Week 6 Low CarbBootcamp - the second half

[BIWI]

Morning campers!

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

We're half way through now. Hopefully by now we should all be getting used to a low carb way of eating, which will mean we should be fat-adapted.

I hope you've enjoyed the recipe challenges, and I really look forward to reading more recipes.

I especially hope that the challenge has lured the lurkers out! Please post your recipes!

And, of course, here's hoping that we all have a good week ahead

Buffy don't feel too bad about the brownies - mine didn't last long either. I gave one to my dad and one to DH and I ate the rest. But at less than 4g per brownie eating 4 is fewer carbs than half a carton of soup thats my justification anyway.
The cost will stop me ordering them too often, I think.

MrsHunt thanks, I don't feel so bad now! God at £8.30ish it was meant to be a treat for the week. I turned it into happy hour

I'm definitely an abstainer

Has any one tried the hot cross buns from seriously low carb foods? The brownies seem to be getting rave reviews but I see they now do hot cross buns in time for Easter! Imagining if toasted and slathered in good butter

Face creams: I've tried the Aldi ones - strongly recommended by my friend and her beautician. But they all feel quite sweet and thick on my face.

However Ishga amazing product is light and smells sensational. It's more than I've ever spent on a face cream before but it suits me... (and it's on my birthday list)

These are my progress photos from my first low carb 'journey' - 210lbs to 165lbs ish I think, I started at 215lbs. Over 18 months and I had a break and gained my usual 7lbs over Christmas. I'm currently back at photo 1, but I know I can do it and now I have a timescale to beat! Not at university this time, with the switching between uni and placement, so should be easier.

I am 5'10" so a 50lb loss for me is only 3 dress sizes. 16/18 down to a 12.

@Oneborneverydecade I can't find Greenland on Netflix?

Fasted today until bolognese and courgette (ribbons sautéed in butter) with parmesan for dinner. Still struggling to get the water in. I did really well the first 2 weeks so no idea why.

Photos
Wrote my post and lost it trying to check I'd done the photos and then had to rewrite it. Grr.

They're super impressive Ragz fantastic achievement well done! Is it easier knowing that you've managed it before?

That’s inspiring, @RagzReturnsRebooted

Impressive photos @RagzReturnsRebooted

Sorry @RagzReturnsRebooted I checked and it's on Amazon

You look great in your photos!

Love the photos @RagzReturnsRebooted It's so motivational seeing what can be achieved on this WOE!

My summer goal is to be your first photo

Thank you to everyone who's ever posted a recipe - I now have 3 pages of options which I think I can make work for all family without too much extra fuss and can see me getting into a new swing quite quickly!

Meal plan done up until next weekend but too late for the online shop so that will be the first job tomorrow.

My horrible stuffy head / fatigue seems to have lifted today so I'm hoping that's my withdrawal done

@MarmaladeTeepee

They're super impressive Ragz fantastic achievement well done! Is it easier knowing that you've managed it before?

When I'm not feeling dispirited for letting myself put it all back on, yes! I actually felt better seeing how long it took, because I know I can keep it up that long while also having a target to beat. I have various excuses for why I regained it, but I am coming up with more solutions too and in many ways it will be a lot easier this time due to life circumstances. I certainly managed to stick to it longer than I did Slimming World or anything else though, probably because the food is so good on this WOE!

@Oneborneverydecade

Sorry *@RagzReturnsRebooted* I checked and it's on Amazon

You look great in your photos!

Thank you, and thanks I have found it on amazon. DH and I will watch this weekend, perhaps the DCs will join (for some reason they resent film nights as enforced family fun ).

My low carb bread came so I had bacon and egg sandwich for breakfast then toast with boursin for lunch. 2 burgers with cheese, avocado and fried courgettes for tea. So a bit of a weird food day!

I'm still stuck and starting to lose motivation again, need to refind my willpower! I'm on medication that can make you gain weight and wonder if that is making it harder for me to lose?

That makes total sense Ragz. We are our own worst critics but you should feel proud of what you achieved and proud of yourself now for not giving up. I had some success with Paul McKenna's I can make you thin method (basically just mindful eating) several years ago and in the book he described how one of his clients stood in front of the mirror and verbally abused herself, called herself names, listed all her faults etc. His point being no one else is thinking this or saying these things to us, it's up to us to change how we see ourselves otherwise we'll never actually change our weight.

Sorry you're feeling demotivated @cheeseisthebest no advice to offer on medication or food but maybe focus on all those other NSVs? Are you enjoying this WOE? Because if you are there's no reason to quit (assuming your alternatives are a carb-fest which will just see you gain weight or a low fat/low calorie option like Slimming World which will just be depressing). KOKO

The weather is looking like it’s going to get much better from now on, and DH is back at work next week, which means more walking for me and the kids.
I think i may set myself a challenge to close my rings every day for the month of march and maybe see if it helps to get the scales moving a bit.
Yesterday was a good food day, greek yog for breakfast, bacon wraps for lunch and then fish and sprouts & spring greens (added butter) for tea. Just hit water goal, an extra coffee but it was black. Had two tiny pieces of dark chocolate aswell.
Scales have moved this morning, I wouldn’t say a whoosh but fingers crossed it will by Monday. Staying away from the scales until then.

Thanks @StuntNun @Lyrata @BIWI (and anyone else who replied that I might have missed) for the advise re:calorie counting. I'll koko with intuitive eating and focusing on portion control.

@Oneborneverydecade hahaha the model does look pretty miserable! Nice dress

@BuffyTheBuffetSlayer I’m an apple too and a top heavy 34G. I’ve always been so jealous of the A cups being able to wear a tucked in TM Lewin shirt into pencil skirt with the top buttons opened! I just look like a floozy milk maid wench 
I find the wrap style tops and peplum flatter my figure. Lots in the sale at the mo. Debenhams and ASOS have a lot of curvy options. Most do free returns

@RagzReturnsRebooted you’re definitely not alone. I lost 6 stone from 2016-2018 and gained nearly 3 stone over the last year. Annoyed with myself as I’m a really slow looser answer worked so hard but we’re here now! We've done it before and we'll do it again! Here's to a laying loss this time around

@prettybird the amount of parcels Hermes have lost I’ve dubbed them 'herpes' as they are so annoying!
Level 2 shred is far worse than 3! Those endless raises arm squats do me in!

@venusandmars 27000 steps! that's amazing you got stepper!

Food plan for the day. Undecided about lunch yet but burger night for the boys so having celeriac chips with portobello 'bun' burger.
Need to trail for the famous dirty celeriac fries of Ragz.
Are celeriac chips crispier fried or oven baked? Last ones I made were soggy for some reason

@BIWI

Now that the weather is improving, I have no excuse not to get out and start running again. I find it hard because I just don't enjoy it. I've done the C25K three times now, and never get into running like some people do. But as it's going to be a while before I can get back to the gym, I do need to do something. Not for weight loss, just for general flexibility. I'm very aware that I spend rather too much time sitting down.

In my head, I skim lightly and sure-footedly over the ground like a gazelle. Whereas in reality I plod and stumble like a large elephant.

Would strength training or other cardio work better for you? Or a workout you actually enjoy? Love walking best but it doesn't burn quite enough for me. I find that HIIT hard as it is, is mentally easier as I know it's done in under 30mins. I've also tried AMRAP- basically quick bursts of strength training exercises in 15 mins or less which is quite effective but I much prefer cardio to strength for some reason.

How about we do a 30 day challenge? Keep us motivated? There's plenty to chose from.. example below

Wowee Ragz those are some fab progress photos. I wish I had a before photo but I didn't take any as I was avoiding the camera at that point. I do have a great after photo of me holding a 15kg bag of dog food to show how much weight I had lost.

There are so many great recipes aren't there Geoff? I've had so many new foods to try lately. The cheese almond muffins are a big hit here, we're having cheeseburger pie tonight, and I'm going to try making the ratatouille tomorrow to have with ribeye steak

That challenge looks like torture Kilojules! Also I thought sit ups were bad now and we should do crunches instead? I don't think I could even do a single sit up! I can only do them if I can put my feet under the sofa to anchor them!

I would be up for a 30 day challenge, kilojules!

And RagzReturnsRebooted you look great! Shows that this WOE works.

I would be up for a challenge @kilojules been too focused on scales and not enough on strength. We could start on Monday? 1st of the month and all that?

Koko here, adding in more fasting. Like @cheeseisthebest I have been stuck for aaaaages. I feel good though so focusing on that, fasting for health and then adding in kilos fitness challenge rather than stressing too much about the numbers
I look slimmer for sure.

@RagzReturnsRebooted inspirational pictures! Also inspirational that you are back on it, showing it is sustainable mostly and effective.

Food for today
L mackerel mayo salad
D steak, roasted veg, salad. Greek yog and berries. Trying to avoid the booze this Weekend for fingers crossed!

Well I wasnt going to weigh today but I did and I'm 10st 2. I dont know how! Been stuck on 3/4 for the whole of feb, scales actually hovered around 10st 1 then dead on 2. Definitely cheered me up!
9lb lost since beginning of bootcamp.

Well done cheese, that's brilliant