now. My sister is Type 1 diabetic, and so was my gran. My mum is Type 2. I'm determined to avoid that road! It's just awful watching when your loved ones are in diabetic comas (3 times for my sister) and continually ill from the affects of this condition.

I shall KOKO as I'm really enjoying this woe. It seems to agree with my body.

Finally back down to where I was a week ago. All a bit soul destroying tbh. Ah well. Time to get this cat off me and go to work.

Has anyone got any recipes for using cacao nibs, which don't involve artificial sweeteners? I've got two big packs in my cupboard going out of date!

Also I'm convinced there must be a brownie recipe just using ground almonds, 85%+ chocolate, butter and possibly/optional raw cacao or cacao nibs, eggs, nuts, but I'm yet to find it or figure it out, any ideas?

Enjoy your holiday @BIWI and congrats on the inches @blackteaplease
I took my measurements this week too so it'll be interesting to see if there are any changes in a few weeks time.

Small NSV today.. I tried on a shirt this morning which used to be a smidge too tight around the middle and it now fits nicely. It's great to have different wardrobe options opening up again. I've noticed though that the size 14 clothes I've bought in the last year are now fitting well again, however the 14 clothes I bought 1 year+ ago are still tight. I wonder if they're starting to make clothes bigger now. Like today's size 14 used to be size 16 in 2015/2016. Is this a thing?

It was a month yesterday since I started LCing so I treated myself to some new makeup Foundation, mascara, eyeliner, eye shadow, 2 lipsticks, 5 nail polishes (99p each!) all for £20 with free delivery. Mostly Rimmel stuff but so much cheaper than you'd get at supermarkets.

Happy Friday, everyone

rayna37 I’ve been having a look through my low carb books for brownie recipes but I think sugar is such an integral part of what makes a brownie, a brownie I haven’t found many, however if it is the artificial bit you are concerned about you can use xylitol, a sugar alcohol that is not classed as artificial. From the book “guilt-free gourmet” it says...”it is a sweetener that the body recognises as natural because it is present in all plant cells and is derived from tree bark. It can be used in the same way as sugar and has no impact on blood sugar levels.”
Apparently it is fatal to dogs though so if you have a hound that likes to nick food...
I am sure others will be along with ideas or better science. I have no idea whether this quote above is even accurate but thought I would post it. I’ll add their recipe in my next post which I haven’t tried yet as trying to avoid making cakes etc at the moment.
I use the brownie recipe in The Sugar Free Family Cookbook by Sarah Flower which I’ve said before is really good for these sorts of low carb alternatives but you don’t get the same squidge in these brownies even if you undercook.

From The Guilt Free Gourmet by Jordan and Jessica Bourke

Rayna - the brownies I made earlier this week used cocoa and erythritol (recipe also gave proportions for other sweeteners) with ground almonds, coconut flour and coconut oil - and a generous sprinkling of dark chocolate chips. I added in (inspired by Nigella) a middle layer of scoops of cream cheese, which both helped make the brownies more squidgie and added a nice bit of tartness. They do have the "freshness" that comes from the erythritol - but the cream cheese counters that (and they can't have been that bad as ds wolfed down the leftovers ).

I'll find the link when I am back on the laptop.

Nigella also does a flourless brownie recipe with melted chocolate which I was thinking of trying to adapt with erythritol. She also does an olive oil chocolate cake which I was also thinking of experimenting with.

But I won't be doing that for a while, as I've had brownies already this week - and next weekend is the meringue roulade experiment!

I expect ill be thpught of as a killjoy but i think the pnly way for me is do do what cherries has suggested and just not think of sweet thinngs as treats anymore.
I have fancied some fruit and wine but im saving all that for my holiday . Then I am Determined to go back onto hard core again to fix ant gain once i get back . I am SO done with losing a d gaining this 2 stone all the time.. otherwise i might sd well admit ill be forever bigger than id like

Had a glass of wine the last two nights. Somehow as soon as I get into the rhythm of this woe, I get complacent and relapse into bad habits. Have to stay on top of it.

For breakfast, I had natural yoghurt with a sprinkle of cardamom and some rose petals, left over from cake decorating a while ago, plus a few almonds. It sounds nicer than it was tbh, but the rose petals added a fun little flourish to my morning.

hello everyone - I disappeared for a while wont bore you with the details but a tough few weeks. The good news is I'm still at a 2 lbs loss since the start. I'm trying very hard not to torture myself with how much more I could have lost if I had kept my focus but overall I have been sticking to the rules so I'm happy with that. I'm back with determination and looking forward to going back and reading all of your comments and getting my mojo back.

northernknickers I've no loss this week either and have a pound mysteriously going off and on. I can't say I'm not slightly bothered but I know just because I like to see a weekly loss it doesn't mean my body will comply, I just need to be patient.

I love the Libra weight tracking app, it's very motivating. Along with showing my weekly loss it shows monthly and since I started. It predicts my future losses and the date I'll hit them. Interestingly even though I'm not losing this week and fluctuating a bit my goal date has reduced from the beginning of April 2019 to mid March 2019 in this last week so even staying the same for a week is having positive effects. I know it's only a guide line but it's nice to see the trends which will get more accurate the longer I use it.

mickeymacca congratulate yourself not only for keeping your 2lb loss, but also for not gaining during the tough weeks. Think about it—for all of us, stressful times can be the triggers for bingeing and rubbish eating. So feel proud.

Got rid of that 1lb so officially 1 stone on bootcamp. Guess I should change my name to 4stonedown . This thread is really good at making me KOKO. Arrived in the office to baskets of biscuits but I just keep having a read here when I feel myself wanting one.

I expect I should also not be viewing sweet things as treats like cherries & Laska, but I miss baking so think I'll stick to special occasions (DD bday, my bday).

I'm away on hols but I'm doing my best to stay on track without beating myself up if I don't. I'm managing to find reasonable food options. I should be drinking more water though. I am walking lots.

thank you shagmeriggins

I wish I was on holiday! Sadly I'm here to work (although I do have a day off tomorrow which I'm looking forward to)

Hello, is it too late for me to join?

Not at all . Welcome

Just read the Rules on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness (link in the OP), follow strict Boot Camp for 2 weeks and then you can choose whether to go on to Boot Camp Lite for some/all of the time.

You might find it useful to read the Weeks 1 and 2 threads, and the OP of the Weeks 3 and 4 threads (when you get 3 and 4 weeks in), just so that you understand the different stages.

Well done 3/4stonedown That's amazing, amazing too the power of one pound sometimes

Thank you!

I just read the rules. God, I'm not sure I can do this. No alcohol, no nuts, no fruit!!

Sorry I think I need to bow out before I even get started. I don't want to waste anyone's time. Sorry

The "no alcohol, no fruits, no nuts" is only for the first 2 weeks. Thereafter, you can have berries, low carb alcohol (dry wine, gin, vodka) and nuts in moderation.

Give it a go! If you do it properly - ie allow yourself plenty of fat (that's the counter-intuitive part of this Way of Eating ) and drink at least the prescribed amount of water, then you'll find that you can lose weight without feeling hungry - and once you are "fat adapted", without even feeling deprived.

I can now go into petrol stations and newsagents and not even look at the rows of sweets!