Week 5 - Leaving Lockdown Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Welcome to Week 5!

Here's the spreadsheet

Hopefully we can now put the horrible weeks 3 & 4 behind us, and get on with the serious job of shedding the pounds of fat

By now, hopefully, low carbing eating should feel like it's the 'new normal', and you should be getting used to it. However, there's also the opposite danger, that you're seeing carbs creeping back into your menus.

This is a good time to take stock. Have a think about the things you've been eating over the last week and ask yourself if they are really 'in the spirit' of Bootcamp. Are you really keeping your carbs low, and focused mainly on vegetables and salad? Are you really eating enough fat? And, perhaps most importantly, are you drinking all the water?

From now on, you should see the scales move again - albeit that the weekly loss should be in the range of 1-2lbs a week (possibly more if you have a lot to lose).

I really hope that you are finding that you're settling into this WOE, and that you're enjoying the food, not feeling deprived, and are seeing the scales/tape measure reflect your commitment.

At the end of this week we will be half way through Bootcamp!

to all those with kids teenagers or adult children suffering.
There is always something at the core of the problem and once they open up about that it gives them relief.
@pleaseandthanyou I'm in same age bracket as you and don't remember any of it either but I think social media has part to play as kids get bullied online and say things to each other like go kill yourself and this makes them feel so worthless.
When my dd1 was 15, I saw this comment on her phone from a girl and my dd was distraught, but we talked it through and she has loads of good friends and didn't need this girl in her life so she blocked her on social media, the girl moved school don't know if it was voluntary or expelled as she had said same to many kids.

pmk. One pound up on Mon 3rd weigh in so not bad considering.

L chicken drumsticks, garlic mayo, salad
D 97% meat sausages and FLGV

Off to get 2nd vacc now.

@Random789 I do like the sound of little ds 

Fingers crossed for you @Angliski !

@MotherBuckets I have a some-time school refuser, & we always found the softly-softly approach to be the best too. It's hard though!

@NigellaAwesome  for you & your dd, and for your ds @BIWI 

@nowlook I have two heated towel rails because I am very, very posh. Indeed.

Eating going ok here. We've started having roast duck every Wednesday, which feels most decadent. We have it with lettuce cups, & the kids with pancakes. Hoisin is very carby, but I have the merest scraping...

To weigh in on the food-processor question, I use mine every day. All the bits go in the dishwasher, apart from the bowl. Couldn't be without it!

@MrsKoala braised red cabbage goes brilliantly with sausages!

We had it last night (although with roast pork), and this is how I made it:

• half a red cabbage, chopped into chunks about 2cm square
• an onion (or 3-4 echalion shallots - I didn't have any) chopped
• large knob of butter, sploosh of olive oil
• cider vinegar

Boil the cabbage first, in salted water, for about 5 minutes and then drain in a sieve/colander

In the same pan, melt the butter - at least 25g but could be more (up to you) and add a sloosh of olive oil, and then gently fry the onion. You want to soften it rather than brown it

When soft, tip the cabbage back into the pan and season the whole lot with black pepper and a little salt. Fry the lot on a reasonably high heat for a minute or so, then add a generous sloosh of cider vinegar - I didn't measure the quantity, but I'd say probably 3-4 tablespoons?

Stir it all round, then put a lid on the pan, turn the heat down very low, and leave it to braise for at least 30 minutes

This made a very generous portion - would probably easily serve 4-5 people

to everyone with struggling DC whether teens or adults.
My own DD had MH problems at uni and the counselling team were very helpful. She’s been more or less ok (she’s 28 now) up until last year when she was hospitalised with covid and saw some pretty traumatic sights on the ward leading to her developing PTSD (along with long Covid). Again, counselling, this time through work, helped her a lot and she seems much better now, fingers crossed.

That sounds really tough, bestiswest. I'm so glad your dd has been able to access helpful counselling.

God reading about the appalling teen mental health and the non existent support is heartbreaking. Mine are young and I'm so scared for their future.

@Angliski oh wow so exciting keeping everything crossed for you

@BIWI my main reason for popping in now was to ask for a braised cabbage recipe how spooky!

And @MrsKoala I'm also having mine with sausages!!

Last 2 days on insanity at work hopefully - narrowly swerved a need to go away Friday / Saturday so for a bit I was frantically planning what I could take with me for food as it would have been mega carb crew food but all changes yesterday so not needed thank God!!

Hungry this morning so did a kind of coleslaw, egg, smoked salmon bowl
Just had SLC ham and cheese toastie
Sausage, cabbage and leeks - might defrost the last small portion of cauli cheese too

Fridge is a bit bare plus the ribs I thought were cook from frozen need defrosting so I'm working on slight emergency measures today!!

Popping on to say that the Montezuma 100% chocolate with orange and cocoa nibs with clotted cream on top is lovely

It was my treat with coffee having gone for an easy 2.15km run (which, even though I was trying to go as slowly as the last one 2 weeks ago, was at a much better per km pace )

Just back from my first, post-C25K run. Actually my second - I had to abort my first one after only 10 minutes because of knee pain. This time, initial twinges soon settled down, and so I managed the full 30 minutes.

And now - off to the pub to meet up with an old friend we haven't seen for probably 2 years!

@Andi2020 what on earth would make a child say something like that to your daughter. The world is getting more aggressive. I am horrified by some of the comments on mumsnet. This is a great thread, very supportive. I go by the the mantra “if you can’t say nuffin nice say nuffin at all”. I have set myself a challenge to pay a compliment to a stranger everyday. They are probably thinking who is that mad woman who has said my dress really suits me but I don’t care.

I’m in the office today wearing smart shoes for the first time in over a year - my feet are bloody killing me, I’ll need to retrain my feet!

Oh jellycatspyjamas, I am dreading exactly this! I’ve only worn slippers, trainers and Birkenstock’s for the last 14 months!

@Pleaseandthankyou the girl was a wee brat. My dd wouldn't have told me but until they are 16 I would have done an odd spit spot check on phones and came across the comment because my dd was upset I had to try and get to the bottom of it she said because she thought my dd was more popular than her.
Teen girls can be horrible. Best friends one minute enemies the next.

💐 to everyone struggling themselves or whose loved ones are struggling with mental health. I'm not close to any teens at the moment but am heartbroken by some of these challenges.

Gratters to everyone doing good things for themselves. For me, following this WOE is one of those thing and I'm admiring the runners, too.

Yesterday's lunch was Caesar salad with leftover chicken from previous day and FLGV and mayo/garlic/anchovy

Supper was a not very successful cauliflower/broccoli cheese. I ate some of it but didn't finish if, didn't feel hungry enough for anything else. That never happens to me outside LCHF

Today's lunch was an odd mix (delivery tomorrow ) baba ganousch, devilled eggs and spinach soup. Delicious and many, many eggs left over for supper. I have a walk with friends scheduled this evening in my usual eating slot.

to everyone whose offspring are struggling, it must be so hard to know what to do for the best and how to help. (I don't have kids and I suspect I don't have anything like the same level of worry when one of the animals is unwell as a parent does with a child).

We've been vaccinating lambs and giving them a tick preventative today, but not soon enough to prevent a few of them getting bitten :( Crossing everything that none of them develops joint ill as a result - we have deer wandering past the bottom of the fields most mornings, which is where they'll have come from. My very kind farmer friend, who came to help, was running a bit late, so we didn't finish until 2.45pm and despite not having had any breakfast I wasn't really hungry. I've had a bit of chorizo and a chunk of cheese and that will do me until supper time, which tonight is meatballs and FLGV.

Unfortunately for me, this lamb is not getting any less cute as she grows up and I suspect I've lost the battle about keeping her now, as my farmer friend cheerfully said her father used to have a few Shetland x Cheviot ewes and they lambed to a big Texel absolutely fine, which perked DH up no end. So she and a few friends will probably stay.

@FusionChefGeoff and @FinallyHere it is heartbreaking to hear about the lack of support for teen (and older) mental health support. Really hope the Government take into account the additional mental health stresses from COVID in any future funding plans. Early intervention is so important.

@Pleaseandthankyou - that’s a lovely thing to do. Hopefully they will receive it in the way you intend rather than thinking your an odd one! 😆

@prettybird - chocolate with clotted cream. Now we’re talking! I sometimes put peanut butter on mine. 😋

@Jellycatspyjamas - ouch. I too have lived in trainers and walking boots. I was looking forward to wearing some more delicate footwear but maybe not....I’m still WfH so will maybe graduate back slowly to smarter footwear.

L: prawn & avo salad
D: Omelette & salad
Water, coffee, herbal tea - more water to go.

Off paddleboarding later 🏄‍♀️

@Jellycatspyjamas

The things we do to our feet in the name of 'professional dress code ' actually make me really quite cross. You don't catch men regularly wearing uncomfortable shoes.

I slowly transitioned to 'barefoot' type shoes a good few years ago. It took some time even though I had never worn really fashionable shoes for my calf muscles to relax enough and my toes to become really active. I wore M&S court shoes to my mothers funeral and really hope that will be the last time I need to wear shoes that put out my balance. Shall simply wear trousers or avoid full length photo shots.

@FinallyHere these were shoes I bought last year and haven’t worn yet because we went into lockdown 2 weeks later. I don’t usually wear formal work wear most of the time but every so often I need to for particular meetings, I should have realised my feet wouldn’t thank me and yes, realising how much heeled shoes throw your balance out - these only had a 1.5 inch heel but I felt like I was wearing stilettos.

@Jellycatspyjamas 😀

Last time I wore proper shoes it was to my DF’s funeral last year. Like the rest of you I’ve worn nothing but trainers and sandals for the last year. We’re WFH until next Easter at least and I hope to retire Easter 2023 so I’m hoping to get away without formal shoes as much as possible.

In other news, Huw Edwards who is a bit of a heart throb of mine just liked one of my tweets so I am all a-flutter.

Have spent ages this afternoon trying to get my laptop working. And then discovered that I had been crossly wiggling the charging cable in the USB port by mistake! Feel such a tit. But at least I didn’t hit the choc.

Thanks for the recipe @BIWI that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

Feel strangely tearful and guilty- I was just putting the guinea pigs out and I noticed that one has a cloud over her right eye and she didn’t see my hand coming to pick her up on that side. I feel like a crap ‘mum’ that I haven’t noticed and she may have been suffering. Going to the vet in the morning to have her checked out.

A bit like the not being used to proper shoes I had a revelation yesterday that covid has rendered my fart control useless. So used to passing wind with impunity at home that my body appears to not recognise (or care about) the signals and I keep farting in public and when talking to parents at the school gates. I need to start some kind of intensive sphincter exercises!

Afternoon all!

DS has spoken to me about his troubled (girl) friend today. I'm so relieved. Hope we can keep the dialogue going.

Any bookworms on the thread? I fell into a rut of easy-read but enjoyable crime writers during lockdown as didn't have the mental capacity for more. Rankin, Cleeves, McDermid, that sort of thing. I'm feeling ready to read more widely again. What have I missed in the past couple of years? (I read everything in better times- all shortlisted writers for absolutely anything and everything). Has anything taken your breath away recently?

And I'm very sorry about your guinea pig and your trumpety arse @MrsKoala.

Similarly, I have no idea how to sit in meetings anymore. I'm used to being sprawled on a sofa.

I'd had to move on to wedges and the most amazingly comfortable sandals from Sorel for work. Feel far too precarious otherwise

I officially redesignated all my pyjamas as 'loungewear' during the coronavirus lockdown, which meant that I could wear them all day. Now I'm going to have to get used to getting dressed before starting work.