Week 4 - Low Carb Bootcamp - the first month is finished!

[BIWI]

Morning campers

Once more for you, the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

I hope it's been a good week, and I hope that the scales have been kind to you this morning.

If not, and if you haven't been cheating (!) then just remember that weeks 3 & 4 are notorious for seeing very little or no weight loss. KOKO (keep on keep on) and hopefully things will soon get going again.

Here's to a good week!

But I have got a lovely Low-Carb snack to have with Strictly. M&S now do packets of chorizo crisps which I'm spreading with Brussels pate.

houndsoflove I'm a flexitarian (and aiming to eat even less meat/fish) but I find that with a bit of thinking I can make this woe work well.

Greebo None of my local M&S places have the new crisps yet, or else I've not managed to find them.

Food today:
Brunch - avocado, egg, salad, olive oil mayo, blue cheese
D - egg bahjis, curry dinner soup

They were in the deli section rather than the crisp section if that helps.

Left over curry and cauliflower for lunch.
Dinner was roast lamb, leeks in philedelphia, sprouts and tenderstem broccoli.

Sorry not posted for a while. Been super busy with life admin!!
Today:
B: dh did a big fry up of bacon, scrambled eggs, sausages and mushrooms
L: didn't bother as wasn't hungry. Has a coffee with milk
D: leeks and prawns in craziness fraiche with salmon fillet and some spinach on the side.
S: has about 4 brasil nuts
NSV: Had originally planned a glass of wine tonight but didn't feel like it which is a first for me!

Not been brilliant with my water so need to amend that from tomorrow.

Question: someone else posted similar but I can't remember who now. Sorry but a bit TMI. The past week or so I often seem to get a very loose bowel movement. Probably every other day. Is this my body just cleansing itself or am I eating too much protein perhaps? Or maybe it could be the supplements I take? Any thoughts?

craziness fraiche ? I like the sound of this

Morning all. Still learning what I can eat. Got it wrong yesterday, yoghurt for breakfast at 10.30 left me starving (proper rumbly tummy and nausea) by 1pm. Snack of cheese.

Chicken thigh and leftover green veg fried in butter with a bit of grated cheese for lunch.

Snack of cheese at 5pm.

Dinner was bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes and scrambled egg with cheese.

This morning I feel digestively stodgy and am up 1lb on yesterday. I think cheese has to come out of my diet altogether as well.

On the plus side, a quick test on Friday suggests that it is Marmite I can't eat at all for fear of Digestive Side Effects and a small amount of seeds is ok.

So, new personal guidelines: no grains at all (obvs) but nothing gluten based either, anywhere. No (or very little) cheese. Sticking with cream in two hot drinks a day (one real, one decaff) and one decaff tea with a splash of FF milk a day for now. Proper breakfasts of meat or fish and green veg.

We're out for lunch today for FIL's birthday. I'm having either roast chicken with pigs in blankets, or roast pork with crackling, I'll see how I feel at the time. Pate and cucumber for breakfast. Unlikely to need tea!

@IWillWearTheGreenWillow

You didn't get it wrong! You are learning what suits your body - it's all part of the process.

Greebo chorizo crisps are really easy to make. Just lay out about nine slices of chorizo (use the presliced ones as they're nice and thin) on a piece of kitchen towel on a plate and microwave for one minute. They're lovely warm or leave them to cool down and store in the fridge for later.

Also Greebo it might be too late but adding grated swede to the slow cooker is a great way to thicken the sauce. Otherwise I strain off the liquid and fast boil on the hob to reduce and thicken it, then add it back in to the slow cooker before serving.

Roses loose bowels could be related to the increased fat content of your diet. If that's the case then it should resolve quickly as you adapt. If you have any concerns that it might be something more serious then ask your GP.

Just thought I would drop in and wave @BIWI

I am not on this bootcamp, I started in January, but have carried on with this way of eating, and am now just teetering on the edge of underweight according to my BMI. So I am in the happy position of having to eat more. Lovely! My menopause symptoms have decreased hugely and my anxiety has also decreased quite a bit.

I am HUGELY grateful to you BIWI and all the other lovely posters on these threads who have been so supportive.

Any ideas for someone who would like to maintain and not lose any more but also not put it all back on again in a month - which I am quite capable of - please BIWI?

Morning all!!!

Since starting this I notice I can taste more. I’ve treated myself to some rare mushrooms which I’m going to have in an omelette later. Before this a mushroom was a mushroom!

And, snack joy!!! Pork puffs!!! Like a whispy version of pork crackling. Less than 1g of carbs per 100g and nice as a snack or a crunchy topping on things like cauliflower cheese.

Oooh that's a good idea about the pork puffs!

Well I was starving today so had lunch just now.. couldn't hold off till later. Had a crap sleep last night, well, not crap just not long enough. It was my own fault though for staying up late making quiche for a party we're going to today.. on the plus side, I found a use for a bag of rice that I don't plan on eating ever again as I used it as a weight when blind baking the pastry! (Don't worry I won't eat said pastry..)

So, as I was so hungry/grumpy I had quite a big lunch but will mitigate it with a smaller dinner later.

I had.. one small chicken thigh and a few cubes of feta, whilst cooking.. then my actual meal was half a red pepper and some broccoli fried in butter, 3 eggs and some cheese scrambled through, 1 small smoked mackerel fillet and half a bag of salad leaves so yeah.. very big but very satisfying and now I'm in a much better mood! Off for a big walk shortly to get some fresh air/exercise.

GreenWillow I like your term 'Digestive Side Effects' a new acronym (DSE) for Bootcamp? I know when I've eaten hidden gluten because I have DSE... (otherwise known as a fart!)

This is a long term way of eating and living and each of us have to navigate through it in a way that is right for our bodies, our lifestyles, our families. It's a giant personal experiment.

@BalloonSlayer As someone very close to target I'd say decide on a healthy weight range (of about 4-6 lbs) that you're happy with and aim to maintain within that. If you're close to the lower end of a healthy BMI then you probably want a range of -1 to +5 from where you are now. Weigh weekly or fortnightly, not daily. This should be a relaxed and healthy way of living.

For maintenance I have one day per week when I have more carbs - beans, or pulses, never flour or sugar. On those days I eat less fat. So chilli with some beans but no sour cream and cheese, or salmon with puy lentils and veg but with steamed spinach rather than creamed spinach. I vary the day on which I eat the 'healthy carbs' - usually the weekend but it gives me flexibility during the week.

I think I just have a list of things that I 'never' eat - scones, jam, cheap bread, sausage roll, crisps. I say 'never' because if I have them once or twice a year then I'm going to cope with that. As times goes on I find it easier to know what alternatives I can have, or what alternative snacks I can take with me. So a bit about planning and a bit about discipline, and a bit about relaxing and going with the flow.

Roses I've been doing this for a long time, but I still find that butter coffee makes me 'go' in a hurry. Caffeine plus fat...

@SittingontheSidelines hadn't seen that typo. I quite like the sound of craziness fraiche too!

Thanks @stuntnun. Yes it could be the increased fat as we didn't have that much before. I'm wondering also if it could be the cream / creme fraiche - perhaps it's a bit rich for my stomach. I'll experiment with cutting out/down certain foods and see what works. My DH on the other hand, who was having loads of stomach issues prior to us switching to this WOE has had no stomach issues whatsoever which is great.

Some lovely recipes in yesterday's Times, including roast broccoli with cream and parmesan - I used cabbage and cauliflower since those were laying around, but essentially veg roast in olive oil for 10-12 minutes. Add cream and parmesan, then top with breadcrumbs crispy pancetta. Bake for another 5mins. Yum, yum, yum

Checking in with food fir today:

B - McDonald's double sausage and egg mcmuffin without the actual muffin. Had a creamy coffee at home before we left.
L/D - a Swedish concoction including cabbage, butter, mince and double cream. With lots of broccoli on the side.

Jeggings are so baggy on bum now that I'm considering buying a pair next size down as keep having to hoik these up every two minutes. Wasn't going to but anything new until I reach end if bootcamp though!

Thanks @venusandmars that's really helpful. I have got used to just not having rice, pasta etc and I don't want to blow it all.

Hello @BalloonSlayer!

I think the key to maintaining your weight is to find the point at which you start to gain weight - by gradually increasing your carbs.

As @venusandmars says, this could be by having one more carby day - or simply by introducing some carbier elements to each day. This is basically the principle of the Atkins diet.

If you're following that diet, you increase your carbs by 5g per day, until you reach the point that you start to gain weight. Of course, this means that you have to start counting carbs, which you may not want to do!

But however you go about it, I think the key thing is to do it carefully and gradually - so carbs at one meal rather than at all meals, and well-chosen carbs, like pulses rather than cake and biscuits!

@Ketomeato thank you, I just wish I wasn't so impatient, I keep reminding myself that we are doing this until December and as my first BC this is a learning experience (in terms of what my body will tolerate)
Could the pain under your ribs be your gallbladder? I had mine removed in July and it's been such a relief ever since.
@JFDI2019 Thank you, if I haven't lost this week, I'll drop the cheese!
@KondoKonvert Thank you, I hope the Drs can help. I went on Sertraline once and it really helped with PMT/ hormonal stuff- maybe enquire?

Today:
B:cream coffee
L:Saint agar spread with celery sticks and sains satay chicken sticks (so nice and 3g carbs only)
D: meatballs and FLGV
2 litres of water so far only one more to go eek!

D: two pork chops and a pile of sprouts

Managed to dodge all the cakes, crisps etc at the party.
I did have the inside of a piece of the quiche I made (which was only cheese, egg and onion).. only seemed right I at least tried it. It was a total success, there wasn't a slice left at the end of the party!

@absopugginglutely thank you. I will report back after Tuesday!

Today's food

Brunch: eggs, bacon and mushrooms with a creamy coffee

Dinner: skin on roast chicken with leeks and broccoli plus a g&t.

Lots of water today and a gym class so really hoping for a loss tomorrow!

I fell off the low-carb wagon last week due to exam stress and not having a kitchen (which has made it hard), but I'm going to restart tomorrow.

Ugh. Today was a fine example of how wrong it can go with bad cooking.

We went out for lunch with FIL. I ordered smoked salmon as a starter, and gave the bread to the DC. Fine.

My main was supposed to be roast pork and crackling, served with fresh greens, cauliflower cheese, swede mash and roasties (which I was going to ignore). I was so looking forward to it.

The pork was a piece of pork belly cut crossways, about an inch thick and 1.5 ins high, with the skin still on and somehow roasted without cooking the fat properly. The crackling was totally unrelated and tasted of nothing. The veg were all there, but you got less than a dessert spoon of each. One whole cauliflower floret etc.

We left before pudding because it was freezing and the meal had taken 2 hours at that point. At home, we had mince pie tart for FIL's birthday and I had a small slice as a planned cheat today and also in a fit of rage and hunger!

So I don't expect to see a loss tomorrow!

Have had a great weekend away ( not remembering the hideous journey on M4 which made the expected 2hr 40 journey over 4 hrs .. )

May well have had a cheat or 2 , but mainly stuck to the WOE

Will use last Fridays weight tomorrow and deal with the consequences when I get home

Have we got a week 5 thread yet?
Down 1.75 lbs.