Week 4 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - time to focus

[BIWI]

The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Morning all. Sorry for the late start - had a bit of a bad night so slept longer than usual.

I hope that the scales were kind to you this morning, but please remember week 4 is notorious (along with week 3) in that you are very likely to have seen no loss, or even a small gain

If this has happened to you, DON'T PANIC!

This is your body adjusting to a new WOE, and from now on you should be burning fat. So don't change what you've been doing and things will get moving again; you should expect to see 1-3lbs losses each week (depending on how much you have to lose)

However, it's also important to be scrupulously honest with yourself. If you have had no loss, or seen a gain, go back over what you have been eating and drinking. Have you been following the rules? Have you been keeping your fat levels high? Have you been drinking all the water?

Good luck to us all for the following week as we go into lockdown once again. I know it's not going to be easy, and the lure of carbs (and all the alcohol) will be even more ever-present. Post here if you're needing support to stay away from them and together we can help each other. Remember, you're not alone!

Ooh, thanks Shag. You're last one was really fab!

BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome

I’d like to take part too please

BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard

Sounds great
IWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard
Pleaseandthankyou

Apologies BIWI
BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard
Pleaseandthankyou

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

Can I ask how my husband is managing to lose weight by loosely following this woe but not doing proper BC? He eats the same dinner as me and usually has an omelette for breakfast, but he has a beer most days, occasionally eats normal bread or a biscuit and still has sugar in his coffee. He works at his desk all day so not doing loads of exercise and yet he is consistently losing a couple of pounds per week. i want to stamp my feet at the unfairness of it all

Unfortunately men lose faster and seem also to lose based on higher carb intake than women.

And also, as I keep saying, exercise doesn't really make any difference to weight loss - unless you're doing a massive amount every day.

It's not a competition. If you follow Bootcamp rules then you will lose weight - but at your own pace.

Thank Biwi. No one would ever claim that either of us do a huge amount of exercise. I do go out for a walk every day, but that's about it tbh.

I’d like to join too please, but am weirdly nervous as I am generally quite antisocial...

BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard
Pleaseandthankyou
BurningGubbins

Tidying the list, ZiggaZiggArrgggghhhh accidentally got dropped...

BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
ZiggaZiggArrgggghhhh
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard
Pleaseandthankyou
BurningGubbins

...and I have a couple more to add who have contacted me directly. Will let this run for the day and send DMs out this evening so we can move it to an email comms.

If you’re concerned about using an identifying email make a new fake one and use that. Hell, make up a name if you want. That could be fun and you could make us all address you as Princess Zyganthia for the session.

Last night’s dinner was ribeye with bleu cheese sauce, butter fried asparagus, and chunky chips (for the kids). I couldn’t even finish it so saved the steak for breakfast. Decadent.

BIWI
Takingontheundead
Prettybird
ToastCosILoveIt
Basicmadeira
Superspecs
ZiggaZiggArrgggghhhh
TotalShambles
Sheepysheep
MrsKoala
Sunseed
EarlGreyHot
bluelefant
Poorbuthappy
Ifeelmuchlessfat
NigellaAwesome
Rshard
Pleaseandthankyou
BurningGubbins
Rubyred44

Okay—thanks to everyone who has DM’d (punctuation? Eek!) and added names to the list.

In an effort to avoid derailing our lovely Bootcamp group, which has been going from strength to strength, please will anyone interested in the Shop Your Wardrobe Xoom offer small send ME a DM and not add to the thread. I do answer and I’ve taken all your names. Will be in touch.

BACK TO BOOTCAMP!!

Planning homemade spaghetti carbonara and massive salad with other vegetables for dinner tonight. I’ll be the one having strips of courgette instead of pasta.

Ps—try to avoid your treat wine or G&T tonight. Try to avoid your treat chocolate tonight. Try instead to drink some water and have a great meal and be content.

Times are tough, y’all, but that doesn’t mean we should forget ourselves or our goals. Mwah!

Indeed!

Remember - rules 4 & 6 are absolutely critical, and a lot of us seem to be forgetting those!

4 - most of your carbs should be coming from vegetables and salad (and some fruit) and this is non-negotiable on Bootcamp!

6 - you must drink at least 2 litres of water a day, but the amount you should drink increases with the amount of weight you need to lose. To check out how much you should be drinking, go and look up the rules on the spreadsheet.

I'd also like to remind you - promoted by Shag - that although we're on Bootcamp Light, and it's the weekend, alcohol is to be drunk in moderation!

B - boiled egg
L - amazing lunch out
D - pumpkin and turnip soup

Lunch was a 10 course delight, although I dropped the final 2 dessert courses. I had a tiny taste of one and it was so, so sweet that I had to drink half a pint of water to wash the sensation away. The other courses were delicious little concoctions, one was basically celeriac, cream and herbs, another was cauliflower, dashi and a tiny drop of apricot puree. Also in the mix of dishes were a sliver of trout, a few mussels, a piece of plaice, ox cheek and lots of cumumber, foraged sea veg etc. I was in food heaven. But restriction here mean no alcohol, so it was easy to stick to BC rules on that!

That sounds lovely 20BloodyPumpkins. I've been in strange form today, and have found it difficult to settle and focus. I had a draining 3 hour medico-legal appointment yesterday, which was upsetting and intrusive, and I think I'm quite discombobulated after it.

I had work I needed to do today, and just haven't been able to, and although I haven't felt hungry, there is something I want but can't work out what it is. I also think the US election is quite unsettling - even if Biden wins the electoral vote, I think Trump will incite violence and try to thwart the result.

Dinner tonight is going to be shakshuka, and I'm just about to attempt some roasted radishes as a snack. I'll have to look up how to do them. For the first time since bootcamp I quite fancy alcohol, but I know I can't. I don't have an off switch.

Have a good weekend peeps.

I've had a really rubbish day at work but have managed to avoid the temptation of consoling myself with crisps and chocolate. I don't drink so at least that's not a temptation, but I would normally have fallen head first into the junk aisle at the supermarket. I have NOT done that today, which I'm taking as a huge victory.

In fact, I haven't eaten very much at all today, and haven't felt hungry til now.
B: skipped as running late.
L: missed because a) I'd forgotten to take it to work due to running late this morning and there's nothing at all in the school canteen that is even vaguely low carb, and b) my lunchtime was taken up by writing up incidents from the morning then helping a couple of sixth formers with their homework.
S: packet of cheesios that I keep in the car for snack related emergencies. These were eaten in the way home from work.
I will eat a ton of veg for/with dinner tonight as I'm very, very aware that I haven't had any veg at all so far today.
I have drunk my full 3 litres of water though, including 2 electrolyte drinks. (And I only needed to go to the loo twice during the working day today, which might mean I'm finally getting used to how much water I'm drinking)

Sorry, I posted before I'd read the rest of the thread. Now I'm all caught up though.

20bloodypumpkins that amazing lunch out really does sound amazing. I am very envious of that meal!!!

Burninggubbins I'm weirdly nervous about the styling zoom call too. I am still deciding whether to join in, as I'm rather antisocial outside of work. And I also keep thinking "what if I know one of you irl?" It would be really outing if I did (I'm pretty sure I don't). And then there's deciding if I've got time, as work is full on at the minute and I have barely any down time.

MrsHunt I fully understand your frustration about your dh losing more than you despite not doing it properly. It's very annoying!! But like BIWI says men do lose more than women, and it's not a competition. My dh is only eating low carb at dinner times with me, his breakfast and lunch are often still very carb based, yet he's lost weight too. I'm not going to complain about it though as it's sort of helping him get healthier almost by stealth.

@BurningGubbins and @MsAwesomeDragon the zoom call we did last time was great fun - and if you want to preserve your anonymity, you can change your screen name so it doesn't show your real name. You could show your MN name instead. And if you really wanted to, you could turn your camera off (although that would kind of defeat the object of the call!)

@ShagMeRiggins is great and you'll really enjoy it!

No chocolate today and a ton of veg in the chilli I made for dinner, served with buttery mashed swede. Also ate smoked mussels (not doing that again - made me feel a bit urgh!). Breakfast was sausage bacon and egg with hollandaise sauce. No fruit, nuts or dairy today.
I will drink a small whisky but I am very good at alcohol moderation. More than one small drink makes me ill these days - officially a lightweight and my younger self would be horrified

MsAwesomeDragon I am glad I am not the only one! I have got out of the habit of being sociable for lots of reasons but have done a lot of play dates lately which I can force myself into as it’s for my kids.

I know I need to shake up my look though. I used to be hot stuff and now I am wearing a fleece on a Friday night...

Just had spicy beef with a coconut sauce and courgetti. Full!

My supermarket shop has just arrived and they seem to be trying to sabotage me!!
I ordered so much veg, but I haven't received anywhere near as much as I ordered.
No courgettes, no aubergines, no mangetout, no shallots, no broccoli!!!
I did manage to get hold of a celeriac though, even though neither dh nor I have ever tried one before, but we'll give it a go and try one of the recipes that uses it this weekend.

We're having roasted veg with halloumi tonight (with rather less veg than I was aiming for, but we do have some left from last week) and I'll have to brave an actual shop tomorrow in a search for more veg.

I know I need to shake up my look though. I used to be hot stuff and now I am wearing a fleece on a Friday night.... Me too (wearing a fleece on a Friday night, not sure I was ever hot stuff lol)

I need new clothes, so maybe I should join in. It'll depend on timings as to whether I actually make it though (work, bleugh).

Me and 2 friends went dog walking tonight and were talking about the end of lockdown on Monday (Wales) and the question was asked if we were ready to sit in a pub with strangers....it's an odd feeling trying to be sociable again

So envious of that lunch 20bloodypumpkins!

Nigella just made roast radishes on her BBC show, served them with a bavette steak.

Evening all
Not sure where today went!

MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously I am another one with a DH who is losing weight despite alcohol and cake .
I am trying to be gracious bad ultimately that want him to improve his health too but it is frustrating when I feel I am being so GOOD !

BIWI thankS for reassuring me about the Cote at home meal - I am really looking forward to it and was quite pleased at low carb choices - it just feels very decadent !
I also have to navigate cake avoidance ( am not tempted but there will be a cake for my DC really ) and I will probably have a glass of bubbly too. Really want to enjoy the treat without self sabotage .
Hope I can manage that!

We eat dinner really late once kids are asleep - DH is a pour to serve roast chicken with FLGV - do you think eating this late will impact on weight loss at all?

Enjoy your Friday nights all .

@Midlifemission

I am another one with a DH who is losing weight despite alcohol and cake. I am trying to be gracious bad ultimately that want him to improve his health too but it is frustrating when I feel I am being so GOOD!

Well, be reassured that your health will be better than his! Cutting down carbohydrate is much more than just about weight loss - it's better for things like hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimers (thinking of major things), as well as conditions like IBS, PCOS. It's also better for your skin and various allergic conditions.

So the more you cut down, the better! (Albeit that you should still be eating carbs in the form of veg/salad/fruit, as I posted earlier)

I don't know about the time of eating and its impact, but I have to say I'd feel pretty uncomfortable going to bed soon after a big meal! @StuntNun might know more about it than me though.

It won't have any particular effect of weight loss if you eat late at night. If you ever try intermittent fasting then it will mean you have to have your first meal very late in the day. The research suggests that we should eat earlier in the day, i.e. a big breakfast and lunch but no dinner. However this is going to be difficult for most people to achieve since dinner is the most sociable meal. So I don't think it's worth worrying about meal timings unless you feel it is having an effect on you.