Summer Low Carb mini-Bootcamp - week 5

[StuntNun]

Hello and welcome to week 5 of our mini-Bootcamp. If you've had the usual week 3 / week 4 weight loss stall then the scales should get moving again now. And we've all got a couple of weeks to really try to finish strong and get the best results we can get.

The Spreadsheet of Fabulousness is here. I can't wait to find out how everyone is doing so don't just add your weight to the spreadsheet; let us know on this thread.

I'll put a reminder of the Bootcamp Light rules in the next post.

Bootcamp Light Rules

1. Eat when you are hungry
Be guided by your appetite. You won’t need as many snacks as at the start of Bootcamp and you may find yourself skipping or delaying meal times. Make sure you don’t let yourself get too hungry or you may end up eating something carby. Aim to eat two to four times a day depending on what works best for you.

2. Avoid processed foods

3. Eat lots of fat

4. Make sure you are eating plenty of vegetables and salad

5. Be careful about dairy (apart from butter, which is unlimited)

6. You must drink a minimum of 2 litres of water per day

7. Alcohol is allowed occasionally
Wine and champagne are low carb and can be made into a spritzer with soda water or sparkling water. Clear spirits and soda water are carb-free. For tonic water, decide which is the lesser of two evils: the artificial sweeteners in slimline, or the sugar in light tonics such as Fever Tree. Remember that alcohol calories are always burned first so alcohol stops fat burning. It’s also empty calories so alcohol will slow down your weight loss. My advice is to set yourself a limit, e.g. only x units per week, or only on x nights per week.

8. Up to one portion of fruit per day
Strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are lowest carb and a portion is 50-100g. If there is any fruit you’re particularly missing then look it up on Diet Doctor because it might be okay for an occasional treat.

9. Nuts and seeds in small quantities
Nuts are easy to overeat and a typical bag is 600 calories! I suggest weighing out 1-2 ounces at first so that you can learn how much a portion is - it’s probably much smaller than you think. Avoid cashews and pistachios which are high carb. Pecans and Brazil nuts are lowest carb, followed by macadamia, walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and almonds. Pumpkin seeds, pine nuts, chia seeds and sunflower seeds are also allowed in small quantities.

10. No sugar except dark chocolate, and limit artificial sweeteners
You can have a small amount of dark chocolate (70% cocoa or higher) on Bootcamp Light; I suggest no more than 20g per day. If you would like to experiment with low carb baking using sweeteners instead of sugar there are lots of recipes out there to try. Some people respond to artificial sweeteners as if they were sugar so you’ll need to be guided by how you feel as they may make you more hungry or cause cravings.

Good luck everyone. Back from three weeks away with family and nearly all off piste (did limit ice cream and chip consumption and tried to steer clear of sandwiches (but not cake ). I am two pounds up on pre holiday weight after a few days back on the wagon, which I am happy with. Looking forward to getting back to drinking more water and enjoying my food more by eating when properly hungry instead of holiday grazing, which is one of the valuable things this WOE has taught me - hunger really is the best condiment.

Morning everyone.
No change here but I’m going with the inch losses I had earlier this week

I think I lost all my weight in the first 2/3 weeks and happy if this weight maintains really. Losing 2lbs to reach the ideal target in my head is one thing but my body feels fab, my health and motivation had vastly improved and I want to exercise, which is amazing. I am feeling really content today.

Thanks for the new thread (and as always the advice and support)

+2lbs this week for me but I expected a gain/no loss as I’ve not done too well this week.
Hoping to lose that at least by next week, think I need to cut down the Greek yoghurt too, I’ve become a bit lazy with meal prep and it’s become my go to when I’m stuck for time.
Well done everyone for KOKO. Hope this is a good week

I've been AWOL for two months, eaten ALL THE BAD THINGS and put on nearly a stone, but I've managed a week back on low carb now and have lost 5.4lbs. Head is in the right place again, I think.

Down 1lb after stressful week and plateauing for 2 weeks, should be better now as no other half to derail me for the next 3 months.
Drinking more water certainly makes a difference but being consistent with this is my issue.
Back to 16 hr fasting this week too.

Morning all. Just checking in so I don't lose you!

Morning! Just checking in. I'm still at 12 stone 3 but I'm on my period this week which always stalls my progress.

I've started getting into sewing recently and just made my first skirt. It's stretch so I can just squeeze into it but really looking forward to when it fits well. I find maintenance once I've reached my goal really difficult (far more difficult than losing) so I'm hoping that making my own clothes will give me some real motivation to keep going with this WOE.

B - Nuts Greek yoghurt
L - boiled eggs mashed with butter, salad, cheese
D - butter chicken with FLGV

Welcome back @VeryLittleOwl

Now that you're back in the Zone it will all come off again. If not in this Boot Camp, then definitely in the next one.

How's your flock?

Well done on losses
0.9 off for me need to change greek yogurt too having it every morning before work as handy.
Teenagers back at school from Tue to Friday different days for different years.
So get into school routine again
Dh lost 6lb this week but had put on the previous week.
Have a good week everyone

5lb loss for me this week but I suspect it's false because I've been I'll. Had a gallbladder flare up so was sick all Saturday night and not up to eating much yesterday although what I did eat was low carb. Couldn't manage all my water either.

I need to find some nice veggie recipes as my shopping bill has crept up with buying meat and fish.

Morning all. No weighing for me but will get the tape measure out later.

Well done for getting back on track VeryLittleOwl.

Thanks for the new thread!

I've stayed the same again, which might be down to hormones. I might try reducing dairy a bit to see if that makes any difference. I've been LC for a long time and tend to lose slowly so I'm not expecting dramatic losses; I feel much better in myself for having ditched the sugar so that's the main thing.

B - coffee
L - hard boiled eggs, avocado, green salad, mayo
D - lamb steak, green salad, tomato, olives, olive oil dressing, feta (will limit to 40g)

Morning
B/L: teaspoon of peanut butter,. Two eggs fried with butter spinach and chili oil
D: roast chicken with FLGV

Hey there, nearly 2 off for me, very happy. Been out all weekend at a music thing with friends but managed to make good choices and felt really good in my clothes.

1/2 an inch off various places although my waist remains stubborn. That’s the menopause for you.

Place marking so I can find you later

Thank you prettybird and StuntNun

The flock are fine, thank you :) Kept 6 ewe lambs, sold the rest, and they're all out on the hills again now. We're having a year off lambing next year as I have what is threatening to be a ridiculously busy work schedule and I can't cope with 4 or 5 weeks of getting up in the middle of the night to check them on top of it!

@pangolinfan I am very jealous - I can put on 2 lbs when eating on plan!!! If I had 3 weeks off I'd be looking at 1/2 stone at least.

I am weighing tomorrow as was in a field this morning. Absolutely amazing impromptu long weekend - finished off today with a very nice pub lunch. Gorgeous slow roasted lamb shoulder with double veg no potatoes and cheese and celery.

I managed to eat very well the whole time. Mindfully ate 5 Pringles and a very small amount of caramel chocolate but that was it - distracted myself after so didn't trigger a binge.

Water has been a bit slack but going to get fully back on plan tomorrow.

Ha, Fusionchefgeoff I was 5 lbs up when we got back on Friday....plus holiday was lovely, but not a sitting around the pool type of affair - camping (I never seem to put on weight doing that - reckon it's the extra energy expended keeping my aged bones warm), followed by visiting elderly FIL in the north of Scotland (chilly sea swimming and a bit of walking up things) and then a dash around some of the Scottish unis for DD who is about to apply. But I was pleasantly surprised, especially given holiday booze consumption.

Marking my place! I'll weigh in tomorrow.

Lunch: neep and cauliflower soup with rollitos, creamy coffee
Dinner: lamb burger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms, salad

1lb for me. All in the right direction but feels so slow. Compared to the huge quantities I used to eat it feels like my body is refusing to shift.
Following rules. Loads of water and electrolytes. Just must be age!
It could be I should take a break from dairy!?
Back to work soon so that'll distract me!

@DaesieMay - just to reassure you: the average weight loss on any healthy diet will be 1 to 2lb a week. So one pound is fine

The difference with this WoE is that you can achieve this without feeling hungry and eating lovely food You learn to tune into proper hunger cues and stop getting massive variations in energy (or hypoglycaemic lows) and better skin and inch loss in the right places.....

@pangolinfan : Ds is going into his 4th year at Aberdeen Uni, if that's one of the Scottish Unis your dd is interested in.

I went to St Andrews Uni (albeit a looooooong time ago ). I live in (and am from even if dh says I was brought up outside the city boundary ) Glasgow and dh did his degree at Glasgow Uni (an even loooooonger time ago than me )