Week 3 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - 'full' or light?

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Here's The Spreadsheet as per

Hopefully you've had a good second week, and have settled down into Bootcamp ways by now, and any trace of carb flu is but a distant memory.

By now, if not already, you should be well into the switch from burning carbs to burning fat. You should be finding it much easier to go between meals without snacking, and should find your energy levels picking up, maybe even feeling like you've got more energy than you had before.

So as we start week 3, you have a choice: you can continue on Bootcamp if it's suiting you, or you can move to Bootcamp Light, which means:

• you don't have to have three meals a day
• you can have some fruit (berries)
• you can have some nuts/seeds
• you can drink some alcohol

Please not the use of the word some! This isn't carte blanche for you to go mad. Just remember, all these things will add a lot of carbs quite quickly - so it's very much in moderation.

You also need to know/remember that week 3 (and 4) is infamous for being the point at which weight loss slows - sometimes even stops - so this is another good reason to go easy when you relax things

A good compromise is to stay strictly Bootcamp during the week but Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

Whatever you choose, hope the results this morning are positive, and wishing us all good luck for the week ahead.

Well, I'm very sad and work out all the weights I go through to reach my target in pounds, stones and pounds, and kilos and then see if any of them match up with a sort of mini-milestone. So my current list in my bullet journal looks like this:

11st 10 - start
11st 9
11st 8 - BMI under 27
11st 7
11st 6 - into lower 11s
11st 5 - under 160lbs
11st 4
11st 3 - half a stone lost
11st 2 - 5% of start weight lost
11st 1 - BMI under 26
11st 0 - under 70kg and 10lbs lost
10st 13 - into upper 10s
10st 12
10st 11
10st 10 - BMI under 25, 1 stone lost
10st 9 - under 150lbs

etc. etc., all the way down to 9st 7 - GOAL!

Giraffe I’m thinking miso, or marmite, possibly something like olives and capers which could be its own built in special sauce for the cheeseburger...

Love the way I’m occupied with this vegetarian recipe while being a confirmed omnivore. Do feel free to ignore me.

It was indeed your boss's advice that I was remembering Mimosa1 . His advice really resonated with me - hence why I repeat it so often

Looking at the cheeseburger pie recipe (planning on having it next week): does it need to be a foil lined dish or can you just do it in (say) a lasagne dish and serve direct from the dish?

@VeryLittleOwl , I do the same thing! I have an excel spreadsheet I use

20bloodypumpkins

Thanks for your sage advice, I'll KOKO

Ah, @ShagMagicRiggins @prettyscarybird my old boss really was the nicest and most unassuming man given is successful he was. I wonder what he'd think about being an influence on me and dozens of women a continent and 2 decades away

so my MIA period has just arrived which I hope explains not only not losing any weight this week but the brain fog that accompanied it (a.k.a losing a week and thinking I'd lost 3lbs) however I am very very pleased to report that the usual symptoms I have do not seem to have tagged a long this month... The worst symptom being that I get so low often I wish I wasnt here (to put it politely) I'm pretty sure I've been suffering from PMDD for a few years now but honestly this month apart from feeling a bit low the last couple of days its been a massive improvement yay!! I'm also sleeping like ..well not like any of my babies but sleeping like a baby that sleeps well! . If this isnt a one off then just this alone would be enough to stay low on the carbs. Hope everyone else who struggles with their period is also experiencing a bit of relief and if you're not then hang in there and don't let it derail your progress x

What a great idea VeryLittleHowl - I have done this in my head but makes so much sese to map it out.

I am having a weird couple of days emotionally - DS2 was sent home from school not feeling well on Tuesday and was off school yesterday. The school said he didn't need tested so my mum came up yesterday to let me take our cats to the vet. (We are bubbled up.) Then in the afternoon public health phoned and said he did need a test. I got him tested today. It's his fourth test. My poor mum has had to cancel lunch with my sister, a hair appointment and her flu appointment while we wait for results and I feel awful - we are always so so careful.

But positives - normally when I feel like this I would disappear face first into sugary foods and wine later in the evening. I have not and will not do this. Fingers crossed for a negative result returned tomorrow - and downwards towards my next target.

@ponygirlcurtis

What a great idea VeryLittleHowl - I have done this in my head but makes so much sese to map it out.

I am having a weird couple of days emotionally - DS2 was sent home from school not feeling well on Tuesday and was off school yesterday. The school said he didn't need tested so my mum came up yesterday to let me take our cats to the vet. (We are bubbled up.) Then in the afternoon public health phoned and said he did need a test. I got him tested today. It's his fourth test. My poor mum has had to cancel lunch with my sister, a hair appointment and her flu appointment while we wait for results and I feel awful - we are always so so careful.

But positives - normally when I feel like this I would disappear face first into sugary foods and wine later in the evening. I have not and will not do this. Fingers crossed for a negative result returned tomorrow - and downwards towards my next target.

that sounds rubbish @ponygirlcurtis . Keep your chin up, stay out of the kitchen and drinks lots of water ...and tea hope the test is negative x

Okay I do not quite understand how badly these size 12s fit given the exact same jeans in a size 14 as super roomy 🤦‍♀️ but still. Good motivation.

As expected the size 12 active wear makes me look like an over stuffed sausage legs altho weirdly the top was fine. Snug on boobs but fine.

I'm guessing I need a stone off to get on these.

Trying to slim into trousers really helped me actually. I have loads I still don’t fit but I am hopeful!!!

prettybird I didn’t use a foil-lined anything. Just a rectangular stoneware baker. I don’t think I greased it either.

@Lyrata and @itsmeagainagain I feel the same! One has never been enough for me, I've always had an all or nothing approach. Previously I've been guilty of buying and eating food in secret then hiding the evidence, which is awful. I'm finding that the lack of calorie counting and restriction is really helping. It turns out that when I eat enough at mealtimes I don't obsess about food 24/7 and binge!

@Takingontheundead I despair of clothes sizing. There is just no consistency even in the same model from the same brand! Makes online shopping a ball ache.

B: Ff yog with a few frozen raspberries and 10g flaked almonds. This was so delicious! I tend to weigh nuts and seeds because otherwise I can't be trusted.
L: Omelette with mushroom, bacon, tomatoes and cheese.
D: pork joint slow roasting as we speak! Will probably have with roast radishes and green beans.

Does anyone have any tips for low carb gravy? I'm useless at making gravy but all the pre made ones looked very carby so I thought I'd give it a whirl.

@ShagMagicRiggins

prettybird I didn’t use a foil-lined anything. Just a rectangular stoneware baker. I don’t think I greased it either.

Good I can't be bothered with doing any foil lining

Today I had a sneaky weigh-in and I've lost 4lb's since monday!! I have exercised the last 2 days and AF is still kicking about over staying her welcome so hoping theres more to come off.

My little NSV is my bra cup was all baggy this morning clearly where the 4lb came off I also had to remove the bra extended (the clip that provides an extra foot between fastenings at the back)

I also have to give myself a huge pat on the back. This morning making up my DC snack for nursery, adding blueberries, raspberries, slicing banana. I swear I was salivating like a racehorse who just won the Derby!! But I refused to give in, it was sooooo haaaard but I did it 😇

@Takingontheundead love the pic, you can do it!! I really need to do a similar photo or no one will realise how much weight I lost and how big my achievement was.

@fizzfridays Haha, The Shame Club.

I feel the same way about the lack of restriction helping. When I eat carbs I suffer from ‘one more bit’ syndrome. Two portions of pasta become one. One ‘healthy’ packet of Propercorn becomes two or three. I constantly feel like I’m restricting (or overeating). With low carb, I don’t really get that. Even with cheese, I find it relatively easy to just eat one bit - and with meals, the second portion is quite easy to put in the fridge even if it tastes good.

Whether you do or don't do it, at the end of the day, time will pass and you will be a year older. You can choose to be part of the way along that route, or you can just stay where you are.

I love this! My DM told me something similar one Easter when I was in tears I only had pennies to my name but wanted to treat my (now adult) DC to a lovely day. She said life is always moving forward. What makes you cry now will be a distant memory in 2, 3 years time. And she was right. Then we both took my DC out and had a picnic followed by a day exploring an old ruined castle kids DF, now my ex was a miserable abusive bastard and wasnt invited, and I took great delight telling him so

Itsmeagainagain and Lyrata this was also me 😂 I have no idea why I did it!! I probably ate a whole dinner plate's worth before I dished everyone else's out and sat down to my own Might explain why I always cooked way more food for the amount of people eating

Just been to Sainsburys and got my first bag of pork scratchings of bootcamp!

Making the cheeseburger pie tonight so hoping for a success.

B- two hard boiled eggs (was decorating and almost forgot)
L- cheese and ham omelette
T- cheeseburger pie

Scales seem to be moving in the right direction so I'm hopeful for a decent initial loss on Monday.

My milestones are:

13st 4- the stubborn pound that always takes ages
13st 0
12st 9
12st 6- my Pre DC 2 weight
12st 4- my Pre DC1 weight
12st 0
11st 10 - my wedding day weight
11st 7
11st 4 - my old "comfy" weight for my 20s
10st 13 - the elusive 10
10st 7- goal weight.

I really need to get back under 12 to feel like the old Pre children me at least.

DH has gone to stay with his parents leaving a huge quantity of courgettes in the fridge which none of my DC will eat. Does anyone have a good courgette soup recipe, or any other suggestions of what to do with them please?

I have a 6-week wall calendar I’m using to tick off the days, which I’m finding very motivational. I started a (somewhat low carb) diet a month or so before Bootcamp started so I’m coming up to the end of week seven. Seeing the previous sheet of 6 completed weeks with a tick on each day (okay, most days - four of them say ‘cheat’ (pre-Bootcamp, I swear)) sitting underneath my new one really motivates me because it reminds me how far I’ve come. This is the first time I’ve spent over a month on a diet for perhaps three years.

If I hit my goals, I should be (just) under 10 stone by the time I finish my current 6 week block (5.5 weeks to go!) which is when all my clothes fit! I can’t wait.

@StuntNun I was looking at things to do with my courgettes yesterday and saw Bolognaise stuffed zucchini boats. Looked really nice! I'll post the link below.
I also cut my corgette into spaghetti, dab the moisture out with kitchen paper, or a non fluffy towel, then fry with some garlic, onions and mushrooms. You can serve it with all sorts.

www.myketokitchen.com/keto-recipes/low-carb-bolognese-stuffed-zucchini-boats/

@StuntNun

DH has gone to stay with his parents leaving a huge quantity of courgettes in the fridge which none of my DC will eat. Does anyone have a good courgette soup recipe, or any other suggestions of what to do with them please?

Courgette fritters?

There's a recipe on the chicken/poultry thread for turkey and courgette burgers, which is nice.

Otherwise, just cut them in long strips, about 5mm wide, and chargrill them then drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, possibly some chilli flakes?

courgette fritters

Thanks @notwatchingspooks.