Week 2 - January Low Carb Bootcamp - my favourite week!

[BIWI]

I love this week - when we find out how much people have lost, and all those of you who haven't really believed it will work are proved wrong!

Here's the spreadsheet

I hope that the scales have been kind to you, or that your measurements have gone down and your clothes are feeling looser!

I look forward to hearing about everyone's progress.

Here's to a great week 2 as well

Dinner was broccoli and leek soup with egg and bacon muffins.

The DC actually enjoyed this dinner, huzzah! Mostly the muffins, but they aren't big soup fans overall (sadface).

Two observations.

1. I've been grumpy today. I decided to weigh myself and am half a pound higher than Monday. It is illogical to worry or get irritated at this, but I am. I also need new recipes, because everything is feeling quite samey. Cheese and eggs. Cheese and greens. etc. I need a cookbook with simple, easy recipes (I really don't like trawling through online recipes, mostly from America, and with weird ingredients. I am not interested in buying psyllium husks and hazelnut flour)

1. Everything is starting to taste sweeter to me, and I'm finding it slightly gross. Tonight's soup had a sweet aftertaste, and we all agreed it must be the cream cheese, which is used in sweet dishes afterall, so it isn't super salty. I need quick, easy, savoury snack ideas because I used to have jam on toast at 4pm....

addendum - I was the only one who noticed the sweet aftertaste.

@StuntNun this is in reply from way back—have been so busy I haven’t finished the first thread—in case no one answered, I adore pâté on a small slice of extra mature cheddar. Doesn’t need mich before feeling full, either. Bon appetit.

Slept much better last night , but still feel knackered and achy today
Got a hot water bottle on my hip , and a scarf round my neck ( fully clothed and log burner glowing away )

B scrambled eggs
L pork scratchings and cucumber
D roast pork , butter stir fried cabbage , broccoli and cauliflower
Snack cheddar slices

Loads of water , and will be on a mug of herb tea soon
Dying for a glass of wine ... roll on next week 🍷

Ooh. Just remembered
@BIWI , you linked the marmite cheese
I spread marmite on my buttered hunk of cheddar , I thought it was delicious , my DH looked horrified

Here to confess that I ate a few blueberries and raspberries while washing them for the kids. It was unconscious, I only noticed after I had done it (cowering from the big stick!). Other than that it was a good day
B- creamy coffee
L- 1/2 avocado, salad with cheese
S- no time, so just another creamy coffee
D- fried 1/2 avocado, cabbage and smoked salmon
DH and the boys usually have McDs or a takeaway on Friday so I'm trying to think of something easy that I can just microwave (though I realise my cooking is usually very limited anyway...) are supermarket ready made curries ever ok?

Checking in with today’s food, I’ve ran out of data so not many opportunities to use the internet today - rubbish.
B - buttery scrambled eggs
L - basil infusion tuna, loads of salad, mayo
D - bolognaise and courgette

Feeling really good today and like I’ve really hit my stride with this, despite a loooooooong day, I still happily cooked this evening. This is so often my problem. I like us to have a proper dinner, but so often I’m tired and grumpy and resort to the takeaway menu or get DH to cook, and he can basically only make old El Paso fajitas!

So today:

B: boiled eggs mashed with butter. Could only eat about half of what I would usually manage
L: leftover courghetti bolognese with extra cheese
D: huge (again couldn’t finish it) chicken, bacon and avocado salad. Definitely think my appetite is beginning to slow down

Have had a strange feeling of optimism all week. You know when you’ve had some good news or something exciting is coming up and you keep having little thrills of joy every time you remember? I keep getting that. Think it must just be the fact I can see and feel this all working.

That sounds lovely, Gerry, and I know EXACTLY what you mean! I put it down to losing the background grumble of blood sugar soaring and plummeting, and having properly working innards and muscles, and just generally the joy of feeling healthy - as when you see horses kicking up their heels and snorting across a field.

As pp's have said - a bit how kids are when they're charging around for the joy of it.

Just checking in, feeling rubbish today caught a virus, banging headache, achy joints sore throat the works. Major cravings for comfort stodgy food and no desire to cook. But managed to resist everything. Got on scale today down 1/2 pound since weighin so that helped.

B scrambled egg
L tuna salad
D Moussaka & salad.

@venusandmars they look fab! Honestly, previously I would have scoffed butter and Nutella sandwiches while cooking dinner this was a big step for me. I didn't even crave sweet food just fancied a bit of cheese!

Checking in after a very long day but at least I didn't start caving to the cravings...I so easily could have, 5 hr teaching day with about 10mins break from leaving the house at 7 to getting home, then multiple drop offs etc.. I really really wanted chocolate. But I know it would have tasted horrible.

I see I'm the only one then that seems to be suffering from the odd keto smell... Great, I'll just hide in a corner then..

B. Yoghurt and cinnamon (anyone got any idea for adding to plan yog other than this?
)
L. Salad and quiche
D. Omelette

I'm so tired, probably for other reasons than food, but I do keep going very lightheaded, happened a few times today alone.

Very long day at work yesterday but packed up leftovers and drank a ton of water so was proud of myself! I know when I am finally back to drinking enough when I go from not-thirsty only having 3/4 glasses a day to still-thirsty when I start drinking 3/4 litres instead.

Breakfast: prêt protein pot with egg, smoked salmon and spinach
Lunch: leftover burger and sausage with cheese, salad and a dollop of mayo
Dinner: Pork steak with creamy curly kale/pancetta/cream/ricotta and cauliflower mash. Yum.

Just to add to the stories of finding things too sweet (and I remember last time how sweet broccoli and courgette suddenly start to taste). This morning I decided to have a tiny bit of brown sauce with my eggs (I know I know @BIWI, foolish, but for the first time I just couldn’t face the oily fattiness without something to cut through it) anyway, no need to worry. I tried a mouthful with the tiniest smear of brown sauce on it (and it’s a really posh brown sauce that is usually delicious). It was revolting. Like I had literally sprinkled sugar all over my scrambled eggs 🤢. Won’t be doing that again!

Today’s plan

B: scrambled eggs with cream (run out of butter!) and no brown sauce
L: probably leftover chicken salad
D: sausages, and probably roast veg (nearly empty fridge so a bit vague!!)

Also, my toothpaste tastes revoltingly sweet. Wonder which brands are less disgusting?!

So much koko on this thread!

Youcantscaremeihavechildren
I’ve had the Keto smell, very weird. At least it’s working !

@Youcantscaremeihavechildren WhatThreeWords posted upthread about having greek yoghurt for breakfast with cucumber and avocado, which I thought might be worth a try - I'm thinking greek mezze savoury flavours rather than trying to create a 'sweet' taste?

@Youcantscaremeihavechildren a good dollop of crunchy peanut butter in yoghurt is lovely, and gives a bit of a savoury hit.

Not on the menu until next week - and make sure you check the carb count of the peanut butter on the label on the back, as they vary wildly.

@KiteMarked I've also put a kg on since last week's weigh in although it looks like it's coming down now. I know what you mean about getting annoyed when daily weighing, although for me, if I stop doing it, it's a sure sign that I'm going off piste by a wide margin. Are you using a weight tracker? There a some that smooth the weight to show an overall trend (I personally don't love those but many do).

I made the best of some bad options yesterday and had a chicken salad with carrot and beetroot (@BIWI I know they're very high carb but the alternative was much worse). Trying to remind myself this woe is forever and at least I didn't have the pasta

That's very true @Mimosa1. And there are always times when you simply have to make the best of it.

It's the key to making this WOE work (or any diet, for that matter), seeing it as a way you're going to eat forever - albeit that once you reach your target you can be a bit more relaxed.

Well my scales love me again this morning

I've realised, though, something which I'd forgotten - too much dairy doesn't agree with me. I've dropped the yoghurt for breakfast, and it's obvious that was getting in the way of things.

I've set myself a 2lb loss per week target - last week I was under that, this week I've made up for that, and I'm now only 1/4 pound away from my week 2 target. So all good here.

I’ve also put on 1lb since Monday - feeling fat, bloated and shattered. Am drinking water constantly, must be up to nearly 3l.

I will KOKO though - got to power through it.

Yesterday:

B - bacon, avocado, spinach
L - green salad with prawn mayonnaise
D - courgetti with cream and prosciutto along with leftover Indian cucumber salad

Today:

B: natural yogurt and cinnamon
L: boiled egg, salmon salad
D: vegetable and chicken curry

Well I ordered that Turkish takeaway last night and I’m feeling very virtuous because I asked them not to give me any of their lovely rice and substitute for extra salad. I also have leftover halloumi and garlic mushrooms for lunch later.

I won’t order the mushrooms again though - so not worth a bloody fiver!

I’m pretty sure dairy doesn’t agree with me either BIWI. I’m allowing myself one coffee with cream per day, otherwise I stick to almond milk. I switched to almond milk last summer and it really helped my IBS symptoms.

B - chicken and avocado salad
L - boiled egg with butter
D - haggis, neeps and butter