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.

Just been to Tesco , and looked for the frozen shallots ..... and there were none 😟outrageous
The frozen veg area did look a bit empty though , so maybe they're waiting for a stock up

Bad day for me , lack of planning so all self inflicted
B cheese
L nothing , sitting a 6 hour digital literacy task ( black coffee and cold water )
D M & S lemon chicken ( not much lemon sauce for me though )
Cauliflower rice and FLGV stir fry
Still feel a bit hungry and have a headache so will have another glass of water , then maybe a bag of pork scratchings
Will do better tomorrow

I have made a paella style meal using cauli rice ,( the other ingredients were the real thing ) was nice
I think as long as there’s something tasty ( like chorizo) with the cauli rice , the bland sogginess gets disguised

Shag I got called StuntMum once and wished I had used that name instead as it's way better but hey ho I've been on here for 16 years so it's too late to change it now. I do still like the idea of being a professional Stunt Nun though. For when you need a nun to ride a motorbike away from an explosion or hang from a helicopter as it's taking off.

StuntNun 4eva

For the uninitiated, that’s Sally Field from waaaay back on US telly.

I shall now picture our dear StuntMum Stungun StuntNun like this in future.

Always good to put a face with a name.

Lol at StuntNun

I stayed the same this week which frankly was more than I deserved. I've done a big Ocado shop and feel better about planning.

B - bacon, avocado, halloumi, mushroom, grilled tomato, milky tea

L - halibut, samphire, Brussels sprouts w Parmesan and bacon, baby gem lettuce

Snack - 150g raspberries, 1 dairlylea slice on Lc bread, 2 teas w milk

D - tomato and mozzarella salad on rocket with Olive oil and salt

It's a lot of food but I've been really hungry today - probably bc of my fall of the wagon last week - and I think letting myself get too hungry was my downfall last week so going to go with it and if I don't lose this week, focus on portion size. I shall, however, be avoiding raw kale!

Koko all

I can't believe all the kale haters on here; I thought you were my people

MrsBert I always sauté my cauli rice from frozen; you wouldn't defrost any other frozen veg before cooking it?! Never crossed my mind!

First trip of the week was fairly successful (pending weigh in tomorrow) and seconding Almahart's melanzane parmigiana recommendation, had it as an incredible starter last night (possible hidden carbs) followed by chicken involtini with a side of fancy broccoli. Did have a small glass of red though. Hotel breakfast was excellent. Biggest win was no sandwich buffet for the meeting; I had a snack of nuts while the others ate biscuits then got lunch from a Waitrose on the journey home rather than in the site canteen which was the official plan. Also two long but very good journeys never happens so doomed for Thurs/Fri/Sat trips!

Bolognese on kale delicious kale this evening with a risk of some 90% Lindt to follow though might just have a peppermint tea.

Dd1 "hates" courgettes but declared my courgetti to be the most delicious thing ever. Pity she won't eat the bolognaise sauce.

I'm feeling very January-ery today Happy that I survived kale-gate but I could happily fall face first into overeating or wine

As someone who went to a catholic boarding school I’ve always been a bit afraid of stuntnun ... sorry !! But the fact that we had a nun called Sr Immaculata who had managed to earn the moniker Sr Smack You Harder says it all!

Oh and BIWI’s salmon cooking tip is spot on - who knew?! I usually parcel it up in foil with butter and bung it in the oven but microwaving was much faster.... 3 minutes in the poppity ping with some butter and a dash of soy sauce and it was lovely.

Wait - there is such a thing as frozen shallots

Now is the time to remind everyone of the onion Bhaji recipe from the India Knight recipe book. It’s amazing

in the evenings when I'm watching telly after the kids of gone to bed, I get this strong feeling for a carb/sweet snack. In the past I probably would have indulged a bit if not a bit too much. Maybe some biscuits or chocolate or something.

But now I just can recognise the pull and acknowledge it and I know there's nothing I want to snack on and Im not hungry - I can just let the moment pass. It's like I now know I don't have to respond.

It's a huge change.

I bought a bag of frozen cauli rice once. Hated it. Wet, sloppy, tasted like boiled cauliflower. Always make it myself. Every ounce of energy and time is worth it.

re the lovely, lovely thing that is kale.... if you massage it with olive oil for hours (sort of like a vegetarian wagyu beef) does that get the microbugs off? That's how I do my raw kale salad.

Cooked, I add it to sauted shallot, leek, garlic, ginger, chilli. Lid on, heat off.

I'm all prepped for tomorrow. Going from Scotland to even further north in Scotland. The car is packed with boots, spades, blankets (it has actually been snowy here). There's water and a cool bag stuffed with M&S food. In the morning I'll make a thermos of cocoa / coconut oil / cream (like a bullet proof coffee but with cocoa powder and coconut instead of butter and coffee). Look out for me on the news reports if the weather gets bad.

Actually the cool bag full of M&S goodies is part of my prep and planning against the challenges of my next few days. I'm running a training course in a fab location, great programme. But I might be found hiding behind the bike sheds like a naughty smoker, dodging the lentil and sweet potato pie and sneaking a couple of rollitos or some smoked salmon pate with my salad

I find the frozen bags of cauli rice from Morrison’s excellent. No water in it at all, takes a couple of mins in the microwave just like microwave bags of rice and you’re done. I usually throw mine in a pan with some butter once it’s been microwaved and fry it a bit

I had my first ‘have you lost weight?’ Yesterday I haven’t lost enough to notice yet, but I’ve definitely lost my moon face and some swelling/ permanent bloat around my upper stomach

@StuntNun you’re right, looks like a mini whoosh! 2lbs vanished since I weighed in on Monday morning annoyingly I gained last week (week 3) and thought it had to be water retention, I’m glad that was the case because I’m really enjoying this WOE.

Ta dah !
Frozen shallots , having said that this is from my freezer , Tesco didn’t have any in stock

I am having a stall on the scales and it's frustrating me. But instead of an oh fuck it binge I decided to cycle to work today instead of taking the car.

I don't have that much to lose but I've been gaining and losing the same 10 pounds for 3 years now and it's getting on my tits

Woops forgot to check in before I went to bed last night.
Yesterdays food:
B smoked salmon and avocado
L homemade cream of mushroom soup (sooooo delicious I can't believe I haven't done it before)
D pork rarebit, confit celeriac and FLGV
S 25g dark chocolate
Lots of water and herbal tea

Plan for today:
B fried eggs and ham
L last of the pork rarebit with salad
D chicken and chorizo traybake with extra green veg
Already 1L water down. More to go

Have a rare child free afternoon later so think I'm going to take myself to the cinema - will fill my handbag with pepperami to stop me grabbing cinema snacks!

Stayed the same on scales so far this week so really pleased I know about the week 3 stall.

Have a day off work today with DH for some house hunting and we've gone out for a fancy breakfast. I was delighted to see that you could replace the toast with a spinach, feta, egg and tomato "muffin". Not bad at all!

I think it was @ilovecherries who said her weight crept up when she wasn't tracking and weighing everyday and that's a huge Ed flag for me too although in my case 10 kg instead of 10lbs so I'm back to weighing every day. It looks like I've lost half a pound since Monday, almost certainly daily fluctuations but it's taking tantalisingly close to milestone so I'm extra motivated this week.

The resemblance is uncanny Shag

Well done for not getting frustrated with the scales Cheddar. Honestly your weight is just about the worst way to measure fat loss. Your weight fluctuates by at least 2 lb throughout the day and even more through the month, especially around your TOTM. Instead go by how your clothes fit, measure your waist... and bust and hips as well, hell the US Navy body fat calculator gets you to measure your neck as well! Put your hands on your hips and you'll feel that you're slimmer. Post a before and after photo on here and bathe in the warm glow of the compliments you get - because you can't always see the difference yourself but everyone else will be able to.

I haven't been measuring, but my stomach does feel flatter.

Looking forward to my lunch already, which is roast aubegine (lots of olive oil) with feta and a couple of cherry tomatoes.

Don't know what to do for dinner, but based on my fridge contents, it should be based around leeks. Anyone with some particularly wonderful leek recommendations?

I’m also looking for something with leeks and am planning a pot au feu tomorrow—shin of beef, leeks, swede, carrots & potatoes (I avoid those last two). Bouquet garni, salt pepper, boil and simmer. I have my mother’s recipe around here somewhere because I need to be reminded which veg goes in when.

For me the bit that must happen is the vinaigrette poured over at the end. Yum.

This leek recipe also looks rather lush, as a side dish.

Thanks for the reminder @StuntNun, I was dangerously close to a fuckit moment. But this bootcamp and WoE is a great anchor to better responses to mini disappointments.

I don't know if I'm brave enough to post a photo

Bleurgh. Had a horrible night. TMI warning: lots of tummy rumblings, cramps, and serious diarrhoea. Not sure if it was my IBS or some kind of bug. It would be odd if it was the former because I usually get that if I'm eating lots of carbs, rather than the other way around. .

Thankfully I didn't have anything to get up for this morning, so slept in till after 10. I feel OK now, but still a bit sore. And certainly don't feel like eating anything.

ah feel better soon BIWI

I'm in a bit of a funk too - I seem to be gaining weight!!! I am sticking to the plan drinking the water and apart from a handful of raw almonds, I'm still on BC. Swimming 3 times a week, weights 2-3 times a week.

My scales seem to be all over the place & I don;t trust them - but still even if the number are wrong they are still relative to each other.

I'm not giving up but I'm feeling confused. I'm committed for the 10 weeks.

When your weight can fluctuate by 2-4lbs a day, you can;t really feel good about a 4lb loss - as it can be entirely transitroy.

I've started logging food for a few days on MFP to make sure I'm not going way over calorie wise and I don't seem to be - Monday for example I was quite under for calories, (1600cals consumed) but my carbs were 66g apparently - I think a peanut butter/celery snack tipped me over the edge as everything else was pretty low carb and all from coleslaw/brocolli/peanut butter etc rather than any actual high carb food?? Fat was 66gms on this day. Fairly typical days food too.

What cab count are we looking to hit? I feel like I've been so good and yet the carbs are too high?