Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - the lucky 7

[BIWI]

... no idea why 7 is supposed to be lucky, but let's hope it is for us!

Here's the Spreadsheet

If you haven't visited the spreadsheet for a while, or really had a good look at it, can I suggest that you have a good browse of it now? There's lots of really useful information there.

Why do I suggest that? Because it's easy to get complacent or to lose enthusiasm this far into Bootcamp - but yet we still have 4 weeks to go, so it's important to hold your resolve.

Hopefully the scales (or your tape measure/favourite item of clothing) have been kind to you this week - but if not, have a think about why. Have you allowed carb creep? Have you been cheating? Have you slipped on the fat/water front?

Anyway, hopefully all is good, and here's to another positive week

Thanks @StuntNun ! I can't imagine getting up without 2 cups of strong tea. Something to think about!

I'm loving the tea discussion :-) pukka 3 gingers is one of my faves at the moment. I've also bought a box of marriage freres french breakfast tea which is very nice although better without milk I think. Not sure it's worth the price though.

@Mimosa1 will be interested to hear what you decide about caffeine.
When I have tried in the past to give it up I have always felt so ill I have had to abandon the attempt.
Quite scary really.

I drink lots of green tea. I can’t drink builder’s tea anymore. It is just too bitter. I have one with coconut to try and one that is supposed to help sleep. I will report back if it works! When my mug is almost finished I fill up the dregs with hot water. There was another poster on the thread doing the same thing. This probably suits me as I like weak tea.

Morning I’ve stayed the same which was good after having a bit of a whoosh, I always worry it will creep back on.

I did a Teapig order last night, thanks for the tip. It also made me think about trying a different flavour tea each day by way of adding in some variety, I have loads in my cupboards.

For those wondering about giving up Caffeine, I have not given it up, but I have seriously reduced it. From probably at least 8 cups a day, down to 2 occasionally 3.
I started by having no canine after 4pm, then because of boot camp moved to ,a cup of hot water first thing, then I just reduced my coffee to 2, With occasionally an extra coffee or a tea if I felt like it. I bought lots of different herbal teas and now have those instead. I never had any headaches etc, but I do still have some caffeine.
I think that as I am used to it I could switch my coffees to decaf if I needed to.
Today
B Greek yogurt
L pumpkin soup (it’s been looking at me for a while) with some sprinkled grated cheese and butter stirred in
D Cook curry, a little of korma and the paneer one someone recommended served with flgv with butter and roasted green beans

Caffeine not canine, that would have been bad !

Got rid of my ping pong pound finally after 6 weeks!! And an extra one to boot! So pleased. Expecting the same thing to happen around this point for a little while but at least it’s further down the scales. I upped the fat a little (more liberal with the butter, cream cheese, cheddar and mascarpone!) although probably smaller portions over the last week as isolating and zero exercise. Finally!!!

@Totalshambles I love that saying! My ping pong pound has gone again, hopefully for good. After a couple of static weeks eating too many nuts, I've been back on bootcamp proper this week and scales are showing a pound down so far this week!

hopeislost. woohoo! It feels so rewarding doesn't it!

Hopeislost and Totalshambles that's lovely to read. I'm ping ponging around 1 pound this week and finding it very frustrating. I'm giving myself the talk about how my body's not a machine and all. But, it's good to read experiences about how it hasn't lasted forever with others.

There was a fab post about weight loss not being Linear a while ago, I kept thinking of it when I stalled.

Also remember the boot camper that I think Stuntnun referred to who went down 2 dress sizes without any weight loss.

Well done @Totalshambles! It must be so frustrating to fluctuate like that, but sounds like you’ve seen the back of it now.

It’s not quite as virtuous as teapigs but Morrisson’s have 30% off all champagne for Black Friday - including an £18 own brand (now £12) which won the Which best taste awards. Stocked up on ten bottles for Christmas but resisted the urge to buy another ten for Brexit.

To continue my non-virtuous train of thought - has anyone got a Nespresso machine? They have a good Black Friday deal and I’m considering it. I have a coffee every morning - just instant coffee right now - and I wonder if I would enjoy the Nespresso more. On the other hand, all their (allegedly no sugar or sweetener) flavours might shift me back towards that sweet-orientated mentality.

I ate a LOT of chocolate and a couple of biscuits at work yesterday. Not sure what the difference was between my normal bootcamp "no thanks" and yesterday's epic scoffing, no specific trigger. These last 4ish lbs are hard to stay motivated for though, I do know that.

Lovely steak last night and some homemade curries planned for tonight.

That looked great ZiggaZiggArrgggghhhh hope you had a nice afternoon. I'm off to Waitrose in a dress (worn with a belt which I've never added in all the years I've worn and loved this dress), plenty of jewellery and my good wool coat instead of the puffa or mac I would normally put on for the supermarket. I think Shag would be proud!

lyrata thank you!

we have a nespresson and its brilliant and has lasted for years. Over 10. Its just a small thing and pretty simple, something like this but an older model. Its great and compatible with pretty much every pod I have tried - including my current favourites which are the Starbucks ones (I get on Ocado)

www.nespresso.com/uk/en/order/machines/original/nespresso-c60-pixie-electric-red

I've ping ponged up a pound too

Went to the loo and had a (substantial ) crap , so weighed myself again (literally a couple of minutes after I'd first weighed myself) and I was up another pound So that's over 3lb since Monday

I'll just have to drink loads of water and hope that the scales are behaving by Monday

At least I'm in control over what we have tomorrow as my dad and I alternate who cooks on a Sunday night and it's his turn to come over here.

Water, water, water

I'm struggling with cravings atm and I'm not really sure why. Focusing on upping fat and water just incase.

I don't know if this helps anyone else but alongside my "one meal at a time" approach right now, I've started putting a green tick on my phone calender each day I've stayed on track.

This is also helping me see the bigger picture.

I'm miles from where I was, further than I could have even dared imagine back in June, but this jas led me to what may have been unrealistic goal for January which is 100% unreachable now having only lost 2lbs in the last month and similar slow pace in October.. so am irritated with myself for having these cravings and what feels like shakey willpower/motivation. I've got atleast another 2st to go really which is alot.

So just one meal at a time. Collecting my ticks.

If my mouth could stop sending my brain signals that I need to eat ALL the chocolate that would be grand.

Because of this stupid weird hunger (don't think its really hunger but feels strong!) I've been eating the right things but significantly more so no shift on scales this week, but thats ok. My only aim is to keep on track each day right now.

I've just had left over chilli with leftover cabbage slaw I made, cheese and 5% yog.

Got sausages from butcher yday- kids had the same ones at neighbours for dinner last week and they were surprisingly and ridiculously lean so not sure what that's about... got a celearic and leeks to make mash with (lots of butter) and a broccoli.

Is celearic or swede betters carbs wise does anyone know?

@Takingontheundead
Sometimes head down and one day or meal at a time is best. Tomorrow we can feast!

I am gained a little this week and after a bad last week but am slowly lost interest in food. I like the high fat element of the woe as that means cheese to me but am not a big meat/ fish eater so rely on eggs as lot.

As I've said before I actually don't mind a boring diet (especially dinner- least favorite meal) but DH is starting to comment that I should eat the same as the family and as we have young children there is a very strong leaning towards pasta (love it too) have had lasagna (no pasta) and meatloafs and cottage pie (skipped the mash) As a family we very rarely have anything looking like "meat and two veg". Thinking cap on.

On a side note I am doing an online course for ten weeks and really enjoying it and the interaction of it. This pandemic may be making a little bit of an extrovert or this introvert!

@ZiggaZiggArrgggghhhh @Rayna37 I know - BELTS! Who knew?! I went thru my dresses and skirts yesterday and was very surprised at all the ones I thought I’d love now I can fit back in them I didn’t like at all and all the ones I thought I’d finally bin I instead styled with a belt and absolutely love them. I put on my (still with tags bought 5 years ago) Herve leger bandage dress and paraded round the house in heels feeling fabulous. He’s eyes popped out of his head and he said once look down is over he’ll be taking me somewhere appropriate to show it off. Which was nice as he barely even notices I’m a woman most days!

Sorry, that was a stream of consciousness with no punctuation

Going to sort trousers and tops now. @ShagMeRiggins sorry you’re so snowed under, but your work here seems to be having a great effect.

Taking is it definitely a craving and not simply hunger indicating that you need to eat more? I know some people subconsciously undereat on this WoE but it doesn't always help with weight loss. If it is a craving, are you eating more carbs or dairy than before? Both of these can perturb your insulin levels and cause cravings. Finally, have you ever considered an extended fast? I find the occasional 24-hour fast helps with my hunger levels. I do it by eating dinner one day then skipping breakfast and lunch the next day (I never eat breakfast as I routinely do 16:8) then have dinner so you're still having a big meal in the second day.

Takingontheundead just been looking at carbs in potatoes vs celeriac vs swede but don’t have a definitive answer, lots of different figures out there. Probably swede and turnip are lower carb than celeriac.

B coffee with cream
L scrambled eggs
D salmon, roasted courgette and cauliflower, green beans

@Takingontheundead

Is celearic or swede betters carbs wise does anyone know?

You do know that there's a carb counter on the spreadsheet, don't you?!

Celeriac is better - 2.2g carbs per 100g (that's according to Sainsbury's website), whereas swede is 4.8g per 100g.

BIWI I'm tech illiterate so don't use it I'm afraid as cannot navigate it. Thanks tho!

Stuntnun I regularly fast, usually 16hr but once or twice a week will unintentionally get closer to 20 or so.
Can't be sure RE dairy, i expect so.

Definitely do not withhold my portion sizes (altho i try and upload a meal every day here so if any pics look small let me know! My salads are always huge.

Maybe I'll intentionally up portion sizes for a few days just inc.it helps xx

Dinner ... couldn't finish mash. Added extra butter to broccoli too and Fried leeks in oil before adding to buttery celearic

Argh struggling this week - 3lb on despite drinking my water and eating sensibly. I feel quite anxious at the moment and I’m not sleeping well. Could that be a contributory factor? Every night I say I will go to bed when the kids do but I end up looking at shite on my phone for hours and stay up til midnight. I’m also stressing because I need to go on a business trip on Friday. I travel a lot but haven’t been to the Middle East before. Anyone who travels for work knows that it isn’t as glamorous as it sounds! I’ve been told I have to dress very formally, cover everything up and not wear anything tight. All my suits are skirt ones (on the knee but is that offensively short?) and my trouser ones are quite fitted because I am short and wide legs look atrocious on me and accentuate my stumpiness. I don’t want to spend money on hideous clothes just to mollify some easily offended man who probably will hardly acknowledge or speak to me anyway ... If anyone has any tips for business attire in Dubai I would be very grateful! Sorry to derail thread but I’ve no one to ask in RL and I know some of you travel for work too...

@Takingontheundead

Dinner ... couldn't finish mash. Added extra butter to broccoli too and Fried leeks in oil before adding to buttery celearic

Is that your only meal today? There's not much protein going on there, which could also explain more hunger.

If that's all you're eating, then I don't think you're eating enough. And as @StuntNun has written before, you risk slowing down weight loss if you don't eat enough!