Jan '20 - Week 3 Low Carb Bootcamp - Ready for Bootcamp Light?

[StuntNun]

Welcome to the third week of Low Carb Bootcamp. As always, log your weigh-in on the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness. If you're happy with Bootcamp then you can choose to stick with it. Or if you want to relax a little and incorporate some fruit, nuts/seeds and dark chocolate then check out the Bootcamp Light rule changes on this thread and in the next post. Or you can do a hybrid: Bootcamp during the week, and Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

It's really common for weight loss to stop briefly around weeks 3-5, some people even gain a little weight. Google "week 3 stall" and you will see post after post from people on Atkins, Fast800, keto, after bariatric surgery all asking why they haven't lost weight this week. The simple answer is that you are losing fat but retaining water. The stall will last a week or two and then your weight loss will resume its bumpy path downwards.

I've attached a typical weight loss graph which shows a brief stall at week 4. As you can see, weight loss is not linear; it varies from week to week but the overall trend (shown by the black line) is ever downwards hence our saying that "the trend is your friend." If you follow the rules you can expect an average weight loss of 0.5 to 2lb per week.

Ten days isn't a stall RobinHobb. Why not list out a few days food for us? Are you drinking the water and eating plenty of fat? Are you definitely eating enough food? You wouldn't believe the number of people who complain that their weight loss has stalled and it turns out they're only eating 1200 calories a day.

Off up to Aberdeen for a couple of nights to see ds and support him at a rugby game tomorrow.

Have packed two bags of Golden Pork Crunch (which I'm becoming a bit addict to - only problem is that dh also likes them ), some Babybels and some Pepperami for the trip - plus 2x500ml water bottles (already finished one of them and the train doesn't get in to Aberdeen until 17:11 ).

Was "back" up to 11st 6.75lb this morning - which just illustrates how much we fluctuate daily.

I’m a lapsed runner trying to get back into housetornado, I did couch to 5k and have managed a couple of 10k’s. It’s a great programme, go for it!

Another runner here! Love a bit of running chat! Although I'm in a bit of a slump at the moment. Slump applies to most things in life at the moment though I blame the general misery of January! (There's a keto running Uk group on FB which is quite nice. Full of pesky speedy men though!) I trained for a half marathon for last October. The Peterborough Pekins one. Then the bastard thing was cancelled on the day. Since then I've done a couple of 10ks. After my January performance though I think I might struggle on my next 5k.

I saw a 5 this morning!! As in 10.5.8. And too bloody right too. Since last Wednesday returning from holiday I've been a bloody saint. And alcohol free. If I'm really lucky I might even see a 4 tomorrow! Planning on alcohol free tonight. Just one tomorrow as we're at a pub (LC option already planned) and I'm driving. Before having a little imbibe session on Sunday. Sadly it appears that wine is a bigger issue in my head than the LC WOE

@StuntNun
Ok, I will try that. Maybe I'm not eating enough. Today was
B: creamy coffee
L: 2 scrabbled eggs with cream and bacon
D: fish pie made with no potato and coconut flour
Probably 1.5lt water and 125ml prosecco

Yesterday was
B: skinny capuccino (got caught short)
L: sashimi and chicken skewers
D: creamy chicken broccoli soup (home made) and 125ml prosecco

Forgotten the days before! But was probably similar, with broccoli soup for lunch and stir fry veg with chicken for dinner

Is this ok? Where have I gone wrong?

I find this way of eating makes me very Thirsty is I've been drinking lots more water than usual but not tracking religiously

Thank you!

Wow Athel. Way to go on those measurements.

L: snack pepperami and 2 snack cheeses (busy day)
D: random stuff from fridge...mackerel fillet, cheese, little coleslaw, ham, salami, mayo, kale crisps, boiled egg
No water yet I'm afraid. Too busy and the requirement for loo breaks was just too limiting today Will catch-up this evening. (When I sulking about the lack of wine!!)

B: creamy coffee
^L: 2 scrabbled eggs with cream and bacon
D: fish pie made with no potato and coconut flour
Probably 1.5lt water and 125ml prosecco

Yesterday was
B: skinny capuccino (got caught short)
L: sashimi and chicken skewers
D: creamy chicken broccoli soup (home made) and 125ml prosecco^

RobinHobb this doesn't seem like enough food, especially since you aren't having breakfast. It's difficult to tell without seeing the food/calculating it but you could well be undereating. It also doesn't include much fat; did you also have vegetables cooked in butter/oil or with melted butter on? Coconut flour is potentially stall-inducing as it is high fibre and requires a lot of water. Also the Prosecco won't be helping matters. Of course none of these things could be an issue and your ten days without your weight dropping could be perfectly fine. But if you're worried about falling off the wagon then there are plenty of tweaks you could try to get the scales moving. Have a look at what others are eating and see if you can get some inspiration. A typical day for me would be:
B: three eggs scrambled with bacon
L: burgers (fried in dripping) and salad dressed with homemade vinaigrette
D: pork chop with FLGV either roasted in olive oil or with melted butter poured over

@RobinHobb That's nowhere near enough water! You should be drinking at least two litres. I don't know what your weight is, as you're not on the spreadsheet, but go and check rule 6 to see how much water you should be drinking.

I'd also say that as well as not eating enough, you're not eating enough vegetables or salad.

If you're going to find no weight loss upsetting, then ditch the alcohol and the coconut flour and go back to strict Bootcamp for a few days.

Food DISASTER today. After feeling too queasy for breakfast, I got to lunch, when I was due to leave the office for court, only to find some utter bastard had hiked the fridge to full blast and all my cheese and quorn were frozen solid. So no food for me. No time to stop on the way, and anyway, vegetarian nibbles aren't easy to get.

Managed to go straight for cauliflower and broccoli cheese on getting home but urgh, that was tough.

Well done for hanging on though, @MrsBertBibby!

@BIWI @StuntNun
Thank you for the direction.

I am supposed to be drinking 2lts of water a day, and I'd say most days I'd meet that, with cups of green tea added in.

I'm probably not having enough fat, although mixing in a lot of butter in veg, and into soup. I also have lots of pork scratchings. I'll up this and the water.

Yes the stall is likely to make me fall off the band wagon so will go back to it, I thought I was being pretty rigid already (I'm having coconut flour for the first time tonight!) and Prosecco in small quantities but will stop that too and see if it helps....

I feel your pain MrsBert. My 2 snack cheeses and pepperami feel like an age ago. Will be home in 15. The key now for me not to fall face first into overeating. I'm bloody starving!

@stuntnun
I'm quite short and don't have a huge appetite; I can eat more than I'm eating now (easily!) but not too much more. My downfall has always been the sugary stuff - cakes ice cream etc
So I've found that hard to leave behind and I am astounded I've managed so long

robin NSV = non scale victories i.e. Sleeping better, more energy, nicer skin, clothes fitting, shoes easier to tie, stairs less difficult etc

RobinHobb there's nothing wrong with continuing eating as you are. As I said earlier, it is difficult to accurately judge intake from a food list. It's only that if you're struggling with your weight not dropping then you might feel it's worthwhile making some of the suggested tweaks to see what gets the scales moving. When I look back on my own weight loss journey (the graph at the top of the thread) I agonised over every weigh-in where my weight had stayed the same or even gone up a few times. It's only with the benefit of hindsight you can see how well this way of eating works.

@RobinHobb

I am supposed to be drinking 2lts of water a day, and I'd say most days I'd meet that, with cups of green tea added in

This would suggest that you don't have much weight to lose, which will mean that your rate of loss will be relatively slow, and that you need to be pretty strict about what you're eating.

I'm probably not having enough fat, although mixing in a lot of butter in veg, and into soup. I also have lots of pork scratchings. I'll up this and the water.

High fat and lots of water are absolutely key to this WOE! Seriously - you need to make sure that you are high fat, low carb. (And plenty of water!)

Yes the stall is likely to make me fall off the band wagon so will go back to it, I thought I was being pretty rigid already (I'm having coconut flour for the first time tonight!) and Prosecco in small quantities but will stop that too and see if it helps...

Well, not really rigid, if you're not following the rules about fat and water ...

How much do you weigh and how much are you wanting to lose?

Sorry if this sounds very strict/prescriptive, but it is important that you follow the rules if you want to reach your target.

B. Creamy coffee - rushed morning
Brunch. Eggs and mushroom fried in EVO
D. Roast chicken thighs, stir fry veg.
Plenty of water

I've got some sweet potatoes that need using. I'm guessing they are off plan for me. I might just cook, mash and freeze for later.

@StuntNun I'm booked in for bloods at the start of week 5. Will this WOE give me any unexpected results do you think? Thanks

I fasted until 5.15pm today. I know it’s not part of BC but have found myself picking at food and overeating these past few days. In many ways I find it easier to fast than to limit food. Had a few almonds, a boiled egg and a bouillon with cream (first time - yum!) Will have either asparagus omelette and salad or stir fry and halloumi later.

Thanks for everyone’s support and guidance on this thread. I’d have got bored and given up after a week without it. KOKO.

@BIWI @StuntNun
Aiming to lose 6kg, so not loads, it's just post baby/exam weight that has crept on. I'm only 5' tall so this is actually a lot from my frame; I have small bones and stumpy legs :-(
I've only lost 2kg so far... but will keep at it.
I'm definitely drinking loads of water; 2ltrs most days.
Will revise now
More fat
More water
And see how this goes....
Thank you

As this is pretty much my only meal for today (bad planning) is this waaayyy too much? Having with large bowl of kale crisps. The sausages are LC chicken ones

Robin, honestly, no-one ever wants to hear this, but... some us have found that a glass of wine is enough to stall weight loss. I'd leave that out for another fortnight and see if it helps. I'm off it until I've lost the amount I want to lose, because otherwise it Just Doesn't Work For Me.

BUT, see my earlier post today - I've also stayed the same for around 10 days, but have lost INCHES in that time! Seriously, start measuring, it may tell you a different story.

Looks fine to me, BrassicaAnacondaBabe

You've probably been at this enough to find that your stomach will tell you to stop if it turns out to be too much volume.

B 3 buttery scrambled eggs
L huge green salad with avo , cuc baby leaf lettuce , goats cheese 1 baby beetroot , olive oil dressing
D chicken breast , roast cauliflower and a creamy sauce with mushrooms, courgettes , leeks and mushrooms
NSV !!!!! A 2 inch loss from my waist , still over where I should be , but down to 33 inches

@RobinHobb

I've only lost 2kg so far... but will keep at it.

That's 4.4lbs. Roughly a third of a stone, in less than 3 weeks! What's not to like? Why are you disappointed about that?

I'm definitely drinking loads of water; 2ltrs most days

That's the bare minimum though!