Low Carb Bootcamp Léger! Notre quatre semaine est ici!

[BIWI]

It's Monday! So soon!

Morning all.

Ici, c'est le début de notre quatre semaine du Bootcamp. C'est léger est pas ordinaire.

... which means we can relax things slightly.

Some fruit is allowed in moderation - mainly berries. Nuts and seeds in moderation, and alcohol very much in moderation.

Here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness if you need to, check the rules for Bootcamp Light on the tabs there.

If you're happy on 'ordinary' Bootcamp, then by all means continue. If you were finding intermittent fasting was helping you, then you could also consider trying to extend the length of time you've been fasting - so if you were managing 12:12, try working up to 16:8. If you were managing 16:8, see how much long you can extend that for. Just don't let it go so long that you get too hungry and are tempted to cheat.

Alternatively, you could do a hybrid, so strict Bootcamp during the week and Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

We only have two weeks left of this Bootcamp, so let's get/keep focused, and see what we can do!

You shouldn't be hungry : if you are you're not having enough fat (and/or water?). Counter-intuitively, if you're not eating enough, your body will go into starvation mode (one of the reasons why calorie restricted diets are so difficult, both mentally and physically )

In answer to your specific question: during the 1st week, because I was trying to do the 16:8 really strictly, I didn't have milk in my tea in the morning or evening (and restricted my teas with milk during the afternoon).

Since Week 2, I've been allowing myself to have every 2nd cup with milk (I'm actually not mad keen on it black - even though it's a blend of Darjeeling and Earl Grey tea snob, moi? ). This small amount of extra calories in the morning (amounting to two cups of tea with milk during technically my fast long period) I find makes a big difference (or at least, just enough of a difference) to allow me to do my exercise DVD and go for my run without feeling like I have leaden legs.

If You’re finding IF hard to do there’s absolutely no need to keep trying to do it. It’s not part of bootcamp proper, so just ditch it.

If you’re feeling constantly hungry you’re not fat adapted. Go back to the rules for bootcamp proper and follow those.

Drink more water, eat more fat, don’t calorie count or try to fast. Eat when hungry.

too - I know how disheartening it is when nothing seems to work.

To answer your question, I don’t strictly IF. I have a creamy coffee every morning (I use 1 tablespoon of single cream but double is better in terms of LCHF), plus one tablespoon had straight from the spoon.

You could also have a bulletproof coffee, with some cocoa powder added if you like. Sounds nasty but is actually very good and will keep you going for hours (once you’re fat adapted). To become fat adapted you need to follow the rules exactly with no exceptions for at least a week.

I also have one or two cups of tea with milk during the course of a morning.

Hi @kakiqueen I’m doing 16-8 as well. I did it last year really successfully and tried to generally be low carb but not boot camp level LCHF. It worked really well. I’m actually finding it is working less well this time and I am not losing weight every day, I literally lost weight every day when doing 16:8 last year, and finding this - week 4 is it? - really unmotivating. I am just keep on keeping on and hoping the scales will start to shift again.

I know people say you shouldn’t be hungry but I do find if I do 16:8 I usually go to bed hungry unfortunately. It’s a long time to go from 6-7pm until around midnight when I go to bed. I have also been avoiding milk in tea during the fasting time as milk is apparently very carby. Last time I did IF I probably had two cups of tea with milk during the fasting period. One difference between then and now is that I was definitely doing more exercise than as I was going to the gym to lift weights most mornings. I have lost my mojo with exercise in lockdown. I do exercise but just not as much as gym and a whole lot of daily walking as I’m more housebound.

I guess what I am saying is yes try to avoid milk in drinks in fasting period and that although most people say you shouldn’t be hungry some of us sometimes are. It’s the long evenings that get me, but if I changed my window I think I would be hungrier in the morning. I have a very slow metabolism due to an under active thyroid and I really have to work hard to lose weight I feel.

However I will say something about hunger. I feel that in today’s world - the developed world of course - we have got a little bit used to not feeling hungry. I know others on here will probably disagree with me but I don’t think a bit of hunger is anything to be afraid of. Remember when we were kids and you’d be out playing all day and not having any snacks and you’d come home and be absolutely starving for your dinner? It’s not that I get absolutely starving on IF but it does make me look forward to the next time I can eat.

Not sure if any of that helps.

You generally should not be hungry if you’re properly fat adapted. But that is screwed up by any and all carby cheats, and definitely by alcohol (unless you’re really careful to be moderate, as in very, very little at a time). People who fast but don’t eat high fat enough will find it difficult for sure. You have to mix the two approaches very carefully.

Agreed - of course some moderate hunger here and there is expected. And actually, it really is not a terrible thing.

On IF my instinct is that it would be better to do one or the other if you’ve found that there’s been no progress at all.

Random tip (I drop in and out the threads!) but I got some great containers off eBay. Pyrex dish with a plastic lid so you can oven cook stuff (minus lid of course!), freeze, microwave.. and they seem to keep stuff fresher. They've got a little vent on the top too
I always have in the fridge
Containers with
Roast chicken or other meat
Boiled eggs
Cheeses (marmite cheese is my fave!)
Roasted veg to add to salads or heat up with the chicken
Chopped salad - I make a tub on a Sunday and then more as needed with a garlic and herb seasoning

< scuttles back out >

Hello All,
Thank you all SO much for your replies, they help so much.
It's interesting to see that some of you are strict, and some less so, but all with good results.

I have been drinking unsweetened soya milk, as it says it has fewer than 0.5g carb in 250ml, which is more than the total of all my daily teas combined. (Phew!)

Would you maybe tell me how much a FLGV would be? Could it be that I am overeating carbs in veggies?
Today I had:

2 teas with unsweetened soya milk
I coffee with a tea spoon of butter rather than cream
L: 1 avocado, a table spoon of tuna mayonnaise, 4 small slices of salami, I boiled egg, salad of lettuce leaves, a few bits of spinach, 2 radishes

D: diet doctor recipe thai curry. (Cream of coconut, thai paste, stock, prawns) 80g cauliflower

Loads of water- at least 5 pints

Plus I walk between 6-10k steps a day and do Joe Wicks and 20-30 mins kettle bell exercises every other day.

I agree that hunger often isn't actual hunger and learnt that it can go away when I did the 5:2 WOE a few years back.

I am just a bit stumped.

Thank you All!

Ps the salad had olive oil on it and the curry contained a lot of butter.

@Ninkanink yes I agree. Moderate hunger. It’s not really hunger that I get at night, not like rumbling stomach type hunger, I think I just miss one tea with milk that I would usually have between dinner at say 7pm and going to bed at midnight. I have ginger tea and also water but it doesn’t feel the same as tea. I’m not an evening snacker so don’t have any food to miss but just that nice last cuppa. I am definitely fat adapted as I have gone off food really and don’t feel particularly hungry for someone who’s not eating for 17 Ish hours a day (as I usually end up doing a bit more than 16).

Still I haven’t really lost much weight in the last two weeks! I am consoling myself that this is apparently expected in weeks 3 and 4.

@kakiqueen I'm sure more experienced people will be along but I eat a LOT of salad
I'm talking like a bag of salad leaves, then cucumber etc on top! So with your curry you could have a good half bag of spinach to give some extra volume

@kakiqueen

Hello there, Please can ask those who are doing IF whether you have milk in tea/coffee in the morning?

I am asking because I have lost absolutely nothing since I started. I am very close to giving up and going low calorie instead.
I just can't go in like this, always hungry and not losing anything at all.

If you're IF then no you shouldn't be having milk - that is introducing too many calories.

I'm more concerned, though, that you say you're always hungry - what are you eating?

Can you list out for me what you've been eating/drinking over the last 3 days?

Please don't go low calorie. The only thing I can guarantee that will happen is that you will end up even more hungry!

@Hopeislost, the pizza was amazing. I'll try to post a link to the recipe.
ketodietapp.com/Blog/lchf/fat-head-pizza-with-pepperoni-and-jalapenos
I'm not a good cook, but this is easy and quick and 6.7g carbs per serving, although I had more than a quarter because I was feeling greedy!

Also - how tall are you? And what was your diet like before you started?

You're currently 10 st 5lbs, which means you may not have that much to lose (depending on how tall you are).

Hi @BIWI, I am 1.68m tall, which is 5ft 6 and a tiny bit.
My diet has always been fairly low carb, with occasional weekend binges of bread/chocolate/crisps and alcohol.

My food this week has been;
Monday
No breakfast but 2 teas with unsweetened soya milk and a coffee with cream
L: salad, half an avocado, 2 fried eggs, 2 rashers of bacon, some mayo, some brie, a few olives
D: 5 meatballs baked in the oven topped with cheese, fried courgettes,mushrooms cauliflower and cream,
100g FF yoghurt with 2 strawberries.
1/3 of a little bar of Aldi 85% dark choc (1.5 g carb )

Tuesday
B: 2 fried eggs and 2 rashers of bacon, 2 mushrooms
Creamy coffee
2 teas as usual

L: salad (lettuce, cucumber, celery, radishes) with half a can of tuna and mayonnaise, 10g of seed crackers, 7 olives, some brie, 2 small slices of salami

D: creamy chicken casserole made with chicken thigh, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, cream and mozzarella.
100g FF yoghurt with 2 strawberries
1/3 little bar of Aldi 85% dark choc

Today, as described earlier.

Monday I did Joe Wicks PE, 28 mins of kettle bells and a big walk with a friend. (9k steps)
Yesterday,one big walk with a friend. (7k steps at good pace)
Today Joe Wicks.

How does all that sound to you?

On the face of it, @kakiqueen that looks fine - but it's difficult to tell how much fat you're eating. Are you using fat to try things in, and oily dressings on your salads? Is your tuna tinned in oil, or are you buying it in spring water/brine?

I notice though that you are eating a fair bit of dairy - cream, cheese and yoghurt each day. It is possible that this might be impeding your weight loss.

Also, you've introduced fruit and chocolate and seeds. That could be a case of too much too soon!

You haven't said how much water you've been drinking, which is likely also to be a factor.

I'm much less bothered about the exercise, as that won't be impacting on your weight.

Hi @BIWI,

I have been drinking a lot of water. At least 5 pints a day.
I just feel a bit sad that possibly eating 2 strawberries on 2 days could be causing a problem and I don't know if I want to live like this.

I guess I need to decide what I want more.
To be thin, or eat strawberries, as seemingly it can't be both for me.

Yes, the dairy is lot, so today I have had none.
Apart from butter, which is allowed.

I didn't say it was down to 2 strawberries!

But you're eating a lot of dairy ...

... and you've introduced chocolate, and fruit and seeds.

Could be too much too soon.

I'd seriously recommend that you curb the dairy and then see what happens.

Okidoki.
I will do that.
Thank you!
Butter in coffee is surprisingly good

Took some time off work and went on a lovely long dog walk with a good friend yesterday, followed by an afternoon of real-life shopping! Hardly anyone around, shops that were open were doing lots to help prevent spread of virus and felt safe. Big bag of goodies from Primani, few essentials from Superdrug and a meal deal in M & S. Came home, drank heaps of water, then caved and had a g & t, then glass of red with dinner which was steak with asparagus cooked in butter, had a mini slice of foccacia then half a doughnut. Woke up in the night with terrible tummy cramps, serves me right. Have decided to KOKO, it will be a marathon and not a sprint for me, enjoy this WOE and licking myself this morning for being so stupid. Well done to everyone else!

Kicking myself not licking!

I am eating a lot of dairy too.

Day 30 inthebigbrotherhouse and no shift on the scales. Blah.

Scales are creeping downwards again and I've now lost over 10lbs this bootcamp. This is the longest I have stuck to anything for a while now without cheating apart from a few wines here and there so I am very happy with myself. Just disappointed I didn't do this when I was two stone lighter but hey, ho.

L: huge omelette and dressed salad
D: Fast800 shake

May have a snack of yogurt/cream late afternoon too so I'm not too light on calories over the day.

Well I'm pretty much stuck at the same weight for 2 weeks now, which is really annoying.

I'm getting next to no exercise mind you. I work at home and it's been relentless, so most of the steps on my Fitbit are made levelling my fluids! I go between my desk and the kitchen tap to fill up, then my desk and the toilet to empty out.

Yesterday night I licked a spoon without thinking. A chocolate sauce spoon. My god it was sweet.