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!

I am so full. Just had a beautiful massaman curry with tofu with cauliflower rice, asparagus and green beans.
At lunchtime had scrambled eggs on low carb toast, also had some coronation chicken (no mango chutney) and bit of cheese.

Great news @ElasticFirecracker - sounds like you’re well on the way to mindful eating with the changes you made - there were lots which is really impressive and they have paid off 👏

@Figrus2 sorry you were triggered. I hope you got the support you needed from somewhere. Appreciate it’s hard if you read something that takes you emotionally off your stride. I don’t think anyone should feel uncomfortable though as the spirit of this thread is that is does share a breadth of topics and experiences. I’m quite humbled to read people’s tough times and the support and care offered - as well as the eyebrow, lambing, bathroom refurb advice and insights.

@BestIsWest pleased for your results. Hope the biopsy comes back quickly and confirms results.

@Oneborneverydecade - pot throwing how lovely! I fancy having a go at that.

I conveniently forgot to weigh this morning - prob for best. A few vino’s on the weekend, shared some halloumi fries at the pub Friday & a piece of birthday cake yesterday (with cream 😳)

Need to get back on plan if I’m going to see if I can get to my pre-baby weight (10 years on 😆) But for the first time it actually might be possible.... (but not if I eat cake and drink wine 😳)

Well done to those with losses - scale & NSV, let’s KOKO 💪

Today's food

Breakfast : nothing

Lunch: ham sliced cabbage lettuce cucumber olives etc.

Dinner: lamb meatballs broccoli and salad with avocado.

No snack.

@Ifeelmuchlessfat I always thought that but as soon as I ditched the booze my body started craving sugar like never before!! Obvs before starting this WOE.

@BestIsWest sooooo pleased that you're looking at cautious optimism after your appointment. I hope it was too horrrible although it certainly doesn't sound very nice

@ElasticFirecracker I'm impressed with your discipline! I feel I am always a bit too haphazard with what I'm doing to work out what if anything is helping / hindering my progress. I will try to take inspiration from your approach to try to be more aware of what I am / am not doing.

As suspected my muscles (?) are hanging onto 0.6lb of water post run yesterday so I'm bagging yesterday's STS for the spreadsheet.

Food was yum today:

B: none
L: avo abs cheese Mexican style salad ie with coriander, lime and a bit of chilli oil
Was still hungry so small pot of leftover roasted veg with feta
D: chilli with mushrooms, cheese, sour cm
Small bit of clotted cream with rhubarb stirred in to make a gorgeous fool / dessert thing

No fridge snacks!!!
Lots of water and herbal teas

And food today was

L Greek salad, with bacon

S veal escalope, mushrooms in creme and very garlicky tzatziki.

Three squares Lindt 90%

MIM No walk but an hour of yoga with teacher

Hi all, some great losses - well done! And a sweet lamb! Haven’t weighed yet as only came back to life after jab this afternoon. Glad to hear that things are potentially looking good after hospital visits

@Thinnerlikeachickendinner I can sruggle with water too, especially on a cold day. What works for me is I have a 500ml bottle that I drink 4 times - 1 before lunch, 2 in the afternoon, 1 in the evening. I make up the rest of my liquids with morning coffee, anf a herbal tea in the evening. It can mean rushing to the loo when I get back from a walk, but it does keep me feeling less hungry.

Woops posted too soon!
Regarding posts - please everyone share. I often speed read/ rush through & have to go back & search for a recipe or something, but the sharing on here is part of what makes it work! And I have tried and failed on my own. Everyone has their own life experience where someone's mention of IVF or drinking too much wine over the weekend, will strike a chord. I have my own baggage but I like people to share freely their struggles, successes & failures - I love the feeling of solidarity it gives.
I love that a few people are happy for me that I lost .6lb!

Did it again!!

Food today,
B: Coffee with cream.
L Beefburger with mushrooms gravy & cabbage.
D Chicken thighs with courgette, aubergine. onion, traybake - flavoured with curry
Greek yogurt with peanut butter

Share: when you get the MN email - YOU have been mentioned on a thread. And you see it's BIWI. It feels like being brought to the principles office. Where is your veg? There wasn't enough!

Anyway BIWI, you were right of course, it's just a funny feeling.

I self-sabotaged a bit yesterday. It was partly because I was feeling a bit low and stressed, and partly because I'd got the weekly weigh-in over: that gave be a stupid destructive feeling of being able to have a 'day off' -- as if eating properly was a chore to be shirked instead of a self-kindness.

Breakfast was ok -- bacon, with mushrooms fried in butter.
Lunch was a homemade coleslaw, but I just rammed stuff together crelessly with much too much creme fraiche. And then did it all again to make a second helping
Dinner was halloumi fries and salad with a kind of avocado/ricotta dressing. All improvised and careless. I had half a bottle of beer, the second alcohol since bootcamp began. But this time I didn't enjoy it particularly -- I was just casting around for consolation and anxiety-reduction.
Small amount of 100% choc for pud, but then I had a whole tub (500grams) of greek yoghurt.!

I think if I had spent more time preparing the coleslaw and salad, doing them properly and thoughtfully, I would have been ok. But botching them made me feel like I was just grazing and feeding my face.

Yesterday was the last day of my long weekend -- I work Tues to Fri. I think I was feeling anxious and depressed about the return to work and that didn't help.

Morning all, I forgot to weigh in yesterday . Work is still really busy and I can't see it getting any better any time soon sadly.

If anyone has a magic wand to wave over teen mental health then this week would be a good time to give it a go.

I have lost 2.6 pounds so I am very very close to losing a stone overall. Will KOKO but have def had more gin recently so need to get a handle on that.

Oh and I just gave up on the water. I think I managed 1 litre just about.

Weighing in a day late as I forgot to do it before getting dressed yesterday. Only half a pound off this week but it was that crucial half pound that puts me in the 19s so very pleased with that despite a not great food week.

Focusing on the water this week as I really have to concentrate on it to get 4 litres into me (spreadsheet says I need 4.5 but really can't manage that) and it makes everything feel much easier when I do that. Not sure why being full of water leads to better food choices but it really seems to for me.

Loving all the home design chat. Should find out today whether my house move is going ahead and exchanging contracts or collapsing on its arse

Morning.
@Timetobuckup I hope things get a bit better.
@Random789 that's not a terrible food day. Compare to how it could have been.
@cheeseisthebest your curry sounds great, do you have a recipe?

Plan
L green soup and boiled eggs
D lamb chops, green veg, leek and celeriac buttery mash
MIM swim.

I will get the recipe it's a pain to make, I didn't make it!

@cheeseisthebest thank you!
I had this last night, though I used one aubergine and a punnet of mushrooms. Absolutely delicious and a good veggie/vegan option.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.olivemagazine.com/recipes/quick-and-easy/coconut-and-peanut-aubergine-curry/amp/

That sounds lovely @Bestbees. I would make the same substitution . Always on the look out for more meat free options for a meat focused family but that looks substantial enough that they might give it ago shutout realising it's veggie

@Bestbees I like the Jamie Oliver mushroom curry

In the fridge I've got cooked chicken, some broccoli, and of course mayonnaise and strong cheese. I also found a tin of cream of chicken soup (from our brexit emergency supply) so I'm going to make an old classic - chicken divan my Mum used to make it with left-over Christmas turkey Chopped cooked chicken, raw broccoli, the soup and mayonnaise and a squeeze of lemon juice and a teaspoon on curry powder all warmed through in a pan, poured over the chicken and broccoli, topped with grated cheese and baked in the oven. The soup has 6g carb per 100ml but I'm sure the dish will make at least 4 portions (maybe more) and my plan is to have a smallish portion and add some other veg on the side.

On the 'muck it out May' my recently retired dh has this morning decluttered about 20 shirts that we will never have to wear to an office again. Tomorrow morning he is going to do the same with his ties now if only I could get my hands on some of the atrocities lurking in his underwear drawer...

We're heading off for a walk in our favourite bluebell woods in the morning sunshine. Have a good day all.

@venusandmars

On the 'muck it out May' my recently retired dh has this morning decluttered about 20 shirts that we will never have to wear to an office again. Tomorrow morning he is going to do the same with his ties now if only I could get my hands on some of the atrocities lurking in his underwear drawer...

We're heading off for a walk in our favourite bluebell woods in the morning sunshine. Have a good day all.

Love it!

Enjoy your walk

My MIM is gradually clearing out/sorting the bathroom in preparation for it being ripped out . I've also been cleaning/sorting the fridge a shelf at a time. Today's job is one of the web drawers

That must have felt very cathartic for him, @venusandmars!

Sorry @Covid10lbs

Fingers crossed @ouchmyfeet

@Random789 - well done for confessing! Not too awful, but just make sure you're super strict today - up your exercise too, which will burn up more of the stored glycogen

@Timetobuckup sounds like a tough time. Once you've finished with the magic wand, can I have it for my 29yo? Mental health issues are so tricky to deal with, and when it's not yourself too.

Went for my first not-C25K run yesterday, aiming to run for half an hour and just work on building up the distance, but had to stop after just ten minutes as my right knee was hurting. I also, it had to be said, had very little motivation and had had to force myself out of the door to go, so I wasn't too distressed about giving up. But afterwards, of course, I was cross with myself.

Weather looks decidedly dodgy this week, so will have to work out how/when I'm going to go out next. Will be resting it today at least.

1.5 down today on yesterday's weigh in. FML.

Really struggling to eat, couldn't manage dinner last night, just nibbled some olives and some quorn. Eggs for lunch, not much breakfast.

Is there really an issue with bugger-all food days? Or is that OK (obvs there's a risk of hunger driving bad choices later, but besides that, I mean.

I need SCIENCE!

Thanks BIWI and Bestbees. I feel better for writing it down and hearing your responses.

I hope everyone has a good day today. Timetobuckup, hope the teen mental health and the stressful work situations improve.

Can I ask about food processors. Am considering getting one but am wary of just ending up with a fiddly gadget squatting on my precious kitchen workspace. Are they useful? I have visions of making endless amounts of wholesome coleslaw - better than yesterday's crappy effort. And lots of the recipes in the Gourmet Low Carb book that I got seem to feature them.
Am considering the Bosch MCM3501MGB MultiTalent3.
www.johnlewis.com/bosch-mcm3501mgb-multitalent3-food-processor-black/p3075300