Week 5 - Low Carb Bootcamp - time to get rid of all the Valentine's treats!

[BIWI]

I rather suspect that a lot of us have been so far off the wagon this weekend that it's disappeared over the far horizon!

having to post on the spreadsheet may sober us all up, in more ways than one!

I hope any cheats were enjoyable. There's nothing worse than deciding to cheat and then not liking it.

But from now, it's time to buckle down and get back into the swing of things. If you did cheat, please don't complain that the scales aren't being kind to you. It's an inevitable consequence.

So let's focus on a really strict week, recognising that this is the end of our first half of Bootcamp.

Good luck to us all

@BustleInYourHedgerow sounds fantastic! I am definitely a greedy goose when it comes to chicken wings. I have one big packet in the freezer that I’m saving for just the right occasion (since it’ll be at least another two months before we do another farm shop meat run)! I’ll have to decide whether to try this one or do a Korean sauce. Decisions, decisions...one thing is definite though: there will be beer. At least one can of Nanny State.

@Doilooklikeatourist please pass on a big thumbs up to your daughter, that sounds great too!

I'd buy a cookbook written like that Bustle

I might be tempted by a side of the Ragz Dirty Fries with that cos I'm a gannet

Those wings sound amazing Bustle and I don't even like blue cheese

Ooh @Doilooklikeatourist your cake looks amazing. I don’t like artificial sweeteners etc so very intrigued that this cake is just chocolate and eggs! How was it?

I’ve made this cake before (not a low carb one) and loved it www.halfbakedharvest.com/flourless-chocolate-espresso-cake/ - it looks like yours would be very similar.

I missed the cake! Ohhh I want some...

OMG those wings sound amazing!

@Lyrata, it was lovely , dark , quite dense and very chocolatey . I didn’t miss the sugar ( like you I don’t like artificial sweeteners ) and it was sweet enough
Chocolate , eggs , butter and vanilla essence
Very easy to make
Worth a go

It looks wonderful. Well done! I will try that as a celebration once I reach my goal. Thanks so much for sharing - I assumed you needed some sort of binder (flour, coconut flour, almond flour, xanthum gum etc) for cake! I’d have had no idea if I didn’t see your recipe, so thanks :)

Bad day here. Children were very hard work. DH was similarly hard work. I went to the supermarket and had a (controlled) fall off the wagon...

But onwards and upwards, I got out the dress I want to fit in this summer and have hung it on my wall as motivation!

Tomorrow’s food plan:
B - eggs, bacon, spinach
L - broccoli and Stilton soup (with SLC bread if hungry enough)
B - something involving beef mince and courgette. Maybe stuffed courgettes.

Still feeling pretty rubbish! Had meatballs for tea with asparagus, courgette, green beans and cheese on top.
2 boiled eggs and smoked salmon with cream cheese earlier.
I did have some greek yoghurt with honey on earlier, forgot!

I have a 2 week old celeriac that I haven't done anything with, do you think it will he ok?

Sorry you’re feeling rubbish!

The celeriac will be fine.

Evening, I've been a bit carby today- obviously not as many as pre-bootcamp!

L 2SLCR with smoked cheese on
D Mediterranean Vegetables oven cooked in olive oil and 1/2 tin tomatoes and cheese on top, then about 200g Greek Yoghurt with some blueberries.

I ordered Halal Chicken Crisps from Malaysia about a month ago and they arrived today so I clearly had to try a packet! They were nice and crisp like, and spicy!

I drank all the water today which I am getting so good at!!

Yesterday was weigh-day for me, I’m now 16lb down from 8th Jan which is great - am really starting to wonder when my husband will actually notice though! It’s lovely that he truly loves me for for me regardless of weight but come on man! 😆 I read an interesting scientific article that said your weight loss/gain is noticeable in your face (best place to mark adipose change in others) after your bmi changes by 2.93. We’ll see.
Today: L - leftovers D - fathead mushroom pizza.

Hope you're feeling better soon cheese.

MrsOmelette I know we're not keto, but google carb face vs keto face - people posting side by side photos of their faces - the difference is unreal. Well done on the amazing loss too!

@ZiggZagg don't see too many carbs in what you ate, unless there was something hidden in your chicken crisps? Tomatoes are a bit more carby than some other veg, half a tin might be 7.2g but along with everything else it's not exactly a blow out.

I've got sausages to eat today - can't decide whether to have sausages, scrambled eggs, fried mushrooms and grilled tomato for brunch, with something salady for dinner, or whether to have eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch, and sausages with veg for tea. Decisions, decisions...

Long catch up post!

Athelstane & Christ

Ninkanink Dark chocolate and peanut butter YUM!

ListenLinda Sorry you are having nightmares with sleeping. No advice to offer but hope you manage top up naps. Btw I can’t read your name now without hearing it in the voice of that little boy! Cracks me up every time.

Hopeislost That’s a really good tip re: the boiled eggs. Should stop me reaching for the cheese …

Cheeseisthebest Hope you are feeling better today.

Welcome Athenajam80 This is so much easier than Fast 800. I’m in a pingpong between kilos atm, been going on for a couple or three weeks, and if I’d been on Fast 800 I would have chucked it all in by now and been a good way to putting back on the weight that i have already lost. But I enjoy this WOE so it’s no biggie to stay on it and wait for my body to release the pounds I know it (very secretly) wants to …

Nowlook and Notwatchingspooks On the deodorant front, I find that when I am stressed I smell a lot more pongy. I can’t see that parents working from home and home schooling would be less stressed, but maybe it’s a different kind? Exhausted and worrying about doing the best for your family vs face to face with someone who has total power over your career? I don’t know.

RagzReturnsRebooted No answers but hope you feel better soon.

Bustle chicken wings sound amazing!!

Sooo, I haven’t yet made the kimchi stew but will do next week and I’ll post the recipe in the recipe thread then, once I’ve checked it works.

Someone was asking about recipe books. If you haven’t heard of Edna Lewis then she’s worth a look. She was an African American Southern style cook and her recipes are amazing! Old fashioned southern home style with serious shitloads of butter and cream and lard. The veggie dishes look amazing and I’ll post them as I try them. The meat ones look great too, though we might struggle to get all the cuts / bits of the animal these days, but I love and aspire to nose to tail type recipes. Not bootcamp friendly but the puds and preserves section is also fab and was a great help with our glut of pears and apples in the autumn. 'Marinated' steeped in alcohol for 3 glorious months apple pie anyone? This was our boxing day treat!

I have ‘In Pursuit of Flavour’ and can see myself buying ‘ The Last of Country Cooking’.

Last night I made her Summer Hot Vegetable Dish (but cheated by tray baking the veg - don’t think she would have minded as I used lots of fat!) with Garlic Cream Sauce.

For Garlic Cream Sauce (which can be used over most veg):

300ml ish of double cream
¼ tsp crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste.

Put the cream and garlic in a wide skillet (I just used a medium sauce pan) over a medium burner, and bring to the boil. Boil rapidly until reduced to ⅔ cup - about 3-5 mins. Season to taste.

You have to boil to get the right consistency but boiling doesn’t change it’s flavour as it would for milk.

Was rich but yum. We had meat with our veggies but would make a substantial veggie meal.

I have left it until today to do the recipe challenge, as DH has been on lates most of the week and not here for tea.
It’s from the PON everyday light book but i can swap stuff out for higher fat stuff. It’s the Chicken In Orange. With rice for DH, i’ll have veggies or salad. The recipe says it comes in at 7g of carbs and the rice optional extra. It’s meant to taste like chinese so the recipe says... will see how it goes!

2lbs down this week (I generally use my Friday weight) which is very pleasing. Pinged back up again this morning but that is to be expected- as long as it's going in the right general direction.
Yesterday's food was
L Celeriac & Leek soup, slices of Gouda with pate and ham
D - pad Thai with extra bean sprouts instead of noodles and stir fried ts broccoli and pak choi
Not enough water
Today: sausages and mushrooms and fried egg for brunch and for dinner going to try making this fish pie that someone posted previously

That Edna Lewis book sounds interesting, would definitely be keen to hear about some of the vegetarian recipes!

Good food day yesterday, and did 14,000 steps plus some kettle bells so I'm hoping to see more losses soon if I keep up the exercise 😊 finally shifted the random 3lb gain so back to 11'5.75 this morning. Today will be likely eggs and mushrooms for lunch, and dinner of soya tikka strips, saag paneer, fried aubergine and pak Choi, and tenderstem broccoli.

I've swapped all milk in coffee to cream too and much prefer it this way now.

Feeling better today but still not brilliant. Needing a low carb replacement for crackers, is there anything I can use?

Ragz' Dirty Fries with added Jalapeños and a dollop of soured cream.

@nowlook your link didn't work but I googled parmesan baskets and they look good!

@prettybird last time I made meringues I made mayo with the yolks. First time I've made it and it was amazing, the DCs keep asking for it again!

@cheeseisthebest cheese crisps/a flat version of those parmesan baskets? Or maybe a crunchy lettuce leaf, slice of cucumber, crispy bacon/chorizo. Depends how sturdy you need them to be I suppose.

I am craving all the carbs today! I must have had too many yesterday, my food was
B- Greek yogurt and blueberries
L- salad with radishes, chicken, a bit of hm coleslaw, a few pieces of cranberry cheese (DH made lunch)
D- chicken curry with chopped tomatoes, red pepper, a bit of butternut squash and Greek yogurt. 2 pieces 90% chocolate.
So more carby veg than usual and the cranberry cheese is probably what tipped me over the edge. I need to learn to not just eat stuff because someone else has put it on a plate for me! I was hungry this morning which is unusual and am constantly thinking about food. Going for a walk now to stay away from the kitchen and I'm going to try to get myself back on track. :(

@MarmaladeTeepee wow that’s an impressive (addictive) google to trawl 😁

Why thank you Ouch! Typos and all?

The wings were amazing and tasty.never buying again. Although I took the deep fat fryer out of retirement for them and my house STINKS today. I've cleaned it and hidden it away again, yuck.

I was so smug yesterday, I watched a movie with the children and made them popcorn, I had none and munched on olives instead.

Then later I brought a bottle of wine in the shop and drank the entire fucking rhing because I have NO restraint. Feel crap today. Ugh. No need for the big stick, I feel like I have been hit with the big stick many times over.

Managed some breakfast, spinach and eggs. Hake wirh some creamy sauce and broccoli later. Many, many coffees and a walk in the woods with the children and I'm feeling better.