an '20 - Week 5 Low Carb Bootcamp - Onwards and downwards!

[StuntNun]

Welcome to week 5 of the Low Carb Bootcamp; we're nearly halfway through! If you've had a pause in your weight loss during week 3 or week 4, the scales should hopefully be moving again now and you can expect an average weight loss of half a pound to 2 lb each week. Nobody ever gets consistent weight loss from week to week so try not to get hung up on each week's weigh-in, it's the overall trend that we want to look at. If you're a daily weigher then try an app such as Happy Scales or True Weight that uses a rolling daily average to give you a more accurate record of your weight loss.

Add today's weight to the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness. And here's to another great week...
Onwards and downwards!

Another dull one ahead for me.

L: pork scratchings and pepperami (it's that or nothing today folks)
D: naked burger and salad
All the water.
No wine!

There will be hell to pay of those scales haven't shifted when I get home!

I’m back on the road again today and in Yorkshire, where there’s usually a better class of meeting buffet

I can’t believe how much travelling I’ve had to do for work in the last couple of weeks, it’s just been like the teapot roadshow trying to get face time with clients, and I’m absolutely exhausted. This is my second to last meeting today before all returns to normal and I’m back to being office based

Im actually really bloody proud of myself for not throwing in the towel and picking boot camp back up when work calms down. That would have been my normal response to stress and lack of food options in meetings, but actually I’ve quite enjoyed the challenge of working out what to eat etc. I’ve become a dab hand at sandwich filling extraction

Today I read a study that drew a strong link between early recurrent miscarriage and
high levels of insulin/ Insulin resistance. It was a bitter sweet read, because part of me thinks my losses could have been prevented, but the other part of me has found hope that the reduction in my insulin levels could mean I carry a baby to term one day, and that’s lovely to find hope. Of course there’s no way to know if my insulin levels are what’s caused my miscarriages, but considering how well my PCOS has responded to low carb this far, it’s not a massive leap to suggest it might be.

Anyway, food today:

B: coconut cream coffee
L: meeting catering
D: Not sure, but something with flgv and butter

Kudos to those who are sticking to the woe whilst in day long meetings, out on the road for work and on holiday!!

teapot - it must be hard to read that kind of article, and even harder to get your head round it and your situation BUT think of all the good you’re doing for yourself now and the healthier version of yourself that will be the outcome.

teapot - just to add some support and hope. I'm in the Netherlands now and as I think may be the case elsewhere a BMI of less than 30 was a prerequisite for any IVF or other intervention, but the recommended dietician advocated a low carb diet as they had seen this diet get statistically better results for fertility than just losing weight in other ways. I was at 30 but as I was older they recommended me trying it then anyway to lose some weight, worth a try and all that. This was a consultant promoted/health insurance funded programme so must have been backed by some evidence.

I can only say my own experience, yes I fell pregnant soon after, but I was not low carbing when pregnant and there were many losses along the way to two living children and between each I would have way too much carbs/brie/wine as poor consolation. Difficult to see any causation in my case.

However, that this type of diet to avoid the fluctuations in blood sugar was being promoted by Drs I trusted and literally owe my life to, to boost fertility, I found interesting at the time and what drew me back to being curious about low carb again for other reasons now.

Just wanted to share

On a lighter note, also wanted to add my kudos to everyone KOKO even when travelling/faced with buffets/meeting room food etc, and those faced with the dangerous temptations of a well stocked fridge/cupboards at home - it's why it needs to be a WOE not a restrictive diet and all the stories of how much people have lost and are doing to stick with it is definitely helping me keep going too. Thanks all!

@Teapotdespot I can't imagine what it must be like in your situation. But I - along with countless others - also suffered a miscarriage. (In my case, a very early missed miscarriage, so had to have an ERPC, which was less than pleasant!). I've always wondered if it was somehow my fault? Which is silly really, as no-one can ever tell you what caused it at that stage of a pregnancy.

I know it's easy to say, but try and put that behind you, and focus on the fact that what you're doing now is (very, very hopefully) putting you in a much more favourable position.

@Teapotdespot

4lb loss last week taking me to 10.5lbs this boot camp, and 26.5lbs in total since starting the last BC in October.

Going to celebrate...... with an omelette

Wow, nearly 2 stone MrsGareth That's amazing. I bet you feel great.

teapot but it's great progress with the PCOS which has to be the first hurdle.

Good work MrsG

I had a rare day in office yesterday - which in realisty meant 4 hours on tube/trains - so food was OK but water intake was well down.

I had about 60gms of walnuts & pecans at 7pm, got into bed with DD2 at 8pm to read her a book, and then decided I didn't want to get up again, so a nice early night for me. (DD2 is in my bed at the moment as her room is having some work done).

Gym workout this morning! All those mirrors!! But I did think I looked a wee bit slimmer today.

Anyone else enjoying signs of spring? Daffidols and blossom starting here (Kent). Always makes me feel hopeful.

@teapotdespot stay away from the google health scariness.

Small fail yesterday as had to rely on DH to cook dinner and he used onions not shallots. Today:

B - mushrooms cooked in cream & dijon mustard and egg
L - ham salad
D - chicken pie without the pie and FLGV

I'm definitely snacking less and bringing less "just in case" snacks with me to work. I used to have various LC snacks with me to stop me raiding the shop and eating crap but now I'm more confident that my three meals are enough to sustain me.

Weighed myself this morning, lost the 1/2 lb that I gained at the end of last week so back down to my LCBC all time low. Still tiny losses overall but some NSVs so I'm happy.

Oooh I had roasted cauli rice last night with some shallots roasted in, then mixed in with mushrooms and teriyaki tofu. It was good!

How well does cr store after roasting?

A disorganised start at home has meant emergency food at work; tinned chicken soup with a big knob of butter a la @BIWI. Very much enjoyed that!

@Teapotdespot I totally get it . One of my DC has issues that I think could have been avoided but honestly that way madness lies. Sending love though cos I know it’s tough.

Out on the road today. Bf was total ff yog and lunch a pret Italian chicken salad. Am not feeling v hungry these days so I know I’m in the zone and might start a bit of IF. Bad parents evening last night led to two glasses of white wine. I know, that’s my sabotaging right there

Sorry @Teapotdespot, I didn’t say that my child’s issues are serious and will affect his life chances but of course it’s not the same as the loss of a child. Sorry to have been insensitive

emergency lunch of half a cos lettuce, green pepper, mayo and grated cheese.

I might need to go shopping! After going strong the first week my meat consumption has now dropped right down - how easy to do this as a veggie? (I'm not veggie but I tend to eat veggie 20-28 days a month usually).

Successfully swerved white chocolate biscuits in the office today. Enjoying the fact I can resist them but looking forward to the day that their very presence causes me anxiety!

doesn't cause me anxiety

@Almahart oh gosh no worries at all, you weren’t insensitive at all

Thanks for the support all.

My meeting finished early so I’m home early which is incredibly rare, so I plan to have a lovely soak in the bath and self care hour before DH gets home

Meeting food was sandwiches so I had the filling from a cheese one, then grabbed some mini fillets from KFC on the way home I know this was not boot camp in my defence it was that or greggs on offer. I shall assume the position ready for the big stick

Woman in the meeting today clocked that I wasn’t eating my bread so I explained I was eating low carb at the moment... her response was ‘the weight comes off but it all goes back on once you start eating carbs again’ well.... yes, of course it does... that’s why I don’t plan on eating carbs again

I smiled and agreed and didn’t say anything else, I was quite proud of myself for that

Smile and wave teaspot, smile and wave (Although I would like a one liner to pull out in these situations)

No big stick from me for that, @Teapotdespot - sounds like you've been doing really well avoiding carbs overall!

“The same could be said of any weight loss diet out there.”

That’s why when we hit target we move into maintenance by continuing this way of eating but experimenting with adding back the occasional, traditional carb coming from, say, a jacket potato or other root veg rather than the leafy, green kind.

Maintenance can even include the odd dessert or spaghetti carbonara.

Maintenance can include a sandwich or a chocolate bar.

What maintenance can’t include is a bagel and cream cheese with bacon for breakfast, croissant at the morning meeting, biscuits with elevenses, burrito with rice and beans for lunch, cupcake with afternoon tea, burger & chips for dinner with a glass or two of beer, and chocolates for telly time snack in the evening (because after all that, who wouldn’t be hungry ).

A lot of people eat like that, daily. That’s how it all piles back on. Not by carefully increasing healthy, real foods that contain a higher carb content.

I know I’m preaching to the choir, but I recognise myself in the menu above and it’s a dangerous, unhealthy way of eating.

This way of eating is not.

The first line of that post was meant to be my one liner, by the way. Not a good burn, but hard to disagree with.

the weight comes off but it all goes back on once you start eating carbs again

I would just have agreed with her! But then go on to point out that it's the same with any diet - if you just revert to what you were eating before the diet, you'll put the weight back on.

I saw this sandwich idea on Facebook today. I wonder how easy it is to eat?!

Made a big pot of soup with random bits in fridge for dinner:

Celery
Leek
Bone broth
Kale
Spinach
Garlic
Coconut milk
Turmeric
Corvette noodles.

Bit of roast chicken.

Delicious & enough left for lunch tomorrow too.