Week 3 - Jan '21 Low Carb Bootcamp - time for Light?

[BIWI]

Well thanks to all the chat, I've had to start this week's thread earlier than usual

Here's the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness for you to declare all

You now have a choice: you can move on to Bootcamp Light, which means you can re-introduce nuts and seeds, some fruit and alcohol - all in moderation.

However, also bear in mind that weeks 3 & 4 are notorious for little or not weight loss and this is nothing to do with moving on to Bootcamp Light. It's just something that seems to happen.

So it's up to you. You can stay on Bootcamp if you wish, or move on to Bootcamp Light, or a hybrid - so you do Bootcamp during the week but relax into Bootcamp Light at the weekend.

Whatever you decide - good luck! Here's to a good week ahead.

[quote MilesJuppIsMyBitch]@WellityWellityWellity no, sadly, I don't know him I fancied a name-change, & this popped into my head & made me laugh.

Dull but true.[/quote]
Ah well, I like it! And people won't know the (lack of) story, unless they ask .

Reminds me of Bill Bailey as well; "Hey Asda! I ain't gonna be your bitch"! Can't remember the context of that one either.

@Bestbees, I'm really new to this woe, but definitely have had slow down of weight loss a few weeks in before and definitely when you're close to target. Bet you'll get over the plateau soon! Fingers crossed for you.

Found you!

Lost 1lb. This is week 3 for me so I am pleased with the loss.

I think I will add some berries and nuts this week but largely stick to what I have been doing (as it is working!).

Good day to all!

@pelosi

Hi all, just weighed myself, minimal loss this week (0.4 pounds). Not sure why, as I have been very good. The only thing I can think of is that I had my period. Could that have any bearing on it?

Yes, it will.

@Bestbees

Well done to everyone who has lost.

Thanks for the comments about why I haven't. I am drinking so. Much. Water. So def not that. Will try and skip breakfast sometimes, but despite being a fairly experienced faster I am finding it hard on this woe. I have finished eating in the evening by 6 so I guess get arou 13hrs of fasting each day. Will just koko. Will stand strong on no snacking. I think I have added more fat to my meals to avoid snacks so worried that has been counter intuitive. Let's hope this is a week for a whoosh for me. @Ninkanink yes I want to lose about 6/8lb from where I am today so maybe that's why!

You really shouldn’t be feeling hungry/finding it difficult not to eat first thing...This indicates that you’re either not having enough fat or there’s something else you’re eating/drinking which is carby enough that you’re not actually properly fat adapted. Once you’re fat adapted you should be finding that it’s easy to forget to eat as you’re just not hungry.

So my suggestion is to have a very fatty meal every evening, then see how it goes with breakfast - if you’re still hungry in the morning, have your breakfast but add more fat for dinner that day. Once you hit the sweet spot you should easily be able to go til one or two pm without anything to eat.

@pelosi

Hi all, just weighed myself, minimal loss this week (0.4 pounds). Not sure why, as I have been very good. The only thing I can think of is that I had my period. Could that have any bearing on it?

@pelosi

Have you been reading any of my posts?!!!

Weeks 3 & 4 are notorious for little or no weight loss - sometimes you may even see a gain.

And I said this in my OP of this thread.

So the fact that you've lost even a small amount is good!

I am on day 1 and (naturally skinny) dh is lecturing me about fat... Trying to think of a brief way to tell him it is fine, but struggling if anyone has any ideas.

Also, I put 6 cherry tomatoes on my plate with my late breakfast. Thought "hmm am I allowed these"? Bit into the first one and it was rotten . Divine intervention perhaps.

Tbh I found after a long time on this woe that the last bit of weight I’d ideally wanted to lose really didn’t matter to me, and that’s from someone who has been very slim in the past. That may be partly due to my age too, though (old enough to not give much of a fuck about prescribed notions of the ideal), and also due to my natural rebelliousness against the pressures put on women to conform to an almost impossible standard of ‘beauty’ - I just do not want to torture myself about another half stone when I’m actually pretty happy. However I know that for some people it is very important and that’s perfectly okay too. Just saying think about whether or not you really care that much...

For example I’d ideally want to be one size smaller than my target size, but actually, I like not having to worry about calorie counting and obsessing over every little bit of extra weight, etc, so I am happy to aim to be a slim 12 rather than a slim 10. Life really is short and I prefer just to eat well, feel good and be happy.

@Dailyhandtowelwash

KOKO everyone. It's so hard. Miraculously after a week of nothing, my scales have dropped today so there's an actual loss, but it's only a pound less than my lightest weight last week. A bit daunted by how hard this week has been with notorious weeks ahead of me. If I finish the first month essentially where I was for most of last year eating more or less what I want then it will be a real kicker for the morale. My cycle going haywire helps nothing!

But you've lost, yes? Which is a good thing!

You know that these next two weeks are the difficult ones - but you also know (don't you?) that this way of eating is not only an enjoyable one, but also one that's good for your overall health.

I know it's hard, but try not to be too fixated on what the scales are saying, and enjoy your food. Plan some especially lovely meals. I'd also suggest you do a bit of reading about low carbing, so you can be convinced/reassured that it's doing you a lot of good.

And also - have you taken your measurements? They may be changing, even if the scales aren't moving as much as you'd like.

For those saying 'only a pound' here's a picture of a pound of fat.

And remember, although the losses might be slower from now on, from now on you'll be burning fat. This is real loss, not just water!

@Primitivo

Morning all, STS here, but week 3, so to be expected, trying to be grown up about this now. I've followed most principles for foods I've eaten, but need to tighten up when I'm eating them. Too much foraging, not enough planning for proper meals. I'm going to make a concerted effort to eat properly at meal times and not in between. So, today might be... B: 2 x cups of tea L: courgetti w bolognese + lotsa Parmesan D: chicken soup + yog

Where's the veg?

And how much water?

@WellityWellityWellity

I am on day 1 and (naturally skinny) dh is lecturing me about fat... Trying to think of a brief way to tell him it is fine, but struggling if anyone has any ideas.

Also, I put 6 cherry tomatoes on my plate with my late breakfast. Thought "hmm am I allowed these"? Bit into the first one and it was rotten . Divine intervention perhaps.

Go to the spreadsheet and have a read of the resources there. It's really important that you understand how low carbing works, as well as why eating fat is a good thing and not a bad thing.

@Ninkanink thank you. Will up my fat even more tonight and see how it goes. I was starting to feel a bit naeseous from all the butter and oil but will try and sneak it in. And good point about the last half stone. I am slimish I guess, a slim 12. But I am short so a weight of 10stone is still right at the top of my bmi.

There's an interesting paper here - no link between saturated fat and coronary heart disease

Ooh NSV here!

Just went onto the NHS BMI calculator, and I am officially now overweight, and not obese. Woohoo!

@WellityWellityWellity my DH used to be a bit of a lecturer. I calmly continue doing my own thing, and when he sees the results he shuts up. It's tiresome, but talk to us instead. 💪

Well done to all who have lost, and to others who are feeling disheartened - keep on going... stick to the rules and it does work, not always day by day or week by week, but in another 8 weeks at the end of bootcamp you'll be able to look back to this point and be glad you stuck with it. And more importantly, enjoy the delicious and nutritious food that you can have on this way of eating - butter, steak, mayonnaise, eggs, salmon, and so many varieties of veg...

I'm 2 pounds down (I think), my scales are really not behaving, but I feel 2lb lighter and this week I'm going to try on some of my too-tight clothes for reassurance. I keep looking at new scales but I think the bigger problem is the uneven floors...

@MarmaladeTeepee you asked about roast potato... well of course it's not in the rules - 100g of potato (which is about half a decent sized one) has 20g carb. However, it depends on what else you are eating. I occasionally have something with more carbs (although usually only when I'm on maintenance eating) but on that day I would also be careful about what else I ate - so probably intermittent fasting, being careful about other carbs, so an egg rather than an avocado for breakfast, and certainly no 'cheats' not a taste of pudding, or a square of dark chocolate, or a gravy that might have carbs in it. And I'd avoid having roast potato AND roast parsnip. If that once weekly treat helps you to keep to strict bootcamp the other 6 days, then it might work psychologically. I think for me, I'd be 'one small potato won't do any harm' and then eat four of them because they were so delicious! Then I'd feel demoralised and give up for the rest of the week too...

Food today:
B - coffee with cream
L - left over butter chicken curry with cauliflower rice (a squeeze of lemon on the butter chicken gives an added lift)
D - not sure... I've got lamb mince, and pak choi.
The pak choi would usually lead me towards something with asian flavours but I don't think that really goes with lamb mince (and I'll have had curry for lunch). So maybe moussaka if I can find a nice aubergine. But open to suggestions.

Just off for a rainy walk now, keeping moving keeps my head out of the fridge.

@Bestbees 👍👍 perhaps focus on naturally occurring fats (in meat/fish and nuts/seeds/avocados for example) instead? It could also be that your protein intake is a little too low for your needs. Do you like eggs? I find that an egg based lunch really fills me up and I very rarely want afternoon snacks unless I’m actually emotionally eating or habit/boredom driven. They’re also very nutritious.

Hi everyone. Down another pound which I'm pleased with as that was week 4 for me.

New finds are a mug of good quality stock with butter stirred in, especially good after a cold walk, and an omelette with goats cheese and fresh parsley. Delicious

@WellityWellityWellity my tall, thin dh was in the kitchen yesterday when I was cooking "That's a LOT of butter" - yes, it's butter chicken!

@Bestbees

2lb Gain! Gutted really. This means that I have put on weight through this bootcamp. I have been strict too.

Will need plenty of critique on my food I think, and I am going to restrict cheese in the week. Should I start measuring portions @BIWI? I wonder if I am doing something obvious wrong? The food is yummy and I feel pretty good so koko and hope for a whoosh?

Breakfast
Spinach (3 balls of frozen) knob of butter, two eggs and a large spoonful of Greek yog. 1 cup of tea with milk.

Lunch salad (half a romaine lettuce, half a tomato, quarter of a yellow pepper, 4 inches of cucumber) prawns (about 60g) with mayo, a tiny dot of Tom puree, half a small avo. Will drizzle on some vinagerette.

Dinner
Sea bass (one fillet) fried in oil, tbsp pesto mixed into generous splash of cream, lett over buttery swede mash and cabbage.

Is this too much? I can cut down on the cream it's just already meal planned for the family. Should I measure and try to stay below 50g carbs/1500 cals?

You haven't got much to lose, so weight loss will slow down.

Looking at your menu, I'd say that you're not eating enough fat. I noticed that you also said:

I think I have added more fat to my meals to avoid snacks so worried that has been counter intuitive

Which suggests that you're still worried about fat. Don't 'drizzle' your vinaigrette - slosh it!

And I really, really don't think you're eating too much. If anything, it doesn't sound like a lot. Or rather - where you are eating a lot (half a lettuce) it's food with not much nutrition. Why only half a tomato?!

@BIWI

There's an interesting paper here - no link between saturated fat and coronary heart disease

Ah thank you! Will have a good read. Yes, think he is worried about my arteries / heart.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch, I was thinking exactly that; I might just say, "I'm doing this. It seems to work, and nothing else is at the moment and I'm worried about my weight" and carry on!

I can highly recommend these books by Gary Taubes and Nina Teicholz

They explain in great detail how and why we all came to believe that fat is bad for us. It's actually nothing to do with science/medicine but all to do with politics and money.

@MilesJuppIsMyBitch

Ooh NSV here!

Just went onto the NHS BMI calculator, and I am officially now overweight, and not obese. Woohoo!

@WellityWellityWellity my DH used to be a bit of a lecturer. I calmly continue doing my own thing, and when he sees the results he shuts up. It's tiresome, but talk to us instead. 💪

Congratulations! That's a great milestone

There's absolutely nothing worse that someone who doesn't need to lose weight, who has never been overweight, trying to tell/lecture you on what to eat! (I have one of those too)

Thanks for those recommendations BIWI. In my immediate family, there are two doctors who both swear by a ketogenic diet. Part of the reason I'm trying it! They are hospital based, and they say a lot of their colleagues also believe keto has amazing health benefits aside from weight loss. I definitely believe them! It's articulating that to (non medical) dh which is the problem, but I may just not and carry on.

And I will probably read those books as well, as I love reading anyway! So thank you

Thanks BIWI.

He's a complete convert now (phew), so that's all in the past.

Otherwise, lockdown could have resulted in a good patio-ing!