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.

A belated thank you for all of you who offered support on last week's thread when I said that I had stalled in weight loss terms, and to the poster who offered to analyse my daily food!

I have given myself a stern talking to: I think I may have been overdoing it on the snacks and, as someone said, using My Fitness Pal encourages you to use up all of your allocated calories. I am going to move away from snacks and from calorie counting.

I have a 1 lb weight loss this am which feels good for me. I want to at least dip below 10 stone and nearer to 9 1/2 so a little under a stone to go. Today's food:

B: Coffee with cream
L: gammon steak with raw spinach, a tomato, cucumber, a raw mushroom, all dressed in avocado oil
D: pork with crackling and roasted courgette, aubergine and celeriac.

I will also aim to drink 3L of water. If I really need it, I will have a 16g bag of crackling or a packet of Cheesies.

Thank you all for the support: I love reading about all your experiences and your menus.

@20bloodypumpkins okay.... so best keep that to myself and not post it on a public forum
I am the sort of person who needs to see data so standing on the scales, measuring my runs etc is what keeps me honest. So I shall just make sure that I tip over ever soooo slightly into a darker colour than neutral. I find the 3l of water daily hard and I easily drink 2l under normal circumstances but find 3l finds me in the loo to a ridiculous extent.

@Rshard

Lots of pesky pounds gone forever, everyone’s doing so well! And loving the shorts and belt progress verylittleowl and prettybird

I’ve stayed the same but have been having a ahem toilet issue for a few days - feel the need to go but when I go to the loo - nothing. It’s like it’s stuck. So sorry for the tmi, I’m not a poo troll I promise. Dh fetched me some ‘softener’ from the chemist and I’m eating flgv so I’m hoping that does the trick!

I think we’ve all been there, and wishing you luck. If the softener and veg doesn’t work, do consider glycerin suppositories. 15 minutes later things will be a bit more broken up and easier to pass.

Plus, this is about our bodies so there’s no such thing as tmi!

One off this week. Am a bit at the scales because I’ve been saintly but I lost lots last week so fair enough. Plus my jeans are HUGELY better fitting round the tummy so honestly I couldn’t give a fig what the scales say if I can look thinner it will do for me for now.
Off to meal plan for the week!

Gosh, well done Amazon and Royal Mail - from whichever warehouse my scales were in to the north coast of Scotland in 20 hours!

Jumped on them to pair the phone up and discovered I'm wearing 8lbs of clothing/food eaten and that I'm 36% lard I'll do an old and new weigh in tomorrow and see if I need to adjust my previous figures.

There is room for a jumper under my raincoat this week - just as well looking at the forecast :)

I checked the stickies at the top of the thread but didn't see anything that might help me with food on the move. So I hope it's ok to ask here.

I'm sometimes out in a field working from early hours to afternoon, and I was wondering what to take with me. I'm normally 16:8, so just one meal really. I've thought of the following so far, and wonder if anyone has bright ideas to offer. It will be several days at a time, so I'd like variety if possible. So far I thought of:

• Romaine leaves with various fillings: smoked salmon, hm pate, ham etc

• Bootcamp soups...but I'd need to drink them by 10 as my flask is pathetic and they'll be cold after that (new one on order)

- Babybel, Serrano ham crisps (made only from ham) and some cucumber chunks, radishes - leftover frittata -but I can't stomach hard boiled eggs or egg mayo.

I dont think I can do full on salads as it's just too cold outdoors. All ideas very much welcomed.

No change for me, I have my period and usually gain at this point, I will just keep going.

B Coffee
L Lettuce and feta
D Chicken casserole with celeriac

The boy DS sits next to in school tested positive for covid last week, we are a family of asthmatics so a bit nervy here. I reckon if we get to Friday without symptoms I can start to relax. We are quarantined obvs which is fine.

Well done on those who have lost. Don’t give up those who like me have stalled.

Brilliant jobs everyone! Some great losses! I am 4lb down, so 6lb in total which I am.super.pleased with. I'm going to do bootcamp lite but no nuts as I think once i pop I may not be able to stop!

What are the least carby alcohols?
How much is fruit in moderation? Is 80g frozen berries every day too much?

Thanks!

Can someone please enter me on the spreadsheet start date today, 165 pounds

Superspecs spirits are the least carby alcoholic drink, followed by wine, champagne and Prosecco. Remember not to use sugary mixers if you have spirits. Wine spritzers are a reasonable option. Alcohol is terrible for weight loss though. (1) While you have alcohol in your system you stop burning fat. (2) Alcohol is high calorie and doesn't contribute to your feeling of fullness so it's ridiculously easy for it to completely offset any calorie reduction for the day. (3) Alcohol leads to more alcohol and/or poor food choices or non-hunger eating. So if you do indulge while on Bootcamp it's something to be really careful about.

For your fruit question, 80g of frozen berries is about 4ish grams of carbs which should be fine. With the reintroduction of nuts, berries, dark chocolate and alcohol on Bootcamp I think it's important to make sure you aren't having all (or most) of these things every day as the carbs will mount up quickly. Most people need to be at around 20-30g carbs for effective weight loss so do view these higher carb foods as treats to be consumed in moderation.

CrepuscularCritter I'd be interested in snacks and lunches on the go as well, as it tends to be work lunches I struggle with most. I'm back to work after maternity in four weeks so it would be good to build up a bank of ideas!

From what I've read on these threads, the famous cheeseburger pie seems to be ok cold the next day so that might work with some crudités on the side? I can eat leftover chilli con carne cold as well but I don't know if that's a normal thing!

If you like sandwich fillings like tuna/cheese savoury etc you could try some of those without the bread, but that might be a bit too salad-y for you.

@KitchenFishCurry

Can someone please enter me on the spreadsheet start date today, 165 pounds

@AthelstaneTheUndeady, please will you see yo this? I can’t add weights until you add the name. Which I know you know.

Ps—great Halloween name

I can eat leftover chilli con carne cold as well but I don't know if that's a normal thing!

Does it matter if it’s normal?

Yep, everyone's on!

@ShagMeRiggins, where's your seasonal sense of humour?

You could be... could be... ShagMacabreRiggins? SpookMeRiggins? ShagMagicRiggins (that one's a bit Milktray advert actually)

I meant to add that I’ve lost 4lbs this week which—combined with the 7lbs from last week—puts me 11lbs down since Bootcamp started.

I’m at 170lbs and I’ve been struggling all day to remember the last time I’ve been near the 160s. Possibly a decade or more ago.

Fully prepared for the notorious 3-4 week “stall,” if it happens. Weight loss isn’t linear. Becoming healthier doesn’t have to happen all at once. This has been a path I chose and committed to 3 1/2 years ago, but I hope it can give some of you the confidence to KOKO, slowly but surely.

I’ve lost 66lbs in 3 1/2 years.

My choices were to:

A) stay at my top weight of 236lbs

B) gain more weight

C) lose weight and improve my health and not let it matter how quickly that happened

Patience, continuity, self-care, commitment, way of eating, community...these are all words that mean something to me.

Also, bloody delicious food.

WATER!!!

I've changed my mind. I love ShagMagic

@AthelstaneTheUndeady

Yep, everyone's on!

@ShagMeRiggins, where's your seasonal sense of humour?

You could be... could be... ShagMacabreRiggins? SpookMeRiggins? ShagMagicRiggins (that one's a bit Milktray advert actually)

I name changed last year and normally go whole hog for holidays—what with being half-American and all, we do like to go big or go home—but...okay, no buts...will come up with something!

ooooo... just 1lb to go, then ShagMeRavens!

That is a proper milestone - are you going to celebrate it, or just acknowledge it in an awed whisper?

ShagRigourMortis?

Thanks SuperbGorgonzola and I hope your return to work goes well.

I could definitely go something like tuna mayo with crudites, so that's another for my list. Cheeseburger pie sounds possible; I found it delicious hot this week, so next time I make one I will snaffle a cold spoonful to try and see what I reckon.

I know I'm being a bit precious about the salads, but I'm thinking semi frozen is no way to improve my morning.

Thank you shagme, happpy to report that all systems are now working.

@ShagMeRiggins

I meant to add that I’ve lost 4lbs this week which—combined with the 7lbs from last week—puts me 11lbs down since Bootcamp started.

I’m at 170lbs and I’ve been struggling all day to remember the last time I’ve been near the 160s. Possibly a decade or more ago.

Fully prepared for the notorious 3-4 week “stall,” if it happens. Weight loss isn’t linear. Becoming healthier doesn’t have to happen all at once. This has been a path I chose and committed to 3 1/2 years ago, but I hope it can give some of you the confidence to KOKO, slowly but surely.

I’ve lost 66lbs in 3 1/2 years.

My choices were to:

A) stay at my top weight of 236lbs

B) gain more weight

C) lose weight and improve my health and not let it matter how quickly that happened

Patience, continuity, self-care, commitment, way of eating, community...these are all words that mean something to me.

Also, bloody delicious food.

WATER!!!

Love it! Well done 👏 we’re similar weights although I’ve lost a week somewhere in my head 🙄 great to hear motivating stories thank you x

@BasicMadeira

Love to see the shorts updates *@VeryLittleOwl* Hang on in there *@BuffyTheBuffetSlayer*! I am staying in bootcamp this week as I put on a lb. went off the wagon yesterday in a very lazy slide into bad habits way. I also have not been exercising so that needs to be addressed. The short jog/run I do I think makes more of a difference to my head than my body but it's all good. I did buy those keto sticks for checking my wee and moved up two places last week so this week I am hoping to move further up the colour chart. I find them very inspiring and keep me motivated. Good luck everyone x

The ketosix are a waste of money though!

If you're drinking all the water that you should be, they won't really show very dark anyway.

You are drinking all the water, aren't you?

Well done in everyone's fantastic losses.

I'm feeling a bit disheartened. I continued with boot camp after end of last one and Continued to lose very slowly 1lb a week. I've started this bootcamp light and haven't lost anything at all for the past two weeks.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can kickstart things again please?