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

Fusion, chaffles are the work of angels. You can find all sorts of recipes for them on line, but mine are basically 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella (watch the pre-grated stuff, it often has potato starch), and an egg, whisked together. I add some chilli and black pepper at this point, as I always have mine savoury. If you have a waffle maker, you can cook them in that, but I just drop dollops of the mix into a frying pan and cook both sides for about 3 mins each.

Well done on all the losses and KOKO to all those in the renowned week 3/4 stall 

1.5lbs off for me, really pleased with that as weight has been v up and down since I went back to the gym.

@Random789 It was me that mentioned the photos, glad it's of use! Also if you are sore after exercising, it's likely that your muscles are holding onto some water temporarily.

@FusionChefGeoff Enjoy your Turkish! It's our takeaway of choice here, lots of lovely fresh and grilled food!

Hello everyone! Sorry I have been absent on the thread for a few days - work and then recovering from work!!!

I am three pounds down this week which I’m really pleased with! I have had some gin and wine last night though - not as much as I would usually have had (I have been drinking too much) but a good half bottle - so too much for the WOE which I expect may bite me next week. Stuck to the food, apart from too many peanuts.

Wonderful long, long walk with a friend on Saturday - first time I’ve seen a friend IRL for a proper catch up since OCTOBER 😱 as a house move means none are close - very much needed! Absolutely beautiful bluebells!!! (Pictures)

Well done to all of you on the running! I have likewise done C25K before successfully but still don’t like running. I managed to run a half marathon by accident last time (so then did a proper one for charity) so am not bad at it, but don’t think I will ever properly enjoy it. It is good for my fitness and the weight loss though so I have been planning to restart it again - it will be really encouraging to have several of the rest of you doing it.

For those of you who find courgetti too soggy, I experimented last week with cabbagetti and it worked well - mix of spring cabbage and red cabbage: meant to post at the time but worked late and forgot.

Also I took another picture this morning versus my “start” picture and can already really see the difference which was really encouraging!

I've defrosted some rhubarb with a view to making something I can have with yoghurt / cream.

Any BC friendly ideas?? Don't mind it tart to avoid too much sugar - have Stevia drops and some crystallised, powdered or fresh ginger.. cinnamon seems to fit too...

I've literally never used rhubarb!

Just treated myself to a set of digital scales -the non-digital ones I have are about 30 years old and looking skanky

@FusionChefGeoff I cook a vat of it just plain, and then reheat a bowlful each morning, stirring in something different each time. Vanilla powder is good. And I always stir in some butter as well.

OOOh, rhubarb is a good thought. We have loads just getting big enough to pick.

My mum used to give us a cup of sugar each and send us into the garden to rip and dip. The sugar went a lovely pink.

I'm guessing that would be disallowed by the Big Stick. Is cream/butter ever enough to make it palatable ??

BTW, if BIWI ever needs extra big sticks to keep us all in check, I've polished up some lovely ones that I harvested in my local woods (pic attached I hope). They all have a spiral pattern from growing tightly bound by honeysuckle.

@Moonswimmer literally clueless - do I add water? Boil it? Steam it??

Rinse it and chop it into 1 inch lengths and then put over a low heat with maybe a dessert spoon full of water. It cooks quickly so keep an eye and stir every minute or so. It releases lots of juice.

It feels hard to describe when I’ve just always done it by having watched my mum when little. But it is really simple to cook.

Just wanted to thank everyone who contributes to the thread, whether with ideas, expertise, anecdotes, concerns or life stories (good and not so good). As a returner to bootcamp after five years away, feeling part of a community - even if I don't post much, or "know" people - is a really key reason why I am enjoying this WOE so far. Just wouldn't have the discipline to do it alone for more than a few days.

I love rhubarb but have never successfully grown it.

I made the coco-nutty granola from the Sarah Wilson book, will be sprinkling onto my yogurt in very small amounts (picture).

71.1kg - I know why and working to address it. Congrats to all the losers!

Think it usually takes 5-10 minutes to cook.

Now am worried about the crapness of my instructions !

Sorry just place marking. Back later
.well done on losses everyone.

@FusionChefGeoff I'm going to work on it this afternoon Hope you feel better quickly. Took me a couple of days to feel better after my vaccine

Hello, I'm just placemarking. I've STS this week, which is a miracle in itself, got dad's funeral tomorrow, it's been really hard to think about food lately so have just been grabbing whatever was to hand, probably not as much food as I thought though!

I have prepared and bought some meat, cream, cheese and yoghurt and will try to be back on plan Wednesday.

Just wanted to say thank you for everyone's thoughts

Shall be thinking of you tomorrow @ZiggZagg

@ChoosandChipsandSealingWax

I have likewise done C25K before successfully but still don’t like running. I managed to run a half marathon by accident last time

How on earth do you manage to run a half marathon by accident?!

Another 3lbs off! Excellent. @Random789 sorry the scales didn't move for you. I think this week and next are typically the weeks that the scales don't move very much (at least I think that's what @BIWI says!). I'm no expert but I think as long as you keep drinking and following the plan the pounds will start to go.

[quote BIWI]@ChoosandChipsandSealingWax

I have likewise done C25K before successfully but still don’t like running. I managed to run a half marathon by accident last time

How on earth do you manage to run a half marathon by accident?![/quote]
After yesterday's exertions (after 17 weeks of training) I am wondering exactly the same thing!!!!

Thinking of you tomorrow ZiggZagg.

Back after a lovely weekend away but eating wasn't on plan and I felt shocking for it. Anything I ate off plan I didn't enjoy and last two nights struggled to sleep as was starving. Quite happy to be home and with a fridge full of on plan food. Actually felt quite panicky when I was away not having food I could eat.
However did have a great chicken parmiaggo yesterday in a tomato marina sauce. Need to try and make that.

@Nateismine 2 more reasons for drinking water:

• the process of breaking down fat (lipolysis) actually requires water for the biochemical reaction to take place. The first step in the reaction is called hydrolysis, which essentially adds water to fat to break it down.
• our bodies rely on proper kidney and liver function to carry on our day to day lives. Both the kidney and the liver are essential components to burning our body’s fat reserve if our kidneys are not performing optimally because of a lack of water, our liver has to focus on doing the work of the kidneys and fat burning ends up taking a back seat.

@Stokey were you on a low salt diet because of high blood pressure? That is what I was advised (plus all the 'old' advice about a diet that had whole-wheat bread and pasta and low fat products). However losing weight on this woe has reduced my blood pressure, and I now enjoy plenty of salt on my eggs, veg etc.

@ChoosandChipsandSealingWax I use cabbagetti with smoked fish, eggs, curry flavours as a sort of kedgeree - it's great, really moist.

@FusionChefGeoff I sometimes add grated orange zest and grated ginger to rhubarb. Then add in whipped cream to make a fool. It doesn't need much liquid at all, a tiny squeeze of orange juice, or a dibble of water, the rhubarb releases a lot of water as it cooks, especially frozen rhubarb.

I once made rhubarb, ginger and celeriac soup - that was lovely, especially with butter and cream whisked through it. I probably started with chicken stock.

And time for my favourite rhubarb joke:
What's the difference between knowledge and wisdom? The first is knowing that rhubarb is a vegetable and tomato is a fruit; the second is knowing which one to serve with custard though not on bootcamp of course