Week 4 - Leaving Lockdown Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all!

here's the spreadsheet . If you haven't already seen it, check out the new info for veg/nuts/fruit that @AthelstaneTheUnready has added to it. Updated (and hopefully now the most accurate) data for all three categories, and all grouped into traffic light categories - green to eat freely (when allowed, in the case of nuts and fruit), amber to be more cautious about and red to avoid as much as possible.

If there's a particular ingredient that isn't on there, just let me know and I'll find the data for that and add it.

And now to week 4

A reminder that this week is also one where you're unlikely to see much loss - and possibly may see a gain. Just remember that THIS IS PERFECTLY NORMAL! Don't panic, but just KOKO and things should get moving again from next week.

Off to catch up with the end of last week's thread now. Hope everyone has an enjoyable bank holiday Monday

@colouringindoors I'd make some kind of spicy Asian soup with that lot - do you have herbs/spices to hand as well?

@Chattycatty Have you been at the low carb bread? I had a reaction similar to yours when I tried it. Given this isn't your first BC (and I assume you didn't have this last time), I'd wager it's either something you've eaten or a bug. Hope you feel better soon!

rayna thanks yes, i have spinach I can add to lunch

biwi thanks v much. Yeah i have standard herbs/spices plus garlic and ginger.

Will work out what veg are ok to stirfry. Do have a great chow mein recipe I could adapt...

Finished my green veg yesterday, need to shop...

venus that's really good going in a caravan! Ah wondered where your gorgeous photo was from - my sis shared a similar one from Isle of Harris on the same day!

@Chattycatty

Feel a bit off today kind of fluey but also bloated and nauseous. I'm 8 days in is it likely to be carb flu? Probably asking a daft question 🤦🏼‍♀️

@Chattycatty

Firstly, welcome and great progress so far!

Second, yes it is likely to be carb flu at this stage. Make sure you're drinking all the water and eating plenty of fat - but you also need to make sure you're keeping your electrolytes up. This means, in particular, sodium.

So make sure you're cooking with salt and adding it to your food. In the immediate term you can make a hot drink from Oxo or Bovril or Marmite. @prettybird makes up a drink with salt and lemon juice (sorry - I can never remember the quantities, but no doubt she'll turn up soon )

Magnesium and potassium are the other key electrolytes, and you can get these from salmon, avocado, spinach and full fat natural yoghurt. You could also try using Lo-Salt as this is potassium-based.

Additionally, it's worth seeking out a supplement - this is the one I generally recommend

Hopefully you'll be feeling better in the next couple of days.

Oh, and there's no such thing as a daft question @Chattycatty! That's exactly what these threads are for - any questions, as daft as you like

Well, sort of an NSV here, but I'm not sure whether it counts or not. Yesterday was the day in my cycle where I normally get seriously bad-tempered, have a big fuck-it moment and eat a lot of chocolate. I did indeed get seriously bad-tempered, had a big fuck-it moment whilst trying to untangle a set of chain harrows, went into the house and...ate a whole Tesco Finest Spanish Chorizo. 1.6g of carb per 100g and they weigh about 225g, though I presume that's including the string holding the ends together.

I suspect my salt levels need addressing, but I'm quite cheered that I didn't go for DH's chocolate stash or zoom down the road to the next village where there's a shop and stock up on crap. I did have some Montezuma's Absolute Black 100% chocolate in the cupboard in case of emergencies, but I tried a small bite a couple of days ago and it was so foul that it sent me straight to the fridge for the nearest bit of cheese I could find to take the taste away, so that's now in the bin. 85% seems to be about as dark as I can go.

Well done LittleOwl. I have exactly the same one day per month. My go-to is wine, so perhaps I'll try chorizo instead.

Do you eat the string or no?

Please can someone explain how you blend boiled eggs into soup? Do you use a jug blender or a stick blender? Or even a Magimix? How many eggs for how much soup? Hard boiled or soft boiled? I have a lot of pheasant stock and leftover roast pheasant (we cooked four at the weekend) so I thought it would be best made into soup with FLGV, perhaps asparagus and leek. I'm pretty clueless about soup-making though as I usually buy tinned or fresh soup from the supermarket. Clearly I have all the gear and no idea!

I am also intrigued by the eggs in soup issue.

@newlook (is it new look who has been abandoned in the woods by her dastardly French colleagues?) that is crazy!

Egg Mayo for breakfast, planning sardines and avo/lettuce salad for lunch and roast chicken with swede and flgv for dinner.

@Thinnerlikeachickendinner

I am also intrigued by the eggs in soup issue.

@newlook (is it new look who has been abandoned in the woods by her dastardly French colleagues?) that is crazy!

Oui, c'est moi!

Again, trying to find the positives. The water in South Wales is so wonderfully soft that my hair and skin are, frankly, luminous

@StuntNun @Thinnerlikeachickendinner re: eggs in soup, I think I read it on one of the past threads, just used hard boiled eggs and a stick blender. I love experimenting with soup and chuck everything in there! I make a massive batch to freeze so probably about 5 for a big pot.

Makes it lovely, thick and creamy too 😋

If I miss dipping I use cheddar slices! DH thinks I’m nuts yeh but I’m 13stone and losing

@VeryLittleOwl

Gratters on sticking to the plan.

That 100% chocolate will be lovely melted, creme added and topped up with hot water for hot chocolate (probably a cold day treat)

Melted in microwave in spoonful water with a few frozen raspberries and then creme or full fat yoghurt or creme fraiche stirred in. Delicious.

waves to @nowlook** wonder if you’re near my neck of the backwoods? Enjoy the lovely Welsh water and the er, bracing Welsh air.

They probably saw the weather forecast and thought sod it! And I’m sure knowing the French for baked Alaska will come in handy... someday?

Ooops meant to post food

After Greek salad and lamb chops for lunch yesterday, celeriac dauphinois for supper. Roasted the other half of the celeriac bulb for lunch today.

All.the.water.

I notice my clothes fitting differently but am missing the fancy Boditrax scales at work. Hoping next time I am there to weigh myself I will be in a lower category and only have to neck 3l water each day. Bliss.

I do aim to have drunk current 3.5l spread out over the day but finished by the time I stop work. When I manage it, I look for snd enjoy another glass with supper. Odd.

My "electrolyte" drink is a pint of water with a generous shake from the pouring spout of my Lo-Salt tub and that a squoosh of lemon juice. That's the best measurement I can provide I make every 2nd pint an electrolyte one.

@OnceUponAMidnightBeery

waves to @nowlook** wonder if you’re near my neck of the backwoods? Enjoy the lovely Welsh water and the er, bracing Welsh air.

They probably saw the weather forecast and thought sod it! And I’m sure knowing the French for baked Alaska will come in handy... someday?

I'm a stone's throw from Haverfordwest Midnight. At least the weather's picking up- Monday was quite something!

@VeryLittleOwl DH bought me some of that 100% chocolate this week - I liken it to eating a black wax crayon, vile

@nowlook if I were a little closer I'd jump in the car and share your alfredo ha We're nearby for family holiday in August, I can't wait. It sucks about your French colleagues though

I'm growing to quite like the Montezuma 100% choc. In fact I had my first major slip-up last night, when I accidentally ate half a bar of it instead of a ladylike three squares.

@Random789 I don't know how you managed to eat half a bar of it, @Oneborneverydecade had it right with the crayon comment! I could only manage about two squares and used the rest of the bar to make low carb brownies

@ilovecherries thank you so much for your reply. It's really interesting. I am so sorry to hear about your Dad. My weight seems to have settled 7lb higher than my final target so I can empathise with your stubborn 10lb. I've allowed some carb creep and tbh feel okay but I need to decide how important that final target is. I love your words about chosing to love yourself with your food choices - I need to get that as a tattoo

@Random789 I guess you can't be the only one as its there in the shops but bloody hell, half a bar?! @Hopeislost how were the brownies?

@VeryLittleOwl Every time I see the chorizo in my fridge I’m thinking of you today!

I just measured and even though I put on a pound last week I lost 2 inches off my waist and half an inch each off bust and hips.

B: yogurt
L: veg bolognaise, ham & cheese
D: prawns - with leeks, cauli and broccoli not sure what that’s going to be. Would cream and mustard work with prawns? Or should it be a garlic butter thing. Normally I’d make them spicy but the heartburn situation makes me wary.

@Random789 Just thinking of 100% choc makes my mouth feel dry! I used to like the 90% Godiva one but that’s probably bad in some other way because it was so nice. Haven’t seen any in a while to check labels.

@nowlook wow how annoying from your French guests. That behaviour would be seriously relationship damaging if I was in your position. But I may be prone to bearing a grudge.

Eggs in soup- my Spanish friend serves soup with a bowl of crumbled boiled egg to ‘top’ your soup like non carby croutons. Love the idea of blending them in.

MIM - just been a short walk. Started in sunshine, then rain, snow and finally massive hailstones. All in the space if 20 mins.

I’m off work this week and just at home with nothing special planned. Doing lots of knitting, running and clearing out stuff. Interestingly I am much less drawn to the fridge for non hunger grazing when occupied with stuff I want to do them when I have work to do.

Another fan of Montezuma 100%, particularly with cocoa nibs and orange oil. Not sold within 100 miles of me, so tend to bulk order in post. Is fabulous with creamy coffee.