Week 5 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - the end of the first half

[BIWI]

Morning all

This week sees the end of the first half of Bootcamp. The last two weeks may have been tough going, as you might have seen weight loss slow or even stop.

But this has been an important transition period, as your body has been switching from burning carbs for fuel, to burning fat. So from now on, the weight loss you will see will be entirely fat. And hopefully from week 5, you should see the scales showing a weekly loss too!

By now, hopefully, you have also have become a bit more accustomed to low carb eating, so that it's becoming a bit more of a habit. Once things are habitual, it's a lot easier to stick with things, as they're more routine.

Anyway, here's the spreadsheet for this week's 'confession'!

Bootcamp lite hasn't helped me with weeks 3 and 4... much as I've enjoyed a bit of variety. I have stuck to it, but have lost some of my weeks 1 and 2 weightloss and may have to go back to full bootcamp after all :(

Congratulations @Purbal

Congratulations @PurBal

congratulations @PurBal

2lbs for me so 299 - very happy with that!

I made myself a basket of stuff that is just for me so that my husband doesnt eat it. Its so annoying when he scoffs crisps and bisuits and whatever he likes and then comes after MY stuff!!! So I've put things like pork scratchings, really dark choc (I dont really like it), nice peanut butter, coconut oil stuff like that in a basket in a cupboard he doesnt really go in. I think he got the point though as the other day he came back from the shop with 2 bags of pork scratchings so that he could eat one . I've told him he'll get fat if he carries on eating high fat stuff with all the crappy carbs he has

11.6.8 stone today, which is the lightest I've weighed since 2008 I think. I started this stint of low carb in early September and was slightly off plan (planned for) the last few weeks, but back on it now, and I'm so so grateful for this WOE. It feels so sustainable for me, and I really enjoy the food. Well done everyone for your weight losses, for returning to the plan, and for the BFP @Purbal

Congratulations PurBal!

And congratulations everyone on surviving the dreaded weeks 3 and 4!

1.5lb off for me. Even though I've been doing this since May, it still amazes me how I can eat so much nice food and still lose weight! The moussaka is lovely; DH has already asked when we can have it again!

Thanks everyone

Great news PurBal! Congratulations!

0.4 on. I think I'll retreat from bootcamp lite and return to basic bc. I don't need any of the nuts / fruit / alcohol, so I'll just aim for the next 6 weeks of focussed effort.

Food today:
B - coffee with cream (at 11am)
L - sausage and cabbage lasagne with left over veg
D - Californian fish (lemon sole topped with mayonnaise, lime juice, coriander and capers, finished off with grated cheese under the grill. Plus broccoli and spinach

Aw I love a boot camp baby! Congratulations purBal

Congratulations @purbal how exciting!

Hi all, not sure if i am in right discussion but anyway, so have been living low carb for a while now, lost 23lb so far , until i went on holidays 2 weeks ago, i wasn't extremely bad alot better than usual on hols, but had a few drinks and came back with 4lb of water weight, got rid of that within a few days and now whatever my mindset i literally cannot stop craving carbs, i am up now 7lb again mostly water i think as i am using MFP and my calories are within my goals but finding it very hard to get back on track, ideally looking to loose around 10lb as at the moment i am 175cm and 158lb. Any ideas on how any of you have slipped up but got back on it!!!

@Lizzyketo what's stopping you getting back into it, do you think?

Practically speaking it's easy - get rid of all the carby stuff that's tempting you. Make a plan for the next week's meals, and make sure they're all good, low carb choices that you will enjoy eating.

One thing that helps me to retain my focus is to read about low carbing, and all the other benefits beyond weight loss that it will bring. Have a look at the spreadsheet (linked to in the OP) at the resources page for some good places to start.

Congratulations PurBal. That's wonderful news

I have lost 3lb (but this was my first week so it’s always more) and am very surprised and pleased. I don’t seem to be on the spreadsheet tho.

@Lizzyketo as someone who has really recently slipped up, I found it helped to just really indulge in lower carb foods.

My mantra was pretty much, ‘if it’s low carb, it can go in my mouth.’

Ordinarily on a low carb diet I would try to be sensible (e.g. I measure the cream in my coffee - I don’t free pour; I try not to idly snack on random bits of meat or cheese) but after my slip I had a few days of low carb indulgence while I got over the carb flu again (I was also very hungover and very stressed at work). I bought the low carb ‘bits’ I really like to snack on (like mini cocktail sausages) and made myself low carb treat meals (like cauliflower ‘buffalo wings’ with hot sauce and blue cheese dip) and it got me back in the mindset.

This week I am back to two healthy pre-prepared meals a day and I’m not thinking about carbs anymore!

I think i am still in the holiday mode, i am not making silly choices as such but am being easily persuaded to have a vodka on a Saturday night and when DH pulls out the crisps i have a munch, silly things like that which just push me out of focus

Congratulations purbal !

20bloodypumpkins that fish dish sounds delicious, will definitely give it a try.

Well done on everyone’s losses, and also to those who haven’t lost but are keeping going.

I’ve STS for the 3rd week in a row (started BC 1 week early), but not surprised as I’m still constipated. Amazed I’ve not put weight on actually, seeing as nothing is being ejected! Sorry for the TMI

@GorgeousGoldies

Congratulations purbal !

20bloodypumpkins that fish dish sounds delicious, will definitely give it a try.

Well done on everyone’s losses, and also to those who haven’t lost but are keeping going.

I’ve STS for the 3rd week in a row (started BC 1 week early), but not surprised as I’m still constipated. Amazed I’ve not put weight on actually, seeing as nothing is being ejected! Sorry for the TMI

Echo everyone else with the congrats @PurBal!

And @GorgeousGoldies - I went to the loo about an hour after weighing this morning. I was a little bit peeved about this!

Yay congratulations purbal !

I also find it hard to get back into it if I’ve had a major fall off the wagon (ie a few days of uncontrolled eating not one slice of cake iyswim). I have a small theory about this: our gut biome is vast and varies hugely depending on what we eat. The shift in bugs present (both range and proportions) is very reactive to diet. There are certain classes of bugs that crave sugar and will literally control our brains to get it. I’m sure when I go back on the carbs these type of bugs proliferate and control me from within. But even if it’s true it’s still me shoving the food in, they don’t leap out and run to the cake tin themselves!!! The good bacteria love fibre so plenty of veggies will help get them back on track and outnumber the pesky sugar addicted ones. Just my thoughts, could be complete nonsense!

I’ve STS again but it’s my fault. I’m quite close to goal weight (< half a stone) so I need to quite careful. I ordered a shed load of nuts to make a massive batch of granola for DH and the DC. However I had to wfh last week due to isolation which I find really stressful (key worker job which is quite hard to do remotely especially with two children doing home learning) .... so I ate most of the nuts to console myself . DH joked that he was going to get me a nose bag so I could carry on troughing without having to stop typing - I was completely out of control as I’m one of those people who has a switch not a dial. Which is how I got overweight in the first place!!

KOKO everyone

Well done everyone who's shifted downwards this week. If that's not you, wishing you ongoing strength for this week.
Thanks for this new thread BIWI .
Said "bye bye " to 2 more lbs this week. Really happy about that.

@PurBal

Got my BFP last week so I've decided not to stick to low carb and try to be more balanced. I love the diet though. Good luck everyone.

Congratulations! That's lovely news

However, if you move to Bootcamp Light that will be perfectly fine to do while you're pregnant.

@StuntNun can tell you about her experiences of low carbing during pregnancy (and during breastfeeding)

Lovely news @PurBal

1.5lb gain for me which was deserved as I was a carb wanker this weekend.

Aiming for better this week.