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Low-carb bootcamp

Join discussions about low-carb bootcamp plans, meals and progress. Consider speaking to a medical professional before starting any diet.

Where am I going wrong?

16 replies

Feelingfortyisntfun · 13/08/2019 21:27

I’ve posted on the 5:2 forum but thought you guys maybe able to help me.

Been on holiday and gained weight.

I’ve been having omelette (with ham tomatoes) for breakfast with black coffee with a gherkin (yes I know, random) and red pepper slices. Lunch goats cheese salad (large) evening meal large salad again with cheese / nuts veggies olive oil. Carbs - 1 huge apple.

Is it the apple? Portion sizes generally?

Sorry to vent this had been going very well and hadn’t felt like a diet but maybe that’s because it hasn’t been!

OP posts:
BIWI · 17/08/2019 21:09

That's hard to say - but have you been eating enough fat? It looks like what you've been eating is actually fairly low in calories and fat. Have you been drinking plenty of water?

Feelingfortyisntfun · 17/08/2019 21:36

BIWI I totally threw my toys out of the pram and went back to full on carb (#looking for an excuse?). I think food was very salty, breakfast was omelette (with oil), lunch literally huge chunk of goats cheese (a whole large circular block!) and evening meal loads of olive oil and veg. The apples were huge though. I ended up getting annoyed and let myself eat baguettes etc and initially that was fine but led to overeating when home. I can’t think exactly what the problem was - there was possibly some balsamic vinegar, or just my portions sizes were excessive. There was a tray of roasted veg mean to be a starter for a few people and I was with fussy men and ate the lot and thought oh well it’s healthy. Low carb veggies but too much I should imagine.

Thank you for replying I’m annoyed with myself as “gave up” and now feel like a hippo 😀 I wonder partly if I was just doing so much better before holidays when I was skipping breakfast. I don’t know if as I’ve got older I just need less food - something I haven’t got my head around yet!

OP posts:
BIWI · 18/08/2019 08:33

I'm sure you aren't a hippo! Grin

A few things to think about - first, it could be the dairy. Lot of cheese in that day. It could just be that the carbs added up to too many - the nuts and the apple particularly, but also all the veg. There's not much protein in there. Can't remember - are you a veggie?

And finally, it could simply be portion sizes. We all probably eat more calories than we actually need, but you're right, as you age you need even fewer. I know on Bootcamp I say not to worry about calories - and in general I think that is the 'rule' - given that Bootcamp is about ease and convenience! But it is definitely worth having a look at your portion sizes. I read somewhere recently that the average size of dinner plates has increased something like 2 inches (from 10-12 inches I seem to remember?), so it's very easy to eat bigger portions.

Oh, an one last thing - WATER!

Feelingfortyisntfun · 18/08/2019 09:25

Aw thanks BIWI. I think I do just eat too much, and I naively think because it’s healthy it’s fine. I know some members of my family can just eat and eat we don’t really have a stop button, whereas others will get half way through a meal and say “ I’m stuffed would love to eat more but I can’t.” Latter is an alien concept to me.

I use food a bit to cheer myself up and as I’ve got older as soon as I loose a pound my appetite becomes revved hence me wanting to lower the carbs and see how I got on. There is no getting around it though eat too much gain weight. Probably eating too much fish olive oil and salads is better than bread though. Having reintroduced the carbs my bingeing is back so today have started cutting down again. I also don’t know whether I’ve really stuck out the whole low carb thing strictly, no I correct myself, I give it a week then something happens and give up! Usually real tiredness but the weight gain was disheartening.

Before my wedding many, many years ago I kept eating omelettes and lost loads of weight. The weight just doesn’t come off as easily as it used to and my husband says perhaps I was just a. Lot stricter with myself then which maybe true, but I remember being all or to loose weight very quickly after a few days of lowering the carbs.

I feel a little at a loss and slightly frightened I’m finding this as challenging as it has been. Reminded some how much I use food to add interest to my life and loft my mood. I feel a bit sad! I almost want to just give up but seeing from the frequency of my posts I don’t! I did my 23 and me and it said likely to be overweight. My late grandma had very similar eating habits to me- could finish lots of bread! She was v v v overweight (as much as I loved her and she was very beautiful) so if I don’t fight this I will be similar. We are genetically similar in many ways. Part the reason low carb appeals is the foods I binge on are bread, cakes biscuits cereals and I don’t like that feeling of wanting more when I’ve finished a meal. A nice thing about a huge omelette is I feel satiated.

I had a salmon olive oil and avocado salad on holiday it was amazing and after I ate it I felt full and had a lovely meal, and thought why don’t I eat like this all the time. I woke in the night hungry though so wonder if actually the fat content was not as high as it first seemed.

I’m not veggie BIWI but I don’t really eat red meat but do eat chicken (although don’t have it much(, eggs, cheese, pulse.

Thanks so much for listening and your input BIwi. It means a lot to have had such support.

OP posts:
Feelingfortyisntfun · 18/08/2019 09:26

Lose not loose - likely more errors apologies.

OP posts:
Feelingfortyisntfun · 18/08/2019 09:26

Lift not loft oh dear

OP posts:
Feelingfortyisntfun · 18/08/2019 09:27

Also meant to say I eat lots of fish.

OP posts:
allthegoodusernameshavegone · 18/08/2019 09:32

Have you been just drinking water and black coffee?

BIWI · 18/08/2019 13:02

Why don't you go and have a look at the Bootcamp recipe threads, and work out some new/different meals to have? A bit more variety might help you to stick with it.

Also, the thing that keeps me focused (mostly!) on low carbing is understanding the science behind it. So I know that it's not just about weight but it's also about my overall health. High carb diets are linked with - amongst other things - diabetes and cancer. And as my dad (and gran) was a type 2 diabetic, and my mum died from breast cancer, I'm very keen to avoid both of those!

If you haven't read up on it/don't know much about it, find the spreadsheet - always linked to in the OP of each weekly Bootcamp thread - and look at the tabs at the bottom. There's one which has a whole load of resources there that are helpful.

Feelingfortyisntfun · 20/08/2019 09:01

BIWI thank you for your support and guidance. I jump between the two schools of thought with carbs. I don't have diabetes in my family, and I have no doubt moderating carb intake is good for those with diabetes. However I wonder about the benefits of carbs for me as I seem to have a problem with a stop button with them which makes me wonder why that is - I can understand if tired or I've been exercising but always have struggled with cravings. Give me a pot of cream or a cake and I know to resist but give me a lovely loaf of bread and I'm like an animal! My parents say i was like that as a child, a very skinny one but would just eat the bread!

This am let myself have a bagel and ate two (I know, there were only 2 left too) I'm not going to kill myself for it but I find them very hard to resist.

A hormone specialist said to me once to avoid carbs...

Naturally when eating a vegetables in olive oil with avocado and fish I feel much better than after having a huge ham baguette for example! I feel a med low carb diet must be good.

Interestingly, I thought I had gained a load of weight after my holiday but this week, despite overeating my weight has stayed the same!

My weak times for carb carvings are when i'm tired and when coming in from work, and breakfast... erm, anytime!

BIWI I have offloaded but thank you for chipping in and offering your support.

OP posts:
BIWI · 20/08/2019 10:05

No probs!

But for you, it seems clear, carbs really are the enemy! Glad your weight stayed the same though Flowers

BIWI · 20/08/2019 10:34

Sorry, that was lazy phrasing on my part - when I say carbs are the enemy for you, obviously I'm not including vegetables, salad, fruit etc!!!

Feelingfortyisntfun · 20/08/2019 12:12

Thanks BIWI I knew what you meant. Interesting though my battle with processed carbs is psychological. I also found it interesting that I had posted about gaining weight on low carb on holiday but a week later my weight is fine.

I am going to try a lower kcal and low carb if that's possible.

OP posts:
BIWI · 20/08/2019 19:18

Why not have a look at the Fast 800? It's exactly that! (Combined with TRE - time restricted eating. It's a bit higher in carbs probably than Bootcamp, but it might work for you

Feelingfortyisntfun · 23/08/2019 08:26

Hi BIWI I sort of feel like I've been unfaithful and need to confess, I have been sneaking onto the fasting diet forums too with this in mind. Thank you! x

OP posts:
BIWI · 23/08/2019 21:22
Grin

No worries at all. It's absolutely about what works for you. And also, you should know, there's a lot of very positive science behind the Fast 800. The only reason I don't advocate the whole low calorie/low carb approach is that Bootcamp was set up on the basis of not having to count anything, to make it easier.

So if it works for you, then absolutely go for it!

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