Week 7 - Leaving Lockdown Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Evening all. Starting next week's thread early as I still have family here and it's difficult to get away to the laptop. The only reason I can do it now is that I'm in bed, really not feeling too well

Anyway here's the spreadsheet

I hope everyone sees a good result.

Really interesting and insightful posts about cravings and comfort eating. I actually think this is what makes low carbing (or any diet, frankly) so hard. The relationship we have with food is such a complex one.

@ElasticFirecracker - just had email from The Guardian ‘Easy cakes for any occasion’ - saw the custard cake. 😬🥴😋

Hello all
Just catching up with thread. Random sad to hear about your son.

I’m just popping on to say ‘farewell’ for a bit - I’m ducking out of the threads now - still going to keep up with low carbing, but just finding my life so demanding at the moment.

You are all brilliant!

For the occasional treat I like a small amount of toasted coconut flakes( Holland and Barrett). 6.4g carbs per 100g but 100g is a huge amount, I probably have 10g if that.

When I was little here in South West Wales we only got coconut once a year at the village carnival so deep down I still think of it as an exotic treat.

Hi All. just catching up. Weighed yesterday and was down 2lb so now only 1lb up on last week. What I'm struggling with is targeted weight loss. Not sure if any of you wise women have any incite? at 11st10 my face and body above my hips is just right. Face isn't too gaunt and ribs and collar bone not too prominent. But my hips and arse are still really fleshy and flabby. When I'm 11st 5 hips are much better but my face and torso looks too scraggy. Is cheap plastic surgery in a developing country (as per Random's above post) my only option?

Speaking of cheap plastic surgery, I don't think we'll need to wait that long for it to arrive here @Random789 . So many 'aesthetic' boutiques have sprung up round here and there are a scary number of women walking round looking like extras from Escape to L.A. that our dream of cheap (largely unregulated) plastic surgery must be very close indeed. Careful what you wish for tho!

@Random789 I think that some days of more movement and some days of less movement are perfectly fine - even the mad tour de France cyclists have a rest day! I also find that weirdly on a rest day I am more likely to loose a little weight. I imagine that my body is in repair mode, using my energy (and fat) to restore muscles, joints, connective tissue...

@ElasticFirecracker I know what you mean. I've looked at my diary 2 weeks ahead and I'm panicking because I have four different things on. FOUR! In a whole week.

@Andi2020 newly-retired dh is like that. He talks about whatever he is thinking about. I remove myself to another room (to get on with my work). He follows. We may have a new patio soon!

@GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal good to see you posting, I remember being inspired by your progress and determination (and awed by your work).

@MrsKoala if you remain at 11,5 does it eventually even up? Whatever weight I am, I always lose first from my face, then from my boobs, and always last from my tummy. But if I maintain at that weight the balance changes a bit. Eventually I just have to accept that I am an apple shape and the weight will always be more round my middle.

Food today:
B - asparagus, eggs, a tiny slice of black pudding
snack - coffee (and said no to the slices of cake)
L - salad of greens, radish, cucumber, carrot; with avocado mashed with mayonnaise, yogurt and tabasco
snack - peppermint tea (said not to the chocolate and cherry slice)
D - pork cheek, celeriac, green veg, crackling - best pub meal ever!

A food post;
BCreamy coffee
L 3 eggs with green veg and cheddar & toms
D Chicken skewer coleslaw leaves.

Greek yogurt with peanut butter

Without trying to go into too much detail I've had quite the week diet wise.
I didn't go to the loo for a couple of days, didn't really think much of it, then couldn't go for a couple of days, still not worried until we hit a point where I actually couldn't go, was in agony. Ended with a trip to boots for multiple tablets (and not tablets 😳). End result came with 3 x fainting.
Spent the day asleep on sofa and ate weetabix as was only thing I could thing of that may help.
Anyway suffice to say feeling very sorry for myself.
This happened when I tried boot camp before and was why I stopped. However this time I know it isn't the norm for me so will get right back on plan now.
And will never ever let that happen again. So that was quite unpleasant sorry for the tmi, hope I managed to tell that story with minimal information. Definitely not trying to paint you a picture with words.

Arghh dita glad you're through it, sounds like you understand what caused it and how to prevent it I think? Is it a veg thing? I'm away and eating much less veg than usual plus not drinking much water- combined with camping toilets not an ideal scenario.

Hotel tonight then family for the weekend so back to civilisation. Doing lots of biking and I've discovered Rutland is the county Lincolnshire banished all its hills to! Have been way off plan but OK with that for now. Not too bad on the sugar front but plenty of way too much bread, pastry, potatoes etc. Forgotten how much I missed beer. Off to a Turkish place tonight then hoping for an epic hotel breakfast.

That sounds really horrible dita. You poor thing. I hope that it resolves and doesn't force you to drop out of the woe. I'm having probs with constipation but certainly not the pain and awfulness you describe. It is quite demoralising tho and I don't understand why I can't get on top of it when i am eating mounds of veg and drinking lakes of water.

In defence of this woe it appears to have started when I went out for sushi with my friends at the weekend. I will not be dropping out of this woe, this is me for life now. I will not ever let it get to that stage again though it was actually weirdly terrifying. Medication will be taken much sooner in future.

Also had a bit of a of a revelation about this WoE last weekend I've been pondering since, not sure if I'll do a good job of explaining it.

I bought some of the extra thick double cream to have on strawberries and the next day one of the family was rooting around for the ice cream as he thought it didn't taste of much. I realised if you eat a lot of processed food (the ultra processed food that's been in the press recently) then your tastebuds are going to struggle with simpler (superior!) joys. Combine that with an ingrained belief that the cream is really bad for you anyway and you're screwed really! It's like almost everything that generation were taught is wrong. We had conversations about fruit juice, about how (cheap) ice cream is basically margarine with sugar, breakfast cereal, etc. So busy avoiding fat and salt they miss all the good stuff. The idea that the cream is the bad part of a chocolate eclair not the pastry or chocolate icing; that the bacon, egg and butter is the unhealthy part of bacon sandwich not the bread or ketchup.

Anyway not sure of my point other than to say obviously this diet suits Mumsnet's middle class bias with good cooking from scratch, just swapping out the carbs and puddings. It's just so sad that for the (often overweight) masses it's a million miles away from both what they actually eat or even what they think they should eat.

@ditavonteesed sounds a horrific week. Are you feeling ok now?
I have weighed in today . Same as last week. I want to set this point as the heaviest I want to be. I would be happy to stay here but I am likely to creep up. I was this weight 5 years ago and managed to put on almost 2 stone. Now my target is to lose another 7lbs to give me some wiggle room. I don’t care if it takes me to Christmas- at which point I will probably put it on again. Posting on here is definitely keeping me focussed. Thanks all

@Pleaseandthankyou I'm fine now thanks, sounds like you are at exactly the same point as me, I'm definitely in maintenance now, happy with my weight but at the highest point I want it to be. I'm still weighing daily to see the effect various messing around with carb levels has on the scales, trying to up the exercise so I can tone my tummy and ideally like to have half a stone wiggle room.
One thing I said to my girls at the start of this was if I got to goal I would get my belly button repoerced (to be fair never in a million years though I'd get here) so I guess I should get that done now 😂

@BIWI thank you do my much for Fathead Pizza info, I will study.

Yesterday

B: 2 poached eggs

L: artichokes in oil, cheese crackers, yoghurt

D: TOm K chilli with lettuce avocado mash green beans fried aubergine. YUM
Yoghurt

Exercise 2.5 hrs cardio lawn mowing burning 688 cals!

I've been struggling a bit with maintenance and being largely absent from here hasn't helped so I'm committing to making more of an effort to record my food.
I've found to my surprise I'm actually quite carb tolerant and so my weight hasn't changed much but I feel out of control and it's affecting my mood. I keep reminding myself that I know how to do it and that all I need is a few days of eating purely hflc and my hunger will fade but then I'm tempted by something off plan.
Warmer weather means fewer clothes which has also made me realise I really do want to lose another 7lb, after wavering for months.
Apologies for the self absorbed post.
I am all caught up at last

I forgot to add I keep finding excuses to visit cafes too which has always been an issue of mine

@MrsKoala if you remain at 11,5 does it eventually even up? Whatever weight I am, I always lose first from my face, then from my boobs, and always last from my tummy. But if I maintain at that weight the balance changes a bit. Eventually I just have to accept that I am an apple shape and the weight will always be more round my middle.

Not sure really, its a struggle to stay at 11st5lb I basically have to live on BC strict, and reduce dairy and fat and roots like swede and celeriac and be calorie conscious. Also I can only do it if I don't do any exercise, even not too much walking. It's certainly not my natural weight and probably unrealistic to be a long term plan. It's just the only time my hips don't have big sticking out lumps of fat either side making my arse look square (they are still there tho - just smaller).

I'm happy with my figure everywhere else at 11st 10lb I just don't understand why the fat stays on this part of me. I'm pretty lean all over now, yet have 2 proper big handfuls of fat there. I know its vain and silly, as we all have things we don't like, but the more I like the rest of me the more this is an issue. When I'm bigger all over it's not as noticeable.

Exercise doesn't change it either because there doesn't seem to be any muscle there at all. So even bum exercise don't reach that high up. Maybe the cheap plastic surgery is my only option!

Going to the studio on the coast tonight and thinking of getting some easy food. Any suggestions of ready made meals from Cook, Waitrose or Sainsbury most welcome. We don't have a microwave so it'll need to be in the oven/hob heated. Lunch will be pizza express tomorrow. Sunday will be a picnic lunch on the beach. But I need to sort dinners for 3 days.

Beef bourguignon from Cook @MrsKoala!

Thanks @nowlook is it a decent portion? I usually buy the meals for 4 for the 2 of us ass I find the ones for 2 are measly.

It's not as bad as some of them, but I get the massive dish of it because we're all big eaters in this house and it does us (4) for a couple of sittings. I wouldn't say it's hugely generous unless accompanied by sides.

I remain jealous of the studio and imagine your decor is beautiful (having seen your bathroom advice).

Oh and to chip in on the general shape thing.

I lose weight first off my bum and thighs, then my face and collarbone, then my c-section overhang and eventually my boobs. Coming up to 2 stones since January and only just starting to see movement on the boobs. Used to be an hourglass, but now definitely more my mum's carrot shape.

Thanks. It's very plain and boring white throughout as its the way it was when we bought it. We're planning to rent it, so have to stay pretty neutral. It's the top floor of an old victorian house so full of skylights and flooded with sunlight. Bedroom has my beloved mid century G Plan furniture from our old house (pre dc) and the lounge/kitchen'diner has my modernist/bauhaus monochrome furniture; a Le Courbusier sofa and Mies Van Der Rohe chairs. I'm thinking of putting this wallpaper up on the largest wall in the diner as I bought it 6 years ago on a whim in a sale and still haven't used it.

I do so love design - apologies for banging on about it

Forgot pics. It’s pale grey blues and silver geometric pattern. Out of stock now or if do a link.

Sorry for being absent and now posting amd running but bad week (again) leaves me with little headspace. Half term next week though so hopefully can catch my breath and relax.

Have been annoyed with myself for not losing / going up but managed to get a couple of lb off this week making 9 for bootcamp so far. Still another 40-45 to go but making headway so that's good.

Gah. Forgot to say earlier too for anyone who does Pilates, I did an arc barrel class on Weds and it was excellent. I reached parts of my core I didn't know existed. I'm still feeling it today, but in a really good way. I'd definitely recommend it.