Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp - week 9/the last fortnight

[BIWI]

Evening/morning all!

A very late/early start for me (it's become a weekly 'thing' playing Trivial Pursuit with DH and DS1, which goes on, and on, and on ...)

So as I'm only just going to bed, wanted to start the thread now, so it's ready for all you eager beavers to declare your losses. From what I've read so far, there are some really good results, which is fantastic.

here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to declare all.

We have two weeks to go before we get to the end of this Bootcamp, which will take us right into Christmas week. I know that already people have been sharing their strategies for dealing with Christmas, and I encourage you all to have a really hard think about this. It's so easy to let everything go 'because it's Christmas' - but I'd really counsel you to seriously consider what your plan is going to be. I doubt that anyone is going to stick to low carb throughout the festive period, and that's not a problem - but please think about when/how you're going to go 'off piste'.

There will be another Bootcamp starting in January (probably mid month), but just think what a shame it would be, to be starting that Bootcamp having regained a lot of the weight that you've worked so hard to lose in this Bootcamp!

Your dad sounds great plumstone!! Especially the Reds!!

I haven't weighed today, jumped up late so will weigh in the morning!

Well done everyone on your losses and KOKO if you have had a gain, still 2 weeks to get rid!

2lb off this week , which is a grand total of ummmm 3lb this Bootcamp
Which on the one hand is quite poor , but it's progress !

StuntNun or a sign I have too much time on my hands!

Yes, agree that good LCHF options are the best way. This WOE doesn’t feel like deprivation and aside from more alcohol, I wouldn’t change much. I would like to really listen to my body this year and eat stuff I really want rather than stuff that is associated with Christmas but that isn’t really all that nice or good for you.

I sts this week which was probably lucky tbf.

I'm trying (and failing) to avoid hot chocolate on cold walks with my toddler at NT places. I don't fancy tea and justify it but sharing with her, something I couldn't do with tea. Any ideas? I'm almost having 1 per day.

I've had some nsvs - I ordered a Stitchfix box, 6 tops all a size 14 and they all fitted except 1 which was too big. I was a large size 18 in the summer.

I'm planning to stick to lc over Christmas. I'm too worried that if I slip I'll wake up Boxing Day 3st heavier

Wow well done @Midlifemission and @ThinkAboutItTomorrow great losses!! 👏

@plumstone I'm in Pollokshields and my dad is just outside Milngavie so I'm over that side regularly (I was brought up in Bearsden/Milngavie and went to Bearsden Academy albeit a looooong time ago ).

When the current restrictions are lifted though heaven knows when that might be , if you'd like, we could meet up for coffee. I've met a few other Bootcampers who were all lovely (so they can vouch for the fact that I'm not a Hairy Trucker ). I've also made ongoing real life friends with other MNers via meet-ups.

@oneborneverydecade My kids drink redbush / rooibos tea, it's naturally quite sweet tasting and caffeine free you drink it with milk like normal tea. Do you like that? You could split one of those with your toddler. Or get yourself a tea and them a babyccino. Not quite the same though I admit!

Thank you @superspecs I have to admit I've never tried it but I will do

1lb off. Not the 3 it was midweek but still going down

@prettybird that would be great - despite being born in Glasgow I have actually never lived there, Dad was brought up in Pollockshields though and the family have all drifted back to Glasgow over the last 15 years.

Meeting up would be fab, I have met great people at mums net meet ups over the years and have actually gone on holiday with them to visit others!!

Once this is all over a coffee would be fab!!

That’s great Oneborneverydecade! What do you think of StitchFix? I got as far as the checkout and then chickened out as I am quite picky.

Well done everyone some fab results in there! I'm hovering around the same weight. Annoyingly I have seen lower weights but when it comes to a Monday weight springs back up!! The general trend is STS not going back up which is good! Great advice about planning for Christmas food. I can't afford any real cheats as I struggle to get back into low carb once fallen off. So I'm thinking about what I can make in advance to cover myself. Good luck for the next two weeks all :)

I'm taking a slightly different approach to christmas!
Whilst on bootcamp, I've picked up one christmas treat each week, so have a tub of choclates, crisps, crackers for cheese etc that I've put aside.
I plan to take two weeks "off" LC, when in theory no food (or drink!) is out of bounds. But whilst I have a house full of treats I expect I'll only actually indulge two or three times over the festive period, as whilst we've been conditioned to want treats at chistmas, my mindset on this WOE, is now that I want to be slimmer much more than I want chocolate!
For me having treats in and choosing not to eat them, means I don't feel like I'm depriving myself as such, more that I have the choice, and will choose not to waste all the effort I've put in over the last 9/10 weeks.

I'm sure the family will get through all the treats without any assistance from me!

Awful awful week for me.i am ashamed of how I caved and then ended up on a bad binge over a few days. Back on track now. Disappointed with myself. Was stressing about an interview and then waiting to hear back but I need to manage myself better.

Been AWOL- bit busier in the day but in truth mainly because off the wagon and into the Christmas treats, both in the office and eating out again (Tier 2) making up for lost lockdown time.

Lots of good stuff on Christmas planning here. I'm close to goal weight and a moderator not an abstainer so happy to indulge, weigh daily to ensure the upward creep isn't too epic and sort out the damage in the new year. Unfortunately/fortunately I suffer few side effects from carbs, tolerate them fairly well, so can take the foot off the gas without too much pain other than the increasing belly roll.

Identified a bit with Stuntnun's recent description of skinny fat though and while my yoga and swimming habit has been excellent this year, I think I'm a way off getting back in to running and developing a proper gym habit.

@burninggubbins thank you. I enjoyed it. Stitch Fix sent me a list of 6 items initially but I didn't like any of them. But that helped me focus on what I actually needed - smaller sizes in warm tops. They sent 6 and I kept 2 - I think I would only have chosen 1 of the 6 if browsing irl. None of them were particularly reasonably priced but I guess that's subjective. I won't do it again, mostly because of the expense but it was like Christmas for 30 mins ha

www.stitchfix.co.uk/invite/vmtcfc4wqb?sod=a&som=c

I think if you use this code you would pay nothing for the service itself if you sent everything back

@LazydaysofSummer that’s a nice approach! From November, my family has a sort of quarantined area of the kitchen that is for Christmas food - which becomes more and more crowded every year and is currently already mostly taken up with four Christmas cakes (nobody likes this except for my mother) and champagne.

I bought a bunch of coconut ice lollies (brand called Smooze - all natural) before I switched to Bootcamp when I was doing a more flexible low carb and I’m pretty pleased that I managed to keep them in the freezer without being tempted.

My Nespresso came today and I’m so pleased with it. Definitely nicer than my normal instant coffee - and interesting flavours without tasting fake/artificial. I was worried the ‘caramel cookie’ flavours would just make me want to add sugar but they’re a bit like the coffee equivalent of a herbal tea. They taste “clean”.

I've had an absolute shocker this week and put 3lbs on (although I'm hoping some of that is water). No point listing the reasons I fell off the wagon, I know why, and at the time I enjoyed it! But I'm a bit shocked by the sheer amount of weight I've put on.

I knew it wasn't a forgiving way of eating... That said, my descent into carbs wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be 8 weeks ago!

Am enjoying all the different approaches to Christmas - still thinking about mine. The key thing for me is to see this Bootcamp through first - two more weeks.

@Lyrata your diagnosis is epic ! Thanks for sharing .

I have treated myself to a new water bottle to show my commitment to drinking ALL the water. It’s umm quite big .( It’s next to my usual Chillys bottle for context !)

Wowzers midlife that is some water bottle!

My ping-pong pound is back but AF is also here with a vengeance so I will just KOKO.

My NSV for the week is that I went to the weights section of the gym yesterday and did a workout without worrying if people were judging me. I love weightlifting but have been hiding at the back of gym classes as I felt so out of shape.

2lbs here for me which, after weeks and weeks of ping ponging the same 2lbs, I am pleased with. It takes me under 66kg for the first time in several years. I would really like to get under 65kg before Christmas: I was 65.7kg this morning. This time last year (Christmas Eve) I had got to 66.3kg: the March lockdown saw me put on about 9kg and it's taken me since August to shift it again.

I am going to ease up a bit for Christmas: less about the carbs but will have some alcohol and inevitably eat a bit more. I am going to be mindful about it though not mindless. In all previous Christmasses I have always put on 4 - 7lb and dont want to be in that territory.

Thanks Oneborneverydecade. That’s what put me off, the price! I might give it a go in the new year.

@Hopeislost I love your NSV .
It made me think about how differently I already feel about myself .
My new job is full of Zooms with much younger immaculately presented women and I think I would have felt so much worse about myself pre bootcamp.
As it is I still have a way to go (and my face is crumpling as I lose ) but I feel better about myself than for ages and can’t wait to feel more like the old me when we are able to go back to London office .

Have been busy so checking in with the threads very occasionally, have been keeping on track though with only a Zoom wine tasting last Friday to throw me off. I drank far too much wine but didn't eat anything I shouldn't so there is that.

Anyway weighed in today and have finally got below my old comfy weight woohoo! 2.6lbs off which is 15.6 in total. Delighted to officially break the stone mark too. Daring to hope that I'll see 10 something on the scales before Christmas. Now that really is the best present I could gift myself
Well done to all losses and everyone sticking with it despite the challenges of December!