Low Carb Bootcamp - our final weigh in (but ongoing chat thread)

[BIWI]

Morning all!

Another wet and dreary day. What happened to summer?!

Anyway, for its final outing, here is the Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

It's not the end, of course - and I know many of you are keen to keep going until whenever the next Bootcamp starts. So post here for all the usual chat, banter, recipes, etc.

Hi all, totally flunked out this time round, just too much going on. Unfortunately fertility treatment didn’t work and that knocked me off a bit. Hope to get back on the bandwagon with you all again soon - fantastic results snd big back pat to you all x

So sorry to hear that @Angliski

Sorry to hear that @Angliski

That menu looks much more like it @BIWI thank you. I'll suggest it

Hi everyone. We’re also having chilli tonight (must be something to do with the unpredictable weather). I add half moon slices of celery and courgette instead of beans and I serve with avocado, sour cream and cheddar.

We’re off to Wagamama’s on Sunday to meet friends for lunch and I’m stumped. I’m happy to see it as a maintenance deviation but am still thinking what’s lower carb rice or noodles etc. I’d like to make the least worst choice if possible. I like the Kokoro bowl Shu Shiok chicken usually but they are pretty low fat I think. Any suggestions welcome.

So sorry @Angliski

I'm sorry @Angliski. Was thinking about you in recent weeks. Try to be kind to yourself while you decide on your path

I am excited by your bathroom transformation @prettybird and think a time capsule is a fab idea.

Dare I ask how far over DH's original budget we are now?

Thank you @FusionChefGeoff I will give one of those a go.

@Oneborneverydecade we found similar in Devon this year, all the pub grub was just carbs on carbs with a side of lard! Hope you can restrain yourself to a bunless burger.

So sorry to hear your treatment wasn't successful @Angliski, I was thinking of you recently and wondering

So sorry to hear that @Angliski take care of yourself.

Good food day today, fasted till 12 then only felt like Greek yoghurt and cinnamon.

Just tucking in to beef curry and cauliflower rice.

Have a great evening everyone, looks like DH is setting up the hot tub so will have to get in!

@nowlook - we're still only c£1,000 over (£10.5k plus the flooring and tiles for the shower and splash back but including the tiling itself ) and now have some leeway within that as it turns out they don't need to replace the external down pipe after all. There is a 4" internal soil pipe that meets regulations.

The all-singing all dancing mirror was only £130 and we've still to buy the paint (have spent c£11 on testers).

@angliski sorry to hear your treatment was unsuccessful often thought about you .
@prettybird bathroom will be lovely when finished

Enjoy all your chilli dinners

Just caught up. @angliski so sorry, you must be disappointed. Do you have any further plans or are you taking some time to regroup? My sister had fertility treatment and it is gruelling.

@prettybird I'm giddy with anticipation about your bathroom. We still haven't a mirror in 2 of ours and I'm using one of those tiny round shaving mirrors - which one did you go for?

Going to do a chicken curry tomorrow, a pork and chorizo stew on Sat (in the slow cooker as out all day probably at Leeds castle) and shoulder of lamb, probably with some kind of moroccan spice rub (again slow cooker jobby as out all day) Tzatziki, greek salad and griddled aubergine I think. Trying to keep planning a few days in advance otherwise I seem to stand in the kitchen staring vacantly into cupboards.

I really fancied a cake/scone with my cup of tea this afternoon so may make a lemon loaf cake tomorrow if I can buy some xylitol.

@MrsKoala : this is the mirror we went for https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B093H4RSPN/ref=cmswwrcppapiglttfabcMDQRM25MTX8F2MVBCSJT

I thought dark chocolate was allowed, so had half a tiny bar of Willie's. Just looked at the label and it's 40g of carbs per 100g. So quite glad I've hidden the scales. Lesson learned.

Also I've bloated hugely

What's Willie's? I have the Moser Roth 85% dark chocolate from Aldi. They have 4.6g carb per 25g bar.

Willie's

@Bryonyshcmyony - there are dark chocolates and there are dark chocolates

Lesson learnt that you always need to check . The odd square of Lindt 90% chocolate is ok as a treat at 14g carbs per 100g as is the Lidl 85% chocolate (their 95% is even lower but is foul guess who bought it by accident last week ).

@Angliski many, many years ago I worked in fertility research. You can't imagine how we rejoiced with every pregnancy, and how we hurt with you for very loss.

On chocolate, Lindt 90% does it for me. One square is 1.4g carb, and that is fine, and I don't need any more than a single square. I had 85% M&S chocolate last week and it tasted really sweet. But I cannot do the 100% chocolate. Just too bitter.

Food today:
No breakfast
L - coffee with cream, boiled egg with butter
D - fishcake (13g carb) spinach with butter, mushrooms fried in butter, courgetti, few fresh peas, a tiny piece of beetroot

@prettybird so exciting that your bathroom is starting to take shape - maybe one day I'll come and visit... :)

I'd love that @venusandmars - and of course, you know you'd get a tasty low carb meal chez moi

@Angliski I am so sorry. My brother and his wife have been on this journey for years and I can only imagine the emotional stress it must cause.

I have to confess I am a bit lax on the dark chocolate expemption and tend to have an Aldi 70% mini bar on Fri and Sat. But then today DH thought he was helping and bought a large bar of 70% but I'd asked for the 85% (in my defence). Still managed to eat 4 squares though woops.

My stomach is making some very odd noises - I think I'm not great with mushrooms. Which is a shame as they're so good for so many things. Sigh.

L: hm Caesar chicken and bacon salad with small hm Keto bun and cheese
D: chicken and chorizo with red pesto and creme fraiche, courgette and mushroom with Parmesan. Greek yoghurt, spoon of creme fraiche and some raspberrries. 4 squares dark choc.

Long running tomorrow so will hop on scales. Hoping to have shifted at least a couple of my 'day off' lbs but looking at the above, not sure that's likely

Ahhh, thank you for all your kindness and keeping me in your thoughts everyone. It's lovely of you. We will regroup and try again as we have a couple of embryos left. No harm in just juggling the one toddler without a pregnancy for this summer, on top of all the other things life brings atm.

@FusionChefGeoff @mrskoala delicious food inspo there, thank you!

What's everyone's advice for getting back on it? You all seem able to eat so little have had the hunger tail off. I've been there, historically but definitely not there now. I'm ok during break and lunch, it's evenings that seem to get me stuffing in a crumpet. What are your top tips to keep to plan in the first few days of returning to this woe?

MrsKoala Wagamama's make everything to order so you can ask for changes to your food. Go for a curry (not katsu as it's in breadcrumbs) with no rice. Or ramen with no noodles.

@Angliski the Simple fasting app was my magic bullet. When I push 'start fast' I find it much harder to snack. That's not saying I never do it - but it made a big difference.

Go to bed early! Keep busy / out of the kitchen. If I so much as boil the kettle I wander aimlessly over to the fridge!

In terms of getting back on it @Angliski, everyone will have a different way of doing it. For me:

• remembering that the very worst thing I can do is to follow this woe half-heartedly. If I eat all the lovely good fat in the morning, then have a sandwich in the evening, I'm managed high fat and high carb.

• going back to week 1. Strict BC. Meal-planning. All the water. I also sometimes pick a random week 1/2 thread to read from years ago (but from the same time of year iyswim) to get back into the excitement of it