Week 5 - Low Carb Bootcamp - Here endeth the first half!

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I hope that the start of week 5 puts to rest the troublesome weeks 3 & 4, and we can get on with the job of losing weight from here on in!

Just remember that weight loss from now on will be slow and steady. Unless you have masses to lose, you should expect to see around 1-2lbs a week loss.

I hope that the scales, or the tape measure, are kind to you!

Here's to a great week

Here it is!

Another really lovely rum drink is a golden/aged rum (Mount Gay Eclipse is a good one, and most bars/pubs will stock that), with plenty of fresh lime and ice, topped up with sparkling water.

Thank you UnexpectedItem for the Spicy Prawn and Feta recipe. I made it tonight, it was really quick, simple and tasty. Great idea to thicken the tomato sauce using ground almonds, I'll be using that trick again. I had it with courgetti it was lovely.

@SlinkyDinkyDoo French 75? (Gin, lemon juice and champagne) or classic Martini?

@WheelyCote - do you know how many carbs are in the mushy peas?! About 20g per half a can, which is way too much!

Thank you for the cocktail suggestions, I like the sound of all of those especially the rum one.

TowandaForever I slice the shallots, fry them, put them to the side, put whisked eggs on the pan, put the shallots back in the omelette with some cheese, fold then flip?

I'm pleased to report I survived two cafe trips today, had the breakfast bap without the bap during one, then black coffee instead of cake during the other. The cakes looked amazing, and I didn't even really want one, which I'm still trying to get my head around!

I was gonna say, are mushy peas low carb?!

B - almond coffee & beef jerky @ about 11am 😳(I had a weird morning). I love beef jerky but have to read packets carefully as different brands have majorly different carb counts
L - haloumi, proscuttio, home made guacamole, salad greens
D - will be a chicken, green beans, goats cheese, pecan and leaves salad.

Morning all! Still here and going strong but haven't had much time to post this week at all. TGIF and more importantly TGI Half Term! I'm thinking of incorporating intermittent fasting next week, I think is something that's much easier to start while I have time off work. The scales are showing a 3lb loss so far this week! I'm a little apprehensive as I'm going on my friends stag tomorrow but we had to preorder our meals so I know what to expect food wise. I'm not a huge drinker so I'll be fine with a couple G&Ts (slimline of course!).

Have a great day everyone!

Managed to swerve carbs last night - DH made dinner (well, he bought grocery store takeaway) and it was full of rice, potatoes and wraps. I ate around everything (a few small potato pieces sneaked in, I think).

He knows I'm low-carbing and he bought me chocolates anyway. It's a green & blacks selection box, so there are a few bars of 70% and 80% dark chocolate. Any advice on that? Is it low carb enough, or should I give it to the DC?

He said "it's only one meal" - but I don't want to slip up. I am happy not eating sugar.

kitemarked my dh was the same last year, said he would sort tea and came home with a pizza! 'It's only one meal'. Except it's not. We've worked hard on B/C to get our metabolism to be more used to using fat as a fuel than glucose, but we've had years of consuming carbs and relying on insulin to control our blood sugar, so it's still a fragile system with the insulin system down regulating and the hormones for fat burning up-regulating. I know we don't measure ketones on this woe, but when I was low-carbing last year (without the support of this thread) I found them helpful to let me know what I could and couldn't tolerate and when my carb portions were getting a little too large.

I found (and our bodies will all respond differently) that I could tolerate a small amount of carby veg as part of an otherwise 'good' meal e.g. the occasional small piece of beetroot with a smoked mackerel salad. I could return to ketosis relatively quickly (within 12 hours) from a small piece of sugary fruit e.g. eating something that had apples in it. However, alcohol put me out of ketosis for 24 hours, and the combination of alcohol and processed carb (e.g. bread and wine) would knock me out for about 3 days. And it required some hard boot-camp rules, high fats and intermittent fasting to get back in again. So for me, it was never 'just one meal', it's damn near half of a week!

Food today: got a friend coming for lunch
B - coffee with cream
L - Thai chicken and egg salad
Beef Rendang with cauliflower rice and garlic buttery green beans
D - avocado & mayonnaise

Morning. Really unhappy to report a loss of 0.2 of a pound so far this week. Weighing early as I won't have access to scales til next Tuesday and weighing then will be disastrous following a few days away.

So disappointed. Thought this was supposed to be whoosh week? Had no booze at all since the start, exactly 10 pistacchios and 10 blackberries oh and a carrot. I can't be any lower carb unless I give up veg which obviously I'm not going to do.

Yesterday breakfast was omlette with feta cheese (cooked in olive oil and butter)
Lunch was fillet steak and broccoli (olive oil and butter)
Dinner was chicken caesar salad.
Snack was lump (30g or so) of cheddar.
I cup of tea with milk. Black decaff tea the rest of the day. Admittedly a few glasses less of water than usual. No idea when period is coming (peri meno and only get every 2 - 3 minths now. Last one end of December)

Shit night's sleep too.

Wish I hadn't bothered weighing now.

Sorry, that was a moany post! It does help to get it down on paper so to speak. I'll just carry on.

@SlinkyDinkyDoo I TOTALLY get it. I've lost 200g this week and 100g last week. It's maddening as I've stuck to it as far as I know! Been away this week so unclear with sauces and things. Where are you off to later in the week? It might not lead to a gain at all if you're able to plan? Anyway, good luck with the time away and have a fabulous time.

@SlinkyDinkyDoo I know the feeling!
I am less disappointed when I see a gain because I realise I did not stick to the plan but when you give it your all and still don't see the result you expect it's very disheartening.

Comforting to know I'm not the only one feeling fed up. MUST keep in mind though that overall that's a loss of 12.2 lbs. It could be worse, I could still have that 12.2lbs, possiblt more.

Going nowhere exciting, family stuff that involves eating out a few times, can't book as we all want to have a free flowing schedule.

@SlinkyDinkyDoo Who told you it was a whoosh week?!

No. From now on, weight loss slows from the bigger losses some see in weeks 1 & 2.

Overall, 12.2lbs is brilliant! It's almost a stone. Keep your perspective rather than panicking - after all, you are still losing! You're not gaining, which is very important.

It is disheartening when you stick to it and it doesn't seem to be working. But keep going. Don't give up Slinky.

I haven't lost anything so far this week despite sticking to BC. I haven't gained anything tho. I'm still at 12st 1lb. I really wanted to be in the 11st range but I doubt 2lb will whoosh off in the next 2 days. I'm going to drink lots of water in optimistic hope tho!

Anyone have a good recipe for mackerel fillets? At the moment i'm thinking of just frying in in butter and doing celeriac dauphinoise and broccoli. But that sounds a bit uninspiring.

Doesn't everyone on these boards talk about a stall/v little or even weight gain in weeks 3 and 4 and then a whoosh? biwi

I think what it is mrskoala is mainly because I'll be having a drink over the weekend due to being away and I forsee no further weight loss and I suppose was expecting at least a pound, if not two.

I think I need to try some different things to eat too as I'm getting bored of x, y, z meat in a mushroom creamy sauce and pissing eggs for breakfast.

Maybe I am am to have my period the way I'm carrying on 😂

@SlinkyDinkyDoo I feel your pain. I'm trying to blame my period but the scales haven't budged since Sunday and if I'm honest I feel so disheartened I want to dive into a plate of chip shop chips. (Colleagues are heading over there now).

I have spinach, cheese and beef slices with butter (like a bread less sandwich) for lunch.

Dinner will be steak with spinach (everything is on a bed of spinach at the moment lol) with asparagus and peppers.

I really thought that being under 11 st by dd1's birthday was a realistic target. It's one bloody pound but it's not moving. Dc have had bagels and lots of lovely carbs and I've not caved in yet may as well have.

I'm tired and grumpy. Trying to avoid people today!

Ok. I'm not alone. That'll do me for now. (Wine related angelic behaviour hasn't bought about the results I'd hoped for )

Exactly, venus - plus I don't want another few days of carb flu, once is enough for me.

@SlinkyDinkyDoo

Doesn't everyone on these boards talk about a stall/v little or even weight gain in weeks 3 and 4 and then a whoosh?

No!. Yes, the lack of loss in weeks 3 and 4 but not a whoosh after that.

I've always posted that after those weeks have passed, weight loss should resume but at a lower rate of around 1-2lbs a week

I think I need to try some different things to eat too as I'm getting bored of x, y, z meat in a mushroom creamy sauce and pissing eggs for breakfast

Definitely a good idea to change your menus - there's no excuse on this WOE for getting bored with your food. Go and check out the recipe threads for some inspiration!

@m0therofdragons

I feel your pain. I'm trying to blame my period but the scales haven't budged since Sunday and if I'm honest I feel so disheartened I want to dive into a plate of chip shop chips.

I hope you haven't given in? Because the shortest and most sure fire way of guaranteeing that the scales will budge - but upwards!

@BrassicaBabe

Ok. I'm not alone. That'll do me for now. (Wine related angelic behaviour hasn't bought about the results I'd hoped for

It's really important that all of us recognise and understand that WEIGHT LOSS IS NOT LINEAR. It's very normal to go for a few days without loss and then see the scales drop. It's also very normal for weight to fluctuate on a daily basis.

But take the longer term perspective here. It's not a day-by-day thing, this is marathon not a sprint.

I'm sorry if this makes it sound like a slog - if I could wave a magic wand so that we all drop half a stone a week, I'd gladly do it!

The weight didn't go on in a week so it's not going to disappear quickly either.

Patience!

Haha BIWI bless you. You didn't realise the irony. I'm still trying to get rid of Xmas weight. I was expecting one week on one wee off. But the bastard is making me slog!!