Jan '20 - Week 4 Low Carb Bootcamp - One month in!

[StuntNun]

Well done for sticking with us for four weeks! You are fat-adapted now and getting the full health benefits of this way of eating. Add your weight to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness and let's see how everyone has done. Don't forget that it's typical for weight loss to pause at some point in weeks 3-5 but so long as you are following the rules you are still losing fat!

I know a few of you have been missing meals, whether by accident or design, so I'd like to start talking about intermittent fasting this week if anyone is interested? It's completely optional so don't feel that you should fast if you don't want to. I still think it's worth finding out more about intermittent fasting, how it works, when and why you might want to introduce it, and what it feels like to fast... spoiler alert it doesn't involve feeling hungry!

Yes @DiscontentedWoman, he did manage to joke that luckily he’d finished his wee , otherwise he’d have been wiping the walls and ceiling !
We put it down to low BP ( and I’m hoping he won’t be talking in his poorly voice today )

Something has changed on my scales ( not me , sadly ) and excitingly it’s weighing in LB and bits of LB , rather than stones and LB , I rather like it !

Look after yourself stuntnun we'll bumble along here keeping one another on the right track. You rest up and get better.

B - herbal tea, lots of water
L - left over sausages, buttery mushrooms, brocoli, fried egg
D - cauliflower curry with coconut cream

Morning all, and to all who are having a tough time.

I’m up half a pound, but not surprised as lost 2 overnight yesterday and did have an extra helping of dinner last night, it was so good 😊 (lamb shoulder marinated in olive oil and Ras El Hanout seasoning and blasted in my Instapot for half an hour. Loads left over for dinner tonight as well.

I’m at a training day tomorrow and need to take a packed lunch, any recommendations would be gratefully received, it feels too cold for a salad.

Busy day today, I have PT first, then looking a house which is a total project, followed by lunch out. This time of year is really difficult for me as our son died in March and so as we run up to the terrible anniversary I have to keep myself distracted and busy. I find this woe helps and also this lovely board, which always makes me smile, so thank you all.

I went on HRT patches last year (53 now), I feel like a different person, so if anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. I would happily (as long as no problems) stay on them forever. They cured ; hot sweats, aches , brain fog, anger (which may have been irrational in hindsight 😀) dryness ... that’s all I can think of for now but there are probably many more

Today
B Greek yogurt
L out but will choose best option
D leftover lamb and flavour

Water ....

Hope you all feel better soon stuntnun

Lol and the poorly voice doilooklikeatourist, my dh has one of those.

Sorry to hear about your son notwatchingtv, I’m glad that this woe and our group helps during a difficult time

Sorry to hear you're a house of ill @StuntNun - hope you're all better soon and it's not Coronavirus!

to you @Notwatchingtvtoday - that must be really tough and I simply can't imagine how it must feel.

Discontented, did I read that right - that autocorrect changed "todger" to "his for her"? Because that is now my favourite autocorrect of all time.

I'm 45 and don't think there are any signs of peri yet. Is it awful that I'm too embarrassed to ask my mum? We never managed a conversation about periods (I was given a book when I was 11), so why break the silence of 35 years? I did go into an eye-popping rage this week when people followed the wrong process at work, but I've always been like that, and I just try not to unleash it on the heads of the innocent.

Sorry about the anniversary, Notwatching - I'd missed that bit of your post.

@Notwatchingtvtoday I'm so very sorry for your loss, it must be terribly hard. Your lamb dish sounds utterly delicious

@bibliomania yy bloody autocorrect!!

Planning another fast I think tomorrow. The kids and DP will be out all day which is unusual so I think I'll try another one tomorrow.

Get well soon, StuntNun.

Gaaah just lost a long post ! I did also have a snigger about "his for her"

Sorry about everyone going through a tough time, and pleased to hear that this thread is a source of support. I've found it invaluable to help me koko on this woe.

At 60 I'm well through the other side of the menopause thankfully! I can't take HRT because my mum died from breast cancer, and the risk is (was) too high.

I first realised I was perimenopausal aged 49, and my periods went awry. At one stage DH and I thought I might be pregnant- although as he'd had the snip that would have been a bit of a shock

I also started getting hot flushes. I started taking Boots Menolieve and also focusing on keeping my carbs low. Ideally you should also avoid caffeine and alcohol, but neither of those was happening!

Thankfully all that worked and I pretty much sailed through it.

I think I must just be lucky though - I never had any problems with my periods and had two very quick, straightforward labours as well (don't know if there's a connection there)

But worth going to see your GP to ask about treatments that are available now.

@Notwatchingtvtoday I am so sorry, I can’t imagine how difficult that must be

Sorry for your loss Notwatching. I cannot imagine the pain

House of Sickness doesn't sound fun Stunt I hope someone is around to take care of you.

I hope the HRT/meno talk hasn't scared off the youngsters!

Well, I'm down 2lb today! If I can be really good today and over the weekend maybe I can shift the other errant 2lb to at least STS this week. That will be a fecking triumph if I can!

Yesterday ended up as:
2 x diet coke (one more than intended)
l: hm coleslaw and a slice of cheese
S: packet of pork scratchings (a brand with no additives - just pork and salt) This was more than I intended! I think lunch wasn't filling enough. Noted.
D: 2 chicken thighs with buttered cabbage
S: pepperami

So, changes are no diary, limited cheese and less diet coke and a 2lb loss. I'll KOKO with that.

Today:
B: 2 diet coke (going to try to shift these next week to lunch before cutting down further. Because if DC is spiking my insulin then these cans are definitely "breakfast". If I shift them to lunch then IF is properly in play. Make sense?)
L: chicken sausages, garlic mayo, gherkins (def LC variety), 2 slices of pre-sliced gouda
D: BBQ freezer left overs (I'm having a few weeks of eating random crap left in the freezer) So beef and lamb burgers I think. Along with FLV.

{{{{{Notwatching}}}}}

StuntNun get better soon

“His for her”

I don’t even want to talk about my menopause. No HRT and it was brutal.

A better day today. Trip to Aldi helped—got me out in the sunshine as it’s a half hour away and I got to pick some veg and meat for weekend meals.

Then to the very expensive farm shop around the corner from my house, where I got to pay £8.50 for a chunk of very specific Gorgonzola I adore.

WATER!!!

I've been giving lots of thought to how I can make IF work. Ate early last night as DH wan't in and had a post-swim deferred breakfast at my desk, so did about 15 hours.

I'm 40 but just made a mental note thanks BIWI to ask my Mum to get her doctor to confirm if her breast cancer was the type that would mean I shouldn't take HRT in case she isn't around when I need to know; also my sister is mid-40s, but as Mum had a hysterectomy years ago and then the havoc of years of tamoxifen I've no idea what to expect. Never been very "hormonal" though with trouble free periods.

B: two boiled eggs
L; tuna mayo on spinach, cucumber & tomato with oil; Greek yogurt with tsp almond butter
D: Spanish chicken stew on buttery kale. I made this pre-bootcamp for visitors who then deferred so it does have butter beans in but 1/4 can won't be too bad, will do my best to avoid.

I have just eaten the nicest lunch ever, so am graciously going to share it with you all.

Toss shredded kale in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a baking tray. Slice a tomato and add to tray, salting as you do. Crumble a small (starter size) goats cheese on top. Roast in oven for around 15 mins at 150 degrees.

Eat all of it. Because delicious 🥗

That sounds delicious!

I had celeriac corned beef hash after my swim. Best BC stodge I have found

lunch of small rump steak & large rocket salad! I've been doing 16/8 all week - it suits me very much. I did try it last year for a bit but while eating carbs I just couldnt do it - craving madness etc. But now it is easy.

I still don't think I'm losing any weight though :(

I'm 52 and haven't had any peri-men symptoms yet though I seem to be unable to lose weight so maybe all my peri-eggs are in that basket.

celeriac corned beef hash this sounds delicious & like something I could make for dinner. I got a tin of corned beef at beginning of BC and its still in cupboard. Is there a recipe?

Well done brassica! You persevered and it is working!

Your lunch sounds so good mrsgarethshouthgate!

IF has suited me very well too theclitterati. I know that *housetornado has too. It was much easier than I thought, I had intended to have a late breakfast this morning as I fancied it, would still have meant I fasted for 16 hours from yesterday evening as we ate early. But - I just didn’t feel the need. I’ve not felt hungry but am feeling slimmer so we shall see what the scales say on Monday I guess.

Another 2 pounds off since Monday. Finding IF pretty easy. Eating window from 12pm to 8pm so just skipping breakfast and continuing as normal!

My day:

B - spinach, feta, egg, mushroom
L - 1/2 avocado, salad leaves, cheese & ham
D - creamy chicken curry with broccoli

Still having a stall on the scales. This is a long haul, isn't it? Started playing with this - bmi visualiser - but it doesn't show how weight goes on or comes off unevenly (my belly is the first to suffer and the last to disappear when I gain/lose weight.

@TheClitterati I think there's a recipe for it on the meat/beef recipe thread. (Fairly sure, because I wrote it!)

Well done @BrassicaBabe! Glad the scales are finally coming round to your way of thinking! but you've got to ditch that Diet Coke

@MrsGarethSouthgate I'm going to try that, subbing in a Savoy cabbage. It sounds lush