Week 9 - Low Carb Bootcamp - only 2 weeks to go ...

[BIWI]

Morning all.

[[Here's the Spreadsheet as always
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/18CKhdQ3FlGz_8H53AA2Pqm4xmvGLHO6vBrkNWCkSO48/edit#gid=788946144 ]]

I hope everyone had a good week, and that any Mother's Day treats haven't messed things up too much

So we enter our final two weeks. Still time to shift a couple of those pesky pounds - especially if you keep focused and stay strict. And a reminder, channelling my inner Shag, WATER, WATER, WATER!

Morning campers!
I have finally caught up with the thread after reading about 36hrs behind all week. As usual I'm sorry that I haven't managed to comment at appropriate times but I have added my mental support for all the frustrations and hard times.
It's been a mixed bag of a week for me. Mother's Day included some planned off piste eating and a corresponding rise on the scales, which would have been fine if I'd managed a strict week following but there's been a lot of 'I'll just have a little bit of...' behaviour since. I think a lot of it is boredom. Marking special days with special foods is very important for me (and for my DSis, who lives with us and who shares cooking/meal planning ) and I find it hard to deviate from that. Plus, because there is so little to do right now, making a fuss of some meals to differentiate the days is a good coping mechanism for lockdown. Maybe I'm making excuses but I have found this harder than when I did BC in normal times. With reflection I think that when I am more successful it's because I've planned ahead, which means I can plan lovely food that is BC friendly. And when I've not been so successful I haven't. I recognise that every few weeks or so I get really fed up of the planning and shopping! I'm also really tired this week from returning to work [pathetic]
Anyway, one of the things I like (and am most proud of) with this WoE is that I do know that even after a big slip up I can just carry on, it's worth it and it doesn't mean I have failed to the extent that I give up. I've also seen some good recipes shared this week that I've resolved to try to add variety.
Today will be:
B/L Smoked salmon and buttery scrambled eggs
D Roast chicken with celeriac and leek gratin, buttered cabbage (additional roasted parsnips and potatoes for others)
I've also planned out the week ahead roughly, which is better than last week when I was winging it.
Have a good Sunday

Morning all. Some delicious meals to be jealous of here. Still koko here but well aware that too much dark chocolate and snacking is creeping in. Probably need a back to basics last week with no nuts/berries/choc.
Food today will be mushroom omelette with salad and mayo for lunch.
Dinner is beef stew and lots of veg.
Water!

@ouchmyfeet

I wish I did *@ListenLinda*. I honestly don't think I've ever been as bored as I am this weekend. Not sure why it's getting to me so much now when I've basically been fine with it for the last year!

Amusing myself with a bit of batch cooking this morning so I'm ready for the last week of bootcamp 💪💪💪

@ouchmyfeet I think it's getting boring because we hope we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Whereas when you're in the middle of things, there's no point thinking about not being in it, IYSWIM.

Very much enjoyed the Rick Stein meal last night. Although it was very easy to prepare, it was a bit fiddly - especially as I was cooking two different boxes (one steak and one fish). I could imagine that if you're not an experienced cook it would have seemed quite difficult; there was lots of juggling with times to make sure that everything got on the plate at the same time.

So - the fish had to be grilled for 6-8 minutes under a 'medium' grill. I have no idea what 'medium' means, so had to guess that!

The new potatoes (already cooked and sealed in a plastic bag) had to be put into a pan of simmering water for 8-10 minutes.

The piperade had to be warmed through in a pan and the lemon mayo had to stand in a bowl of hot water, and the Serrano ham crumbs had to be heated under the grill.

The steak had to be fried for 3 minutes, and the peppercorn sauce had to be warmed through in a pan.

Then the kale, which came with the steak box, had to be chopped and then boiled for 3-4 minutes, drained, and then gently fried with garlic confit that it came with for another minute.

Anyway, I managed it, and it was very delicious; although I'm still not really convinced about kale, adding the garlic confit to it did make it very tasty.

The quantities were very generous - probably a bit too much actually. The sourdough that came in each box to go with the pâté easily fed three of us, and there's a good third of the pâté left. The salad for the pâté would have easily worked as a side salad for 3, possibly even 4! In fact we didn't even have the salad, but have saved it for another meal.

The pudding was absolutely glorious. As well as the clotted cream, I served it with some home-made vanilla ice-cream, which was fantastic. A real, real treat.

If you're interested in Rick Stein At Home, I'd definitely recommend. The only thing I'd say is that the prices seem to be a bit inconsistent. The Hake menu (for 2) was £45, whereas the Steak menu (also for 2) was £65 - the only difference between the two (apart from the type of protein) was the bag of kale that came with the steak. I notice that the cost of that box has now risen to £70, and it has smoked salmon as a starter rather than mackerel pâté.

And delivery was a whopping £10.95!

However, in lieu of being able to take DH out for dinner, it was worth all of that. Just not something we'd be having every Saturday!

I can recommend the smoked mackerel and celeriac dauphinoise from the recipe thread if anyone is interested in trying something a bit different this week. Wasn't sure that cream with the smoked fish would work but it really does. Needs a big green crunchy salad with it though.

I've just spent a few hours chopping and slicing and I now have ratatouille, cheesy turnip bake, avocado coleslaw (will report back on that one once I've tried it) and some of the cafe de Paris butter lined up for the coming week. Going to get out for Another. Fucking. Walk.

Glad you enjoyed BIWI, not sure I could get to grips with paying that much for food and still having to cook it myself!

Morning everyone! I've had a sneaky peak on the scales abs looks like I've just snuck into the next "decade" - 69.8kg so very much hoping it will stick! I'm applying for jobs this weekend which is not exciting at all :( DH and I need a new series to watch if anyone has any recommendations?

Sounds really good although that price disparity would bug me too. Good hake isn’t that much cheaper than steak.

Our dinner was lovely and our friends did come. One called this morning to say how lovely and light the food was; the sugar in the pudding was the only non-boot camp friendly bit. (And the amount of booze.)

This morning’s scales do see me 3lbs up from yesterday though, just in time for weigh in tomorrow! Worth it.

Glad you enjoyed BIWI, not sure I could get to grips with paying that much for food and still having to cook it myself!

Well yes, there is that! But it was a particular request from DH, who generally doesn't ask for anything specific, so he has been well and truly indulged!

Fusion I am so happy the fajita with lettuce was a hot with you. Honestly, my love of Mexican food is huge and being able to keep eating it with as a “salad” rather than with tortillas or shells is such a pleasure for maximum food enjoyment.

nowlook maybe start a blog specifically targeted at reviewing low carb products and recipes? You have a clear and humorous writing style. I’d read you. And maybe you could get free shit sent your way.

Catching up on thread, but Happy First Day of Spring and WATER, NOW!!!!

Happy Spring Equinox, everyone. We will now have more daylight than darkness, which should help lift us out of the winter mood. Only a few weeks until we can have outdoor visitors here (England) and NDN and I are already planning a BBQ/firepit evening.

Have a killer headache developed in the last hour, so added a zero tablet to my water and taken some paracetamol. I seem to keep getting these a few times a week, regardless of water, salt or electrolytes. I am yet to find a pattern. Of, course I may just be getting headaches for some other reason.

So far I've had a creamy coffee, a peanut butter cookie (I can't get over being able to eat just one, I had one and didn't immediately want to eat them all!) and a handful of peanuts for the salt. I'll eat some veg a bit later.

Pork chops for dinner tonight, only cheap supermarket ones and I need to find a cooking method that doesn't result in dry meat and flabby undercooked fat, which usually happens when I cook them! I'm thinking of trying to fry them on their side for a bit to render the fat, then roasting them. All the recipes online assume either fancy butchers ones with bone in and skin on or American recipes where the chops appear to have no fat at all and are cooked in sauce.

Any wise suggestions?

@Mimosa1 DH and I watched The Terror the other week, series about an historic expedition to the North by boat and the the drama that went with it, including scary and supernatural polar bear. Based on true events. I wasn't expecting it to be my type of thing but was glued to it! On amazon prime I think.
Yesterday I watched all 8 episodes of The Flight Attendant, a sky comedy-drama murder mystery on NowTV. Had a lot more depth than I was expecting and was so riviting I stayed up watching it until gone 2am!

@BIWI gosh the Rick Stein boxes have risen in price! My dsis gave us a voucher for Christmas, and then we both ordered the same boxes and had a virtual dinner party by zoom. Like you I thought the quantities were pretty big, and we left the pudding till the following day. I thought the potatoes were disappointing. Somehow pre-cooked potatoes warmed up never taste that good, with the exception of dauphinoise (imho). I also thought there was a lack of veg. Nothing at all with the chicken, except parsley.

I was looking through the current Rick Stein options and was at the luxury breakfast box for £70++ OK it does come with a bottle of fizz, but for something where you have to make your own scrambled egg, toast your own bread, fry/grill your own sausage and bacon, and fry you own egg... It's pricey. Plus, scrambled egg followed by fried egg???

So in this bootcamp that's me dissed Tom Kerridge and Rick Stein who do I think I am? Honestly, I'd be delighted to eat in any of their restaurants.

We had a cook at home dinner from a local Michelin starred restaurant, and the steak (although I cooked it properly) was so tough that I complained. We've got a voucher for that restaurant now , also got a voucher (Christmas present) for my favourite restaurant. Very much looking forward to things opening up again at the end of April... So between now and then, I think we'll have one more cook at home meal for Easter, a real multi- course treat. Apart from that it's bootcamp as normal...

Brunch - scrambled egg, smoked salmon
D - left over massaman curry with spinach and cauliflower rice. It worked well with turnip / swede

I had a wardrobe clear out today, lots of clothes that are too small, and some that I’m fitting better including some jeans that have never fit. Some tops too that I’ve hardly worn and I’ve got rid of the huge jumpers that I’ve been hiding in all through lockdown. So I’ve got clothes that will do me while I’m losing weight and some to slightly slim into.

I’m making a commitment to stop with the leggings and baggy T-shirt’s and wear some of my nice clothes while they still fit. Oddly enough I’ve got a pair of sandals I can now fasten up - less fluid retention around my ankles maybe?

Anyone got any good ideas for marinaded anchovies? Bought a big tub and I love them, but no one else eats them.habe mixed some into tuna mayo which was good. Or will they keep for ages in the fridge?

BIWI if any at home meal asked me to chop the kale or chop much or anything, I’d not be thrilled. Sounds lovey though and wanted to mention that the delivery charge—while steep—is probably the going rate. I sent four sunglasses in a small box (maybe half a shoebox size—to a client recently and the postage was £7.95 for next day delivery.

prettybird I love how you know the provenance of every single par of earrings you have. My mountains of jewellery are along the lines of “probably picked it in a French market” or “maybe I grabbed this one at Tesco.” Which tells me I need many more gifts of proper jewellery in my life.

As for the running chat, I went for a run once.

WATER!!!

Shag - but the ones I've put on today (have t taken a picture yet), although pretty, I don't have a clue when/where I got them , except that it was a loooooong time ago

Ragz do you have a pressure cooker? Great for pork and you can always do the fat sides in a pan before putting them under pressure. Some great recipes online.

Mimosa1 Queen’s Gambit? Anya Taylor-Joy is amazing, plus omg the fashion and omg the chess.

venus I’m really hoping the at home meals from top chefs and restaurants continues. Yes I’m keen to get to a proper restaurant but on an ongoing basis I really appreciate the comfort of home and not paying exorbitant fees for wine, let alone taxi costs, service tip, etc.

Nice to have the option, and we always dress up and light all the candles in the house, and shop the Hormoaners to their rooms so it feels like an intimate and special evening.

Having said that, my kingdom for a restaurant with a kickass tasting menu!!!

jelly your clear out sounds wonderful. As for the ankle strap, I must assume some of it will be fat, not just water retention going down. Many of us must have noticed rings feeling looser, shoes and feet generally smaller, chokers fitting better and even less fanny fat if I’m allowed to say that.

Bestbees marinaded in what? For anchovies, I love them in an endive (chicory) salad or served on toast with butter so if you have the seriously low carb bread slices to hand that could be a nice lunch. Possibly even combine with the chicory. They can also mix beautifully with radishes. The bitter and the salt and—if you want—the bread and butter...a different and wonderful flavour combination.

Thanks @ShagMeRiggins they are in a vinagery dressing. Mashed in butter is a good idea. I cannot bear chicory/endive. Its the only thing I don't eat!

How about rocket then? Similarly bitter but not as much crunch. And do think about the radishes. Little bites of a slice of radish plus a small piece of anchovy and buttered toast with your vinegar dressing sounds blissful to me. Very chic.

Rocket I can manage! Chic? Well if all it takes to make me chic is some radishes then I am in!

@RagzReturnsRebooted I'm assuming you have pork loin steaks? I find they always go dry so I've started buying pork shoulder steaks instead. They're fattier so don't go dry and are lovely simply grilled.

@Jellycatspyjamas I am jealous of your clear out! I went to put on a much loved dress yesterday only to realise that it was far too big! My wardrobe has sizes 12-22 in currently! I have dropped from an 18 to a 14 since finding bootcamp so there's lots that is too big (and things I fit back into - woop!).

Jealous of the clear out too. I'm 30lbs down and still haven't dropped a dress size! My size 22s are definitely getting a bit looser though. KOKO.

Hope if your much loved dress is truly loved, consider having it altered. I’ve done that with a fair few of my clothes and while it’s a bit of money I know it will be worn and used and I don’t have to search for a replacement.

Not a massive eco-warrior at all, but I do think about cost per wear with clothing and sustainability. When something is important and can be salvaged for longer use, it’s worth exploring.

Ps—how fabulous that it’s too big!

ouch I’ve had this as well, the not dropping dress sizes. Two things come to mind:

1. I was wearing lots of stretchy stuff and probably was a larger size than I admitted.

1. My top size vs my bottom size are completely different.

Thinking it through, my body has also changed shape and continues to do so. The focus now is to dress the shape I have as well as possible and not think twice about sizes.

60lbs down and a drop of two sizes for top and three sizes for bottom (with a bit of muffin on the side).

Clothes lie. And so do we, sometimes, to ourselves.

KOKO and ALL THE WATER!!! Mwah!