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!

@prettybird - lovely hair

@FusionChefGeoff - feeling a bit the same as you. I’m largely on plan with low carbing - I can only think I need to be more stringent with the water and maybe I’ve overdone the cheese (possibly weekend wine). But nothing that I’d hope wouldn’t be ok. I too am near goal but disheartened that scales are going up.

I’ve also been feeling quite bloated after drinking water - wondering if there is some mid cycle, pre menopause thing going on as I have a low abdominal ache as well? Will try to be strict with water & dairy this week & be more vigilant at recording what I am eating.

I really like the TK dopamine diet book & there are a few recipes I regularly make: the chicken curry (replacing mince for chicken breast), flaxseed crackers & flatbreads (when I can get physillium husk). The cabbage & polish sausage soup is a filling & hearty meal. Agree you need a few ingredients but once in the cupboard the ones I make aren’t too complicated. There’s a few that also look good for entertaining which might come in use again soon...

Love the OKOK alongside the KOKO.

Loving all the book chat, normally a massive reader but paused lately probably due to spending too much time on here Working my way through the Agatha Christie audiobooks though.

to all those with struggling DC, and worries of their own to deal with.

@prettybird lovely hair and that colour is fab!

Had a 2 1/2 lb gain when I weighed Wednesday, but then TOTM reappeared TOTFucking Fortnight atm 🤷🏻‍♀️ Here’s hoping this week I descend into figures starting with a 12.... 🤞🏻

Muck Out May is progressing.... slowly. About to join the ‘one project a day thread’ for accountability*

*disclaimer - by joining, I mean reading through 36 pages as an excuse to avoid starting anything

@FusionChefGeoff for weight maintenance the best approach is to have a target weight rather than a target weight. Your weight will vary by up to three pounds from day to day and other factors such as water retention due to exercise or menstrual cycle will add to this. Say your target weight is 9 stone, you may decide the upper limit of your target weight range is 9 stone 6 pounds. If you're below that then you follow whatever relaxed low carb you've chosen. This could be one cheat meal or day per week or fortnight. It could be reintroducing some of the higher carb vegetables or fruits. It could be reintroducing some high carb food you particularly missed such as a slice of toast with your breakfast at the meeting. If you weigh yourself and you're 9 stone 6 pounds or above then you go back to strict Bootcamp until you're back to your target weight. And then reassess how you were eating beforehand. For example, I can't tolerate a higher carb intake since it sends me into a spiral of hunger and eating more. So I keep my carb intake pretty low all the time but don't worry about the odd roast potato, or thickened sauces in takeaway. Whereas my DH can happily have a burger inna bun and a beer and get straight back to low carb the next day so his maintenance looks very different from mine. Honestly it isn't that hard to maintain your weight loss but it does require continuing to pay attention to how you eat and being realistic about what you can cope with. I think having Bootcamp to fall back on helps a great deal.

Meeting = weekend. I hate autoincorrect.

Re books I’ve decided to order this one. With politics, history and doom it’s right up my cul-de-sac. A previous favourite of mine is ‘City of Sin’ a history of vice in London - also 2 favourite subjects ;)

We’ve just been to get the kids shod and bought the latest in the Supertato series, so exciting, can’t wait till bedtime. 😂

Stuntnun I'm the same, if I have too many carbs or sugar I'm feel shaky and starving. It's horrible. Messes up my blood sugars I'm sure.

Made some egg ham & cheese muffins/mini quiches to take for lunch tomorrow.

Had a lamb burger (5g carbs) for tea today, was delicious with a big fresh salad.

Me & DD managed to get the big under window flowerbed weeded today and get all our bedding plants in the tubs and ground before the rain came. Looking forward to seeing all the colours in a few weeks. Is it ever going to stop raining?!

Going to sit down and plan all meals this week, anyone have some faves they would like to share? Need a bit of inspiration!

Longer than expected group walk today, advertised as 4m but turned out to be 6m. Leader just giggled a bit.

Lunch was a massive FLGV and Caesar dressing with bacon and leftover chicken.

Water still being chugged like a trooper.

I had some 90% earmarked for tonight be am wondering wether it would be better not to. Strand as @venusandmars said how emotions are wrapped up with eating.

I wasn't hungry when I finished my meal today but did feel I "deserved" to eat something else for fun. So hard to shake off those feeling when so many other kinds of fear are currently not available.

@BSky as the day's gone on, Ive felt much more positive as, if I get to eat all this amazing food and feel so great and know that I'm treating my body well - what's 3lb between friends?!?!!!!!

@StuntNun thanks for the advice on maintenance - it's definitely opened my eyes to fluctuations in weight but I think I've relaxed too early.

I'm not quite ready to add 6/7 lbs and be comfortable so I need to be a bit stricter prob until the end of this camp then start to maintain.

I've finished the rhubarb now - which might help

I had to run a mighty 2 km today to take DS4 around Junior Parkrun. I haven't run for years so I don't think I did too badly by being able to keep up with a six-year-old!

B: None as 16:8.
L: Almond cheese muffin. Lambs liver fried in butter with lots of salt, pepper and Frank's Hot Sauce. Kefir and bone broth.
Snack: Slice of protein bread with lots of butter on. I don't normally snack but I was hungry and about to go into a 90-minute workout and didn't want to be distracted by the hunger.
D: Roast pork with roasted courgette, pepper and red onion. Braised celery. Homemade apple sauce with no sugar. Apparently that's still about 10% carbs so on the high side but I only had a tiny amount. I shan't complain if the scales aren't kind to me tomorrow!

Late to the chat as usual but loving all the bookcamp chat. I listen on Audible and it has really increased the amount I read / listen to as I can listen whilst doing something else. Has anyone mentioned Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney? It gives a really good representation of Northern Ireland in the 70s & 80s and I was hooked on it. I also second Graeme Norton - who knew he was so talented?

Thanks for all the well wishes about teen DD - I'm so sorry that others are going through the same, although in a way it also helps to know that we are not completely alone in our experience.

@prettybird your hair is gorgeous! Lovely and swishy. I got mine cut a few weeks ago, but am having to wait until this week for the colour. I am certain that my hair has never ever swished, nor will it.

On the bathroom front, I updated our cloakroom over lockdown. It was very hard work coordinating 7 suppliers and 3 trades, but I got there in the end. Hopefully the photos will upload. Excuse the odd cat flap in the window, but needs must. We are very happy with it.

Today has been a good day for me. The weather was good and I got lots done in the garden. Which means that snacking was averted.

B: scrambled egg, 1/2 avocado, parma ham
L: Chicken breast on little gem and caesar dressing
D: Whole 30 turkey in Thai cashew sauce on bed of courgetti

Hope tomorrow is good for everyone.

@MrsKoala I do love your passport photo. And the Haddock Leek and Courgette Pie looks great. I’m allergic to celeriac so would have to substitute something for that. Also Delia is a good idea.

@venusandmars, @Rayna37, @BIWI, @BSky Thank you for the ideas. I seem to remember making a couple of things from the Jamie 5 Ingredients when it was on TV, and I’ve ordered it from the library along with Neris and India’s Idiot Proof Diet cookbook, Tom Kerridge (am interested in flax seed crackers and flatbreads), I Quit Sugar (not the cookbook) and a low carb recipe book by Mrs Michael Mosley.

Will keep a look out for I Quit Sugar Cookbook and Rose Elliot.

I've had a good day. Nice long walk followed by picnic in traditional British picnic weather. I wasn't bothered at all by what other people were eating (even the eclairs) and I just ate my own personal picnic.

Did a couple of hours gardening and had a long bath. Have been let off making dinner because everyone else is still too stuffed from the picnic.

Today's food

Brunch
2 muffin sized quiche without pastry : eggs, cheddar, bacon and muffin tin lined with prosciutto.

Cheese crackers Aldi Maasdam cheese slices cut into small bits and grilled in the oven until crispy.

chopped liver (chicken livers, chopped egg, chopped onion).

Evening snack
Chopped liver and celery sticks

Not all the water yet but nearly.

Hi everyone, have been on a long outdoor training course all weekend, so a massive struggle re food provisions, and take in enough water! I humbly submit myself to the big stick...

Saturday
B: cup of coffee with milk in and a handful of walnuts
S: some weird prepacked chicken kebab thing
L: beef burger lettuce and tomato, passing the bun and the chips to my crew mates...
D: two small pieces of pork, dodging the potatoes but wondering why on Earth there weren’t any other vegetables at all...
Water: only about a litre all day.

Sunday
B: two rashers of bacon
L: 5 chicken nuggets, passing the chips to crewmates
D: Brazil nuts
Water: about a litre. Trying to make up for it now.

On the upside, I moved A LOT.

Long outdoor training course sounds like hell! What did you have to do?

It was a weekend sailing thing! It was really good but really intensive and long hours, and really limited chance to manage your own food.

Oh that sounds fun, I was imagining some sort of SAS type thing!

Lovely beach walk this evening with DH and kids

@cheeseisthebest No, I agree, SAS type stuff does NOT sound like fun.

no sounds terrifying!

@Moonswimmer I'm going sailing in 2 weeks time - for a whole week. The 'crew' are meeting on Tuesday to discuss arrangements which will mainly focus on tides, refuelling, and toiletting... Communal food seems to be very low on veg, very high on carbs. Plus aforementioned toiletting means that I'll be very disinclined to drink much so I don't have to suffer the awfulness of a stinking toilet while the boat is pitching and rolling

But it's only one week in my life, and only one week in bootcamp history. If I'll survive I'll let you all know how it went...

@venusandmars that sounds both amazing and terrifying!
@ElasticFirecracker like others I like Delia and Jamie and just sub things out.

Have stayed the same over the weekend which is not really deserved. Want to have a nice strict two weeks as I am having a birthday party on the 28th and want to be 2lb lighter. Only thing to derail between then and now is a Saturday night drinks thing, but think I can go easy there.

Plan for today
L left over bits from tacos turned into salad-lettuce, fried peppers, courgette and onion, salsa, cheese, sour cream
D- Jamie's mushroom curry (thank you to whoever posted it!) with chard. Greek yog and flaxseed
MIM: run

@venusandmars you sound hardcore! Where will you be going (roughly, if you don’t want to give away too much detail)?

@StuntNun - that’s really helpful advice about maintenance. Like @FusionChefGeoff I’ve probably relaxed too soon so need to keep a tighter rein. I def want to avoid that scale creep but need to get to that comfortable range.

@FusionChefGeoff - Glad you are feeling more heartened. Good idea to focus on how you feel and not what could be normal weight fluctuations. I generally feel amazed that the food I eat is so good and rarely feel like I’m dieting and I feel so much better than when I eat high carbs. Love the sound of that rhubarb and cream dessert - but maybe I’ll hold off for now!

@Moonswimmer - sailing sounds fab.

I’ve stayed the same this week - some not so wise food choices are responsible for that, and it’s my 50th birthday this week so while I plan to be mindful, I know prosecco and cake will feature somewhere. I’ll just keep the damage to a minimum.

@ElasticFirecracker

Mrs Michael Mosley?! You mean Dr Claire Bailey surely?!