The final weigh-in - Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Good morning all, for the final Monday of this Bootcamp.

Here's the spreadsheet for its last outing!

I hope very much that the last ten weeks have been successful for everyone - whether that's on the scales, seeing your clothes fit better, better health and general enjoyment of your food!

I'll keep this chat thread going, and when it's full, will start another one until we start the next Bootcamp, which will start in mid-October.

My "new" meal this week (continuing my self-set challenge) was Greek style lamb gyros (from the September Good Housekeeping) which were served up to dh and ds with pitta breads, while I made myself low carb flat breads from Tom Kerridge's "Dopamine Diet" book. Very nice they were too - didn't taste at all coconutty (although it probably helped that they were brushed with the marinade the lamb had been in before frying)

Tomatoes, garlic and herbs were from the garden (Red onion I already had lurking in the bottom of the veg drawer but I could have got a couple of tiny ones from the garden a dismal failure this year (The onions that is )

Dh and ds have said it's a dish worth repeating.

Just seen your photos 3stonedown - WOW! you have done so well. What an inspiration. I'm sure it wasn't easy.

Weigh in from me: reached my 2 stone loss on Sunday morning (17st 5lbs) only for the scales to leap up +2lb this morning! No reason for it and sure it will come off again in the next few days so feeling optimistic.

(No Bank Holiday weekend up in Scotland )

I'm settling down here filled with trepidation, about to watch GBBO. Have pork scratchings to sustain me. Good luck everyone!

@banano well done! Don't worry about the 2lb gain - it's quite natural for our bodies to fluctuate on a day-by-day basis. As long as the overall trend is down, then you're still winning.

For me, well and truly back to work, having had two lovely weeks off work just pottering around at home. Part of it was spent with my lovely Oz relatives, who came to stay with us on their way back home. Sad to see them go, but I think my liver is quite pleased

3stonedown You look absolutely stunning! Definatley the best transformation I’ve seen on MN.

We’ll done you gorgeous girl!

Prettybird I really like the look of your gyros and flatbreads. Please could you post the recipes?

I am making a chicken curry later.

Stepped on the scales this morning after a very good week sticking to plan. Am still the same.. same as I was finishing bootcamp

That's ok ..its not up . am feeling good and more weight loss will happen at some point i know . (taking cherries great example on board here..)

Its great to know what others have done before me as with other diets I have despaired and broken it when I have stopped losing for a while . But this one? Nope! feeling good and positive with the weight loss i have had so far that I am still doing the right thing and my body is just having a little pause ..

Thought I’d just give a quick update (my last one was on page 15 of this thread when I was close to throwing in the towel). So I clung on to the wagon by my fingernails then and have KOKO. God, progress is slow but I am losing weight. This morning I was 10st 10lbs and three quarters. So pleased I kept at it because I was so close to demolishing a bottle of wine and a bar of Galaxy a few weeks ago.
Will it always be this slow though?

Laska - I've added the recipe for the flatbreads to the Vegetarian Recipes thread that is stickied to the top of the BootCamp topic. I'll do the gyros later.

I’m back in my smaller jeans! Does little happy dance.

It’s proof to me that this is the best WOE for me. I experimented with a few different ways this time last year and LCHF is the only one which lets me lose weight, feel satisfied and stops the craving for sugary stuff. We’ve had so much cake in the office in the last few weeks and I haven’t had any. In fact, I haven’t even wanted any. Previously, I would have been using all my willpower not to cave.

Well done boldly. I put on some size 14 jeans yesterday and they were falling down. I remember being so bloody happy I finally fitted in them again 4/5 months ago!

Hey bootcampers! Been catching up on the thread and looks like lots of success! Well done!
I lost 2.5 st doing the bootcamps last year and have been doing ok at maintaining, but recently eating sugary treats a bit too often! So, I've decided to do Sugar Free September to get myself back on track and stop the cravings. Have just started a new thread about it, so if anyone needs a challenge before the next boot camp, then come join in!

@desperatehousewife2

As you get near your target, weight loss does slow. But it's also probably a good time to examine what you're eating, and consider both your portion sizes and calories you're consuming. In the early days of Bootcamp we don't count calories, but it's a good time, now, to start considering them. Not that this means you suddenly have to revert to food deprivation - perish the thought! - but just to be aware what you're consuming.

It's also very easy, when you've been low carbing for a while, to see carb creep - the odd thing here and there, that you think won't really matter. So going back to strict Bootcamp for a week might be worth considering?

Hi @BIWI, thanks for your reply. Never stopped doing the strict Bootcamp. With the exception of 2 glasses of wine last week and a glass the week before I’ve kept to the bootcamp rules. No berries, nuts etc. I’ve also cut down on calories in the last 3 weeks in the hopes it would have an effect. Rarely have breakfast because I’m not hungry. The only thing is I do tend to use cream probably more than I should. It’s handy to make sauces etc and I use it in one coffee daily. Still nearly 2 stone of my target! Have lost 9 lbs since 23rd July which is not to be sneezed at but I lost 7 of those in the first 2 weeks.

List out for me what you've been eating and drinking over the last few days, let me see if I can spot anything.

Hi @BIWI, this is the kind of thing I’ve been having (4 days worth):

B: coffee with whipped cream
L: 2 boiled eggs with butter/mayo
D: pork medallions with shallot, garlic, mushroom and cream sauce and buttered spinach

B: coffee with whipped cream
L: babybels and salami and slice of butter (!)
D: Bolognese made with shallots, mushrooms, tin tomatoes, Tom purée, herbs, Parmesan etc and asparagus with loads of butter

B: coffee with whipped cream
L: eggs mashed with butter
D: chicken breast topped with Parmesan and Mayo

B: coffee with whipped cream
L: fried eggs and bacon fried in butter
D: Steak with shallot, garlic, mushroom and cream sauce and buttered spinach

Been drinking over 3 litres of water every day

The first thing I'll say is that you're not eating much veg! Why not? It's really important nutritionally.

Also, it could be that you're eating too much dairy (cream and cheese) so it might be worth cutting that down/out.

I also wonder if you're eating enough fat? Steak, pork medallions (if they're fillet?) and chicken breast are pretty low in fat.

Sorry, I meant to say I have avocado most days for lunch. And other days I will have 2 forms of veg with dinner, just haven’t been shopping in a few days!

I also try to snack on butter which I neglected to mention above. Some days I have absolute lashings of it but there are probably others when I get a bit complacent about it so will ensure I bump up the butter intake every day.

Think I am eating too much cheese and cream but I feel I will have nothing to look forward to at all if I don’t at least indulge in my creamy coffee! Will try to cut down though!

Thanks!

I’m back and will weigh in. How has it gone? I had a disaster. I had my medication again (mentioned earlier in boot camp) it’s hormonal stuff and I think it makes me hold weight. After day two I stopped taking them. I also accidentally ate one sweet with wheat and sugar (yes it was dark and I thought it was something else) and ate it. Immediately with all that I got thrown off the plan and ate summer fruits etc (full of carbs) and struggled to get back on. I honestly do t take much to put in weight and really have to almost starve to lose weight. It does not come off without a fight. So I am back to writing down what I eat so I can check it’s low carb and back on plan (not calorie counting). I will weigh in again soon (Mon) but think I’ve put it all on already I’m so bloody mad but there you go.
Well done to all others here, I will follow your stories (and go back and read) to KOKO. You all truly inspire me.

3stonedown wow! You look amazing. Great work.

And after my big moan I realized I am being hard on myself. I do recognize that this season has been so hard to drop weight in. Like what is that? So yes it has got harder on hitting my 40s but my journey now is to keep going, no matter the ups and downs. No life is perfect, I recognize I will get there if I keep going.
And I finally measured myself and discovered I have put on about six pounds in two weeks? It had taken me several weeks to lose a pound. I think that’s why I’m so shocked. Rant over.

Good morning, and I hope you are all having a fantastic Summer!

I haven't been around for a few months, due to change of job, change of rented house, and dodgy internet, but have mostly managed maintenance, sitting at 9st for all that time (up and down a lb or two but always returning).

I have begun to binge a bit in the last two weeks though (pizza, a sandwich even, mostly bread-based stuff) and it's entirely emotional eating. Long story v. short: 6yrs ago police had to assist me out of a very abusive relationship, left with precisely £0, no house, badly paid job in new town, and fear of everything. Decided never again, took on additional research job for evenings, gardening work for weekends, and pretty much worked every day for the last 6 years (longest holiday in that time 2 days over Christmas with parents). In order to... get a deposit for a house. Which I have done.

All being well, we complete on Friday. It's perfect. It's the old lodge house of a country estate so peaceful, it has an aga, open fireplace and woodburner, a stream, potting shed, beeches, pines, summerhouse, yew hedges (all crammed in a bit, it's not huge!). And I am having huge cognitive dissonance issues trying to realise that the last six years are no longer what my life will be like. Instead of scraping (literally) every penny together for a deposit, I can go out again - eat out, go to the cinema, buy a hat just because, even maybe a short holiday at some point. Up and down doesn't even begin to describe it! Hence the bread, which, btw, has given me the most evil-smelling gas, so cannot be said to be much of a treat.

Sorry that was so long! First post in ages though

Wow @AthelstaneTheUnready - many congratulations! Your new home sounds absolutely gorgeous.

ignores smelly wind on thread

It is, BIWI . Which is why I'm struggling with the concept of me owning it.

I am NEVER going to fart in that beautiful house the way I farted in this one a few days ago. So wheat is firmly off the menu again.

In related wheat news, one of my cats has ceased overgrooming a patch of fur on her spine since swapping to a grain-free cat food. She'd done that for 2 years and the vet could never find anything wrong. Turns out carnivores shouldn't eat grain, duh. Feel like a bad owner for sorting out my own diet before twigging about hers.

Oooh - a cat Bootcamp then?!