Week 6 - Low Carb Bootcamp - it's all downhill from here!

[BIWI]

Morning losers!

Here's the spreadsheet

So we start the second half of Bootcamp. By now, hopefully you're in the swing of things, and the scales and/or the tape measure are showing good results.

Keep focused. Keep your eye on what you're eating - it's all too easy to become a bit complacent, relax and let the carbs creep back in.

Keep up the water (you are drinking enough, aren't you?!) and make sure that you're eating lots of fat and getting your carbs from vegetables and salad.

But above all - good luck!

@Slinky , I’m on no cheese or cream again today too
Woke up with a hungry rumble tum , which is a good sign I think
Had 3 buttery scrambled eggs , and on my second large glass of water
There will be movement of a downward way on Monday ( determined )

Glad to report that I slept well

Woke a couple of times for the loo, but that's not that unusual - more importantly, each time I went straight back to sleep. Having said that, I was knackered from a bad night the night before, so let's see. But new mattress is very comfortable. (Cats think so too )

Working myself up to go out for a run this morning; after my epic 2.25K achievement on Tuesday, I'm aiming to increase that up to 3K, although I haven't quite worked out a route yet.

Foodwise things have been OK. Instead of just doing 16:8, which I generally do on-and-off, depending on how hungry I am, I bought one of the Fast800 shakes, thinking I'd try using that for lunch a couple of days.

Their shakes have been formulated to be low carb and only use natural ingredients, so they sounded good. I bought the chocolate one. The first time I tried it I used it with almond milk, as I wasn't sure how it would taste with just water. The second time, I had it with almond milk, as there was an odd taste first around and I wasn't sure if that was from the milk - I don't usually buy almond milk so wasn't sure what it tasted like.

It worked, in the sense that I wasn't hungry till early evening. But I really, really didn't enjoy drinking them. The texture gets very thick, very quickly - it doesn't blend easily just by shaking, and even with a blender it took a while to blend it. It's very fibrous to drink, because of the flaxseed I guess, so that takes a bit of getting used to. But it's the taste that was the most difficult. It's quite nice and chocolatey, but it does taste really synthetic, and has an odd aftertaste.

I've never had a protein shake (or any kind of meal replacement shake) before, so have nothing to compare it with, but this is an experiment I won't be repeating. But I now have a whole pack to finish - at £18.99 I'm not going to junk it, so I'm thinking of ways to 'pimp' it so that it's more palatable.

So the lesson for me - give me real food anytime! I know I always preach this on Bootcamp anyway, so I suppose I should follow my own rules . They just sounded a bit too good to be true.

A go-to for lunch, by comparison, would be 2 boiled eggs, so I did a side-by-side comparison of the nutritional values of each:

Based on one serving of the Fast800 chocolate shake, made with water, and compared with 2 medium organic eggs, boiled:

KCals - eggs 144/shake 193
Fat - eggs 9.6g/shake 9.7g
Fibre - eggs 0g/shake 7.3g
Protein - eggs 14.2/shake 22g
Salt - eggs 3.8g/shake 0.223g
Carbs - eggs 0g/shake 4.7g

So eggs have less protein and (obviously) fibre, but they also have fewer calories and carbs.

By my thinking, if we're sufficiently well fat-adapted, then we shouldn't need the fibre to keep us from getting hungry - so if you were interested in looking at a low carb equivalent of a low calorie day, then 2 boiled eggs (or even 3!) might be a better thing to consider. You could add some asparagus spears for dipping into the yolks, which would add very little in the way of carbs but would add a little bit of fibre.

Quite an interesting experiment - might be worth a try for those of you who seem a bit stuck? Perhaps try a couple of days doing this?

Correction - re the shake, the second time I tried it I had it with water not almond milk. Sorry. Obviously not had enough coffee this morning!

I am still trying.

I input my Sunday morning weight this week (rather than Monday morning) as DH and I were away on Sunday night and I knew this would involve dinner/wine/full English. I did try to follow the diet but I wasn't brilliant, and will be thrilled if I am back where I was by this weekend.

I don't have a lot to lose, so to speak , in fact another 3lb and I'll be content, however I have to say this has been a revelation, and all thanks to you BIWI. The amount of sugar I was ingesting is scary, I will never look at food in the same way again. My Dad died of type 2 diabetes, having been skinny as a rake his whole life, and my sister who was nowhere near overweight was told a couple of years ago she was pre-diabetic - she turned it around doing an extreme version of this diet (eg not much fat either). So I know I need to watch myself.

There was an article in the Sunday times last week about Type 2 diabetes and the damage it does, very scary and I read it feeling like I have possibly dodged a bullet thanks to this thread and you BIWI.

@BalloonSlayer

DH and I were away on Sunday night and I knew this would involve dinner/wine/full English

Well, the only real danger area there is the wine! (Depends obviously on your choices at dinner, and if you went for things like baked beans, potato rosti and/or black pudding for breakfast!)

But this is also called 'life'. If you're only 3lbs away from where you want to be, you need to start thinking about how you're going to carry on to main the loss, and it's inevitable that there will be times and occasions where your carb intake will be higher than others.

Really well done . It's all down to you, not me! You were the one who did all the hard work. Well done, and good news, for your sister too. Like you, I had a dad who was a type 2 diabetic (as was his mother also - late-onset they used to call it) who was for most of his life a skinny man.

The advice he was given about what he could and couldn't eat as a diabetic was truly shocking, and it was no surprise to see how his weight went up and up as he got older, post diagnosis

Weight loss has slowed for me on this 3rd bootcamp :( (but it is still happening :) so I'm ok. ) Reading about what has happened to others on the same journey does help.

Luckily, whenever slow progress feels bad, someone in the outside world asks me how I've lost so much weight and I find myself explaining BIWI's bootcamp and our low-C lifestyle.

They are usually puzzled (especially by the olive oil/butter/cream).

The main thing that does surprise them is that this is not simply an embracing of self-denial. (Who could keep that up long term?).

I love the way these bootcamp threads contain so much celebration of new tastes and new approaches to eating. It really isn't all about sharing deprivation and misery.

It is also wonderful that there might be other ways of avoiding obesity and diabetes. The headlines of that report on diabetes in The Times would be frightening enough to keep me from reading further ... until I'd found this site.

I can see this as a WOL for the future - especially if slowly but surely my body-fat gets used-up as nature intended.

Back in 2009 I lost baby weight after dd1 by following slimming world. I was such a pasta lover that I really couldn't imagine not having pasta. But pasta doesn't really taste of anything does it?! My taste buds are much more satisfied in this woe and it's not been horrible to follow. I love that my sweet tooth is under control. I keep allowing myself a piece of dark chocolate in the evening but choose cheese instead as I don't fancy chocolate. As I chocoholic I find this confusing!

Still have a way to go and can't quite imagine getting to my happy weight but previously I've only had to diet for 4 weeks to get to target as I didn't let myself get over a certain weight. Well, that went out the window and I've crept up and my "temporary" weight has been here for 3 sodding years of me being in denial. Eyes opened, I need to be healthy! I'm not wasting what's left of my 30s on being fat!

At work today and managed to sleep in so didn’t plan good for lunch. Popped in to Sainsbury’s and bought some olives, cooked chicken and lamb kofta type things so now having a picnic lunch and enjoying not having my usual ham sandwich, crisps etc. A pp said about this being a choice, not about deprivation and that’s helping my mindset a lot.

I had a small bit of chocolate pudding last night for my son’s birthday and enjoyed it, but didn’t want any more than I had. Usually id hoover up the left overs. Feeling positive and much much less bloated.

Nice one on the improved nights sleep BIWI. I hope it lasts. I've never been tempted by milkshake diets. I've done the Jason Vale juice 5 day juice diet several times (before BC days) though. It's expensive when 90% of it gets chucked out as pulp.

So no 24 hour fast for me today. Not long had lunch so I guess it'll be 16:8 instead. Had the second lo-dough wrap. I think I'm going to buy more. I had this one with bacon, egg, cheese and a little mayo I think only ketchup would have improved it! They are pretty tasteless but better than anything bread like I've made myself. TBH I haven't had huge bread cravings but it is nice to shmoosh everything together in a sandwich like fashion!

@BrassicaBabe I've had beef slices with proper butter in the rolled up. Easy to eat but no bread

I wonder, @BrassicaBabe, if you could roll them out a bit more, to make them even thinner? Like you do with bread to make melba toast?

That might work better for me as a wrap, as I did think they were a little bit too thick.

I might have to buy some more to try!

The main thing that does surprise them is that this is not simply an embracing of self-denial.

The waitress in the fancy restaurant the other night was horrified at my abstaining from chips. I looked at the steak covered in Roquefort butter, mushrooms in garlic butter, salad smothered in dressing and glass of expensive dry, peppery red and looked up bemused. DH ate the chips and gained. I ate all that and lost.

I didn't finish the steak because I was full. Bet I would have finished the chips! And I would have had three glasses of cheaper red and felt blah in the morning as well.

All I need now is someone to come to my house and cook that for me.

We went to the cinema last night (to see Green Book - brilliant film!), and went for dinner at Wahaca beforehand.

I love Wahaca, but it's really difficult to eat low carb there so we generally try and avoid it. But as it's right next to the cinema it was an obvious choice.

I chose the bavette steak, which comes with slaw and green rice. When I asked for it without the rice, the waitress asked me if I was allergic to anything else

A wobbly couple of days for me. Dsis is in hospital with meningitis (viral; albeit she had bacterial about 37 years ago!).

Had to go into crisis mode, so just ate what I could when I could. She's out of the woods now, so I had a bottle of red.

I'll just try to get back into ketosis as quickly as possible.

Well done all. You're an inspiration. Feel I've let you down a bit!

Sorry to hear that @nowlook, but glad she's on the mend.

You haven't let us down at all - meningitis is hardly something trivial. Just get back on the wagon as soon as you can.

to all who need them.

I’m in the zone right now—personal crisis tends to put me there for some weird reason—but I’ll take it under whatever circumstances.

Stating this here and now: starting tomorrow I will not have alcohol until I hit my (first) goal weight of 160lb, which is 41 lbs away.

I know there’s the Brave Babes thread but believe it will work better for me to set this as a weight loss mindset rather than an alcohol mindset, so will be reporting in daily to be accountable. Something really needs to change and I’m not sure I can moderate right now, so will abstain.

Good luck, @ShagMeRiggins. Sorry, too, that you're having a personal crisis. Keep posting here if it will help.

for you too

Thank you @BIWI. Life can be so difficult sometimes, yes? But there is such beauty and joy in it. Must KOKO in all aspects.

By the way, I’m not planning to derail the thread with alcohol talk—simply planning to say I had no alcohol and then offer luurve and support to you all. Mwah!

ideas
Found this on Facebook

No worries!

From other posts in this Bootcamp I think you'll find that a lot of us struggle with alcohol in various ways and for various reasons.

DH and I have decided to go to the cinema more frequently, and go out for a meal before or after. But we're also not drinking during the week, so it was really difficult last night ordering dinner and not ordering a bottle of wine. It's so easy, and so seductive, as well as culturally so accepted.

@ShagMeRiggins I too find it easier to focus on the WOE rather than the alcohol. When I've tried to cut down on the latter in the past, it has consumed my every waking thought!

@BIWI Thank you! I've pulled myself up by the bootstraps now. Perversely, I'm almost glad I got derailed...it's reminded me how much better I feel when I'm not loading carbs. Bloated doesn't even come close!

You’re all so lovely.

@ShagMeRiggins I feel your pain. I got as far as taking the bottle out of the fridge last night, then said "what am I doing?" and put it back. Then drank the rest of my water.

😇

I tell you one thing, though, not drinking a bottle of wine makes eating out so much cheaper