Week 4 - Pre-Christmas Low Carb Bootcamp

[BIWI]

Morning all.

Sorry for the late posting this morning. I had a bad night but managed eventually to get to sleep and have only just woken up!

As ever, here's the link to the spreadsheet

The plan for this week is as for last week, i.e. strict Bootcamp during the week but relaxing into Bootcamp Light at the weekend (if you wish).

Hopefully by now it's becoming more of a habit to eat this way, and the urge to snack has receded, and you're finding that you're no longer hungry between meals.

And channelling @ShagMeRiggins, I hope you're remembering the WATER, WATER, WATER! As well as all the fat

Here's to a good week for us all

I'm struggling with the water at the moment - not sure if it's the Covid making my tongue feel a bit strange or just that I'm feeling a bit blah.

Think I STS this week but I'm not going to beat myself up while we're in isolation.

Morning everyone. First time. In ages I’ve had a loss to report. 2.4lbs this week as it’s the first week I have really got my head in the game. Appreciate that others may be in a week 3 STS but if that’s the case don’t be discouraged it’s a normal part of the process keep at it and it will continue to work. NSV carb cravings have dropped off and I feel much more mentally alert. Vegetarian low carb lasagna was a success yesterday. AKA for @ShagMeRiggins benefit cheesy layered veg bake. And there is enough for everyone to have it again tonight. Felt like I cooked all Saturday afternoon but benefitted from no cooking Sunday or Monday. smile

Sorry to hear you slept badly BIWI. Thanks for the thread.

2 lbs down for me, 5 lbs overall. Happy with that. Nothing in my diary this week so I plan to make this a ‘good’ week. No big change in my measurements, maybe 1/4 inch here and there.

@BIWI sorry you have had a bad night. Look after yourself. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for the new thread, @BIWI!

Delighted with a 3lb loss this week!

Thanks for the thread. No loss this week. I have a tricky week coming with a work trip and dinner. How do other people navigate that? I’m finding it fairly doable at home but am thrown when I’m away.

Good morning all. Thank you for the new thread Biwi. Hope you feel better today.
Am 2 pounds down this week and the urge to snack has indeed disappeared. I think I’m eating ‘normally’ (as in proper meals that aren’t enormous and not constantly picking) for the first time in ages!
I do really appreciate this group and all the effort put in to provide information and spreadsheets etc
I made the tart with the ground almond base that was on the previous thread (had to use cheddar) and it’s now my new favourite - has lasted for a few days so very cost effective too!
Have decided to not drink any alcohol until Christmas- am still enjoying an alcohol free g&t every evening with diet tonic, which is my end of day treat and keeps me on track, or a nanny state ‘beer’.
Good luck to everyone who needs to weigh in still.

Stepped on the scales, took a peek at the number and hastily stepped off. That's the result of a riotous weekend.

Like @TrueGrit54 I have a quiet week so easier to stay strictly on plan.

@ayooplass I find that it really helps me if I can plan beforehand. Do you know what's on the menu for dinner? Are there likely to be nibbles beforehand / lots of booze / sandwich lunches? I have specific strategies for each of those ignoring the fact that I deliberately didn't deploy many of them over the weekend Let us know that shape of your week and the challenges and we can come up with some specific ideas...

In general, google and find out where the nearest M&S is and become familiar with what snack food is bootcamp compatable. Never attend an event feeling hungry or thirsty, before you go eat an avocado, or a boiled egg with butter, or a few macadamia nuts. And drink plenty of water.

Be absoloutely resoloute about not eating cake, biscuits or desert. Stick to it.

Thank you @venusandmars.
I suspect it will be boozy- that’s when my sensible planning head is replaced by my ‘hooray party time’ head. Which tbh I am long past!

Great idea about mands thank you.
I’m planning to have a big breakfast at the hotel- bacon/ eggs etc
Lunch is often buffet/ sandwiches but I’m hoping i can fill up at breakfast and have salad etc
Dinner is at a restaurant- but I don’t know where yet. If I can get some appropriate snacks and not go hungry that should help.

I need to count maintaining as a win and not give up. Avoiding cakes and biscuits is reasonably easy now. It’s amazing how quickly my taste has changed.
Nice bread is a bit of a potential hazard. And wine.

A gain for me after lots of driving and so not enough water and more particularly two meals out not on plan. I didn't have dessert and only one glass of wine each night but there was potato/bread/a few bits of chocolate.

On Saturday I hit 124.4 but this morning was back to 127.2. I'm sure I can get that off again this week but I'm away on a spa day Friday and staying with family all weekend so it will be very hard to control.

Had a mega shop between Aldi and Waitrose yesterday so all set for a good week and with plenty of good meat and fish in the freezer.

I'm just going to repost my post from the very end of the last thread about my weekend. I'm not weighing today as I don't think it would benefit me mentally but I may do tomorrow after a day back on BC and lots of WATER

I had a sneaky weighin check on Friday morning after my first week of proper bootcamp - 4 pounds down!

But I've been away for a catered weekend for a friends Big birthday and it's been carb hell. Stuck in a lodge in the middle of nowhere with all the food organised and brought in by her family - think croissants for breakfast, sandwich lunch, afternoon tea with cake and Prosecco, pizza and more wine for dinner type stuff for two and half days. I did my best (took ham and cheese out of the bread surreptitiously at lunch for example and drank loads of water) but if I had refused all carbs I wouldn't have had anything to eat at all.

I would also like to apologise to the lodge cleaner who may be surprised by a bathroom bin full of napkins with bits of bread and pastry in them.

Hi everyone and thanks for the new thread Biwi. Was pleased with my just over 2lb loss this morning. In total over 10lb in 3 weeks which I'm so chuffed about.
Unfortunately my LFT was positive this morning so just got back from doing a PCR. Bit gutted as I was really getting into a routine swimming daily. On a positive my throat is that sore that I don't want to eat!!
Hope you all have a good week.

Thanks for the new thread. Not weighing but recording inch loss -1/2 inch off my waist and hips.
I feel a lot thinner and I suspect I’ve lost weight off my legs.
I found that my sleep was poor last week which I put down to the carbs/alcohol and I feel much better for giving them a miss.
Realised I don’t really like cake much.
DH birthday at the weekend and I cut and distributed his cake without touching a crumb.

Place marking

1.5lb down this week :). I do feel better though not really slimmer yet.

Wow Noavocado that’s a very impressive loss. We are a similar weight but you are losing at twice the speed. Well done! Off to drink more water. I find using a 500 ml bottle and refilling it suits me, 1 litre bottles intimidate me!

Poached egg for lunch, chicken breast, roast cauliflower and courgettes for dinner. I don’t seem to get bored with meals, could happily eat the same thing over and over. I don’t though as family would rebel.

Hope you're having a midday nap now, BIWI?

Down a lb for me yesterday, still struggling with the wine intake, but food doing well.

I don't tend to post my food as I'm a rubbish cook and so won't be inspiring anyone. Particularly atm, as I'm working my way through the second week of a mumsnet chicken. It's currently reincarnated as a leek/mushroom/ham/cream pie filling, without the pie bit.

Thanks @TrueGrit54. I will admit I have really upped my exercise. So I do 45mins exercise bike in the morning and 40mins swim in the evening. With the exercise I'm needing to drink around 3litres of water daily. With the exercise I'm hoping I'm increasing my metabolism too so maybe burning faster.
Keep going everyone.. We are all doing amazing.

I haven't been napping @AthelstaneTheUnready, I was having my first 'kick start' session at the gym. As part of which I had to step on the scales . They didn't tell me I was going to have to do that!

Anyway, that's a number I hope not to be seeing again.

Realised I haven't posted a recipe for this week, so will go and find one of those.

Sorry to hear about positive test @Noavocado. Hope you aren't too poorly

It wasn't a criticism! More wishful thinking on my part...

And good stuff on the gym. I definitely find that eating better prompts a closer inspection of the previously ignored wobbly bits, leading to a desire for some type of exercise. Just not the gym. Or running. Or cycling. Are doing some sort of weights/circuit training?

You certainly deserve your weight loss Noavocado that’s some great exercise. I am 54 and doing no exercise other than a bit of walking. I am supposed to be doing c25k but it was a bit too hard. When I drop a few more pounds I will try again. Hope your PCR test is negative. Fingers crossed.

Hi all, I don’t seem to be listed on the spreadsheet. I started last week. ( beginning of week 3) with a start weight of 85.2kg. My weight now is 82.8, which is a loss of 2.4kg = 5.28 lbs.
if someone can put me in the spreadsheet, I would be grateful. As I said before, my rather old iPad does not support theGoogle spreadsheet app.
V pleased, but I think I need to monitor the amount of cream cheese I eat. I think it was a bit excessive yesterday.

@BIWI 💐 I hope you feel better! Jumping onto the thread to say how much I love this woe!

Despite buckets of wine for 10 days on holiday in 5 days I’ve already dropped back to my pre holiday weight. So now onwards and downwards!

Also wanted to offer my recipe for shakshuka which was surprisingly delicious (not something I can always say about some of my concoctions!)

250-500g cherry tomatoes
Good lug of olive oil
5 blobs of Waitrose frozen spinach
Garlic
1tsp chilli
1tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 eggs
Feta cheese
Salt and pepper

Put cherry tomatoes, spinach, olive oil and about 100ml water in a frying pan. Add basil leaves, garlic, chilli, cumin, and paprika, let it all bubble for about 10 minute with a lid on the pan - keep checking and when there’s very little excess liquid crack the eggs on top of the mixture and add blobs of feta cheese. Put the lid back on, keep checking how it’s going - it’s ready when the eggs are cooked to your liking. Season with salt and pepper and chow down. So delicious I had this for breakfast and ate the leftovers for lunch!

This is the best woe I’ve ever come across, I don’t feel hard done by and absolutely love how delicious everything tastes because of the fat content - and also how satisfying and sustaining high fat food is. For someone who was a total sugar addict it’s been a revelation and I feel so much better than before I started all this. 💐💐💐 to you all, thank you

Afternoon everyone and get well soon @prettybird

A 1lb gain for me to report this week. I've really struggled in the last few days with major carb cravings and caved in to beans and hash browns with breakfast a couple of times. I'm not sure where the cravings came from, but possibly related to change of HRT (I had my mirena coil removed last week). I also think I may need to cut back on cheese and dairy.

I've also been struggling with alcohol cravings (I no longer drink alcohol), thankfully I resisted that temptation. Funnily enough I do get a hangover type feeling when I eat too much sugar, and I did feel hangovery a couple of times this week.

So, this is a new day and a new week ahead and I'm focussed on getting back on track. Dinner is cottage pie with cheesy celeriac topping instead of potatoes, with green veg.

Checking in. Thanks @BIWI