Week 5 - May 22 Low Carb Bootcamp. The second half!

[BIWI]

Morning all.

I was going to link, as usual, to the spreadsheet, but it doesn't appear to be working for me this morning . Will have to call on @Baystard to help out!

I was glad to read on the other thread, though, about continuing losses - which is great to hear, especially as we have just finished the dreaded weeks 3 and 4. Hopefully the losses will continue from now on.

This week is likely to offer challenges with the Jubilee weekend, and the inevitable parties (sorry, work meetings)

Like many others, I expect, we're planning on a barbecue - but thankfully barbecue food is probably the most low-carb friendly way to eat at a social gathering. As long as you avoid burger buns or hot dog buns, it's usually all pretty low carb fare - especially when you're making your own salads and marinades etc.

So this week's challenge is to share your favourite barbecue recipes and tips!

@Carbaholic876 you are very welcome! And great results so far

However - if you are doing Bootcamp, please remember that things like Carb Killer bars aren't allowed. That's for two key reasons - firstly, they're highly processed, and we're trying avoid processed foods as much as possible. And second, the idea of Bootcamp is to break the hold that sweet stuff has over us. So if you are having a craving, it's far better to ignore it as much as you can - or to eat something that not sweet, but low carb - a piece of cheese, for example.

It will be hard, especially in the early days, but you will find that your tastes do change.

Thanks for the new thread @BIWI!

I'm registering a 2.4lb loss, which takes me to 13lb off for this bootcamp so far! Hoping for the stone off by this time next week.

My barbecue contribution is usually cheese coleslaw:

White and/or red cabbage thinly sliced
Red onion
Grated carrot
Mature cheddar (loads of)
Full fat mayonnaise (lashings of)
English mustard (to taste, add about a teaspoon at a time)

I've also been enjoying fried halloumi with a dip made from mayonnaise, paprika and a squirt of lemon juice.

My favourite barbecue recipe is for halloumi. Whenever we have a barbecue this is something that has to be on the menu - DS2 in particular complains bitterly if it's not!

Halloumi with lemon, garlic and coriander dressing
for 4 people

2 packs Halloumi, each cut into 8 slices

Dressing:
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, finely chopped, or crushed
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 rounded teaspoon English mustard powder
1 tablespoon chopped, fresh coriander

Put the slices of halloumi on to the barbecue grill - being careful not to drop them through the gaps between the bars! - flip once and then serve with the dressing poured over. They only take a very short time to brown so be careful that they don't burn.

Because they cook so quickly we usually have these as a sort-of appetiser while other things are cooking.

1lb loss his week, a bit dissapointing but hey ho still 1lb loss is a loss :)

This morning I made paste (spread?? not sure for the correct word) some sort of mish mash

2grated boiled eggs,
smashed half avocado,
grated cheddar cheese,
2 polish gherkins in brine (grated)
tin of tuna in brine
big table spoon of mayo
sprinkled with nigella seeds
salt, pepper to taste
Mixed all in.

I used lettuce leaves as carrier. its 2 servings.

@BIWI can you try again and see if you are still having problems? It worked for me this morning and I see others have put their 30th May weights. Spreadsheet of Fabulousness

Thanks @Baystard - turns out the problem was at my end. Had to do the usual 'turn it off and turn it back on again'!

The spreadsheet

And glancing through the columns, I see that while there are some great losses so far, @UnOeufIsEnough is almost at the first stone! Brilliant

... which of course you posted about upthread! So excited I had to post it again

Thank you for the new thread!

Can I ask what changes at the end of bootcamp? So far the only 'lite' step I've taken is in the last couple of days, adding raspberries to my Greek yoghurt.

please feel free to mention it whenever you like.

I'm wondering this too. I'm not feeling like I want to dive head first into the carbs but interested to know what long term BCers do. Do you eat BC lite all the time or slacken off?

What happens after Bootcamp ends?

Well, firstly, we always have a chat thread going, so there's a place here for continued support, help, questions, etc.

But what you do afterwards is totally up to you. Bear in mind that if you simply revert to a high carb way of eating, all that will happen is that you will put back the weight that you have lost.

So you need to have a plan for your continued weight loss. If you haven't reached your target weight yet, then just continue with whatever form of Bootcamp suits you best.

If you have reached your target, then you need to consider how to maintain that.

A maintenance WOE is about learning how much carbohydrate you can tolerate on a daily basis without gaining weight. So start to introduce higher carb foods into your day, gradually and see what impact that has. For example, at one meal a day, add in something like pulses/legumes, or higher carb veg like potatoes. See how that goes. And gradually build up from there. If you're going out for a meal, have a higher carb option than you would have done when you were Bootcamping, and see what happens.

No loss to report for me. I am definitely going to have to change my mindset on measuring and weighing. So instead here is my waist measurement or this boot camp and my pink trousers are actually wearable now. So I'm taking the wins.

Definitely all the wins @ditavonteesed! Ultimately it's about how you look/feel in your clothes - regardless of what the scales may tell you.

And that graph really shows just how well you've done

WTAF?! No idea what happened to my

Hmm. Again! Shows up perfectly in my message when I'm posting.

Take it from me @ditavonteesed that I was sending you some flowers!

@BIWI I now have many flowers, thanks. It's so hard when you've been focusing on the numbers for so long but I am definitely getting stronger. Just need to keep reminding myself. These threads are amazing for this we are all at such different stages.

Thanks @BIWI for new thread and thanks everyone for the camping tips. We have a 2 burner hob, grill and BBQ plus a few cool boxes and possibly a small fridge but maybe not. I will definitely get some of that mattesons sausage (or Aldi version!).

1lb (2 packs if butter) down, but I weigh daily and I was 1.8lb lower than this yesterday! Ce la vie. Gives me more of a chance to be lower after camping (unlikely!) and in all honesty the water has slipped over the weekend (easier to drink when working).

KOKO one and all.

Hi all, I have stayed the same this week -10st 10lbs
I did register 10st 9lbs mid-week and then it went up to 10st 12lb later in week but I have my period so I'm putting it down to that.
Overall happy to STS esp and I am in my week 3.5. I also think I've lost 1cm of waist (but such a small amount could me measurement error 😅)
Well done on all the losses so far and koko to those who STS or have a blip
Will update spreadsheet later on PC

Morning bootcampers, onwards and downwards.

NSV for me I have rediscovered ribs and hip bones. Honestly couldn't find the hip bones for a while, not ideal when I'm doing a walking thing which mentions maximising the vertical distance between them.

Thank you very kindly @BIWI , @Lougle and @Mercedesbenz2022 and in fact bootcampers generally for your support. I've woken up feeling well and happy again

Carb monsters settled down again 😀

I have a good day ahead, I'm IF til lunchtime, expect to be at least half way through my water target for the day by then

L: Celeriac and cold roast beef "leftovers" from yesterday
D: white and pointed cabbage, celery, spring onion, cucumber, few cherry toms and anything else I find the with oil/lemon dressing plus interesting morsel possibly with feta and olives.

Most days I eat something along this line, verging only the 'toppings'.

My bootcamping menu choices are largely driven by the need to consume enough vegetable matter to keep me, ahem, regular, in the absence of old staples like prunes and whole meal bread.

I just don't feel right without a daily visit. Sigh.

@ditavonteesed great progress. Trousers look fab.

For those fighting the carb monsters, I sometimes find it easier if I prep all my food the previous evening. So my avocado is sitting out ready for breakfast. I make my chicken, mayo and cheese salad, and put it in a tub with cucumber, salad leaves, tomato etc. Or I get soup out of the freezer. I boil an egg ready for a snack if needed, or I weigh out a small portion of cheese. I prep vegetables for dinner, and get something like low-carb moussakka out of the freezer.

And I put it all on one shelf of the fridge.

Then that is it. No need for my eyes or hands to go wandering into any other cupboard, or to start opening the peanut butter jar, or examining the contents of the cheese box. I look at the food all laid out and I remind myself how wonderful and varied and delicious and nutritious it all is. And colourful.

If I'm maintaining between bootcamps I still eat food that in mainly bc compatable. I just know that my gut is so much more settled (and quieter) and I LIKE this food - cream, butter, meat, eggs and a million veg I tend to have one day a week when I have something that is more carby, but I try to keep it as 'whole' and unprocessed as possible, so a potato rather than pizza, some puy lentils rather than processed bread, some beetroot or some peas. I try to plan it otherwise I find I'm eating more and more carbs every day. I have lost my taste for sweet foods so pudding doesn't feature very often at all, but I do always have to be vigilant about alcohol. And crisps.

I didn't weigh this morning, will update tomorrow.

B - coffee with milk (cream had run out)
L - cold meatloaf with salad and mayonnaise
D - muttar paneer (but made with halloumi rather than paneer, and with green beans and cauliflower rather than peas).

@ditavonteesed your graph is great and the trousers are definitely fitting better. My graph shows massive early wins but a more steady pattern now.

My biggest NSV is my waist circumference. From 36" to 31".

I like the idea of the maintenance WOE @BIWI - trying bits and bobs to see what works.