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!

Thanks BIWI and Stuntnun.
Sorry for all my typos.

Yes that’s a good point BIWI about all those other health benefits - I will have to keep working on him but in the meantime this will make me very smug
I must say I do feel so much better than I did before I started so long term health improvements are an added bonus .

We have eaten late ever since we have had DC and it works for us at the moment so am pleased to hear it’s not a huge concern though I take your point about IF. I don’t ever really feel too full and we stay up reasonably
Late too. I have found my evening appetite is a lot smaller than it used to be as well. Over time I am it will change as we eat more with the DC.

just a food diary;
B: Protein Ball (On cycle break - 8g carb), Creamy coffee
L: Chaffel (3 egg, cheese, chives, almond flour), leaves, greek yogurt and olive oil.
D: Chicken & Mushroom thingy, on leaves with broccoli.
Yogurt with rasberries
Mint tea with 85% chocolate
2Lwater

@Summery1

just a food diary; B: Protein Ball (On cycle break - 8g carb), Creamy coffee L: Chaffel (3 egg, cheese, chives, almond flour), leaves, greek yogurt and olive oil. D: Chicken & Mushroom thingy, on leaves with broccoli. Yogurt with rasberries Mint tea with 85% chocolate 2Lwater

Why are you eating a protein ball? And what's a cycle break?! That's a lot of carbs, when you should be getting your carbs from veg/salad.

So your carbs today have been coming from the protein ball, the almond flour, the yoghurt and chocolate.

(And whatever a 'thingy' is?!)

Morning All, fell off the thread due to not posting. All going ok here - meals are boring, Bootcamp friendly but boring. Bit of a stress thursday as BA emailed to say flights back to London for me and my boss are cancelled. his reaction: that's fine Plum, just find another way!! so most of yesterday was spent doing that - result bloody sore neck and shoulders from hunching over a laptop all day!! However flights have been found and its all good!!

Restaurants and bars are still open here, and had my first dinner out since 14 March - 10 people, all having a good time, amazing ribeye streak and broccoli followed steak tartar. No chips - which is a bloody miracle as the smell of the truffle mayo coming off them was divine!! hey ho - onward and downward, had a shot of vodka which was fine and taken for cultural reasons!!

Really need to find a meal involving chicken or a fish that is not salmon - may start moo-ing if I eat much more steak!!!!

KOKO and have a great weekend everyone!!

Morning
Hope your new flights are all good plum

I seem stuck in the week 3/4 weight stall, but I’m just keeping koko.

Today
B Greek yogurt
L veg soup with sprinkle of grated cheese
D chicken casserole, mashed buttered swede, broccoli 🥦

Will get out for a walk today, it looks like a nice day here

plumstone Few years ago I was on a 2 week work trip to Sweden. Everywhere we went our hosts had organised a lavish dinner for us. Every single meal featured salmon. And sometimes for lunch too. I love salmon but too much of a good thing...

Going for a lovely walk in the autumn sunshine today.
Brunch - scrambled egg, smoked salmon, spinach, mushroom
D - cabbage and sausage meat 'lasagne' with broccoli and asparagus and a grilled tomato

Appear to have put on a pound overnight. Desperately need to go shopping this morning because all my children are like locusts around the fridge .
No idea about food today yet - probably eggs for breakfast since that is one of the few carb friendly things left in the house. Think I'll have a root through the recipe threads and see what I fancy.
Have a good day everyone

@MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously

Appear to have put on a pound overnight. Desperately need to go shopping this morning because all my children are like locusts around the fridge . No idea about food today yet - probably eggs for breakfast since that is one of the few carb friendly things left in the house. Think I'll have a root through the recipe threads and see what I fancy. Have a good day everyone

Well, I hate to remind you, but ...

I find I am getting too tired in the evening to bother cooking. Last night I ended u even if it was low carb. It meant I had 4 pieces of low carb bread yesterday and I really only want two max. Today I've decided to make my main meal at lunch time, while I can still be bothered to cook it. So, breakfast was 2 pieces of toast (low carb) one with almond butter/cream cheese. Lunch chicken tikka (made with half of one of those little paste pots and 80g coconut milk) and flgv cooked in butter. I did have a line of low carb choc, which I know is disapproved of on BC bit it really does help to keep me out of the biscuit tin, so I figure it's the less bad option

As they so irritatingly say - actions have consequences

Please, please, please do some serious meal planning before you go shopping, so that you have Bootcamp-friendly foods to hands, and a series of low-carb meals sorted for the week.

@Rshard

So envious of that lunch 20bloodypumpkins!

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

Ooohh she must be lurking on our threads

All ok this end, stressful week at work which lead to a bit of fizz (open bottle that was going to waste so not my first choice ) on Wednesday night after a long long shift on the run up to restaurant closing. Just celebrating having survived it really. I have had no alcohol in weeks and it made me very drunk very fast ! Meals have stayed BC friendly, albeit boring, as a poster above has experienced. Really really need a food shop later this afternoon.

Hope everyone`s having a nice weekend !

if you're finding your meals boring, go and check the Bootcamp recipe threads out. Loads of good stuff there!

I'm still here but seem to be having some kind of mental health break. I can't think straight, can't articulate my needs, keep making silly decisions or getting easily overwhelmed. I feel totally burnt out. I don't know how to stop it.

I can see I'm in dangerous territory of losing my weightloss journey.

I've sat down to write out my food for the week so all I have to do is buy it today and follow the plan. Hopefully this will do me ok. But i feel like I don't know what I'm doing/don't understand the diet any more (i hope that makes sense) so can someone just check this over..

Monday: parma ham and avo salad: leaves, radish, cucumber, tomato.

Mince done fried in oil and chipotle paste with onion and green pepper, shredded cabbage, kale done in oil and garlic, fage 5% yog with lime and maybe some coriander.

Tuesday: halloumi salad, done in oil, lettuce, cabbage, cherry tomato, radish and cucumber. Tbsp Mayo

Chicken that I'll stuff with boursin, wrap in streaky bacon (2slices?) Broccoli and kale fried in oil garlic and salt.

Wednesday: Tuna salad

Left over chipotle mince with avocado, cabbage, shredded lettuce, yogurt.

Thursday: 1/2 roast cauliflower in tikka paste and oil with yogurt, lime and coriander.

Sliced beef stir fried with broccoli, kale, baby corn,,um.. anything else anyone can think of? In oil and garlic and maybe some chilli flakes?

Friday: 2 egg omlette with cheese, broccoli and streaky bacon in oil

Roast chicken with salad and mayo

I'll focus on my water and have bought electrolytes.

does anyone know of a low carb or the lowest carb 'cream of...' soup? Theres a recipe that I want to do which I can use fresh cream for and is preferable but a cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup would be a great cupboard back up...any thoughts?

@Takingontheundead

I'm still here but seem to be having some kind of mental health break. I can't think straight, can't articulate my needs, keep making silly decisions or getting easily overwhelmed. I feel totally burnt out. I don't know how to stop it.

I can see I'm in dangerous territory of losing my weightloss journey.

I've sat down to write out my food for the week so all I have to do is buy it today and follow the plan. Hopefully this will do me ok. But i feel like I don't know what I'm doing/don't understand the diet any more (i hope that makes sense) so can someone just check this over..

Monday: parma ham and avo salad: leaves, radish, cucumber, tomato.

Mince done fried in oil and chipotle paste with onion and green pepper, shredded cabbage, kale done in oil and garlic, fage 5% yog with lime and maybe some coriander.

Tuesday: halloumi salad, done in oil, lettuce, cabbage, cherry tomato, radish and cucumber. Tbsp Mayo

Chicken that I'll stuff with boursin, wrap in streaky bacon (2slices?) Broccoli and kale fried in oil garlic and salt.

Wednesday: Tuna salad

Left over chipotle mince with avocado, cabbage, shredded lettuce, yogurt.

Thursday: 1/2 roast cauliflower in tikka paste and oil with yogurt, lime and coriander.

Sliced beef stir fried with broccoli, kale, baby corn,,um.. anything else anyone can think of? In oil and garlic and maybe some chilli flakes?

Friday: 2 egg omlette with cheese, broccoli and streaky bacon in oil

Roast chicken with salad and mayo

I'll focus on my water and have bought electrolytes.

Sorry to hear this - can you give yourself a break/take a few days off work? Do something just for you that will help you relax?

It's a difficult and anxious time right now, so that won't be helping your state of mind either.

Your meals sound fine to me - and very tasty!

@Takingontheundead

I too am guilty of not planning well this time and haven’t had time to meal plan or shop properly. I did a jar sauce chicken curry and cauliflower rice last night instead of the planned fish pie. I’m just so tired and pissed off doing stuff by the evening I can’t be bothered to cook at all. H constantly asking me for food/ what’s for lunch/dinner etc then stropping about because he’s hungry and it’s ‘cruft’ (his word for rubbish) has put me off food prep completely now. I’ve told him to write me a list of things he wants for lunches that HE can make himself and I will buy it from the shop. He has said no, he will go shopping and sort it himself. Which means he’ll piss off for hours tomorrow leaving me with the kids and spend about £100 of the family food budget on gourmet cook meals and Waitrose deli bits.

for you MrsKoala

Give him the list of things that you need for the coming week, so that he can spend the time doing the family shop while he's out getting his own food. Remind him of the overall budget

And while he's out, do something nice with the kids . Alternatively plonk then in front of a screen get them occupied doing something, and then do something nice for yourself

Prettybird ive just told him I’m writing a list for him to get while he’s shopping for his lunch and he’s backtracked by saying I can do it ‘just get him nice bread, charcuterie, Houmous, crisps, biscuits and cake’.

Rshard
So envious of that lunch 20bloodypumpkins!

Nigella just made roast radishes on her BBC show, served them with a bavette steak.
Ooohh she must be lurking on our threads

Did someone say my name??

@NigellaAwesome why do they film you making the food in silence with a smile on your face, but then you do the voice over anyway. It looks strange!

And how do you look 37 when you’re 60?

Biwi, serious question (not just being a pita because I want to eat chocolate) because I am struggling here a bit, but what is actually wrong with those foods from a wanting to lose weight perspective? I get that there's no nutrition in the low carb chocolate, so I have knocked that on the head (the last time I ate it, it didn't taste as good, so I think I don't need it as much as I'd believed) and I know the bread isn't a proper meal but everything was low carb. I wasn't eating half a jar of nut butter or cream cheese either.
Is this just the expected 3/4 week stall or am I doing something particularly damaging?

@Midlifemission We eat late too, normally about 8pm once the baby is in bed. The benefit for me is that I'm full until bedtime so no temptation to snack! I still do 16/8 as I don't eat lunch til 1pm most days.

I hopped on the scales this morning and it started with a 14! it ended with 13.75 but I don't care! Super chuffed!

@Anotherducker

And how do you look 37 when you’re 60?

NIGELLA LAWSON IS 60? I thought she was about 45!

Day at work was carb friendly but I've lost my water bottle so my intake was crap. I was very hungry when I got home at 6 but we had a big steak with peppercorn sauce and brocolli.

Been for a ten mile walk this morning and just meal planning for the week now. Not sure if I can face Lidl today so I might send DH out to do my bidding.

Scales arent doing much this week and I'm only on week 2 so water, and also possible Greek yoghurt and cheese are on my watch list.

Has everyone changed back from their Hallowe’en names or are they staying permanently? I’m curious and actually don’t care what anyone does, it was just a random thought.

Based on today’s weigh-in I’m heading for a 3-4lb gain this week but I’ve seen it coming since Tuesday. My eating has been all over the place and I don’t seem to really care.

It’s rare for me to post my food and as I’ve mentioned repeatedly I’m a slow loser most of the time but that’s psychological. I’m really happy with this way of eating because I love the food and it’s a sustainable, healthy diet for life (diet in the sense of regime not only in the sense of weight loss).

All of this a long-winded way of saying this has been a shit week for many. Not only is it Week 4 so we should expect very little, it’s also the crazy ass US election and the beginning of a second national lockdown in England and it really, really sucks. But...

—Turning it around is as simple as deciding what to put in your mouth next. It’s that easy.

—We all benefit from the constant support from this board and cliché alert we are not alone.

—It’s a long game. Not every day can be victorious, but the end goal will be.

—Every one of us can do this.

I have a flu shot later today. I’m going to put on some makeup and a fabulously bright lipstick, then shop my wardrobe for a ‘new’ outfit—something I’ve never put together before, which is basically playing dress up, which I loved as a child. Then I’ll rock up to the GP’s surgery and be flu-shotted like a BOSS.

Yesterday I went through all my wardrobe, put a load of stuff to go in the charity shop when they open, then a pile of stuff I still like that I fit into before I had a baby. They will act as a motivation - some aren't as far off as they were! Saw an 11 on the scales this morning, I'm fluctuating around this and just over 12 for a bit so hoping to drop a fair bit below over the next month.

B - lots of mushrooms and 1 fried egg
L - veggie bacon, courgettes and scrambled egg
D - will be veggie fajita (no wrap) plus halloumi.

I will also occasionally have a few squares of 85/90 % dark choc - Arguably there are health benefits but I also feel like this WOE is more sustainable if I don't feel like there's any 'occasional' type foods I can have to feel a bit more indulgent.